DALSTRONGHoning Rod - 10 inch - G10 Handle - Stainless Steel Core - Scratch-Free Ceramic Coating - Kitchen Knife Sharpener Chef Knife Polish - Professional Honing Steel - Sharpening Rod

Awesome knife sharpener

I wanted a really good ceramic honing rod so for me, Dalstrong was the place to go! I put it on my wish list until I could afford it, then purchased it. A ceramic is different from a steel rod, ceramic actually sharpens your knife and will remove dings if that happens to a knife accidentally, or if you feel the knife is not quite as sharp as it should be. It is NOT for daily use by any means, but when you feel you need it a bit sharper, do a few passes on this ceramic rod, and after that, do the same amount of passes on a steel rod, wipe down the knife and put it away. THIS is how you keep your knife's edge between professional sharpening, or if you do your own a couple times a year.

Used on boot knives and very pleased with results

The handle literally came apart on the first use… don’t recommend. Now it’s so wabblie

I bought this steel to replace a very old one that has the traditional tapered round steel shaft and handle with an end ring. I upgraded a knife block so that I would have more slots for knives I already own, and decided that perhaps it was also time to upgrade my steel/hone. That effort led me to this product.My biggest concern about this product was the rubber end cap, and whether it would make it impossible to store the rod in the knife block. To their credit, Dalstrong responded to a question I posted, and indicated it might not fit. I decided to buy the product anyway, in part because of the nature of the knives that I was planning on buying, and the other features of this hone. I can confirm that it does not fit into either my new or old knife block, and so it unfortunately resides in a utility drawer in my kitchen when not in use. I find that less than optimal.Other than that one "flaw", I like the product very much. The handle is comfortable to hold. The rubber cap keeps the hone stationary when you are honing your knives, although this is not a huge selling point in my eyes. In the past I used a sponge or a potholder to anchor the hone, and protect the counter or cutting board. The hone does a nice job of restoring a very sharp edge to the steel-based knives I have used it on. I own several ceramic knives, and tried to see whether the ceramic coating was hard enough to be effective in restoring the edge on a ceramic (usually zirconia) knife, and if there was any benefit it was minimal. That said, this would have been an added benefit, but was not the main reason that I bought the product.Would I buy it again? Yes. Would I recommend it? Yes. Do I wish it fit into a knife block? Yes. I do think it is interesting and perhaps odd that Dalstrong ships their knives with sheaths, even though they do "fit" into a knife block, but does not provide any "protection" for the ceramic coating on this steel. It would make it less of an issue to put it into a utility drawer with other kitchen gadgets. I may just go to a hardware store and see if I can get a 10" piece of plastic tubing that will fit over the rod.

I have discovered the Dalstrong brand a few years back and I have bought lots of Dalstrong products since.This is my first honing rod from them though.Here is what I like about it:- Looks good.- Ceramic coating makes it usable with the Shogun serie (most of my Dalstrong knives)- Keeps my knives steel correctly honed.Here I may need to stop for a second to remind the readers that sharpening and honing are two different things. In order to sharpen a knife, one needs to shave off some of its material to get to a thin layer that cuts.Honing comes after and is primarily used to straighten the thin edge of the blade that is so thin that it can get out of line and impact negatively the process of cutting. Honing is not supposed to remove anything, though it always will to some extent, proof being in the steel coloration that honing rods end up getting.So do I recommend this honing steel? Yes I do!5 stars.

I just grabbed the package from our front door and started using this beautiful, well crafted, and balanced ceramic rod right away. I can’t believe the fast and awesome results and will keep this gentle monster next to our kitchen knives. Absolutely worth it’s price!

Honestly, I was negatively surprised by the quality of this not-cheap sharpening rod.It doesn’t survive about two months of usage.My previous BergHOFF served me about ten years for a high carbonated steal.Using cheap IKEA knives, not VG or SG2 steel, may be okay.