You're Sharpening Your Knives Wrong - How To Make Any Knife 1000x Better
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- You're Sharpening Your Knives Wrong - How To Make Any Knife 1000x Better! Turn a $1 kitchen knife into a super knife by sharpening it correctly.
In this video I show what pull through knife sharpeners do to your knives close up. And why they are not a good choice if you want your knife edge to last a long time.
The Final word on pull through knife sharpeners, and why they ruin knives.
(See Disclosures below)
Stuff used for sharpening the super $1 knife⬇️
Best value diamond stone amzn.to/3uNWZuA
Best value Ceramic stone 1000 grit amzn.to/3T4C8gI
Best value Ceramic 2000 grit amzn.to/3GozL0J
Diamond stropping compound⬇️
amzn.to/3GlKY2n
Cheap pull through⬇️
amzn.to/47XlZ0V
Easier to use (BETTER than a pull through) sharpeners⬇️
amzn.to/47UFS8J
amzn.to/3GI5OsZ
One of the knives I tested ⬇️
amzn.to/3Nc3mhN
(but is cheaper at the dollar store)
lens I use for close ups⬇️
amzn.to/480GbPD
On this camera⬇️
amzn.to/4a34WfC
FULL DISCLOSURE:
These are affiliate links.
As an Amazon affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
As an affiliate, I may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, at no additional cost to you. Everything in this video was purchased with my own money.
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:34 The $1 super knife
00:41 The big question
00:52 How I turn a $1 knife into a super knife
01:28 What the super edge looks like up close
01:43 The 2x4 test
02:34 How hard is a $1 knife? (HRC)
02:40 Reads MEAN comments
03:35 How fast is freehand sharpening? (Faster than you think)
04:26 The pull through knife sharpener sharpening
05:05 The pull through edge UP CLOSE
06:36 A burr removal method that DOESN’T work!
07:24 The pull through sharpener 2x4 test
08:26 The pull through 2x4 damage UP CLOSE
09:45 How for can we push a $1 knife? UNBELIEVABLE! - Jak na to + styl
See description for sharpening stuff I recommend, and what I use for the close up images. Thanks for watching!
Thanks again
Hate comment warning!
Your black table is wobbly. Sharpening on it is maddening for sure
That visualisation of the effect of scratches with the wood was genius! It really demonstrates the concept. (although I'm sure you'll find some commenters bring up the fibers of the wood or whatever, which is b.s. because on that small scale the metal does indeed behave exactly like you demonstrated with the wood)
I think the scratch direction is a kill-all argument against pull-through sharpeners... (though the damage caused by the scraping along ridges, rips and cracks, and the bad shape of the burr, too thick and wide, leaves some doubts for the nitty gritty nerds like me... Still would like to see you test those other 2 types of pull-through sharpeners that don't use ridges. I want to see you destroy them, and I'm not being sarcastic here. I want to have solid arguments against them.)
Crappy??…… O you mean SHITTY!!! Lol gotcha 👍
Awesome vid , I ruined a few knives back in the day with pull through sharpeners , Do you mind sharing the scope your using to get those edge pics please , the look very crisp , Thanks
I had no idea it would make so much difference, seeing it under the microscope and seeing the evidence makes so much sense. I've watched almost all of your sharpening vids over these last few years and I think this is the vid that elevates you into the elite level of knife sharpening authority. Cheers
Just if you were wondering, he has a camera lens for the close up :) It's really cool that you actually don't need a microscope for those kinds of closups, it would also be very unpractical (how do you make good pictures of that, how thick can a knife be, focal points, etc.). On the other hand some lenses are fairly expensive and you also need a camera body, so yeah. Check his description for the details, actually thinking about getting one of the lenses one day.
@@lemonsniffs you can get similar results with a different setup that is much cheaper.
I use a sony a6000 with a nikkor 50mm lens or a 28mm nikkor, and a reverse mount adapter. simply putting the lens on backwards, adding an extension tube and you're easily able to do macro photography, it doesn't have to be expensive, used camera used lens, cheap adapter and extension tubes. I chose a mirrorless camera for the digital view finder, which make manually focusing super easy since you just zoom in with the eye piece and then manually focus by moving forward or backwards.
please don't be discouraged by price. feel free to google around and find something that suits your budget.
if you wanted a different option louis rossman has a couple microscopes that are decently priced link on his electronic repair videos which are way cheaper if you simply want to look at knife edges.
Facts!
@@lemonsniffsI’m scared to even look at the price of that lense😅
@@HamBone86 I can actually get it for only 350$ which is kinda cheap for lens standards :) But it's also just for one purpose
This is a great illustration of what knife makers and metallurgists have been saying forever. When it comes to cutting performance, geometry is far more important than the steel itself.
Even if it's cheapo mystery steel like this, a thin blade with a proper edge can cut like a champion. Likewise, high-performance super steels won't really shine if they're made with a mediocre grind.
Geometry is king, steel, and heat treat are secondary.👍
Also this makes total sense if you think about it logically . A knife cuts because the pressure on the object is so great it will separate it by breaking the bonds between the molecules. That pressure is just simple math ...its the weight/force over its surface area, which is PSI . The more you reduce the denominator, the bottom number which is the surface area of the knife , the more it goes up . Im guessing thats got a lot to do with sharpess . If you think about it even things like burrs increase surface area .
And when you learn how to use a micro-bevel, you can take this to a whole new level, not to mention making sharpening a whole lot faster and easier.
I have heard this 100 times... geometry cuts.
Bevel Geometries, Heat treatment, handle, even sheath, are all far more important factors, than steel itself. Steel is the last. What marketing and all the brainwashing people get, everyday from CZcams,internet etc, have made people believe, that steel is the most important thing and even worse, they don't care about geometries either, they go the thicker the better, which is also 100% wrong. Collectors but mostly CZcamsrs, have done a lot of damage, on the most important tool, of our every day need for survival... the knife.
PS I sharpen knives for living, since the 90s when I also got my degree in Chemistry/Metallurgy.
I've had a few pull-through sharpeners over the years. I was never happy with the edge I got. Now I know shy. Thank you, sir.
Don't be shy ! ;)
Ye, listen ppl. Do not be shy.
Dont be shy!!
I know shy too. 😂
Jack Nicholson - the Shyning
This is the best commercial for a $1 knife I've ever seen. I want one!
Usually my favorite part of all your videos is the microscopic shots but I really like the wood scratch pattern prop in this one. Really brought the concept home.
This video saved me 200 bucks cos I was considering getting a nice kitchen knife 😂
It's time for a collab with Project Farm, where you sharpen blades and Todd builds a contraption to life-test them.
I was over a friends the other day and he had one of the pull throughs screwed to his garage bench . Later that week I gave him my old fixed angle and a few diamond stones since a better one is coming . It was worth it to watch the guys sharpen their knives with a little coaching . They have been converted 👍
Preach!
that montage at the end sharpening the knife and testing it was *chef's kiss*
I love the demonstration, with the wood block, of how the angle of the scratch pattern affects the strength of the apex. Excellent video.
This is what we need. "Screw you" to the comments, followed by a demonstration, AND the REASON behind why it is so. Subbed.
Sir, this has to be one of my favorite knife related video I've seen in a very long time. You're actually demonstrating what knife nerds such as myself have been saying for decades. Stop using the pull through sharpeners! If I had to choose between a cheap knife+proper sharpening system or expensive knife+pull through system, I'm choosing the former every time. I tend to think that people used to value hand sharpening. Whether tools or knives, they had to be sharpened by a skilled hand. Today, we don't have the patience for learning such tedious skills, and no one knows where to go to find such a person. Anyway...thank you for this clear demonstration of something we all should have already known. Now, if we could get people to stop using stupid cutting boards which dull the knife much more quickly(glass, hard composite, bamboo, plastic...)...
Can I ask your recommendation for cutting boards? I’m imagining ‘stick with wood’?
Is bamboo a harder surface than wood? If also enjoy a proper explanation of the pros and cons of different cutting board materials.
@@Dave.O From what little I've read, bamboo is a very hard material containing silica, which is, I believe, quartz. I can tell you from experience, it dulls knives more quickly than say, teak, and if you're using a Japanese style knife with a thin edge and high hardness(say vg-10, for example), it will develop micro chips more quickly. Of course, it all depends on your type of knife, steel, heat treatment, edge geometry, and use. If you have been using a bamboo cutting board, and it doesn't bother you, then I would say, don't worry about it. However, I was not happy with how fast my knives were getting dull, and the micro chipping. So, I did a little research, and what I found out backed up what I was experiencing.
Hard wood (oak, hornbeam) "end grain" board is the best option. Can be flat grain, it will scratch easier. Eventually rubber board like Hasegawa.
Don't use bamboo, it dulls knives.
I've always had great success using cheap knives on expensive sharpeners. Thanks for spending the time to validate that for me
I usually dont say much on your vids but this is about the best on sharpening ive ever seen on youtube I been a follower of yours sense you had just a can full of oil for heat treat and a little oven for tempering damn nice vid
I still have both! Thanks for the support, I really do appreciate it 🙏
The quality of this video is outstanding. You always have very informative vids. Thanks for another one.
Thank you I appreciate the kind words 🙏👍👊
Great video Alex.
While I was already expecting a huge difference I had no idea a 51 HRC knife could last for so long cutting wood.
I always say a bad knife well sharpened cuts better than a good knife poorly conditioned. Many people are willing to spend hundreds on good knives and don't bother to learn how to sharpen. That makes no sense.
I have a pull-through sharpener and my wife left me. So be careful with them
All that efort! BUT you have shown me the right way to sharpen a knife. Thank you so much. This video literally changed my beliefs, and you proved it. Thank you so much.
That was a great way to prove your point beyond any doubt! I've been saying for years that the sharpener matters more than the knife and this really drives the point home. I had not expected the $1 knife to perform *that* well and now I have even more respect for proper sharpening. It also shows how good all modern steels are. Even the cheap stuff is really really good compared to anything from 100 years ago.
It would be interesting to see how low quality the steel can get before material defects actually start to make a difference.
"..drives the point home." I see what you did there.
I had not expected the $1 knife to perform that well too. The only thing that remains is - how much longer can a $100 knife last before it gets dull?
Great video. I think the only point missing is the close up picture of the apex after it has been through 35 minutes of wood cutting. It would be really cool to see that as well.
Quite possibly your best video to date. Informative and inspiring.
Thanks! And thank you for watching I really appreciate it🙏👊
This is pretty amazing and it reinforces the fact that geometry is crucial when it comes to knives (any cutting tool, really). Those comments you showcased are legitimately baffling.. Some people 🤦♂️
You and I have come a long way in our free handed sharpening skills.
Since I've been sharpening two knives every working day, I've learned that it's not the price. It's the experience. As with many of these free handed skills ( flintnapping, tattooing, fletching, pioneering, and many others)
It is practice and experience about all else.
Always happy to see new videos coming. And man, those macro shots are insane
Thanks I appreciated it! They could be better but for comparison purposes and time I can't spend all day taking hundreds of photos and stacking them for one photo that takes all day😂 I appreciate it though! Thanks 🙏
but I'm little confused. so there is no point spending any money on a decent knife? i mean the dollar knife showed suffice performance for any home cook and probably most professional chefs...
as a "knife guy" i always like to preach that its not the quality of the steel that makes a difference of how well your knife willl glide thru material. not at all. that only determines things like edge retention, corrosion resistance, ease of sharpening ect.. doesnt matter if its magnacut, M390, or 440c. theres only 3 factors at play when it comes to how well your knife will cut thru things. Blade geometry. The angle of your bevel. And just like you proved in this video, how much care and attention you put into sharpening. Thats it lol. Whoever said its a bad idea to use a cheap knife on expensive stones has no idea what the fuck theyre talking about lmao. Great video. youre doin the lords work.
Love the comments from all the experts on the previous video.
Thank you for the gem regarding the direction of scratch pattern and edge retention. Your demonstration breaking the bits of wood off the simulated edge really drove that point home.
Some folks don’t like their beliefs to be challenged or even disproven 🤷🏼♂️
In my opinion if you become closed minded to new things, you’re shutting down living. Keep up the great videos sir 👍🏻
liberials lol
As an “Apex Connoisseur” , I completely agree with your findings. Steel in general is a mysterious mistress that we will have always thought we knew;but will never have truly discovered.
I'm ashamed to say that I used to use a pull through sharpener on my Shun Ken Onion 8" chef's knife back in the day.
The edge was always just Meh, no matter how careful I was or thorough I was. Now I know why.
The 11$ lanskey sharpening system he featured a few years ago has been serving me well for the last few years.
You'd see people on CZcams with $500 worth of sharpening setup, but in reality, you can achieve excellent results with pretty cheap tools. There is a great selection of sharpening tools under $20
@@pengovan " but in reality, you can achieve excellent results with pretty cheap tools. "
As always, if you have the knowledge you can extract good results from subpar equipment. Someone off the street, however, won't.
@@pengovanNot to mention how long it takes for them to sharpen a single knife with their expensive setup, especially if they have a fixed angle system with a ton of stones, lapping strips, strops, etc. Give me one of those coarse grey oilstones, dish soap or oil, a belt, and 2 minutes. Want an Instagram edge? Sure, let me get my work sharp 1x18 with extremely stiff aftermarket belts and give me 10 minutes, and no, it won't be convexed unless you want it to be.
I have nothing against manual fixed-angle systems. I am extremely impressed by the cheap ones. But man, are people pushing extremely expensive ones as if it’s the only reasonable option.
@@ianbaker4295 indeed! I can sharpen almost any knife with Fallkniven DC4 in 5-10 minutes. There is no perfect bevel angle or mirror polish, but let's be realistic. You don't need it for daily use.
Awesome dude! Veterinarian working in a pig slaughterhouse here (since August) and this was an incredible lesson! I knew sharpening skills mattered, but wow!
I watched a CZcams by you about 3 or more years ago that made me buy a Sharpal diamond stone. I got the bug for edges. I've since spent thousands on sharpening gear, but I've made thousands from said gear. But I love doing it and it's cathartic. Thank you from Australia.
At 9:08 I love the quick dagger thrown out "The difference between sharpening on a pull through sharpener versus sharpening properly..." . This is pure gold.
My friend. Today I was cutting some older lemon from the fridge. Knife not sharp enough. Used my trusted honing steel, did not helped much. Then I sit behind PC to read some news etc and CZcams showed me recommendation to your channel. Today is the first time I see your videos. Some hours later, I have just ordered Shapton Kuromaku 1000, leather strop and ceramic paste. I have enough of dull, not working knifes in my life. So I took your advices about what tools to use. Now just need to watch more to learn proper technique to sharpen the knifes. Thank you for info and for doing this!!! PS - I love the ending music in this video. Was used already by some totally different youtuber I follow, great pick :D
So how did it go? Any updates yet?
Another well done, LOGICAL explanation / demonstration!
That was impressive, the $1 blade that wouldn't give up.
Thank you!
Awesome demo with real evidence. 👍🏻
This makes so much sense. Also genuinely laughed when you started litteraly striking the wood then still splitting that paper effortless. Beautiful demonstration.
Do a video on "Sharpens Best" we've got a guy in the area who sells them at all the gun shows and I try to tell everyone the damage they do. But it would be nice to have a well put together video for evidence.
Proof, explanation, demonstration, and entertainment. What more could you ask for? Thanks,.dude.
You're making brilliant, educational, useful and highly entertaining videos, mate. Great work!
Holy cow thank you for answering the question early in the video. I still watched and enjoyed the whole thing. For some reason I always have anxiety waiting for headline questions to be answered.
I'm blown away by the incredibly valuable information you are presenting. And the slo mo ending! WOW!!!!!!!! Subscribed!
This is an amazing video. Very clearly and convincingly explains the theory, practice, and proof of correct sharpening. Well done!
by far the best channel about sharpening knives.
You had me convinced with your first video and I’ve thrown out my cheap pull through sharpeners, but I appreciate the more in depth follow up investigation. Thank you!
He’s a man of sheer will and dedication! You really put yourself and that knife through its paces! Awesome job!
I've been saying this about pull through sharpeners for years, thanks for the video demonstration proving me right.
I love your videos, they helped me and every time you post I am happy
thanks for providing so much robust information in an entertaining manner!
Most effective, instructive knife video I've ever seen.
Great video! I never knew knife sharpening footage could look so good.
Man, I really love you. Finally someone explained it properly!
The best sharpening video I've seen. A true testimony to knowing your craft. And very entertaining to boot!
Thank you for putting the extra effort in areas other will not. I appreciate the REAL explanations to internet "theories" with testing opposed to another opinion.
Thank you so much for this test !
The balance and quality of science, education and entertainment of this video so damn good!
Only just cam into this sharpening world. Saw quite a few vids by you by now and you are taking it to another level here. The production quality is also really high.
Much appreciated 🙏!
I’m new to sharpening too. If you haven’t already, go watch everything this awesome dude has uploaded. Great videos!
Amazing tests, analysis, and explanation. I'm experienced with japanese whetstone sharpening for years but I thought there can be still interesting stuff for me, and yes your scratch pattern analysis and analogy on wood was awesome, as well as the whole retention tests. Keep up the great work. Oh forgot to mention, love the microscope shots as well! I also use it from time to time but I should use more
It's nice to have something proven in front of one's face. I like that. I'd like to have people like you everywhere so that perhaps more drivers would know how to drive, more bankers would know more about banking; lawyers, judges, district attorneys would know more about the law,etc.
Beautiful. Great close-ups and thorough explanation. Concise and sweet. And somewhat gentle to the critics.
I've learned so much about knives and knife sharpening from you. Just wow!!! Going to throw out my pull through now
Fuuuuuck. 30 years ago I learned the "science" of knife sharpening in culinary arts school. but I just learned more from this vid than from the school AND 30 years of using a knife. THANKS!
Great expirement! Great demonstration and explanation!! Thanks!
Really enjoyed this - your videos just get better over the years - thank you!
seeing you talk about how the burr comes up and then you take it off to show the real edge reminds me of seeing my dad sharpen knives the way he used to sharpen scalpels back when doctors used reusable scalpels. he brings the burr up with a belt polisher and then takes it to a buffing wheel to take it away and those knives were so sharp you wouldn't know you cut yourself with them until the blood ran down your arm
Love the editing! Maximum effort!
Very cool video! Thanks so much for this!
Great episode for forearm conditioning!!! LOL... Good job. I learned a lot!!
Brilliant.
That made my morning
😲 I'm so glad you demonstrated why the angle of the scratch pattern matters -- seems so obvious now! Great video, as always! 😀
I wouldn't have believed it 8f I didn't see it.
Great video.
Thanks mate, I'll be sharing this 👍
Outstanding!
Very well presentation and explaining.
Thank you.
No matter what you do and how much you know there's always "experts" that will tell you you wrong
Yes.
Opinions vary immensely.
Cliff Stamp("The" Cliff Stamp) wasn't a fan of edge trailing sharpening.
Other experts swear by it.
Do what works for you is my thought.
Cliff was also a huge proponent of microbevels.. where other, very experienced sharpeners, can’t stand them..
@@jdisdetermined
Yeah Cliff headbutted with a lot of people on Bladeforums.
The he had his own forum, where people were more 'free' to express their opinion.
But as always on all kinds of forums, there was also the tendency to agree with Cliff, as he was a bit of worshipped there.
I think personally many times these are preferences. Some things are facts ofcourse.
Some like the zero scandi grind, others the microbevel, others the convex edge etc.
The microscopic pics don't lie what works regarding sharpening.
I have seen good edges with the diamond on a microscopic level, also waterstones, sandpaper. Stropping is excellent.
Cliff was too hard headed in my opinion. He went often against what other experts do, and claimed his view was the only right one.
@@jdisdetermined
Also something I experienced with Cliff personally, with e-mail.
I did have e-mail contact with him for a longer period of time.
But he blocked me at a certain point.
He was offended by the fact that I didn't agree with him on the universe/galaxy. He said outside of the cosmos/universe there exists nothing ( assuming it has an end, or not endless or infinite to all sides).
I wasn't so sure about that given the fact it's so large , and we humans are not even knowing about the end of it. Or if there's even an end.
He said it was his speciality, he studied it, and so felt offended by me not agreeing him. This is what science says was his statement.
🤷♂
I found it weird. Peculiar.
Maybe there are multiversums I said after a quick Google..
What do we know.
Science reassess its opinion constantly , after finding new 'evidence'.
With food this can be seen also.
Eggs are bad, eggs are good , etc.
I need to show this video to my roommate who wanted to sharpen my kitchen knifes with the pull throughs
Thanks for the effort! Really informative.
the amount of things i've learnt watching this channel is seriously amazing. thanks for the videos! i'll get a proper sharpening stone and attempt to achieve razor sharp
Everything you have shown in this video I have to explain to my customers 😊 you have saved me so much time!! Thanks Alex you are a legend 💪👍
thank u for clearing this trade off myth that a lot of people have (cheap knife= junk) i am hearing this so often
Great video. Fits my experiences.
thanks for all the work
Very neat!!
Thank you for producing this video for us to learn from!!
Best video ever on pull through sharpening
Very good explanation. not everyone explains knife sharpening like you thanks
This is probably my favorite one of your videos. I would have never guessed cheap steel would last that long!
As someone who only recently found your channel, I want to say thank you. I've been watching knife sharpening videos on and off for years, I have some nice knives, and some decent stones (no strop yet, but that will change thanks to you). I have never seen this explained topic explained remotely as well as you do. Thanks again
That was informative!! Thanks
Glad you are back making videos! Please don't stop again, your information and knowledge is priceless and many of us enjoy your practical and hands on trials and learning. Gotta love those armchair commando's that know all just from their keyboard without picking up a knife and stone and actually trying it!!
Agreed
I've always believed that edge geometry and edge quality was more 'important' than steel type. This proves that.
Cool video.
Geometry is everything👍
This was a great video. thanks!
Man, what a workout and demonstration, I'm a believer.
I liked the scratch-pattern vs. edge durability demo on that 2x4 - very illustrative.
Sir you are a gentleman and a scholar, thank you for this stellar video!
Very very cool demo!!!
Outstanding!
Thanks for making this video. It taught me a few things and confirmed a few things.
You proved your point.
Simply awesome!
Thanks for the great analogy of the scratch pattern with wood! Now I get it :)