Professional Carbon Steel Black Knife Sharpening Steel, Black 12 Inch

Nice steel, works well for my kitchen knives.

I'm very happy with the quality of the product, as well as the use instructions on the box.

This equals honing rods that I've spent double on in the past. I bought this as part of a gift for a friend and got to use it a few times, it's perfect. Great length, nice and sturdy, and will likely last a lifetime. It doesn't feel as cheap as I imagined it might when I purchased it. I showed my friend how to use it and he is enjoying it.For those who might not be aware - this is not a sharpener, so it will not actually sharpen your knife, which is a big misconception because honing rods like this often advertise as "sharpeners". Yes it will realign your blade and make it perform better, but it's not actually sharpening it. When you use a knife the very edge of your blade will fold over and make it feel dull, this tool really just realigns the folded edge, it doesn't really make it sharper. That being said, if you use this after every time you use your knives then they will stay sharper for much longer because if you continue to use a knife with a folded edge then you'll develop warps and chips, which will actually dull your knife faster.My rule of thumb is to use this tool after every single time I use my knives, I do between 4-8 passings on each side and my knives stay sharp for much longer than if I didn't hone them regularly. I would look up videos on how to use this tool properly, it's easy to use but if you do misuse it then you will end up damaging your blade rather than honing - though don't be too afraid of using it, even if you damage your knife then it very likely can be fixed. I've fixed some seriously rusted out dull knives that most people would throw away.

So I really like this item. My knives were getting really dull and it was becoming a real struggle to cut my meat. And I am on an almost carnivore diet, so a dull knife is not only a danger but a real hassle. You end up trying to saw stuff with force instead of the knife actually cutting it as it should.So I did a LOT of research before I bought this. At first I was looking at the other type of knife sharpener, the more "common" type that you slide your knife through. Now the problem with those is there were always a few bad reviews of people saying those things ruined their knives! Now I don't have fancy knives or anything but the knives I DO have, I don't want them ruined. As they are "expensive" to me. I don't have $ to be buying replacement knives because of some thing.So I bought this. And it works! And it works well. Yes, I had to rub my knife along it like 200 times to get it sharp (versus the 100 they say) but that os because my knife was SO dull!! And this may sound totally crazy, but this device reminds me of Xena! Xena sitting somewhere and sharpening her sword. Its an ancient device. Foolproof!! No weird gears or moving parts to jam up! Just hold the knife against the metal bar at the correct angle and sharpen it. I did watch a video on youtube to see how to use it.Very happy with this purchase!

Works well putting edge back on knife

It's easy to hold and my knives speed right along it and get deburred and sharpened up all nice every time I go to The Cutting Board.

"Professional"? Maybe...Can't be sure, and don't want to spend $$$ to find out. Make sure to use a good quality knife. Cheap ones don't hold an edge very long and don't seem to sharpen very well.

Just what I was looking for