How to Hone a Knife: Steel, Ceramic, Diamond & Leather Options

Sharpening and honing are not the same thing. A sharp knife gradually loses its refined edge with use—micro-fractures develop, and the very tip of the sharpened edge can fold over (called burrs). Under a microscope, the edge looks like a jagged mountain range, resembling something from a Dr. Seuss book!

Honing straightens those folds, realigns that microscopic mountain range, and removes or reshapens the burrs. On the other hand, sharpening grinds down and removes steel, completely redefining the blade's geometry and making it sharp once again.

Important:  Honing won't work on a dull knife. If your knife is already blunt and doesn't chop or slice easily, you'll need to have it professionally sharpened or learn how to use a whetstone. Once the edge is restored, honing is how you maintain it. So, again, sharpening creates a sharp knife; honing keeps it sharp for a long time!

• Steel Rod – Common, inexpensive, best for softer steel knives below a 60 Rockwell
• Ceramic Rod – Affordable, works on all knives, including harder Japanese steels
• Diamond Rod – Abrasive, not for beginners, best for food service professionals and butchers
• Leather Strop – Gentle, high-end feel, perfect for finishing all blade types

Steel rods are the most common honing tools. They're inexpensive, easy to find, and great for softer stainless knives with a Rockwell hardness under 60. Think Wusthof, Zwilling, K Sabatier, and other German or French-style knives.

A steel rod doesn't remove much blade material, except for burrs, but helps straighten and realign an edge effectively. Many home cooks already own one because they generally come with knife sets, even if it's buried in a drawer. If you have a softer steel knife and don't hone it, a simple, inexpensive steel rod is a great place to start.

Ceramic rods come in various grits, sizes, and price points. Regardless of steel hardness, they're often recommended as the go-to honing tool for all knives.

Ceramic rods come in different grits, much like whetstones, though the grit rating doesn't translate exactly. A 1000 grit ceramic rod isn't the same as a 1000 grit whetstone. Still, ceramic rods gently refine the edge while removing just enough steel to help prolong edge retention. Some say ceramic rods can sharpen knives. Technically, yes—but only a small amount, and it takes many swipes on each side of the blade to accomplish with only a few passes on a Whetstone can do. Ceramic rods are more for edge maintenance than for repairing or reshaping a dull knife.

Ceramic honing rods are a bit easier on knives and are less likely to scratch the side of the blade like a steel rod. However, steel rods are much more durable. If you regularly transport your knife roll with a honing rod for work in a commercial kitchen, a steel rod will hold up and last forever, even if dropped. However, a ceramic rod is prone to cracking if dropped onto a hard surface or beaten around too much. If you're in a busy kitchen, we'd recommend getting a black ceramic rod as they are designed to withstand more abuse and accidents!

Diamond honing rods are coated with industrial diamond abrasives and tend to be the most aggressive. They remove more steel, beyond a burr, than steel or ceramic and vary widely in grit—some are very coarse, others much smoother. 

The finer the diamond coating, the more expensive the rod will be, reaching upwards of $200. Let's be real: by spending $200 on a high-end diamond rod, you could get a Whetstone sharpening kit with several stone grits and a decent ceramic rod or leather strop, and you'll be in a much better place!

Diamond rods are typically used in food service, meat processing, or by people who frequently break down whole animals. Skip the diamond rod if you're reading this blog to learn how to hone for the first time. They're not ideal for premium knives and can scratch your blade or worsen the edge if misused.

Note: Diamond rods are often referred to as Sharpening Steels or Diamond Steels.

Strops are typically made of leather or felt adhered to a wooden base. They're similar to old-school barbers and straight razors. Strops gently realign the edge and can polish it to a near-mirror finish.

A leather strop is especially useful on high-end knives and high Rockwell steels. Strops don't remove much steel, which means you can use them as much as you want without worrying about changing the geometry of your sharpened knife. Stropping after every prep session keeps your blade ultra-sharp and is the preferred honing method at Cutlery and More.

As of May 2025, when this blog was published, we have one leather strop by Zwilling/Kramer. It's the perfect happy medium of quality and price. Yes, you can spend less, but you may get a subpar piece of leather, or you can spend triple the amount and get something very similar, which may have a handle or some fancy wood base that is irrelevant to keeping your knife honed.

Using a Steel or Ceramic Rod

Start by holding the honing rod horizontally in front of you, chest height, parallel to the ground. Place the heel of the knife blade against the tip of the rod, with the sharpened edge making contact. Hold the knife at about a 15–20° angle from the rod — not too steep, just enough so the edge meets the rod cleanly. Visualize a small matchbook fitting between your knife and the rod; that's a simple reminder of what 20 degrees looks like.

Slide the blade down and across the rod in a sweeping motion, heel to tip. You should finish the stroke with the tip of the knife near the bottom of the rod, right at the handle. Repeat the motion on the other side of the blade, alternating sides evenly. You only need to hone the knife about 4-6 times on each side, which only takes a few seconds once you get the hang of it. If your honing rod is shorter than your knife, you may need to adjust your arm position as you swipe to maintain contact by simultaneously pulling your elbow back and away from the blade.

You don't need a ton of pressure either. Think about the force it takes to type on a keyboard or to make an indent into playdough — just enough to make contact without pushing hard. Let the rod do the work.

When honing your knife with this technique, only one person has the potential to get cut, and that's you! Since the sharpened edge is coming towards you, you're the only one who may suffer if you mess up. In a similar position, some people hone the opposite way by pointing the sharpened edge away from them and honing from the base of the rod to the tip; this is a disaster waiting to happen if other people are around you. NEVER point a knife or swipe your blade towards anyone other than yourself!

Some honing rods have an angled, tapered handle right at the base of the rod. The idea here is to provide you with a starting position of a 20° angle. These honing rods are intended to be used in a technique different from what we previously explained. Instead of holding the rod out in front of you, the tip goes onto your counter or cutting board straight up, honing from the handle end to the tip that touches the board.

There are a few problems we have with these kinds of honing rods. First, in theory, that 20° handle guide sounds good, but the reality is that once you start moving down the blade, the angle at which you hold the knife will change, especially with knives that have a curved belly and tip. If you need to know what a 20° angle looks like, Google it or think of that matchbook!

The second thing that's not great about these angle handles is that they aren't as safe as ones that create a right angle where the rod meets the handle. If you use one of these rods with the method we taught you, there is a higher chance you'll end up sliding the blade past the handle into your hand. Meanwhile, a honing rod with a hard right angle at the handle will stop the blade from potentially cutting your hand.

Finally, the third thing we dislike about these angle rods is that many people end up banging their blade into their counter or cutting board at a weird angle, which can defeat the purpose of maintaining your sharpened edge in the first place!

So, is an angled handle rod bad? Nope, but they aren't the best for those new to honing their knives! 

Using a Leather Strop

The motion and direction are different with a leather strop. Place the strop flat on the counter, perpendicular to your body, or at a 45° angle from the center of your body, angling out towards your dominant side. Hold the knife at the same 15–20° angle, but this time with the edge facing away from the direction of the stroke. The edge will face you when you push away from your body and away from you when you strop towards your body. Notice the theme of not moving a sharp blade toward anyone but yourself?

If you're right-handed, begin by putting the tip of the knife at the bottom right side of the strop, with the edge facing toward you, and gliding it away from your body, sweeping the knife from tip to heel. Flip the knife over and repeat the same motion on the other side by putting the tip on the far right side of the strop, with the edge facing away, pulling it towards you so the heel ends up at the bottom left side. 

The pressure should be light enough to let the leather gently polish and realign the edge.
Check out our full video on honing with steel, ceramic, and leather tools for a visual walkthrough.

The best practice is to hone your knife after every prep session. Clean, dry, hone, and put it away.

If you're prepping for long periods, wipe the blade clean and hone mid-session as needed. In professional kitchens, knives are often honed multiple times a day to maintain peak performance.

If you notice your knife struggling with foods like tomatoes, bell peppers, or cooked meat—especially if the blade crushes or slips instead of slicing, remember that honing won't fix a dull knife. At that point, you'll need to get it sharpened by a pro or use a whetstone at home.

Are you curious about sharpening? Check out our beginner-friendly video series "Not an Expert," in which Chef Brandon walks through Whetstone sharpening in a super approachable way that is easy to follow and learn.

It doesn't matter if your knife costs $50 or $500—if you're not honing it, you're not getting the most out of it. Get a honing rod or leather strop. Use it regularly. Learn the technique. And enjoy prepping more.

It's that simple.