Category: Knife Tips

Whether you’re out in the wilderness with only a few pieces of gear or can’t find a sharp knife to save your life, a knife sharpener isn’t always there when you need it most. Fortunately, knowing the basics of how to sharpen a knife and some creative thinking, you can sharpen or hone your blade using a variety of common household items.

Before we delve into things, it’s important to understand what we mean by “sharpening.” Technically, sharpening refers to removing metal from the blade to create a new, keener edge.

Not all of these objects will sharpen a knife in the truest sense of the word like a traditional knife sharpener. Honing or stropping, doesn’t remove metal but realigns the existing edge to make the knife perform sharper. Many of the methods below fall into one of these two categories—and both can be useful in a pinch.

Here are 10 everyday items you can use to sharpen or hone your knife when a traditional sharpener isn’t available:

Coffee Mug

A ceramic mug with an unglazed bottom edge can function much like a sharpening stone. Just flip the mug over, find the rough ring on the base, and drag the blade across it at a 15–20 degree angle. If it’s working, you’ll see a dark line where the metal is being removed. This method is surprisingly effective and readily available in most kitchens.

Leather Belt

While it won’t sharpen in the strictest sense, a leather belt is perfect for stropping your knife, which realigns the edge and improves sharpness. Avoid belts with stitching or embossing, and always strop by moving the blade away from its edge. This method is especially useful for touch-ups after using one of the more abrasive methods listed.

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If you’re an ardent user of knives, the unfortunate reality is that your favorite knives will become damaged. Sometimes when it’s a cheap knife you bought online, it’s easier to buy another one. But if it was your dad’s knife or a really expensive custom-made knife, going through the trouble of repairing it seems reasonable. Take a look at these tips to figure out the process you should go through when trying to repair your knife.

Factory-made knife

The first step is to determine whether the knife is factory-made or custom-made. Knives that you buy from companies like Gerber, Cold Steel, Kershaw, etc. are factory-made. These are mass-produced knives that come in packaging. You should start by contacting the manufacturer to see whether they will repair the knife for you. If it’s a new knife, the chances are pretty good they’ll repair the knife at no cost, depending of course on the damage. As it gets older, the odds diminish. However, some manufacturers offer lifetime warranties on certain damages, so it’s a good idea to contact the manufacturer either way.

An important thing to remember is that when the knife breaks, don’t attempt to repair it by yourself because it could void any warranty. Once a factory-made knife needs repair, immediately contact the manufacturer.

Custom-made knife

If the knife was commissioned to be made with modifications or from an original design, it’s a custom-made knife. These types of knives are a bit more complicated because the cost of repairing could be astronomical—sometimes even more than the knife is worth. But you should first go back to the original knifemaker. If you’re not sure who originally designed it, take it to a local expert or ask on a knife forum. Sometimes a knifemaker will give a lifetime warranty—as long as they’re still alive. Once the knifemaker is gone, however, you will have to go to the next step.

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When you imagine the blade of a knife, chances are you picture a solid piece of quality stainless steel. However, an old material is gaining popularity—especially in kitchen knives—as an alternative to steel: ceramic.

Most people associate ceramic with those old Chinese vases with intricate flower designs, but the material has evolved tremendously over the centuries into a hard, sharp and brutal nonmetallic solid.

Ceramic knives often get a bad rap from diehards because they’re considered dainty or weak, but that’s the farthest thing from the truth. If you’re considering picking up a ceramic knife, these are some things that will help nudge you in that direction.

Stays sharp for years

The most important aspect of a blade is its edge and how sharp it is. Whereas stainless steel knives tend to lose some of their keenness pretty quickly, ceramic knives keep a speciously sharp edge for much longer. Zircon is the key material in ceramic blades because it makes them significantly harder than steel. When the blade eventually loses its edge a bit, most ceramic knife manufacturers will sharpen the knife for free.

Lightweight

It’s crazy to think how something so light and thin can be so sharp and dangerous. It’s easy to not take a ceramic knife seriously because of its weight, but that’s what gives it an advantage over steel. With minimal weight, you won’t be burdened when doing mundane tasks like slicing cheese.

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That’s the question Kevin Michalowski, editor of the publication Tactical Gear, wanted to settle.

In order to do so, Michalowski used four different knives — Spyderco Assist, Kershaw Responder, Breakout Safety Tool and Gerber Hinderer CLS — to break through windows and cut seat belts.

All performed reasonably well, except for the Breakout Safety Tool, which appears to be as about as useful as a stuffed animal if you’re trapped in a vehicle.

Which one of these knives you’d want to have in a life or death situation.