Review on Farberware Angle Bolster Sharpening Steel by Sarala Cannon

Before I start sharing my experience with this honing machine, I need to eliminate the misidentification on the packaging and labeling of this product. Simply put, this product is a knife for sharpening steel; it is not a sharpener. The difference between a sharpening steel and a sharpener is as follows. Everyday, normal use of your kitchen knives will result in – for lack of a better term – small "dents” on the cutting edge that make your knife appear dull. A grinder is used to straighten these "dents" and restore the knife's edge to its original state. With normal use, you can expect to sharpen your knife several times before it needs a proper sharpening. There are many types of sharpeners, but they all have one thing in common. Sharpeners remove metal from the edge of your knife to create a clean, straight, beveled edge. So the takeaway from this is that knife steels are honing rods used to bring the dents back into line on your knife blade. . This Farberware steel is a sharpening rod; no sharpener. Included. This honing steel is well finished with perfectly cut straight lines running the length of the 8 inch bar. The handle is made of light to medium plastic that offers a good grip and is fully serviceable. The lower portion of the plastic handle is curved on both sides, and this is where the bonus prize of this sharpening lies. You will see that one side of the grinding handle is marked 20 degrees and the opposite side is marked 15 degrees. These designations will/should be used as follows. Lay the folded towel on the countertop (so the steel doesn't slide off) and place the tip of the sharpener on the towel. From the "straight up" position (90 degrees), move the handle sideways until the beveled side of the handle is perfectly vertical/perpendicular to the table top. With the 15 or 20 degree side of the handle perpendicular to the tabletop, slide the blade over the honing steel while keeping the blade straight. Hold the blade and handle at right angles so your knife's edge is sharpened at your chosen angle. What they have in common is that they are all made of good steel that holds the blade, they are easy to sharpen and sharpen and they all have a 15 degree blade bevel angle. I have several Victorinox kitchen knives on my block that were pre-sharpened by the manufacturer with a 15 degree bezel and have since switched to that angle. In summary, I am happy with this sharpening steel because I was able to recognize it for what it is and not for what the packaging portrays it to be. Although higher quality and longer honing stones are available, this steel represents good value for money. With proper care it will last for many years and can. will be a great gift for those who pick up their first apartment. Enjoy.