If purchased can I use a knife shapener to sharpen the blade since its not heat treated, or does one reccomend the traditional polish method?
1758811
Do NOT use traditional polishing with Japanese water stones. Because this blade is machine-made and polished, there are slight rises and divots along the blade, instead of a flat or almond shaped face. It comes VERY sharp, and should last you a while without having to sharpen it but if you feel the need to, I recommend using a leather strop and some jeweler's rouge, or GENTLY using a standard knife sharpener (Like the Accusharp knife sharpener. If you don't have one, GET ONE. they work great on kitchen and utility knives). Try to stay away from Indian stones or other kinds of sharpeners, as they will mess up the finishing polish it already has, and make the wire-brushed Hamon disappear under scratches. If you use the standard knife sharpener, remember to only put SLIGHT pressure on it. if you put too much on, it will create a second bevel, and it will not cut nearly as well.
975235
Any flat stone or crock stick will work. The blade is a modified tanto so it's a little less tricky to sharpen than the original style tanto. Good luck.
1379855
I would not recommend this! Most ceramic knives are zirconium dioxide, which is a very hard material. Unfortunately the product does not specify what carbide the course blade is, but the cheapest carbides fall above zirconium dioxide in hardness, so I'm guessing the coarse side would work for you. But the fine side with the ceramic inserts is almost assuredly zirconium dioxide as well, so you will be scratching both the knife and the sharpener, making the sharpener nearly useless pretty quickly on the one side. That said, as long as you stay with the course side and are careful, you could still make a ceramic knife sharper. I would not recommend this! Most ceramic knives are zirconium dioxide, which is a very hard material. Unfortunately the product does not specify what carbide the course blade is, but the cheapest carbides fall above zirconium dioxide in hardness, so I'm guessing the coarse side would work for you. But the fine side with the ceramic inserts is almost assuredly zirconium dioxide as well, so you will be scratching both the knife and the sharpener, making the sharpener nearly useless pretty quickly on the one side. That said, as long as you stay with the course side and are careful, you could... » Read More I would not recommend this! Most ceramic knives are zirconium dioxide, which is a very hard material. Unfortunately the product does not specify what carbide the course blade is, but the cheapest carbides fall above zirconium dioxide in hardness, so I'm guessing the coarse side would work for you. But the fine side with the ceramic inserts is almost assuredly zirconium dioxide as well, so you will be scratching both the knife and the sharpener, making the sharpener nearly useless pretty quickly on the one side. That said, as long as you stay with the course side and are careful, you could still make a ceramic knife sharper. « Show Less
422869
I don't use a ceramic sharpener for this steel. I find if you don't have a stone, a diamond rod sharpener followed by a strop gets this knife silly sharp. It's carbon steel so the diamond rod sharpeners' abrasive surface works well. Stropping helps this knife stay polished and shiny, as well. This is by far one of the sharpest knives I've ever come across. For ~$14, how can you go wrong?
1078744
you must have one darn sharp knife to be able to do that.... i suspect the metal from the knife blade just "colored" the sharpening sticka little bit. hit it with a scotchbrite scrubbie and it will probably turn white again. that's what i did.
1980694
Personally I would by a different sharpener. I am NOT pleased with the unit that I bought. it does not do an adequate job of sharpening any knife.
1745104
Yes, I use the AccuSharp Knife Sharpener, http://amzn.com/B00004VWKQ , which works very well then I hone it with a ceramic rod, http://amzn.com/B001GW9FW0
1848595
I try to rinse and sort of dry all my "nice" knives as soon as I'm finished using them. Later I'll HAND wash, rinse, and dry them. I'm working my way up to buying a carbon steel laminated Japanese knife (not stainless) and I believe this is the way to treat them if you want any satisfaction at all with these knives which can be super sharpened. Just practicing, but I think all $100+ knives are worth this extra effort.
1457936
I have no idea though I have had one for some time. It's cheaper to buy a new one than conventional sharpening unless you can do it all yourself.
1379857
I would not recommend this! Most ceramic knives are zirconium dioxide, which is a very hard material. Unfortunately the product does not specify what carbide the course blade is, but the cheapest carbides fall above zirconium dioxide in hardness, so I'm guessing the coarse side would work for you. But the fine side with the ceramic inserts is almost assuredly zirconium dioxide as well, so you will be scratching both the knife and the sharpener, making the sharpener nearly useless pretty quickly on the one side. That said, as long as you stay with the course side and are careful, you could still make a ceramic knife sharper.
291117
I use the Lansky sharpening system and sharpen it by sections. I've also used the diamond edge "steel" to rought it in before I finished it. Works great for me!
197970
From what I've experienced I would use a wet stone first then keep the edge straight with the ceramic steel. After that I would use the ceramic steel before and after each use. Your knife should stay sharp longer with minimal effort.
2159820
Using a proper angle you can get a nice edge. I find this is a good little finisher after I spend some time with a more coarse stone. And yes, you can use water. Just make sure to dry the knife and stone afterwards. THOUGH, it is best to use oil. I like mineral oil because i tend to cut food with my knives. I also keep this tool in my pocket for everyday use. It can be pretty handy:)
1214886
No, you can't. We use diamond honing stones for them. Then finish it with a silicon carbide sharpener.
1082659
When you buy a new Mora carbon steel knife, I suggest that you heat a small amount of vinegar, degrease the blade (nothing too fancy needed, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, etc...or use a degreaser from the hardware store), and once the vinegar is hot put it into a glas container of some sort and (I use a mug) and fill it so the blade is covered. Wait about 15 minutes, and you will force a nice "patina" on the blade. It will be more resistant to rust and stains. Not as good as stainless, but whatever...it is a $9.00 knife. You can also use some mustard. Or you can put masking tape and make designs on the blade. Mora knives are a hobby unto themselve. Great product and good price. When you buy a new Mora carbon steel knife, I suggest that you heat a small amount of vinegar, degrease the blade (nothing too fancy needed, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, etc...or use a degreaser from the hardware store), and once the vinegar is hot put it into a glas container of some sort and (I use a mug) and fill it so the blade is covered. Wait about 15 minutes, and you will force a nice "patina" on the blade. It will be more resistant to rust and stains. Not as good as stainless, but whatever...it is a $9.00 knife. You can also use some mustard. Or you can put... » Read More When you buy a new Mora carbon steel knife, I suggest that you heat a small amount of vinegar, degrease the blade (nothing too fancy needed, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, etc...or use a degreaser from the hardware store), and once the vinegar is hot put it into a glas container of some sort and (I use a mug) and fill it so the blade is covered. Wait about 15 minutes, and you will force a nice "patina" on the blade. It will be more resistant to rust and stains. Not as good as stainless, but whatever...it is a $9.00 knife. You can also use some mustard. Or you can put masking tape and make designs on the blade. Mora knives are a hobby unto themselve. Great product and good price. « Show Less
1605059
it is very durable a normal sharpner should do the trick. and always clean and oil it asap after each use.
1130179
Don't know where people come up with some of the things they say. Diamonds are fine for japanese knives, they are fine for any knives, including ceramic. I am a professional sharpener, and I have an extensive collection of custom and single smith japanese kitchen knives some of them costing many hundreds of dollars. I have no qualms sharpening with diamonds, even on Hitachi Aogami Super steel with rockwell hardnesses of 65HRC, or powdered metallurgy stainless steels. DMT plates are amongst the best diamond sharpening tools out there. I recommend mixing one drop of dish soap with about 8 ounces of water and using a spray bottle to keep the surface of the plate wet throughout sharpening, you will produce a superior result with this technique. Again, I own a sharpening business, and I use diamonds, natural N. American, and Japanese stones, as well as synthetic stones, they all work very well on every kind of steel out there. A 1200 grit to 4000 grit progression will be fine as long as you work the scratch pattern to as smooth as possible with the 1200 grit stone, as it will take a lot of work to get the scratch pattern of the 1200 grit stone smoothed out with the 4000 grit stone. You will get a nice edge at 4000 grit, but as has been said, you could probably stop at 1200 grit for a kitchen knife if you wanted. I enjoy a nicely refined edge though, so I say go as far with it as you feel comfortable.