Discovered a trick for keeping my boning knife sharp way longer between honing sessions

I was getting frustrated having to stop and strop my knife every 20 minutes breakin down a side of beef last Thursday, so I tried using a slightly coarser grit on my final stone step and it's like the edge just holds on forever now. Anyone else mess around with their grit sequence like that, or am I just totally wrong on this?

2 comments

2 Comments

bell.felix2d ago

Coarser grit finish makes the edge more toothy which helps it bite longer on protein. Beef sides are especially hard on a highly polished edge that just slips off. You're definitely onto something with that adjustment.

young.nora1d ago

Exactly, now my kitchen knives have a personality disorder between 'shaving sharp' and 'saw blade.' lol. Tried slicing into a brisket with a mirror edge once and it was like trying to cut butter with a hot spoon - just slid right off. Switched to a 400 grit finish and suddenly I'm a butcher, not a figure skater. Now if only my neighbors would stop asking if I'm running a lumber mill in my garage. Nothing like a coarse grit to make you feel like a medieval executioner. Works great on pork shoulders too, just sayin'.