# Honing steel from cheap set - OK to use?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honing-steel-from-cheap-set-ok-to-use/606601>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [December 18, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honing-steel-from-cheap-set-ok-to-use/606601 "2011-12-18T01:00:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honing-steel-from-cheap-set-ok-to-use/606601/1 "2011-12-18T01:00:20Z")

</div>

My wife’s aunt sent us some Omaha Steaks for Christmas, and they came with a free cutlery set. Free large, bendy knives! Yay!!

Anyway, included in the set was a [sharpening or honing steel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honing_steel). We don’t have one otherwise. Is there any problem with a (presumably) cheap one? Can a bad one damage a knife blade, or will the sharpening steel just wear out quickly?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honing-steel-from-cheap-set-ok-to-use/606601/2 "2011-12-18T01:32:11Z")

</div>

I am not an expert so take this with a grain of salt.

I have had very good luck with sharpening steels.  
My favorite is an old Schrade Old Timer Flat one, I have a Chicago cutlery round one that works pretty good too.  
I don’t think they are a really expensive thing to produce so a cheap one may work fine.  
If it’s really crappy I don’t think it would ruin a good knife, just fail to sharpen it.  
My .02 worth based on using the ones I have for 20+ years.

Easy does it, a light touch is best.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honing-steel-from-cheap-set-ok-to-use/606601/3 "2011-12-18T05:26:27Z")

</div>

Is it made of steel? Ok to use. You just need something you can draw your blade along to re-align the edge. Going expensive really buys you nothing functionally here.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\
**Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honing-steel-from-cheap-set-ok-to-use/606601/4 "2011-12-18T05:50:04Z")

</div>

I know you realize this but a steel does not sharpen your knives.  
If your knife is dull a steel will do nothing. You need to sharpen it.  
All a steel does is keep it sharp a bit longer by keeping the edge aligned (of course an aligned edge will cut better).