Victorinox Honing Steel Black Plastic Handle

This honing steel is larger than most. I like that it works well for every knife that I have - from a jack knife to a large carving knife. It is well made and restores an edge quickly. There are several different types of steels and I have not tried the others. This one by Victorinox seems to be a great all around choice, so long as it's hardness is correct for your knifes. I recommend this steel based upon the results I have gotten.

Works well for sharpening knives- haven't tried it yet on meat-grinders, screws, drywall or vampires. If you want to sharpen knives longer than 9 inches, its better to get a longer sharpening steel. This one is the perfect companion to the Fibrox 9" chef's knife- which is also very much worth having! Good stuff, well made, etc.

I've never used one of these before. I sharpen my knives with a Tormeck and use the 4000 grit Japanese whet stone on my prized knives. I protect those edges with my life. They do dull overtime so I thought I'd give the honing steel a shot. Oh my gosh! The cringe goes to my soul when I drag a knife down this steal! Owieeee...like 10,000 finger nails down a chalkboard...on steroids. But...it works well. It freshens the edge to a nicely sharpened state. Glad I invested in this and I have a feeling, as I use it more over time, it will become a tool I'll be hard pressed to do without.

(1) The top listing is incorrect, but the product description is correct: this steel is made in Sheffield, England, for Victorinox (as etched on the steel near the handle); it is not made in Switzerland. Not a big deal; this is a high-quality steel. (2) The steel is smooth in that, if you pinch it between your thumb and forefinger and draw it through, you won't feel any roughness, except for the etched lettering near the handle. (3) It is polished to a degree. It is not mirror polished, but it has a shiny satin finish; it does not have a dull matte finish. When the surface of the steel is viewed under a 10X magnifier, scratches from abrasive polishing are visible, but not turn marks from a lathe cutting bit. Unless you're a fanatic, you won't need further polishing. (4) I have several other steels. One steel has fine grooves. After I use it on a knife, and I wipe it with a paper towel, I will pickup particles. With this smooth and polished steel, I don't pickup any particles. I've used this steel on high-grade German and Japanese knives. Works great. Like other reviewers, I would like a longer (14 inch) unit, since I have 10 and 12 inch knives. (5) The handle is full size, made of plastic. It has 8 flats and a hand guard to reduce slipping. The handle has a hefty folding D-ring at the end for hanging. (6) I ordered two units. One unit was defective: the steel had a narrow flat ~2 inch long. I returned it, and the replacement was fine; so I'm not knocking off any stars.

I use only Victorinox knives purchased from Amazon, so I bought the same brand sharpener. Works great, I use it everyday on my knives. Great product.