I’ve heard someone say that there is a difference between actually sharpening a knife and making it not dull with a rod or something. What is the difference?
In: Technology
When I knife gets “dull”, one of two things is happening.
– The edge of the knife is still sharp, but it has bent or rolled slightly to one side or the other. [Here is a picture](https://www.globeequipment.com/learning-center/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Victorinox_Honing-Graphic-1.jpg). This is known as the knife being out of ‘true’ – it isn’t _actually_ dull because the edge is still there – and can be corrected with a honing steel. By gliding the knife down the steel, the edge is bent back to true which improves performance. This is known as honing – **not** sharpening.
– The edge of the knife is worn down and is no longer sharp. [Here is another picture](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0017/6632/6345/files/dull_knife_sharp_knife_compare.jpg?v=1553939104). No amount of honing will fix this because the edge is actually gone. You have to sharpen this knife – remove material from the cutting edge to get it back sharp again. **This** is sharpening.
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