Diamond Sharpening Rods

This 10 inch oval diamond sharpening rod is approximately 600 grit with the flat of the rod perpendicular to the widest part of the hand guard for safety. This Diamond sharpening steel is intended for sharpening not honing, the rod is coated with diamond dust that is course and abrasive and with a couple of passes with the edge of your knife you can restore a blunted knife to a basic edge that has a little bite and is ideal for cutting through vegetables. To find the angle you should be passing your knife along steel at think generally that a Japanese knife will have a smaller angle around 12 to 15 degrees and a German forged knife usually will be at an angle of 18 to 20 degrees. A good trick to using this diamond rod would be to first examine your knives edge and look at how thin or wide the bevel you are working with is to determine the degree of angle you hold your knife relative to the steel, if it is a wide bevel then you can work at a smaller angle, if a thin bevel then hold your knife at a higher angle closer to 20 degrees. Personally I like to lay the blade face flat against the diamond rod and then lift the spine just slighlty so I can better see the bevel touching the steel. This is an oval shaped diamond rod, the flatter oval shaped rods are made that way so the user can better hit the correct angle. In general start with a couple of passes on either side of the blade 3 to 6 passes on both sides at first, then be sure to feel along the edge for a burr starting to develop and look closely at the edge for a bevel to develop. It is important with all sharpening that the user look and feel as the sharpen to know what stage of the process they are at so they don't over or under sharpen.  Learn More

The Victorinox 12-inch oval diamond sharpening steel is a 600 grit steel with a hollow rod coated in diamond. Diamond removes metal, so this steel sharpens a dull edge rather than only realigning it.The oval shape gives more contact between the steel and the edge of the blade on each stroke. The black nylon handle is non-slip and comfortable in either hand. It is made in the USA.Use light pressure; diamond cuts quickly, and a few strokes on each side are usually enough. Follow with a fine cut steel or a ceramic rod to smooth the edge.Rinse the rod and wipe it dry after use to keep metal filings from clogging the diamond surface. Never use oil on a diamond steel.For a round, solid-core diamond rod, see the Victorinox 12-inch Round Solid Core Diamond Steel. For daily honing after sharpening, the Victorinox 12-inch Fine Cut Honing Steel. Our Honing Rod Guide explains diamond steels. Learn More

Oval steels make better contact with knife edges than round ones. This Zwilling diamond rod is designed to cut a new edge on a knife, as opposed to simply honing it, which makes it a sharpener rather than a maintenance steel.For most users, this is a much simpler way to sharpen a knife than using sharpening stones. Use light, even strokes at a consistent angle, alternating sides, and switch to a honing steel for daily touch-ups between sharpenings. For a guided alternative, the Zwilling V-Edge sharpener holds the angle for you. Learn More