Machine or manual sharpening: Which is better for your knife?

Unlike Europe, where machine sharpening has become the standard, the Japanese have a completely different approach. Both methods have their pros and cons, and it's up to you to decide which one suits your needs better.

Machine sharpening

Most crafters use machines that spin the abrasives at high speed to remove the steel from the knife, making it sharper. However, this process often has its drawbacks:

• Sharpening machines operate at high revolutions, often over 3000 revolutions per minute, which human attention can hardly keep up with. Extremely fast operation makes precise control difficult and can result in excessive steel removal.
• Excessive steel removal changes the shape and appearance of the knife, and sometimes even degrades its performance.
• The lack of a cooling system on many machines can cause the blade to overheat, leading to permanent softening of the steel. Such a knife may seem sharp at first touch, but quickly loses its sharpness.

However, there are experienced craftsmen who use adequate machines and achieve excellent results, but these days there are fewer and fewer of them.

Advantages of machine sharpening:

• Speed: A skilled craftsman can sharpen a knife in less than a minute, making it possible to sharpen dozens of knives in an hour.
• Cost: Thanks to the speed, service machine sharpening is often very affordable.

Disadvantages:

• It shortens the life of the knife.
• Risk of overheating and deformation.
• The quality of sharpening depends on the experience of the master and the quality of the equipment.

Manual sharpening on a stone

Hand stone sharpening is an art that takes time, dedication and practice. This is a traditional Japanese technique that allows maximum preservation of the knife and the achievement of top sharpness.

Challenges of manual sharpening:

• Mastering the technique, including muscle memory to achieve a constant angle and pressure, can take months.
• Beginners can take up to an hour to sharpen a single knife.
• Service manual sharpening is often more expensive than machine sharpening.

Advantages of manual sharpening:

1. Preservation of the knife: The shape and appearance of the knife remain almost unchanged during its working life.
2. Lasting Skill: Once learned, the skill of manual sharpening will serve you for a lifetime.
3. Economy: You can sharpen hundreds or even thousands of knives on one stone.
4. Availability: Sharpening is always at hand, with no need to make an appointment or wait.
5. Superior results: With practice, you will achieve a sharpness that satisfies even the most demanding users.

Already after half a year of practice, the results will delight you, and you will get better over time. This method of sharpening is easily available at any time, only a stone or two is needed!

We will give you an example from personal experience, a professional chef can sharpen his knife every week or before the start of each shift, he does not have to plan to go to the master and wait for his knife to be sharpened. Isn't this reason enough?

Which way is better for you?

In Japan, but also in developed parts of the world like the USA, more and more people are opting for manual sharpening because of its many advantages. Although it requires time and effort, it provides maximum control and preservation of the knife, which makes it increasingly popular.

Craftsmanship is becoming more and more valued, and the number of experienced craftsmen is decreasing, which raises the price of the service and motivates many to master this skill themselves. In the end, the choice depends on your needs, time and desire to master this technique yourself.

You can see a great selection of sharpening stones on our site: check these out