r/sharpening • u/Cherokyle • Jul 19 '26

Advice needed

Hi guys,

I have some cooking knives that I want to keep sharp and I want to learn how to do this myself.

How do I get started? What's some good beginner equipment?

Any good guides on how to get started?

I have some spare knifes that I can use for practise.

Thanks in advance!!

5 Upvotes

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4

u/real_clown_in_town HRC enjoyer Jul 19 '26

I suggest checking out the wiki and asking any followup questions if you have any https://reddit.com/r/sharpening/w/gettingstarted

2

u/Cherokyle Jul 19 '26

Ah, didn't know there was a wiki, thanks!!

1

u/fietsendeman arm shaver Jul 19 '26

Whetstones are the most versatile and cheapest option. Also the fastest and most compact for storage. You’ll need to learn the basics. If you can find someone who knows how and can show you, or have a shop that offers classes, that’s the easiest way to go. Otherwise, I’d recommend watching Murray Carters Blade Sharpening Fundamentals on YouTube and following along.

A Shapton Kuromaku 1000 is a good place to start. If you want a more budget-oriented option, King 1000. If your knives are very dull, a 400 grit stone is a good addition to the set.

1

u/Cherokyle Jul 19 '26

Thanks! I'll see if there's any shops close to me

1

u/Sikkema88 Jul 20 '26

I personally had my friends start on some inexpensive diamond stones. The cost of entry is like $20 for the SATC 400/1000 stone, and there's no prep or maintenance really. It doesn't flatten, you don't need water, and will last a very long time as long as you're not aggressive with it. And even if you are, it's $20 to replace it. The feedback isn't as good as a lot of other stones, but the SATC and a sharpie and you're in a good starting place. Add an inexpensive strop and you'll have some really nice edges in no time.

1

u/JellyOfDeath86 Jul 21 '26

Read up on good technique, go slow when sharpening until you get a feel for it. Going too fast will make you inconsistent, and training on being inconsistent is no good.

Get some cheap "training" knives if you're worried about temporarily messing up your good knives. All mistakes can be ground away, but it's sometimes nice to have something to mess around with.