12 Inch Diamond Knife Sharpening Steel, Professional Knife Sharpener Rod, Diamond coating Honing Steel, Premium Diamond Knife Sharpener Rod for all knives

I’ve been using this 12-inch Diamond Knife Sharpening Steel for a little while now, and it has quickly become an essential tool in my kitchen. This honing rod is excellent for maintaining the sharpness of kitchen knives, utility blades, and even pocket knives. It does a fantastic job of realigning the blade’s edge, which is all you need for keeping your knives in top shape. Whether you're slicing vegetables or cutting through tougher meats, this diamond steel makes sure the blade stays sharp and ready for anything.What really stands out about this sharpening rod is its diamond coating. I’ve used a number of honing steels over the years, but this one is by far the best steel I’ve used. The diamond coating really helps refine the edge of any knife. Even my older blades that have seen better days got a new life after a few quick passes along the steel. The diamond surface is effective yet not overly aggressive, so it’s great for restoring the edge without overdoing it. Whether I'm working with kitchen knives or utility blades, this steel sharpens and hones quickly and effectively. It even works well on pocket folders, which is a nice bonus for anyone who uses a knife daily.The design is another plus. The handle is comfortable to grip, and the non-slip base ensures stability while you’re honing your knives. It’s also easy to store thanks to the hollowed-out handle that allows for hanging, saving space in my kitchen. The steel itself is lightweight but sturdy, so you don't feel like you're fighting the tool while sharpening. The only downside is the plastic handle—while it works fine and is comfortable, it does feel a bit cheap compared to the rest of the high-quality construction. However, this doesn’t affect its performance, which is what matters most.In terms of maintenance, it’s pretty straightforward. After each use, I just wipe it down with a dry cloth to keep it clean and avoid any rust. The diamond electroplated surface holds up well, and I've noticed no signs of wear even after regular use. I also like that it’s designed to last, so I don’t have to worry about replacing it anytime soon.Overall, this 12-inch diamond honing steel is a great addition to any kitchen. It works for all types of knives and does exactly what it’s supposed to—restores the edge without the need for more time-consuming sharpening. If you want to keep your knives in top shape without spending a lot of time on maintenance, this honing steel is a solid choice. It’s definitely one of the best knife sharpeners I’ve used, and I highly recommend it.

This 12" Honing Steel is a great tool to have near ones knife rack/block. As one uses their knives the "V" ede of the blades get out of alignment and can have little jagged bits of metal form. Honing realigns the edge back into the best "V" shape for cutting and should be done far more often than actually "sharpening" the knife's blade. This Steel is well made and the handle easily fits the hand. It has a nice open loop for hanging/storage. The diamond electroplated surface provides a nice honing surface that the knives easily glide across. There are many videos available on YouTube showing the proper way to use a honing steel. I would easily recommend this item after being able to hold it and use it and see how it works. I think the current price of $15.99 is a very reasonable price for having such a useful tool in the kitchen to keep ones knives sharp.

Although I have not successfully sharpened a knife on this rod, the failure probably has more to do with my lack of skill in how to sharpen a knife on a diamond sharpening rod. So instead of saying how good the rod is, I will try to describe what I see. The handles plastic and has a hand guard, which is good. The rod itself feels bumpy on one side and smooth on the other side. I’m not sure if the smooth side is the side that I’ve tried sharpening a knife on. If the smooth side is the side I tried sharpening the knife on, then there may be a durability problem and all the diamond dust may have fallen off on one side. The manufacturer may also have improperly coated one side. Anyway, this is probably an all right sharpening rod, if one likes a disposable rod.

I try to give my blade a quick honing before each use. My old diamond rod was not working too well and I remembered that it was almost 30 years old. I ordered a new one and I guess time had taken its toll on the old one. This rod worked like i thought it should and a few swipes brought the blade back to razor sharp.

This diamond steel is an otherwise nice tool, made well enough, and with an easy grip plastic handle. My other steels are longer, but this diamond steel is more aggressive.The diamond surface is mostly smooth, but some larger grits can be felt. I compared it to wet/dry sandpaper with my fingernail, and this steel is somewhere between 500-1000 grit. I touched up several knives and it performed well (though I finished each with a conventional hard steel).As other reviewers have noted, a steel is meant to renew the edge you create with a flat stone or knife sharpener. Putting an edge on a blade leaves a 'burr' that you can feel with your nail or skin. In reality, you are cutting with the burr. If it leans to one side, the blade will not perform as well. The steel straightens and renews the burr.Kitchen knives do not require super fine edges, and a slightly coarse edge will even cut more aggressively on meats and veggies.The key to using a steel is not to hold it up in the air and flash the blade on the steel like a sword fight. Instead, rest the steel on a table/countertop (protected from scratching) and bring your body together tightly to reduce flexing. Draw the knife down along the side of the steel (from top to bottom) a certain number of strokes and then repeat on the opposite side by changing hands. Getting the angle correct is tricky and keeping the angle is even trickier. All a matter of muscle memory. Youtube can help.This steel looks much like a dozen others on Amazon, and the price is competitive. Made well enough, but all diamond surfaces wear pretty fast. I switched to diamond stones long ago, but they do not last like stone (not at the price point I buy them at, anyway).So, for me, 4 Stars for this overall good diamond steel.

This product gets zero star. the plating peeled the first time I used it