Product Description

Ceramic Steel is at home in both camp or kitchen to make short work of cutlery maintenance. A glistening black handle with large knife guard holds the bright white 12 in. rod.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2040 in Home Improvement
• Brand: DMT (Diamond Machining Technology)
• Model: CS2
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.50" h x 2.00" w x 17.00" l, .56 pounds

Features

• Sanitary plastic handle with large guard for safety
• Unbreakable, lightweight, wear-resistant
• Polished and refined edge is easily achieved with this ceramic sharpener
• No oil is needed-sharpen dry
• Durable construction will provide years of consistent performance and reliable service

From the Manufacturer
Through a patented process DMT combined the finer abrasive characteristics of ceramic with a lightweight aluminum base to create an unbreakable, wear-resistant sharpener. Convenience of a traditional butcher steel and designed with a comfortable safety guard equipped handle. Ceramic offers he finest polished edge of all bonded abrasives and the right choice for regular touch-ups to maintain a razor sharp edge. Ceramic surface (7 micron / 2200 mesh) to achieve a polished edge. Rod: 12 by .5 (304 mm x 13 mm) Durable construction will provide years of consistent performance and reliable service For proper tool maintenance, woodworkers, chefs and other professionals rely on the superior quality and versatility of DMT products. Made in USA.

Customer Reviews

Perfect "steel"
The purpose off a "steel" is to straighten out the tiny roll the blade edge develops as you use a sharp knife. This roll is what makes a knife start to feel dull. I've found that using this rod every time before I use the knife makes a terrific difference in how sharp the knife feels and how long the edge lasts.

This is the perfect tool to keep that super edge on your fine knives. A couple of very light (just enough presure to keep contact) strokes per side, at a shade more than the angle use to sharpen the blade, and that edge is straight and ready to glide through your food.

Sharpening for Dummies
No offense, but if you are experienced in creating and maintaining a sharp cutting edge, you don't need this review. Just buy it!

If not, here is what you need to know. This tool doesn't sharpen, it hones. And if you hone your knives regularly, you may never, or rarely, need to sharpen them.

Sharpening is the process of creating a new cutting edge; honing refines or restores that edge. In my opinion the steel and diamond tools are sharpening tools and not very good ones. Graduated sharpening stones, or a professional, do a much better job.

I have a set of Katana knives which is over five years old and, with one exception, have never been sharpened, but are all razor sharp. They are honed regularly with a DMT ceramic rod. (The one exception arose as a result of some ill-advised hacking at a unseen bone, which produced large nicks.)

Try this. Take an ordinary butter knife and hold it facing away from you so that a light source will reflect off the blade. (I use the light in a range hood.) As you rotate the knife so that the light reflects off the edge you will see a broad band of reflected light. Dull knife, no cutting edge.

Now do the same thing with your sharpest knife. If it is sharp, you will not be able to see the edge. If you see localized bright spots, it needs to be honed, and this tool is what I would use. If it has large nicks, or it looks like the butter knife, it needs sharpening. Here, a diamond rod may work if nicks are not too large, but it feels to me like a crude way to do something which should be rather precise.

I chose this product primarily for the 12" length, which is helpful for longer knives. After several years of use and occasional cleaning to remove steel dust I am still very happy with its performance.

Ceramic Steel
This is a great tool. I've had smaller steels and metal steels, but this one really cuts a great edge in no time.