There are countless ways of testing knives and tools for sharpness. We believe the easiest way to test sharpness is to use the tool or knife. If it doesn’t cut fast and cleanly, it needs sharpening. On a kitchen knife, the knife should be able to cut vegetables with almost no downward pressure. On a woodworking tool, the tool should cut wood fibers cleanly without leaving marks or crushing the wood fibers. On a fillet or skinning knife, it should be able to cut very quickly without having to saw through the meat.

If you really want to get down to fine-tuned levels of sharpness there are a few more tests you can use. My personal favorite is to take a piece of paper and hold it vertically. If you try to cut it with a dull knife, the paper will crumple beneath the knife. A sharp knife will cut it cleanly when use a slicing motion to cut through the paper. A razor sharp knife can cut the paper cleanly by just pressing down on the edge of paper without any slicing at all.

Another test is to shave the hair on your arms. While we recommend caution using this method, it can be very useful. A dull or even moderately sharp knife will just fold over your arm hairs without cutting. A well sharpened knife will cut almost all of the hairs in one pass. A very sharp knife will cut all the hairs in its path. This level of sharpness can only be attained using the finest abrasive materials.

Another factor effecting edge sharpness is the angle it is sharpened. The lower the angle, the sharper the blade becomes. However, the lower the angle, the weaker the edge becomes. Very low angle blades like a razor blade or a fillet knife will ultimately have a sharper edge than high angle tools such as an axe.

Keeping them sharp:

Once you’ve sharpened your kitchen knives keeping them sharp is as important as the sharpening itself. The normal wear and tear of just using your knives will dull them over time but a few simple tips can keep those edges sharp longer

Use the right cutting board.
The choice of cutting boards can dramatically improve your knife’s ability to hold an edge. The best choice for keeping your knives sharp is a wooden cutting board. The wood is soft enough that it does less damage to your cutting edge. The best cutting boards have the end grain facing up in a butcher block style. This style is durable but allows the knife to slide between the vertical wood fibers.

The next best cutting board surface is the plastic cutting boards. These board cutting boards are relatively easy on knife edges and are practical to use. Unlike a wooden cutting board, the plastic boards can be tossed into a dishwasher to sanitize it. These cutting boards are also available in many sizes and are priced economically.

The last choice in cutting boards would be the glass or marble cutting boards or cutting directly on ceramic plates. These cutting surfaces are just too hard for knives. Constant chopping and slicing on these boards will dull even the highest quality kitchen knives.

Properly Clean Your Knife
The process of cleaning your kitchen knives often results in unnecessary dulling. The biggest culprit is the dishwasher. In a dishwasher, the knife edges are much more likely to come in contact with other silverware or ceramic dishes. This banging around will cause small imperfections in your knife edge and dull it over time. The solution is to wash your knives by hand. Washing knives by hand also saves the handle material from the soaking and the high heat of a dishwasher. When washing knives by hand, avoid the temptation of soaking your knives in your cleaning water, in addition to possibly damaging the wooden handles, sharp knives are not something you want lurking in your cloudy dishwater. In addition, after your knife is properly washed, it’s important to dry your knife thoroughly before putting it away.

Storing Your Knives
Storage is another unnecessary culprit in dulling knives. A knife block or other knife holders are a last, but important step in maintaining sharp knives. Without proper storage, your knives can end up in a drawer where they can get banged around and dulled. Sharp knives can also expose you to unnecessary risk of cutting yourself while rummaging through your drawers.

Proper Knife Usage
In order to keep your knife sharp, it’s also important to avoid using it as a pry bar, hammer, screwdriver or any other tool. Knives should only be used for their intended purpose… cutting!



I've blown this one away countless times. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

This one is kind of interesting:

Know your knife....