How to Sharpen a Knife with a Knife Sharpener (Manual & Electric)

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Plus, how to keep your knives sharp with tips from a pro chef

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano and Devin McSween

Last Updated: September 29, 2025 Fact Checked

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• Using a Knife Sharpener
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• More Ways to Sharpen
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• Maintaining Sharp Knives
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• Video
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• Q&A
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• Tips

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There’s nothing more frustrating than chopping food for your dinner only to find that your knife is smashing instead of slicing—in other words, it’s too dull. Luckily, using a manual or electric knife sharpener is an easy way to resharpen the blade. But if you’re not sure how to use a knife sharpener, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll explain how to use a manual or electric knife sharpener, go over the other knife sharpening tools you can use, and provide tips to keep your knife sharp with advice from private chef and food educator Ollie George Cigliano.

Using a Manual Knife Sharpener: Quick Guide

Private chef Ollie George Cigliano suggests sharpening knives every 6–12 months or when they’re too dull to easily slice a tomato. Place the heel of the blade in the “coarse” slot of a sharpener and pull it through the slot with gentle, even pressure 3-6 times. Then, pull the knife through the “fine” slot 1-2 times.

Steps

Section 1 of 3:

Using a Manual or Electric Knife Sharpener

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1. 
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   Start with the coarse setting for very blunt knives. Most manual sharpeners have at least 2 settings: one labeled “coarse” and one labeled “fine.” The coarse setting actually removes steel from the blade to resharpen the edge, while the fine setting is used to refine the edge. If your knife is very dull, start with the coarse setting and work up to the fine setting.

   • These settings are the same on electrical sharpeners, though an electric sharpener may have an additional slot between “coarse” and “fine.”
   • How do I know if my knife is dull? Test it by cutting a piece of paper or a tomato. Hold a piece of paper in the air and slice the edge with your knife. If the knife catches or doesn’t cut the paper, it’s time to sharpen it. If it takes a lot of pressure to slice through a tomato, that also means your knife is pretty dull.

   Meet the wikiHow Expert

   Ollie George Cigliano is a private chef, food educator, and owner of Ollie George Cooks, with over 20 years of experience.
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   Pull the blade through the coarse slot from the heel to the tip. Place the sharpener on a stable surface and insert the heel end of the blade into the slot (which is where the blade meets the handle). Using gentle and even pressure, push the blade down as you pull it through the slot and toward your body. Follow the blade’s curve as you pull it, so the handle comes up and is higher at the end than it was at the beginning.

   • Following the knife’s contour as you pull it through the slot is important, as this ensures the entirety of the blade gets sharpened.
   • Use enough force when you pull the blade through that you feel some resistance and hear an audible grinding sound. If you don’t hear the grinding noise or feel the resistance of the blade, you probably aren’t following the contour closely enough.
   • If you’re using an electric sharpener, you won’t need to press down—the whirring mechanisms will take care of everything for you.
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   Pass the blade through the coarse setting 3 to 6 times. Keep the knife level and draw it through the coarse setting 3 to 6 times, depending on the dullness of your blade. Three passes are usually enough for a mildly dull blade, while 6 may be needed for a severely dull blade.

   • This action shaves off metal from the blade, creating a new, sharp edge.
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   Run the blade through the fine setting 1 to 2 times. The fine setting smooths out any harsh points and refines the blade to a super-sharp edge. Simply insert the heel of the blade into the slot and pull it through to the tip using gentle, even pressure. Remember to follow the knife’s contour if it has a curved edge.

   • You don’t need to use as much force with the fine setting, and the grinding sound won’t be nearly as loud as it was in the coarse setting.
   • If your sharpener has more than 2 settings, make sure you’re sharpening the knife from the coarsest setting to the finest setting. Any additional settings are just gradations of grinding that help fine-tune your knife even more.
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   Wash the knife off and dry it with a lint-free towel. Use a sponge and warm, soapy water to rinse away any lingering steel remnants before using your knife again, says Cigliano. Then, dry the knife off completely to prevent it from rusting.

   • Avoid running your knives through the dishwasher. They can get banged up or damaged by other items.
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   Test the knife’s sharpness by cutting a tomato. Cigliano recommends pressing the knife into a tomato (or other vegetable) to see if it’s sharp enough to break the skin. If it only takes a bit of light pressure to slice into the tomato, the knife is sharp enough. If it still takes a lot of pressure to cut into the tomato, your knife may need a bit more sharpening.

   • Make sure to test the tip, long edge, and heel of the knife.
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Section 2 of 3:

Other Ways to Sharpen a Knife

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1. 
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   Invest in an electric sharpener if you cook often with expensive knives. Electric sharpeners are more expensive than manual sharpeners, running about $40 to $100, depending on the brand you get. They’re more intuitive, though, and are really easy to use, as they just pull the blade through for you. It takes less time and effort to sharpen your knives than the other manual methods require.

   • Make sure to do your research before ordering your electric sharpener. Some brands are meant for specific kinds of knives, and some include extra features, like a lifetime warranty.
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   Use a pull-through or handheld sharpener for a nice at-home option. This is a really nice choice for your everyday home cook who doesn’t spend more than 1 to 2 hours in the kitchen every day. They’re smaller than the electric versions, making them easier to store, and they’re fantastic to use for quick touchups or for sharpening a dull blade. Handheld sharpeners typically cost anywhere from $10 to $60, depending on the brand you choose.

   • There’s something to be said for the feeling of manually sharpening your own knife, too. Lots of cooks enjoy the physicality of taking care of their knives, and you do get more control over your movements with a manual sharpener than you would with an electric sharpener.
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   Opt for a whetstone for a gentle, chef-approved sharpener. “The best method to sharpen at home is using a whetstone,” says Cigliano. A whetstone is a small block of grained stone that you run your knife down to sharpen its blade. Cigliano explains that you soak the stone in water for 45 minutes. Then, hold the knife at a 15° to 20° angle and slide the blade down the whetstone. Repeat the movement 5 to 10 times to sharpen your knife.

   • Cigliano recommends getting 3 whetstones to properly sharpen your knife: once that’s medium grit (around 800) for major sharpening, one that’s fine grit (around 2000) to refine the blade, and one that’s ultra-fine grit (8,000+) to get a mirror-like finish.
   • The cold-water soak keeps your knife from overheating as it’s being sharpened. If a knife gets too hot, its chemistry can change, and the blade can become brittle and warped.
   • Double-check the instructions before wetting your whetstone. While the majority of them do need to be soaked beforehand, there are a few brands and types of stones that aren’t meant to get wet.
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   Use a honing rod to quickly realign the edges of the blade. A honing rod, also called a sharpening steel, doesn’t actually sharpen the knife, says Cigliano, as it doesn’t remove any steel. What it does do, she explains, is straighten the blade and push the metal back into place. This can make your cuts seem sharper and more precise.

   • To use a honing rod, Cigliano says to “hold the handle of the honing steel with the tip of the knife gently planted into your cutting board.” Then, “set the heel of the knife against the top of the honing steel at approximately a 15-20 degree angle.” Draw the knife down the steel using gentle pressure, repeating for about 8 strokes per side.
   • Hone your knives daily, or as often as you need. Cigliano says, “Many people hone before each use, or after each use.”
   • Don’t use a honing rod in lieu of sharpening your knives. If your knives get dull, they need to be sharpened, not realigned.
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   Take your knives to a professional if you can’t do it yourself at home. Cigliano says it costs about $1.50 to $2.25 per inch to have your knives sharpened by a professional. Some companies allow you to ship your knives to them if you don’t live nearby (you’ll need to pay the shipping costs, though).

   • Check out your warranty! Some knife brands offer free sharpening for life, so that might be something you could take advantage of, too.
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Section 3 of 3:

Maintaining Sharp Knives

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1. 
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   Sharpen your knives every 6 to 12 months, or when they get dull. Cigliano explains that “sharpening removes steel to essentially give you a new blade,” which is “why it is done less often.” She recommends sharpening your knives every 4 to 6 months if you cook every day, while every 1 year is fine for the average person.

   • Regularly honing your knives is a great way to keep them sharp in between sharpenings.
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   Handwash your knives. Cigliano does not advise putting your knives in the dishwasher. Instead, she recommends handwashing them with hot, soapy water and drying them by hand, too. The hot water and detergent used in the dishwasher can be too harsh on knives, dulling their blades over time.

   • Knives can also bang against other utensils in the dishwasher, which further dulls the blade.
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   Protect the knife’s blade in storage. Simply sliding your knives into a drawer unprotected can damage and dull the blade. Instead, Cigliano recommends storing them in a knife roll or protective shield and placing them in a designated drawer. Or, keep your knives on a magnetic wall holder or place them in a knife block.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  Do you move the knife back and forth or just in one direction?

  

  Community Answer

  Pull the knife toward you. Do this several times until the blade is very sharp. The sharpener is designed to sharpen in one direction only. Pushing the blade instead of pulling it could possibly damage it.

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• Question

  Do you pull the blade through the sharpener at an angle or straight up and down?

  

  Community Answer

  Hold the knife straight. The sharpener is designed to hone the blade at an angle on each side. If you use a whetstone or a rod, you can hold the knife at any angle you choose.

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• Question

  Shouldn't the "stone" be cleaned and "wetted" before use (and after)? I want to know if cleaning the sharpener and stone with wet microfiber cleaning cloth would help sharpen the blades.

  

  Edwin ng

  Top Answerer

  Water stone knife sharpeners require you to wet them with water to reduce the noise of your knife while sharpening and polishing.

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  Thank you for your feedback.
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Tips

• While knife sharpeners typically work best for kitchen knives, many can also be used for other blades, including pocket knives and field knives used by hunters and fishermen. For these blades, however, manual knife sharpeners are typically easier to carry and more effective than electric versions.
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• In a pinch, you could even sharpen the blade of a knife on the bottom of an old ceramic mug.
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