Well... I have a somewhat different suggestion. Buy very good cheap knives, and throw them away when they get dull. Meanwhile, run 'em through the dishwasher. The handles will fail about the time the blades do. And your $500 will last a very long time.
These aren't "show off" knives, but...
Now shipping. And it's the bomb. Sadly, I'm done with it-- everything's sharp, and I've only had the box open for thirty minutes.
Works very well, and the "Microforge" micro-serrator seems to work fine too.
Big thumbs up... but it ain't cheap. Plan on doing everyone you know's kitchen...
Just got back from Blade and I saw something groundbreaking. The Work Sharp designer, Dan, demonstrated his new ceramic sharpening rod with micro-serrator (though that's not exactly the right name).
Here's his demo. Dull a kitchen knife. Sharpen it till it will pop hairs, using whatever...
I'm an old-time Benchmade fan. I still have NIB Ascents from the 90's, before Spyderco made them elongate the opening hole. I carried those for many years.
Among the newer ones, I really like the Volli and the Onslaught. Volli in my pocket right now.
So like a lot of folks, I have "steels" that came with kitchen knives-- the kind with the grooves down the length of the steel. Maybe they're better than nothing, and maybe they're what you want if you want a jagged edge.
But if you want a smooth, perfect edge, before you use a strop, you need...
The Blade Show is coming up-- the world's largest knife show. And you don't have to fly in. Probably half of the attendees _do_ fly in. It's that good. Leave your credit cards at home or at least in the car though! : )
Just sayin'.
Dude, it's THE WORLD'S BIGGEST KNIFE SHOW. Period. Biggest. In. The. World.
If it has an edge, it will be represented there.
And unlike 3/4 of the folks there-- you didn't have to get a hotel room or an airplane ticket.
Come one, come all... you will like it.
Christ, someone had to remind me about the parking.
I spent more time looking for a parking place than I did at knives last year.
FWIW, there's a bridge to the Cumberland parking lot, but... the Cumberland parking lot has a bunch of signs saying "no Galleria parking", which makes no sense--...
I tried WorkSharp-- quickly stopped, as I was destroying everything I put on it. Clearly not the system for me.
Used Lansky for years-- it was the first thing I was ever able to use to create a sharp edge. But the rods bend, and the angle changes at different points on the blade, as they...
Friday Sat and Sun at the Galleria (across the street from Cumberland Mall). Hours you'll have to look up.
What to expect? A severe drain on your bank account. Pretty much every knife company will be there-- cheap to crazy custom, with everything for sale.
The Infidel is easy to open, but I like the Microtechs much better. YMMV.
If you want cheap and pretty good, but something that won't make you cry if lost/damaged, look at the Lightning brand from China. They're about $30. Not a Benchmade by any stretch, but a good solid utility knife.