HuskerBoard

I got the knifeplanet.net starter set of stones a couple years ago for Christmas. Made an ENORMOUS difference in using our knives. I sharpen them about once a year or if one of them starts to feel dull. Took some practice to get the technique down though - about the fifth knife I sharpened was when it became both much sharper and took less time. Don't get frustrated by the first few attempts if they don't turn out as sharp as you wanted.

I've also found that the quality of the knife isn't nearly as important as keeping them sharp. If you're going to spend money, I'd recommend first getting quality sharpening setup and then focus on knives that are comfortable in your hand. I have a cheap chef's knife from Target that is just as good at cutting as a more expensive one I bought, but I have to sharpen the cheap one a little more often.

Good advice @RedDenver. My main chef's knife is just from one of those CuisinArt knife blocks. I doubt the blade has been sharpened in 4-5 years or so.

Any tips or a ballpark range for how long I should spend sharpening each side of the knife in this scenario? I plan to do a paper and/or tomato test but wondering if I should start with like 5-10 minutes each side?

My main knives are all the Member's Mark brand knives from Sam's. I have a pretty nice set of Henckels that I rarely use anymore because they don't fit my hand as well.

Most important thing about your knives - keep them sharp. Second most important is getting a knife that's comfortable in your hand.

Little things like that excite me too; it's on a different scale, but I sharpened my mower blade this year, and that first mow was immensely satisfying. 

I’ve used Dalstrong, F d!(k, Miyabi, and Mercer knives. Some were $50 and others were $300. The difference between them was mostly that the more expensive knives stayed sharp longer. If you like to sharpen your knives then don’t spend the extra money. If you don’t enjoy sharpening then it’s worth spending the extra cash.

I have a set of the Tuo Cutlery.  They are comfy in my hand, very balanced and not very expensive at all.  Had it 2 years now and have yet to sharpen them and the missing chunk from my finger reminds me every day just how sharp it still is.

I meant to reply to your status but instead did a single status reply directly to you.  I didn't even know that was possible.  I'm pretty special sometimes.

Sharp knives are awesome.  They are safer and save so much time.

Nice! It's a lot of fun to sharpen on stones once you get the hang of it. I actually make custom knives, so if you have any questions about a new kitchen knife let me know and I can try to help you out.

Here's a link to my website by the way if you're interesting in taking a look: https://starkcreationsus.com/