20 cm (8 in) Honing Steel for Kitchen Knives

The SEIDO Cookware honing steel has a 20 cm (8 in) rod on a riveted handle, with a guard at the base of the rod. A few light strokes push a knife edge that has rolled with use back into line, so it keeps cutting cleanly between sharpenings. It carries a 5-Year Limited Warranty.

20 cm (8 in) rod
Riveted handle
5-Year Limited Warranty

Prime eligible · Dispatched by Amazon · Returns through Amazon

Product details

It is the natural partner to the SEIDO Cookware chef's knife, whose insert recommends honing every 2–3 uses. This page explains what honing does, how it differs from sharpening and how to hone a knife step by step. The honing steel is sold in the UK on Amazon.co.uk: buy now on Amazon.

Rod length	20 cm (8 in)
Handle	Riveted, with a guard at the base of the rod
Warranty	5-Year Limited Warranty

What's in the box

The honing steel

Care and technique

How to hone, and how to look after the steel itself:

Buying and returns

SEIDO Cookware sells through Amazon, so your order, delivery and returns are handled under Amazon’s own policy — including their returns window. We do not take payment on this site, which is also why you will not find a price here: Amazon’s is the one that counts.

Our 5-Year Limited Warranty applies whichever UK retailer you bought it from.

The material

Realign, don't grind.

Honing straightens the fine edge of a knife after it has rolled with use; sharpening grinds a new edge. A few strokes on the steel before you cook keep a sharp knife cutting cleanly between sharpenings.

Honing a chef's knife on the SEIDO honing steel

From the journal

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What does a honing steel do?

A knife's cutting edge is extremely fine. With use — against the board, through food — it bends slightly out of line, and cooks say the edge has rolled. The knife starts to feel dull, even though the edge itself has not worn away.

Honing pushes that edge back into line. A few light strokes on the steel, little and often, keep a sharp knife cutting cleanly and put off the day it needs sharpening.

Honing or sharpening: what is the difference?

Honing realigns an edge that is already there. Sharpening grinds away a little metal to form a new edge, on a whetstone, with a sharpener or at a sharpening service. You hone often and sharpen occasionally.

Many shops sell honing steels as knife sharpeners or sharpening steels. The names overlap; the jobs do not. A honing steel looks after the edge between sharpenings, and when honing no longer brings back a clean cut, the edge has worn and it is time to sharpen.

How do you use a honing steel?

This method keeps the steel upright and still, with its tip resting on a surface, which makes it the steadiest way to learn. Go slowly at first; the rhythm comes with practice.

Hold the handle with the steel upright and its tip resting on a chopping board or a folded cloth. Keep your hand on the handle, behind the guard.
Set the heel of the blade against the rod near the top, at roughly the angle of the edge itself.
Draw the blade down the rod and towards you in one light, sweeping stroke, so the whole edge passes the rod from heel to tip.
Repeat on the other side of the rod for the other face of the blade, alternating sides.
A few strokes per side are enough. Keep the pressure light: honing is not a matter of force.
Wipe the blade clean before you start cooking.

How often should you hone a knife?

Little and often. For the SEIDO Cookware chef's knife, the insert that comes with the knife recommends honing every 2–3 uses — a few strokes before you start cooking is an easy habit to keep.

Other plain-edged steel kitchen knives are honed the same way. Serrated knives, such as bread knives, need a different tool. If a knife still drags or crushes after honing — a ripe tomato is a good test — the edge has worn and needs sharpening.

How do you look after a honing steel?

Wipe the rod with a damp cloth after use, then dry the rod and the handle before you put the steel away. Store it where the rod will not knock against other tools, and keep it with the knives it looks after.

Like every SEIDO Cookware product, the honing steel carries a 5-Year Limited Warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal home use.

The detail

Frequently asked questions

Does a honing steel sharpen a knife?

Not in the sense of grinding a new edge. A honing steel realigns an edge that has rolled with use, which brings back a clean cut; sharpening removes a little metal to form a new edge, on a whetstone, with a sharpener or at a sharpening service. Hone little and often, and sharpen when honing no longer restores the cut.

How long is the SEIDO Cookware honing steel?

The rod of the SEIDO Cookware honing steel is 20 cm (8 in) long. It sits on a riveted handle, with a guard at the base of the rod, where the rod meets the handle. The honing steel carries a 5-Year Limited Warranty.

How often should I hone my chef's knife?

Little and often. The insert that comes with the SEIDO Cookware chef's knife recommends honing every 2–3 uses. A few light strokes per side, at roughly the angle of the edge itself, are enough. If the knife still drags through a ripe tomato afterwards, the edge has worn and needs sharpening.

Can I use the honing steel on other knives?

Plain-edged steel kitchen knives — chef's knives, carving knives, paring knives — are honed the same way, with light, alternating strokes at roughly the angle of the edge. Serrated knives, such as bread knives, need a different tool. The SEIDO Cookware 20 cm Honing Steel is the natural partner to the SEIDO Cookware chef's knife.

What warranty does the SEIDO Cookware honing steel carry?

The SEIDO Cookware 20 cm Honing Steel carries a 5-Year Limited Warranty covering defects in materials and workmanship under normal home use. To claim, email customerservice@seidocookware.co.uk with your Amazon order number and photos of the issue. The honing steel is sold in the UK on Amazon.co.uk.