Just figured out my knife sharpening angle was off for years

I was showing a new prep cook how to dice an onion, and he asked why my cuts were so slow and uneven. I told him my knife was sharp, but he pointed out the edge looked dull under the kitchen lights. I grabbed my angle guide and checked, and sure enough, I'd been holding it at 25 degrees, not the 20 my knife needs. Has anyone else had a simple tool fix a long-time bad habit?

3 comments

3 Comments

ross.lily2mo ago

Yeah, the light thing is huge. Smith.parker is right about that, moving it makes all the difference. I had the same problem with my old chisels, just a tiny angle change and they went from tearing wood to slicing clean. It's wild how you can do something wrong for so long and not even know.

smith.parker2mo ago

That part about the kitchen lights showing the edge is so true. It made me realize my whole sharpening setup was wrong. I had a bright light, but it was behind me, casting a shadow right on the edge I was trying to see. I moved the light in front of me, shining right down the edge, and the bevel just pops out. The angle guide is one thing, but you have to see what you're doing first.

reese_hayes712mo ago

Actually having the light at a low angle from the side works better than straight down. It makes the shadows from any tiny nicks or uneven spots way more obvious.