Knifemen, knifewomen, downvoters, upvoters, it's time to update you on the salvation of this kitchen knife. Mr. McKay, based knife sharpener, did the best he could do to restore the edge to something like symmetry. I expected a salty comment or two on the topic when I picked it up, however, he did not offer any, only a pitying silence as he gave me a meticulously handwritten receipt. Yet, his silence was full of kindness. Cost: $4.00 USD Many have asked, how did I achieve the ragged edge seen in my previous post? I wish I had a better answer for you, except that I used a shitty Coghlan's sharpener that was probably full of metal filings and dirt. That one is going in the trash. Any suggestions for buying a beginner's sharpener for $30.00 or $40.00 ? I don't know how to use a file or a stone.
Welllll, a beginner friendly sharpener option at that price range, I gotta echo dualsportdork.
The only way to get something in that price range that isn't crap is to go with an established knockoff brand, and ruixin is more or less the default in that category. Since Captain Dork the multisporter already gave the lowdown on caveats, I won't belabor that point.
What I will add is that for a beginner, you gotta learn how to "develop a burr". You'll be better off on YouTube for figuring out what that means and how to do it, but it's not only the easiest method to reach a given level of sharp, it holds up even for professional level work. Hell, now that arthritis has hampered my hobbyist joy in sharpening, that's almost the only methodology I use.
That concept is simple though. When you push and pull a thing over a harder and grittier thing, the edge is going to deform. It does so on a stone by slightly rolling, and ends up with what amounts to a wire that's attached along the length of the blade.
Making that happen, then removing it properly, is how you know you've reached a point sure the very tippy tip of the cutting edge is as microscopically thin as possible. It won't form a burr until you've run the knife across the stone enough. One it forms, there's no point in further grinding on a given side, as you're just removing good metal with no benefit.
Throw a sharpie beside you as you work, marking the edge bevel, and you'll have a visual cue that you're at the right angle, and have gotten things roughly consistent across the length of the knife. Flip the fucker over, repeat. Do that back and forth with several "grits" of stone, and Bob's your uncle. And you can shave Bob handily with your santoku.