(a brand of SHARPAL) 108S 17.5-Inch/Rod L. 12-Inch Sharpening Steel Knife Sharpener Rod with Built-in Angle Guides Kitchen Knives Honer Knife Steel Honing Rod Chaira Para Cuchillos HRC 65

Best honing / sharpening rod I have owned. Less aggressive than a diamond rod, but harder than my 61HRC Japanese knife steel (unlike a steel honing rod), so it actually does something, unlike steel hones. I touch up my knives on this every week or two and it keeps them remarkably sharp between proper water stone sharpenings. Technically this removes material, so it is better classified as a sharpening rod than a honing rod. This is the one you want for Japanese knives.

I’ve been very impressed with the Sharpeak Total L 17.5-inch (Rod L 12-inch) setup. The build quality is solid and feels durable right out of the package. Everything fits together well with no issues during use, and it performs exactly as expected. It’s sturdy, reliable, and clearly made with attention to detail and heavy-duty. Overall, this is a great product for the price, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a dependable option that holds up well over time.

It works well at first, but then metal shaves/dust get between the groves, and it stops sharpening. I cleaned it with a brush and a sponge, and it got a bit better, but it never was the same again.

Once you have taken care to ensure your knives are sharp at the outset, most of the time when your kitchen or other knives seem like they need sharpening (e.g., using the whetstone or diamond stone), what they really need is a few passes with a honing rod and leather strop to bring them back to the razor cutting edge you expect. Use both of these tools regularly, and you'll find that your knives under typical use hardly ever need the diamond stones. This honing rod is generously sized both in diameter in length, which means it can handle anything from my cleaver and large kitchen knives to my smaller-bladed pocket knives. I use a set of angle guides to ensure I am honing sharpening with the correct blade angle geometry. For my Japanese knives I'll do the 14 degree honing guide and finish up with 11 degrees on the strop. For my inexpensive, utilitarian cleaver I'll use the 20 degree honing guide and finish up with 17 degrees on the strop. ~5-10 minutes per blade 1-2 times a month with the honing rod and strop is all that is needed to keep all of my knives paper-cutting sharp. After about a year of use this honing rod is holding up very well. With care I doubt I'll ever need to replace it. It has taken on a bit of color from my cleaver (a high-carbon non-stainless blade where I used a boiled vinegar patina to protect against rust), but it continues to work great for all of my blades. It is very smooth and hard to the touch-- the advertised 3000-grit seems accurate and works well for re-setting the edge and making sure things stay razor sharp. I'm impressed!

I am a sharp knife freak. What I love about this rod, is the angle guide and the fact that it is very fine diamond. This is not the sharpener to get your knives to top shape. But once you have them there this is the best way to keep them sharp. I use it for about 5 swipes per side before doing any serious cutting.

I switched up from my normal sharpening steel to Mary Sharpal ceramic one. Sharpal makes real quality products; I have a few of their diamond stones. So far I’m very impressed. It hones my kitchen blades up with just a few passes. Sometimes I’ll use it on my folders. I’m really enjoying this rod. I love that it has angles built right in, so if you wanted your blade at a certain angle, this is great. Also, it acts as a hand protector. With the little rubber piece to put on the tip if you don't feel comfortable doing it freehand, it really keeps the rod in place.

Without to much if introduction, this piece lane sharpening rod is a miracle I have had many sharpening tools, but none of them came close to this fenomenal rod. It works brilliantly, particularly with high carbon and high quality blades. Perfect, absolutely perfect. Highly recommended.

This worked better than expected. I used this ceramic honer after sharpening my high quality steel kitchen knives with wetstones. The result was a better edge that cut more easily than before using the ceramic. I’m convinced! Worth the cost.