ZWILLING J.A. Henckels 32525-260 Diamond Sharpening Steel, 10", Black/Stainless Steel

Buyers beware - most of what you see marketed as "sharpening steels" do not (and are not designed to) actually sharpen your knife. They're designed to "hone" the blade. That is, to straighten any microscopic waves or bends and to remove any burrs in the edge. Most chefs will do this pretty much every time they use a knife. When you see Gordon Ramsay's lightning fast - and for normal humans, dangerous - wrist flexing with a knife on a steel before he uses it, honing the knife (not sharpening) is what he's doing. This is an important part of keeping a knife useful, but it isn't the same as actually sharpening the knife.To sharpen a knife you need a tool that is harder than the steel of the knife blade and will remove a small bit of the blade to create a new edge. A true sharpening steel is made with a combination of high-carbon steel and something else that is harder than that steel - usually diamond or ceramic particles imbedded in the steel.That said, this Zwilling is in fact a true sharpening steel, and it works quite well. Zwilling (along with its cousin brand, Henckels) is a premier German knife maker and you'll find its products in the hands of professionals around the world. True quality.Just please...be careful. Go slowly. You're not (probably) Gordon Ramsay.

Sharpens knives very well

Great quality steel!

This tool bears the Zwilling trademark (which means "twins"), which is one of the oldest trademarks in the world. Its superb quality is every bit the equal to the reknowned knives it is designed to service.A sharpening "steel" just rolls the wire edge to align it between sharpenings. This tool is technically not a steel, it is a diamond hone. The fine diamond particles which coat the surface actually do grind the knife's edge with every use, removing a very small amount of metal.This hone has exactly the right design to optimize the process. Holding the knife at the correct angle, and applying some pressure, a few strokes across the hone for each side of the cutting edge will quickly make your knife exquisitely sharp. Carefully wipe the knife afterward to remove the metal dust created by honing.EDITED NOVEMBER 2020 — I have now owned this tool for 5-1/2 years and it is worn to the point that am preparing to buy a new one. So I can give a rough answer to the question "how long does it last". I cook just about every day, usually for two people, to give an idea of the amount of service this tool has given. It worked amazingly well at first, as the first part of this review describes. After about 3 years it still worked, though I began to notice that it wasn't as amazing. By the fifth year I began to make plans to replace it, and now I am doing so. I will get the same model, as I have not seen anything better. A tool like this has to wear out eventually.

Works as advertised! Excellent item! Be careful of cheap imitations. Amazon is full of cheap crappy brands from China that they really try to shove at buyers, even as you are trying to check out with a more expensive quality item! We had to look and check 3 times to make sure we had the correct items in the cart.

The last diamond steel I bought was a joke, with its diamond coating lasting maybe 2 months. Serves me right for trying to save a few bucks. As a professional chef I did what I should have done in the first place and went for German craftsmanship here. You can feel the diamonds cut in to the blade. Even on crappy knives, 6 or 8 strokes and you'll feel the difference. Yeah, it's $30 more than the other junk out there. The only reason I withhold a 5th star is because I haven't had it long enough. But am very happy so far.

Returned, Husband is a Chef, and prefers Forschner.

Using the knife to cut grid foam. The black blade dulled very quickly. Tried my kitchen sharpening steel and was able to get an edge back. Bought this steel for the shop.Stainless steel blades hold their edge longer. This sharpening steel will help keep them sharp until they really need to be replaced.