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How to use Guided
Rods Sharpener
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Step by step instructions
Start with the coarse (blue) rod.
If you are right-handed, hold the rod in your left hand with your thumb on the left side of the guard. Keep the rod horizontal, and place the angle guide on the rod so that the numbers and logo are correctly positioned (not upside down). If you are left-handed, hold the rod in your right hand, making sure the numbers and logo are not upside down.
Place the knife blade into the angle guide so that the cutting edge touches the surface of the rod and the spine rests against the upper part of the cutout.
Starting from the heel of the blade, push the knife forward along the rod until you reach the tip of the knife.
While sliding the knife on the rod, hold it at a 120-140 degree angle to the rod. This makes the sliding easier, especially if your rod is brand new and the surface is very rough.
Flip the rod 180 degrees around its axis so that your thumb is on the right side of the guard. Insert the blade into the angle guide and repeat the sliding motion along the rod from the other side. The spine of the knife should always rest against the upper part of the cutout.
Sharpen the knife this way with the coarse rod until it can cut paper.
Using a fine (white) rod and an angle guide with a larger angle removes the rough scratches left by the coarse rod, improving the quality and longevity of the edge.
When using a fine rod, apply only light pressure and gradually decrease it to a minimum toward the end of sharpening.
Check the quality of the sharpening by cutting thin paper. The slicing should now be smooth, quiet, and effortless.
Speed up the sharpening process (for completely dull knives)
If your knife is very dull, you can speed up the sharpening process by using the coarse (blue) sharpening rod with the guide. To do this, hold the rod not horizontally, but at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with the tip pointing upward.
Place the knife blade into the angle guide so that the cutting edge touches the surface of the rod and the spine rests against the upper part of the cutout.
Starting from the heel of the blade, push the knife forward along the rod, stopping just before reaching the tip of the knife, without removing the blade from the guide. Then make the reverse motion so that the guide returns toward the handle under gravity and the blade contacts the rod again at the heel.
This allows you to sharpen one side of the blade continuously without removing it from the guide, speeding up the sharpening process.
To sharpen the other side in the same way, tilt the tip of the rod downward at approximately 45 degrees and repeat the process without removing the blade from the guide.
After this, remove the burr by holding the sharpening rod horizontally, making several passes on each side, constantly alternating sides and gradually reducing the pressure to a minimum.
In the areas where the blade contacts the rod, the surface gradually becomes clogged with metal particles, causing the rod to sharpen more slowly. For this reason, it is recommended to clean the rod from time to time.
Any common kitchen cleaning detergent can be used for cleaning. Apply the cleaner to the rough side of a kitchen sponge and scrub the rod in the areas where gray marks have appeared.
Frequently asked questions
Why does the knife need to rest against the top of the guide?
Because the sharpening angle is determined by the position of the spine in the guide. If the spine is not touching the top of the cutout, the sharpening angle may change.
What knives can be sharpened with Guided Rods sharpeners?
Our system is designed for knives with full flat V-edge blade geometry with a spine thickness of up to 3 mm.
A blade may not fit the sharpening guide if it is thicker than 3mm, e.g., hunting, survival or folding knives.
The sharpener can be used for thinner blades and flat blades, such as in stationery and construction knives.
Flexible or curved blades, such as in fillet knives or meat knives, can also be sharpened with this sharpener.
Using rods with angle guides teaches you to hold the sharpening angle correctly. Once you learn the skill, you’ll be able to sharpen any knife without a guide.
Are Guided Rods sharpeners suitable for all types of knife steel?
The ceramic rods used in our system are much harder than any knife steel, so our sharpener is suitable for knives made of any steel.
The harder the steel and the better the quality of your knife, the better result you will achieve with the fine sharpening rod used for finishing.
But if your knife is made of softer steel (up to 58 CHR), you will probably only need to use the coarse rod and the guide with a bigger sharpening angle.
Do you always need to use the coarse rod, or can you maintain sharpness using only the fine rod?
When it comes to high-quality steel knives, the coarse rod should only be used when your knife is fairly dull. If you sharpen your knives regularly, you can only use the fine rod until re-edging is required.
To re-edge, use the coarse rod with 30 degree angle guide and finish with the fine rod and 35 degree angle guide.
Can rods be used without angle guides?
Yes. You can use the rods without guides to sharpen knives with blade geometries that do not fit the guide, e. g. hunting, survival and folding knives.
However, using rods with angle guides teaches you to hold the sharpening angle correctly. Once you learn the skill, you’ll be able to sharpen any knife without a guide.
For which knives do you recommend using only the coarse rod with 40 degree angle guide?
We recommend using this set for knives made of relatively soft steels (up to 58 HRC). This type of steel is commonly found in knives used by most professional kitchens and people at home.
How durable are the rods and angle guides?
The rods are made entirely of ceramic and do not have any coating. Therefore, the service life is virtually unlimited. However, you need to remember that ceramic is a rather fragile material and is likely to break if dropped.
The guides are made of plastic with the addition of fiberglass, which prevents them from wearing out too quickly. With normal use, the guides should last several years.
All depends on the intensity of use. For home sharpening of several knives, the guides will last a very long time.
What care is required for the ceramic rods?
For good operation the rods only need to be cleaned of any metal particles.
For this we have added to the kit a caoutchouc eraser, which must be used after each sharpening for dry cleaning without water.
To clean the rods, you can also use household dishwashing detergent and the rough side of a kitchen sponge.