Usually, it takes five to ten minutes. But when it comes to sharpening a knife, there are as many answers as there are both knives and people.
A knife master can sharpen a blade in a few minutes if the knife isn’t in bad condition and it’s needed for regular use. Someone who’s trying to sharpen the same knife for the first time might take weeks to get it right – and even after that first successful attempt, it’ll take 10 to 20 minutes to do it.
Several other factors will determine how long will it take: what elements are you using to sharpen a knife, how dull the knife is, how sharp you want the blade to be, among other things.
On average, if you take an experienced person and a somewhat reliable knife, sharpening a knife can take five to ten minutes. For an average kitchen knife that only needs a do-over, it’ll be way less than that. On the other hand, for a sharper knife, like a professional kitchen knife that a chef might need, it’s a longer process – but not that long!
What Comes Into Play When You Have To Sharpen a Knife?
When you are talking about sharpening a knife, most people think about their blade and something to sharpen it with. These are the two elements you need – but it goes deeper than that.
The blade, for example, presents many different elements by itself: How dull is the knife? Is there any rust in it? What kind of metal is the knife made of? How sharp do you want the blade to be?
On the other hand, what are you going to use to sharpen the knife? A whetstone? A grindstone? A rawhide belt?
You should also take into consideration how are you going to do it: will it be by hand or using a machine? A machine might do the work faster – but it can also ruin the knife quicker if you make a mistake.
Simply put, you’ll need to think about more things other than the knife itself and the sharpening tools. For example, it’s not the same thing to sharpen a cheap pocket knife than it is a premium-level kitchen knife or hunting knife.
All these elements come into play when you think how long is it going to take to sharpen your knife.
Can You Sharpen Any Knife Quickly?
You can try to sharpen any knife there is and you’ll probably manage to do it successfully. What you should be asking yourself is if is it worth it to sharpen any dull knife. When it comes to bringing knives back to their former glory, sometimes the trouble and time are worth more than a brand-new blade would cost.
Most cheap knives are worth sharpening if you have the tools and knows how to do it properly. Otherwise, you might find yourself worse off than when you started. A cheap knife can dull or – even worse – break when you try to sharpen it and do it the wrong way.
You should also keep in mind cheap knives need to be sharpened over and over again. They dull easily – and most of them will break rather than last with a sharp blade. It might take a moment to sharpen it, but that time will keep piling up every time you have to do it again.
Because of that, most of the time you have to think if you want to go through the hassle of trying to sharpen a cheap blade or if it’s better to buy a new one altogether – especially when you take into consideration how exciting it is to pick a new knife for your collection!
What’s The Fastest Way To Sharpen a Knife?
If you want to sharpen your knife as quick as possible, you’ll have to invest in a machine to do so. When you sharpen a knife by hand, you’ll have to put both time and effort into the whole ordeal.
By using a knife sharpening machine, you’ll take most of the human effort out of the operation, reducing how much time it’ll take to do it – but it comes with a cost: if you screw up you can destroy the knife as fast as you thought you would sharpen it.
What Is The Easiest Way To Sharpen a Knife?
The easiest way to bring your blade back to its former glory is by using a bench stone. You only have to do two things: place your stone on top of a stable surface, place your knife over it at the correct angle, and sharp away!
Like most things, it takes practice to get the hang of it – so you might want to practice with cheap knives or blades you no longer care for. It’s advised to start with cheap knives, as things can go and will go wrong when you first start doing this! Take the time to understand how this works and you’ll be sharpening knives in no time.
You can also consider taking your knife to get it professionally sharpened. It’s a no-effort deal for you with guaranteed results.
What Is The Best Way To Sharpen a Knife?
If you have a knife you love and don’t want to see it ruined by a poorly-made sharpening attempt, the best you can do is let a professional sharpen it. As you know, it’s the easiest way to handle the entire thing – and it’s also the best way.
A knife master can easily see what needs to be done, how it needs to be done, and how long it’s going to take. You assume no risks and you’ll have a knife in perfect shape by the time the whole thing is over.
Then again, if you want to take matters into your own hand, you should see what knife sharpening method is best for you
