A good set of knife sharpening stones and scissor sharpeners for kichen (Chinese) style knives is essential to keeping the blade nice and sharp for many reasons. For one, it prevents dulling or damage to the blade, as sharpening stones and scissor sharpeners for kitchen knives do not work at all in steel blades. Steel knives are too hard for such instruments to be able to perform their functions properly. They can’t really be called knives, but they certainly have a lot of similarities to them in that they are designed to function with a cutting edge and a point. These instruments also have been made to be used by hand, which is a whole different ball game entirely, because using one without proper training or know-how could cause the blade to break. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that you should not purchase one for safety reasons, but you need to realize that it is not a simple task to sharpen a steel blade.
Knife sharpening stones and scissor sharpeners are not designed for this purpose, because their functions are to actually cut through the metal. In order to cut through the metal, you would need a different type of tool. What you want to look for is something that has been designed for use on stone or other rough surfaces. You may have already noticed these implements listed on most of the display shelves in department stores. These are the implements that are used for polishing diamonds and other gemstones. It is only natural that someone would make a stone knife and scissor tool that work well on knives.
In addition, there is also a significant learning curve associated with making and using stone and scissor tools. This is where a lot of people fail, because they think they are doing something correctly, but somehow cannot quite put it together to get the results that they want. This is actually a common mistake, because often times there is confusion about what kind of shape to get, how hard or soft to make the stone, and how to hold the stone in an appropriate position. Without the proper knowledge, you will just be guessing, which won’t do you very much good. As the old saying goes, you get what you pay for, so don’t expect to purchase top of the line knife and scissor tools just because they have fancy names. Instead, buy something moderately priced and make your own tools from cheap materials, which will serve the same purpose and give you a better end product.