Common Knife Sharpening Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Knife sharpening seems straightforward—remove metal until you have a sharp edge. Yet countless knives are damaged or poorly maintained because of common mistakes that are easy to make and sometimes hard to recognise. Whether you're using a whetstone, electric sharpener, or manual pull-through, these errors can sabotage your results.

Learning to identify and correct these mistakes will dramatically improve your sharpening outcomes and protect your valuable knives from unnecessary wear.

Mistake #1: Inconsistent Angle

The single most common sharpening mistake is failing to maintain a consistent angle throughout each stroke. When your angle varies, you create a rounded or uneven bevel that doesn't cut cleanly.

Signs of This Problem

• The knife feels sharper in some spots than others
• You see a wide, shiny bevel rather than a narrow, consistent one
• The knife doesn't improve despite extensive sharpening

How to Fix It

• Slow down—speed comes after consistency is established
• Lock your wrists and move from your shoulders
• Use angle guides or stacked coins initially
• Mark the bevel with marker to track your contact
• Consider guided sharpening systems if freehand proves difficult

Mistake #2: Too Much Pressure

Many beginners press too hard, thinking more pressure equals faster sharpening. In reality, excessive pressure:

• Makes angle control much harder
• Can dish whetstones unevenly
• Heats the edge, potentially affecting temper
• Removes more metal than necessary
• Creates deep scratches that are hard to refine

How to Fix It

Let the abrasive do the work. Moderate pressure—just enough to maintain contact—produces better results than bearing down. If you're breaking a sweat, you're pressing too hard.

Mistake #3: Skipping the Burr

The burr—a thin wire of metal that forms on the opposite side of the edge during sharpening—is your primary indicator of progress. Beginners often flip the knife too early, before developing a proper burr along the entire length.

How to Feel the Burr

Run your finger gently from the spine toward the edge (never along it). You'll feel a slight catch or roughness when the burr has formed. Check the entire edge—the burr should extend from heel to tip.

Mistake #4: Using the Wrong Sharpener for Your Knife

Not all sharpeners work well with all knives. Common mismatches include:

• Using aggressive electric sharpeners on delicate Japanese blades
• Using 20-degree pull-through sharpeners on 15-degree Japanese edges
• Using steel honing rods on very hard Japanese knives (risk of chipping)
• Using carbide scrapers on expensive knives (too aggressive)

How to Fix It

Match your sharpening method to your knife. Research compatibility before using any sharpener on a valuable blade. When in doubt, whetstones at the appropriate angle work for virtually all knives.

Mistake #5: Neglecting Stone Maintenance

Whetstones dish (develop a concave surface) with use. Sharpening on a dished stone makes it impossible to maintain consistent angles and produces uneven edges.

Signs of a Dished Stone

• Visible depression in the centre of the stone
• A straightedge laid across the surface rocks or shows gaps
• Inconsistent results despite good technique

How to Fix It

Flatten your whetstones regularly—every few sessions or whenever dishing becomes noticeable. Use a flattening plate, diamond stone, or wet-dry sandpaper on a flat surface.

Mistake #6: Sharpening Too Often (or Not Often Enough)

Both extremes cause problems:

• Too often: Unnecessary metal removal shortens blade life. A knife that's sharpened weekly when monthly would suffice wears away faster than needed
• Not often enough: Working with dull knives is dangerous and frustrating. Waiting until the knife is completely useless requires more aggressive restoration

Mistake #7: Not Removing the Burr

After sharpening, a wire-thin burr remains on the edge. Leaving it there creates a false sense of sharpness—the knife seems sharp initially but dulls almost immediately as the weak burr folds or breaks off.

How to Remove the Burr

• Light alternating strokes on your finest stone
• Stropping on leather or newsprint
• Drawing the edge through cork or soft wood
• Edge-trailing strokes on the whetstone

Mistake #8: Using Dull Equipment

Worn abrasives work poorly:

• Diamond plates lose their coating over time
• Electric sharpener wheels glaze over and become ineffective
• Ceramic rods can chip or lose abrasiveness
• Pull-through sharpener inserts wear out

Replace or resurface sharpening equipment when it stops cutting efficiently. Working with worn abrasives wastes time and produces poor results.

Mistake #9: Ignoring the Tip and Heel

Many sharpeners focus on the middle of the blade while neglecting the tip and heel. This creates an uneven edge that performs well in the centre but poorly at the ends.

How to Fix It

• Deliberately practice sharpening the tip—lift the handle slightly to maintain contact through the curve
• Ensure your strokes begin at the heel and end at the tip, covering the full edge
• Check for burr formation along the entire edge, including the heel and tip

Mistake #10: Testing on Your Finger

Testing sharpness by running your finger along the edge is dangerous and unreliable. A truly sharp knife can cut you before you even feel it, and finger testing doesn't differentiate between a sharp edge and a wire burr.

Safe Testing Methods

• Paper slicing—a sharp knife glides through paper cleanly
• Tomato test—a sharp knife slices tomato skin effortlessly
• Nail catch—a sharp edge catches on your thumbnail; a dull one slides off
• Hair shaving—very sharp edges will shave arm hair

See our guide on testing knife sharpness for more safe testing techniques.

Learning from Mistakes

Everyone makes these errors initially—recognising them is the first step to improvement. Focus on correcting one issue at a time rather than trying to fix everything at once. With practice, proper technique becomes automatic, and your sharpening results will improve dramatically.