17 Essential Tools for Proper Knife Care

A good chef’s knife is an investment. And since it’s a kitchen tool you’ll use every day, it’s important to choose a quality blade — like one of our favorites, the Wüsthof Classic 8-Inch Chef’s Knife. And just like you need to change your car’s oil and take it to the car wash from time to time, knives need regular maintenance to function at their best. 

Proper knife care involves honing, sharpening, cleaning, and storing your blades, but things can go wrong at each of these stages if you don’t have the right tools. If you’re not sure where to start, we found the best knife care supplies, including the Ina Garten-approved Chef’s Choice Professional Electric Knife Sharpener and the Shun Classic 9-Inch Combination Honing Steel that aced our tests. 

Best Amazon Knife Care Tools Overall

Best Amazon Sharpening and Honing Tools

Honing and sharpening are essential for maintaining your blade. With regular use, the edge of your knife takes on micro dings, nicks, and burrs. But using a honing rod, like our tested favorite, the Shun Classic 9-Inch Combination Honing Steel, pushes everything back into place. Honing realigns the edge without removing any material. Technically, it does not sharpen the blade; however, it gives you the feeling of a sharper knife and extends the time between sharpenings. 

Sharpening actually removes fine metal shavings from the blade, leaving a sharper edge. There are countless types of sharpeners: manual pull-through sharpeners, electric sharpeners, rolling sharpeners, whetstones, and more. Each has its own pros and cons, but not every method will work for every knife. Some are straightforward to use, like the pull-through Longzon 4-in-1 Knife Sharpener. Others, like one of our favorite whetstones, the King Whetstone Starter Set, require a bit more know-how but are more customizable to individual knives. 

Chef’s Choice Professional Electric Knife Sharpener

If Ina Garten says this is the best knife sharpener, we listen. This electric sharpener has three stages with diamond abrasives for an ultra-sharp edge every time. Many electric knife sharpeners only have two stages, a coarse and a fine, but the Chef’s Choice has a third polishing step for the ultimate finish and an even longer-lasting blade. The handy edge guards and simple setup make it easy to use, too, even for total beginners. 

Horl 2 Oak Kitchen Knife Sharpener

This knife sharpener has a unique design: It’s not a pull-through like most manual sharpeners, and it uses abrasives like a whetstone but requires half the work. It locks the knife onto the magnetic base, which holds the blade at the exact angle needed for sharpening — no guessing like with a whetstone. Then, you roll the cylindrical abrasive along the edge. If sharpening stones feel intimidating, the Horl is a good starting point to get acquainted with abrasive sharpening.

Best Amazon Knife Storage

If you’ve invested in a quality knife and spent time honing and sharpening the blade, all that time and money might be wasted if you store it incorrectly. A knife’s razor-sharp edge is thin, and leaving it loose to clank around in a drawer is not only terrible for your knife but also dangerous. Knife blocks and magnetic knife holders, like the Zwilling magnetic knife bar that aced our tests, keep knives within reach on the wall or counter. If you still prefer to leave them in a drawer,  knife guards allow them to be stored safely. 

Made In Cookware Knife Block

Many knife blocks have designated cut-outs for knives of various sizes, including paring knives, steak knives, and even bread knives. The downside of this design is that not all knives will fit. This Made In block combines the idea of a wall-mounted magnetic strip and a traditional knife block design for a magnetic universal knife block that sits conveniently on your counter — no fussing with wall mounting or knives that don’t fit. 

Ergo Chef 5-Piece Universal Knife Edge Guard Set

If you don’t have space for a knife block or magnetic strip, you can store your knives in a drawer, so long as you cover the blades with a knife sheath. This 5-pack from Ergo Chef includes guards of various sizes for all your kitchen knives, big and small. They’re inexpensive and do the trick, and this is the brand you’re likely to see in professional kitchens. If you don’t like the flashy neon colors, this set also comes in plain black or red. 

Best Amazon Knife Care and Cleaning Tools

The most important thing to remember when it comes to knife care is to never, ever put a knife in the dishwasher. It’s tempting, but a quick hand-wash is a minor inconvenience that will keep your knives in tip-top shape.

One of the most critical steps in knife cleaning is drying it off. Microfiber cleaning cloths are the best way to ensure every drop of water is gone without harming the edges with scratchy material. Some knives with higher carbon content can rust if left wet. If that happens, make sure you have a Kuniyoshi Rust Eraser to take care of it before it ruins your blade. 

Yoshihiro 100% Pure Tsubaki Japanese Knife Maintenance Oil

Knives with a higher carbon content are more prone to rust and staining. After honing and sharpening, a quick swipe with this pure Tsubaki Japanese knife maintenance oil can help protect your blade against corrosion. One drop per side is all you need, so this 3.4-ounce bottle will last you years. 

Mr.Siga Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

Microfiber cloths come in handy all around the kitchen, but they’re the perfect tool for cleaning and drying knives. Rough scrubbers, abrasive sponges, and even some dish towels can be secretly dulling your knives. These Mr.Siga Microfiber Cleaning Cloths are ultra-soft and create no unnecessary friction on the metal. Use them wet, with a dab of soap, to clean your knife, then swap in a dry one to thoroughly absorb any water before putting your knife away.