Sharpening with Bob Kramer

Certified as a Master Bladesmith by the American Bladesmith Society, Bob Kramer is the only Master Bladesmith in the world specializing in kitchen cutlery. Cook's Illustrated once wrote: "The Kramer knife outperformed every knife we've ever rated." Put simply, Kramer is King of the Kitchen Knife.

[dzabelal]

This video was posted around 5 years ago, took me all these years and JUNskitchen to actually take knife sharpening seriously. This is such a helpful video. Thank you.

[mountainbikerdave]

most people who watch this video have no clue how amazing of a knife maker and blade smith Bob Kramer is.

[nguyentuan]

i started to use wetstone on my knife set; believer it or not, even on a lower end knives the stone makes a huge different. My knives are now razor sharp, slicing tomato without a bit of hesitation. Awesome!!!!

[mintheman]

Best simple, no non-sense video on knife sharpening tutorial I could find on YouTube. Also the only video that actually shows the vantage point of the sharpener. 95% of people sharpening their kitchen knives just want a good sharp knife and don't care about a perfect edge. So what if the angle ended up being17 instead of 15, as long as it cuts well, who cares. Sure good free-hand sharpening skills take a long time to master and have a lot of subtleties, but most of the "tutorials" are overly complex and make it sound SO intimidating. At the end of the day, it is just sharpening a knife, not planning a mission to Mars.

[kitchenfantasytemecula]

Bob Kramer is a master bladesmith for sure! We are big fans of Bob and apply many of his methods in our Knife Sharpening services.

[robertirvin]

Enjoyable to see your skills.  I am a cut throat razor owner/user/collector/honer, and I love to see real technique.  I saw in many of the comments below cursing the price of Japanese Waterstones as being too expensive.  For my purposes I have a 325, 1k, 4k, 6k, 8k, 10k and 20k. More than a grands worth of lovely sharpening/honing stones. Don't worry about cost, but for people who aren't high end sharpeners of knives etc. You can still buy naniwa superstones for less than a hundred each, so your knives are worth a lot, and a blunt knife is to me intolerable, so bookmark this site and watch the technique. Excellent vid. Cheers Bob

[dorasilva]

I watched a few of these videos because I want to learn how to sharpen knives myself with these stones. This video is the best I have seen. Very helpful and straight to the point.

[dizzmancan]

its like this... you start out with hand me down knives you got form mom and dad (when they went to the big guns!) then once you finish colege and have a place that you want to look nice, you buy a kitchen all in one set. they all match, they are ok, it cost about 50$ and they really cant be sharpened.

then a few years down the road, maybe with marriage, maybe just wanting some nicer stuff... you get a set of decent knives. you know, the 1-200$ Zwilling or henkel set. and you dig them... but over time... you know they need sharpening. and maybe you buy one of those machines to sharpen, over time you realize it doesnt work for shit.

then you think back to your grandpa or somebody who knew how to sharpen knives... and you say ok... i am gonna get a stone set.

And yes, there are awesome sets for under 50$. i have one. so you start to try your hand at it. and you fuck up the knives a bit... but over time, you get better at it. and once you are good at it... then AND ONLY then... do you reward yourself. you buy a serious knife. one the gives you goosebumps when you use it. the one that can slice a tomato razor thin... the one that cost 1-200$ for the single knife! Because buying one when you dont know how to maintain it is just silly.

And life is good. and after a while, you added 4 or 5 more expensive top quality knives. so now you have like 1000$ invested in knives.... (hey, it becomes a bit of a hobby, dont judge me motherfuckers!!! :) ) and you need a new stone... do you buy another 50$ one? likely no. likely you drop the bigger money for the top quality stone set.

because at this point... you are seriously hooked on seriously sharp knives.

And i have to say, when you are slicing or dicing, and the knife just glides through things... its quite cool!


And even if you stay with the cheap stones, and the 200$ set... you still watch the videos for the expensive stuff... cause the sharpening method is still the same.

[peter-radiantpipes]

Bob Kramer Chefs knife is my dream. Most beautiful knife I’ve seen.

[LastBastian]

Great video, and good instruction. This system is legit, but at around $600 for the whole kit some folks may find it a bit pricey.
For those on a budget, you can still use these same techniques with less expensive flat stones and strop.
This is surely nice if you can afford it though. And freehand sharpening is a great skill for anyone who uses knives to learn!

[silvermediastudio]

Mr. Kramer is amazing, love his knife creations, his cutting boards, and his educational series. If only I could afford his art, er, I mean knives!

[nhojcam]

Bob Kramer is a legend! I have been buying "better" knives over the years, but can't yet afford one of Bob's knives. As to the sharpening, just get a good 800, 3000, and 5000 grit set of stones. The 10k grit is just for polish. I have been able to slice thin paper cleanly after 3000 grit without any problems. Pay particular attention to Bob's motion as he sharpens the knife in this video... heel to tip while maintaining the angle. There are many other folks on YT with vids for sharpening knives, but it seems as though their method takes longer than Bob's. His method will allow you to sharpen a knife almost razor sharp in under 5 minutes, and the edge will last a long, long time. P.S. - If you buy a stamped steel knife, you will never be able to sharpen it effectively (like when it was new). Get good steel, and you will always be able to keep a sharp edge. Again, pay particular attention to Bob's motion and method. Even if you're clunky with it at first, your knife will be VERY sharp when you're done sharpening.

[sonomagal]

I received one of these Kramer Systems as a gift and was so worried about using such an expensive tool!  I cook every day and am rather old school about it, scratch cook.  I have kept my knives sharp with my steel, and a diamond steel that I am not overly fond of.  I watched this video and it helped me so much, mainly with my fear of using it, and started with my old retired dull knives.  It brought them up to paper cutting sharp in hardly any time.  It was a bit messy but what the hey.  My only problem is that I am short and putting it over the sink or on the counter is just too high.  My countertop hits me at the waist, while Bob K.'s counter is hip height, about 4-5 inches lower.  Guess I will have to levitate.  Anyway, many thanks for the great vid and sharpening system, Bob.  I love it!

[sewains]

Thank you Bob for your very instructive video. Just sharpened five knives (from 4" pairing through 10" wide blade) all Henckels/Wustoff, back to life after your instructions. The best one is an 8" Zwillings Cronidur, just needed the 5000 side.
Regards from Brazil
Sergio

[soupernutt]

I watched another video last night and learned a little. One of my knives is still dull near the tip. Now I know how to sharpen it, and I think I need some better stones. Great video!

[Baun]

Was actually in to this until I saw it was 300 dollars. Fuck that.

[lenjames]

I started with a kinfe now I have a sharp ice pic....I need to practice...great vid

[abcdthroughz]

There is no one that can craft a knife like Mr Kramer. It would be a dream to own a Kramer creation.

[eqlzr]

I already know how to get sharp knives. Where can I get that kid blackboard?

[mndlessdrwer]

If you can afford Bob Kramer knives, just go ahead and buy the Wicked Edge sharpening system. It's really easy to use and far more accurate and user-friendly compared to hand-sharpening.

Also, on your fine stones, try using a Mr. Clean magic eraser with some dish soap to remove buildup. It works wonders.