Just to clarify any confusion on using a steel on your knives I have added this for information as I tend to get asked this on frequent occasions, I will sharpen your blade by removing some of the steel to create a bevelled edge.
The naming (“honing” or “sharpening”) is often a misnomer, because the traditional “honing steel” neither hones nor sharpens a blade. Instead, its function is to realign a curled edge rather than remove metal from the edge. The term “hone” is associated with light maintenance performed on a blade without the effort and precision normally associated with sharpening, so the name “hone” was loaned. In the 1980s, ceramic abrasives became increasingly popular, and proved an equal, if not superior, method for accomplishing the same daily maintenance tasks; manufacturers replaced steels with ceramic (and later, manufactured diamond abrasive) sharpening “steels” that were, in fact, hones.
Lets do laymans terms:
Hone with a steel will straighten the edge (micro effect) to effectively feel sharp again but will eventually dull (round off the edge) with time and use.
Only a professional sharpen will remove some of the metal (slow wet grind) to create bevelled edges to become sharp again.
