Mercer Culinary Diamond Honing Steel, 12 Inch

The Mercer 12" model M14512 is a very well made medium grit steel that is 1/2" in diameter by 17 3/8" total length and is a tad more than 12 oz. in weight. The steel will do aggressive honing with moderate pressure and finish honing with very light pressure. That being said it will leave an edge that is sharp but also one that could use a polishing. I have a seperate smooth polishing hone to finish the bevel.. After sharpening knives for work and recreation for 50 plus yrs i have lots of tools for sharpening. Knife sharpening has to do with the right equipment that works for you and the right technique to do the task. Most often my sharpening is all done by free hand and the feel is just as important as the technique. This mercer hone is a great tool if you know how to use it. The steel appears to be of good quality and the handle is adequate being molded synthetic. I would have prefered wood but for the price point of $33 the Mercer is a good value. I use a wood whittler's motion to hone my knives but i place the knife stationary and horizontally (at desired bevel angle) with the point away from me in my left hand and then draw the hone from the handle to the tip of the knife with my right hand which is my dominant hand. both sides are honed this way with the only difference being if the blade edge is facing right i push the hone across the edge and blade edge facing left i drag the hone across the edge. both strokes are from handle to tip and both strokes are with the hone in my right hand. The Mercer hone steel is premium quality, the handle is durable poly and designed so the hone will not roll when set on the bench and also has a stainless ring for hanging up when not in use. The 12" hone total length with the cardboard sheath is 1/4" too long to fit in the kitchen cabinet knife drawer so i will thow away the scabbard and get a piece of clear plastic tubing at the hardware store that i can cut to length and the Mercer will then fit straight in the drawer. Or i could cut enough of the handle end to remove the ring and shorten it a bit. Hind sight is that a 10" hone would have be adequate for my needs and be easier to fit in my kitchen drawer. A quality tool at a good Price!........ Edge in pics is a 12" chef's knife finished with light strokes on the Mercer hone.

PRO - Made in USA. Branded as “Mercer” (excellent maker of top quality knives) this sharpening tool is actually made by the company behind “Chef’s Choice”. Dull knives are quickly sharpened, but you MUST read and follow the directions to get top results. CON - Works best with thinner blades. Pocket or hunting knives with thick blades are a challenge, and you cannot sharpen scissors at all.

I have only used the 3000 side so far, and so far, it works fine. It does not seem to wear down fast, so it looks like it will work for a long time to come. I usually buy Kotobuki King brand ones, and have had very good luck with them. I would say that this one is about as well made as the ones I usually buy. The reason that I have only used the 3000 side is because the Kotobuki King one I have is double sided, 250/1000, so this one was to supplement that one. I do wish this was a little longer though, as my Kotobuki King one was about an inch longer, which may seem minor, but it can make a bit of difference when using it. This one is about a quarter of an inch wider though. Also the markings on the side so you know which grit each side is, is nice. The one bad thing that I can say about it, is that it is made in china. I thought with the advertising and stuff, that it would have been made here, in the USA, but alas, it is not. I did look, but could not find any info as to where they were made, until I got it in and read the box. Other then that, this is a good product. In the end, yes it is a good product. Yes it is worth purchasing. But, if you are like me and get tired of everything being made in china and want something not made in china, then look elsewhere, which I will do in the future. ................................................... Update I have had this, and have gotten a lot of use out of both sides now. I have found that this seems to wear down just slightly slower then the "King" brand ones that I have. The numbers, that tell the grit on the side, have not worn down or off either, so you can still read them, which is good if you can not remember which side is which. After all, after you pass the 1000 grit mark, it gets harder and harder to tell the difference between grits. This is definitely a decent quality of a product. as of right now, after getting a lot of use out of it, I can say it is worth buying, and my only complaint, as of right now, is mainly, it being made in china. and I still wish it was a tad bit longer.. just an inch would make it better. But still not too bad to use

Works perfectly to provide the sharpest knives possible. Cutting edge is as sharp as brand new!

Great sharpener! Looks to be a decent quality unit. Just run the knife through a couple of times and its sharp again. Very dull knives easily sharpened by running them through one slot and then the other three or four times each. I usually spend five or ten minutes hand sharpening one of my knives with a three or four part whetstone kit. This is so much easier, faster and its done in just a few seconds.

Holds the knife at the correct angle for sharpening

I bought this for replacement. It works just as good as the original

Came in good condition. A few "dents/knicks" in sharpening area after light use, but no other areas. Better choice for most people considering what we all are looking for, cheap quality cutlery is achieved with most mercer products, this is my preferred brand for knives due to overall quality given the fact that we all have a tendency to replace rather than be zen masters. A great diamond steel will help keep a quality knife sharp especially if that knife can be replaced without great cost every few years, YEARS, proper treatment can give you a decade of use. Money for value greatest investment for a knife, shallow angle regular swipes will help keep your cuts clean. Think a quarters distance for a 3" thick knife and a swipe or two on each side before use and after cleaning.