The Sharpness Scale: A Simple Way to Understand What Your Knife Needs

Think of sharpness as a dial from 0 to 10.

• 10 is way sharp.
• 7–9 is sharp enough for work most can feel confident in.
• 6–7 is usable, but you feel resistance and need extra force.
• 0–5 is struggling, forcing, stalling, or visibly damaged.

A tune-up works well when your knife is already in the 7–9 range but has drifted and needs alignment or light abrasion. Sharpening becomes helpful when the edge has fallen into the 4–7 zone and needs more significant correction. Anything below that usually needs a full reset from a professional or from sharpening stones.

What a Tune-Up Is

A tune-up is a small adjustment. It straightens any bent or rolled sections of the edge and adds a bit of fresh “tooth” to help the blade start cuts. It does not reshape the knife. It does not remove much material. It simply brings the edge back into alignment and scratches the primary bevel.

You can think of it like brushing your teeth. It keeps things on track between regularly scheduled cleanings.

The Stick by Sharpow works well here. It is designed for quick tune-ups at home or pro kitchens, without the learning curve of rods or stones. Just use the same motion as buttering bread.  It works best when your knife is already in the 7–9 range and only needs a nudge back toward its best.

You can see it here: The Stick by Sharpow.

What Sharpening Is

Sharpening is more involved. It removes tired steel, recreates the apex, and restores the blade’s geometry. A proper sharpening can fix chips, correct profiles, and thin the blade behind the edge. Tune-ups cannot, or don't do that well.

Sharpening is the reset. It is the moment when the knife needs more than maintenance, conditioning and alignment. It needs new steel exposed at the edge.

Pull-through gadgets do not handle this well. They often remove steel unevenly and do not restore thin, clean geometry. They're prone to dig potholes at the heel of a knife too. Sharpening stones with a skilled sharpener or professional services do this work predictably and cleanly.

If your knife is living in the 4–7 sharpness range, sharpening is usually the right next step.

Signs You Need a Tune-Up

You may only need a tune-up when the knife:

• Used to feel great and now feels like it is “almost there.”
• Slices paper straight but hesitates when you try to turn an S-curve.
• Is sharp in some areas but slightly sliding in others.
• Starts tomatoes but needs a bit more encouragement than usual.
• Feels like you are naturally adding a thumb or finger for more force.

A tune-up is meant for edges that need small corrections. In practice, it brings a knife back from “good but fading” to “working more like you want.”

If you want an easy at-home option, see The Stick by Sharpow. It is built for moments like this.

Signs You Need Sharpening Instead

You are likely ready for sharpening when the knife:

• Hangs, tears, or refuses to slice paper cleanly.
• Will not turn an S-curve in paper at all.
• Smooshes food instead of slicing it.
• Leaves more flavor in juice on the cutting board than in the dish.
• Has a chip, nick, or ding along the edge.
• Feels “dead” in certain sections of the blade.
• Stays dull even after a tune-up.

At this point, the edge is not simply rolled. It is worn. Steel needs to be removed and reformed. That is sharpening.

And good on you. Nice work. You used the knife and cooked with it. That's a win. 

Mail-in sharpening kits or in-person sharpening at Vivront work well for this level of wear. You can find options at Sharpow.com.

Where Honing Rods Fit (and Don’t)

Many households use honing rods and often call them sharpeners. They are not sharpeners. Most rods are alignment tools. They push bent or rolled steel back into position. They do not recreate the apex. They do not thin or remove much steel. They do not fix chips.

Honing rods are helpful in soft or mid-hard steels, but they require unique skill to use well. This is one reason tools like The Stick exist, especially for new or intermediate home cooks who want a reliable result without technique barriers.

Sharpening Cycles Are Based on Use and Preference

Sharpening is not a strict schedule unless you want it to be. Most people sharpen based on feel, not dates. How often you cook, what you cut, your boards, your pressure patterns, and your tolerance for resistance all shape the cycle.

If you want a predictable routine, you can subscribe for regular sharpening. If you prefer to sharpen based on feel, pay attention to the moments when the knife stops matching how you want it to perform. That is your signal.