⁃When you hold a new Gude knife in your hands, it is a very sharp tool. But the more you use the knife, the more it loses its sharpness. This is the case with all classic knives. That's why knives need the sharpening steel.

⁃Faced with the choice of having a complete knife series but no sharpening steel, or a single knife with a sharpening steel, a more experienced professional will always opt for the second alternative. Because without a sharpening steel, the best knife is useless.

⁃A sharpening steel must be long enough so that you can guide the entire blade cleanly on it. A sharpening steel should have a blade length of at least 26 cm. 32 cm is better - as with the classic Gude sharpening steel.

⁃In addition, the oval sharpening steel is preferable to the round one because it offers a wider contact surface and thus ensures a better sharpening effect. If you try to keep your knife sharp with other sharpening steels, you may soon despair. With good sharpening steels, however, it is child's play to keep knives sharp.