yellowchef

we said the steel hones and can bring it back to its original sharpness..

its worth the few, like $3 a blade to take your knives to a professional sharpener a few times a year. If you are good about using the steel each time the knife comes out you shouldnt have to see the sharpener more than 3 times a year. A tri stone is expensive, you have to make sure the right oil is always on it, and the ones that use water wear quickly and are still very costly. Tri-stones also have a special way to be used or they can wear in the middle and not the ends, or wear on the ends and be higher in the middle.. so its much easier just to see the pro and drop a few bucks every 4 months. You also get a much better, longer lasting edge.