How to Sharpen Your Rada Knives

Rada Knife Sharpener

"What a weird-looking little sharpener!" you say. "How can that possibly get my knives sharp?"

The Rada Knife Sharpener works differently from most others you've used. Common sharpeners like whetstones, steel rods, diamond stones, etc. work by removing small amounts of steel to restore the edge. They require a certain amount of expertise to get the correct angle, and to avoid grinding the blade down too far.

The Rada Sharpener actually straightens the blade back to its original sharpness. Rada knives, properly cared for, don't dull easily. The knife edge usually bends a bit before it actually dulls. No special skill is required - just hold the sharpener down with one hand, and pull the knife straight between the two wheels a couple of times. Presto! Your Rada (or any straight-edged knife) is ready to slice again!

Maintain Your Knives

To keep your knives sharp and shiny, wash them by hand and dry (carefully!) with a cloth. The jostling and chemicals of an automatic dishwasher will dull any knife blade more quickly, and may discolor aluminum handles.

Keep them in a cardboard sleeve so they won't get dull by rubbing against other other utensils. Or use a Rada Oak Knife Block - the slots are turned sideways so the sharp edges don't rest on the wood.

Black Resin Handles

"But what if I really, really want to use an automatic dishwasher?" you cry. Never fear! Rada has a new line of black resin-handled knives and utensils, especially made to preserve their beauty in the dishwasher. You just may want to use the

Knife Sharpener a bit more often.

Restore Your Knives

"What if I have an old, discolored Rada knife? Can I bring it back to beauty?"

Safety first! Wear leather gloves or use a thick cloth to wrap the blade securely. Lightly sand the handle with the very finest steel wool or sandpaper, working in a circle around the handle instead of up-and-down it. Then touch up the blade if it needs it.

Run the blade through the Knife Sharpener a few times and try it. If it's still not sharp enough, use a whetstone.

Finally, spray with glass cleaner and polish. Polish the blade from behind, starting each stroke at the base and pulling up. Don't get into a vigorous back-and-forth motion. Just don't. Trust me.

Get Your Husband His Own Knives

How many times have I heard it? The menfolk have highjacked your best paring knife or utility knife, taken it off to the garage to strip wires or cut leather, and now your carrots won't slice worth a toot. Or worse, they jimmied a door with it, and all you have left is a pile of shiny little pieces.

Luckily, now that Rada has two kinds of handles, it's easy to get him some knives of his own and keep them separate from the cooking knives. Peace is restored!