Stainless steel honing steels straighten and remove burrs from the edge of kitchen knives once they've been sharpened by a ceramic honing steel, diamond honing steel, or sharpening stone. They are suited for handling knives made of softer metals.

Diamond-coated honing steels sharpen kitchen knives, improving their cutting and slicing ability. These honing steels are suited for knives with a wide range of hardness. Diamond-coated honing steels remove more blade material than ceramic honing steels and leave some burrs behind, requiring a stainless steel honing steel or leather strap to straighten the blade's edge. These honing steels are less likely to break than ceramic steels if dropped.

Ceramic honing steels sharpen kitchen knives, improving their cutting and slicing ability. These honing steels remove less of the blade's material than diamond-coated honing steels and are suited for everyday use. Ceramic honing steels are compatible with knives of various hardness and leave fewer or next-to-no burrs behind after sharpening.

Electric knife sharpeners utilize abrasive plates powered by a small electric motor to sharpen and hone the edge of kitchen knives.

Sharpening stones hone kitchen knives better than electric sharpeners and honing steels, but require more precision and skill to use. They're soaked in water before sharpening.