Sharp is a habit,
not a purchase.
Jacob spent five years on the sharpening system below, and twenty of his own getting there. Ten minutes a day, for a few weeks, and you will sharpen better than most chefs. Every set comes with his video, and every knife we sell is made to be maintained this way.
In short
How do you sharpen a kitchen knife in under five minutes? Jacob Bech’s method at RICEKNIFE in Greve, Denmark, uses three steps: a plated diamond stone to set the edge, a resin-bonded diamond stone to refine it, and a leather strop to finish. It works on hard steel, including the 62 HRC cobalt-bearing VG10 core in RICEKNIFE knives, and takes a few weeks of ten minutes a day to learn.
- Set the edge on the plated diamond stone, both sides, until you feel a burr.
- Refine on the resin-bonded diamond stone, lighter pressure, fewer passes.
- Finish on the leather strop, edge trailing, until the paper test is one clean cut.
Jacob’s journey
I started as a kitchen apprentice at fourteen, and I started sharpening the way everyone does: on a cheap aluminum-oxide water stone, badly, for a long time. A single knife took me more than thirty minutes, and the edge did not last.
Over twenty years I went through everything the trade uses: Japanese splash-and-go stones, natural stones, ceramics, guided systems. Each solved one problem and created another. The stones dished, needed soaking, or were too slow on hard steel.
Diamond changed that. Plated diamond stones cut hard steel like the 62 HRC core in our knives without dishing; resin-bonded diamond stones leave a finer edge than any water stone I have used. Add a leather strop, and a knife that used to take me half an hour now takes under five minutes, with an edge that holds.
That is the system. Not a trick, not a gadget: the right stones, in the right order, and a technique you can learn in a few weeks of ten minutes a day.
- ThenAluminum-oxide water stone, 30+ minutes per knife, edge gone in a week.
- The long wayJapanese splash-and-go, natural stones, ceramics, guided jigs: each one better at something, worse at something else.
- NowPlated and resin-bonded diamond stones, a leather strop, one technique. Under five minutes, on any steel.
Fastest way to sharpen in 2026: the whole method in under a minute.
Three sets, one system
Start with the set that matches how often you cook, not how good you think you are. Each set has its own video; watch it before you buy, and again the day it arrives.
Sharpening Set · Beginner
For the first stones you ever own. Everything you need, nothing you don’t, and the technique explained from zero.
Sharpening Set · Chef
For the one who cooks most days and wants the edge back in under five minutes, every time.
Learn by watching
Jacob films every technique the way he teaches it in the workshop: your hands, his eyes.
Your hands, my eyes · Beginner
A first-person guide: exactly what you should see and feel on the stone.
Your hands, my eyes · Pro
The same view, with the professional set and the strop.
Beginner set · Unboxing
What is in the box, and what each stone is for.
Sharpen like a chef
The short version, for the day you are in a hurry.
Private lessons
Near Copenhagen? Jacob teaches private sharpening lessons in the workshop in Greve, a couple of hours, one to one. Bring your own knives. Ask him on WhatsApp and he will find a time.
Questions
How often should I sharpen?
If you cook most days: a few passes on the strop every week, and the stones once a month. The strop keeps the edge aligned; the stones bring it back when the strop stops helping.
Can I sharpen a Damascus knife on these stones?
Yes. Only the core steel touches the stone when you sharpen; the Damascus layers are above the edge. Our knives have a cobalt-bearing VG10 core at 62 HRC, which is exactly what diamond stones are for.
What angle should I use?
Jacob shows you how to find the angle and hold it in the beginner video, without a guide or a jig. After a few weeks of ten minutes a day, your hands remember it.
Diamond stones or water stones?
Water stones are lovely and slow, and they dish. Plated diamond stones cut hard steel fast and stay flat; resin-bonded diamond stones give the fine edge. That is why every set here is diamond.
Do I need a leather strop?
It is the difference between sharp and razor sharp, and it is what keeps you off the stones between sessions. Jacob ends every sharpening on the strop; the contents of each set are listed on its product page.
Ask Jacob
Ask Jacob anything.
About a knife, a stone, a gift, or your own sharpening. We do our best to be here around the clock: if we are awake, you will hear back within minutes. If we are not, first thing in the morning, Copenhagen time.
WhatsApp +45 20 46 46 90 · Instagram @riceknife_international · [email protected]