To effectively hone or sharpen a blade, the sharpening tool must be harder than the steel of the knife it is working on.
Most Knives: High-quality kitchen and outdoor knives typically fall between 52 and 62 HRC.
The Advantage: Because the Block Sharpener’s rods are rated at 69 HRC, they can successfully realign and hone hard materials like Damascus, CPM S30V, and high-carbon steels without the rods themselves being damaged or worn down quickly. [1, 2, 3]
Key Specifications of the D2 Rods
Material: Case-hardened D2 tool steel, which is an air-hardening, high-carbon, high-chromium steel known for exceptional wear resistance.
Hardness: Tested and rated up to 69 HRC, making it harder than most professional-grade “butcher steels”.
Appearance: The current D2 rods have a silver finish, distinguishing them from the older gold-hued 1018 steel rods.
Performance: The rods are designed to “reline and hone” rather than peel away steel, preserving your blade’s original geometry at angles from 17 to 28 degrees. high-Rockwell-steel
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