Viking Sharpening Steel

Viking Sharpening Steel. Whatever you do, don't skimp on your knives. The knife is second only to fire in the essentials of cooking. With a good knife, cooking becomes a magnificent art form. With a bad knife, it becomes a brutish chore. Viking cutlery gives you the tools to cook masterpieces.

Each knife and sharpening steel in the 22-piece collection is handmade by master craftsmen in Solingen, Germany. After the hand-forging, the blades are ice-hardened, and finally hand-ground to provide a razor-sharp edge. Truly an arduous process. But dice one clove of garlic, and you'll find it's well worth it. No forcing or sawing, just a clean slice - the way a knife's meant to work. Oddly enough, the sharper your blade, the less likely it is to fillet your fingers in a fit of frustrated hacking.

Every knife in the Viking cutlery line features a full tang (the portion of the blade embedded in the handle). A full tang means the blade is one solid piece, from tip to butt - which makes for an extremely sturdy and well-ballanced knife. The blades contain high carbon-chromium vanadium. Not only does this outstanding alloy allow for an extremely sharp blade, it retains its sharpness. It's also extremely strong and resists stains and rust.

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