I waited a while to write this review because I wanted to test this rod on two types of knife,the western knives,which are sharpened on two sides,and the japanese knives,which are sharpened only on one side,now I know I’m not supposed to hone a single edge japanese knife as the blade is more delicate,but I work in a banquet kitchen where cranking out food for 600 or more people a day is not uncommon... needless to say I do not always have the time to pass the blade through my fine stone just to straighten the edge out. I find the hone is actually very delicate with my japanese knives,you can tell by the feedback you get when you are honing it,the knife responds exceptionally well,if you feel the need to hone your japanese knife and do not want to torture and kill it,then I suggest using ONLY this fine ceramic rod as the steel rods can and will break your blade. As for my western knives which can handle a lot more abuse,keep in mind this is a honing rod and not a sharpening rod,it will certainly help preserve a razor sharp blade for much longer (if that is how sharp you usually keep your knife),and it will help touch up the blade and make it usable as it dulls,but it cannot by any means replace a good pair of sharpening stones. Having said that,if you like keeping a rough edge on your blade or simply keep your knives in crappy condition,this may not be the hone for you,you may need something more aggressive,and if you are dead set on buying ceramic I would recommend ceramic hones from Global,they are much,much more expensive though.