Cutting with a dull knife can be dangerous. It is important to maintain your steel knives in between uses. The dual-sided surface of Kyocera's ceramic rod provides for sharpening and honing a blade. The ultra-efficient sharpening rod is made out of advanced ceramic, a material close in hardness to diamond. The durability of this rod will provide excellent results when re-sharpening or honing the cutting edge of your metal-based knives, scissors, and cutting tools. When your metal-based knife or cutting tool is extremely dull, first use the ribbed side of the ceramic rod to sharpen the blade by creating a finely ribbed texture on the primary cutting edge. Follow by using the smooth surface to hone or finish the edge.