With regular use, any knife´s edge will lose it´s ''bite''. Please use a WÜSTHOF sharpening steel to realign the edge and to keep it sharp. This will insure a lifetime of cooking pleasures.Hold the steel with your left and the knife with your right hand (lefties simply do the opposite) and guide the blade with light pressure across the steel. Do this in an arching motion at a 20 degree angle side-to-side. Repeat this process 6 - 8 times. With practice, you will find this becomes an easy motion. Never stroke each side more than once in succession. That´s all. Use the steel before every use. By the way, please use a steel which is longer than the knife you hone. Size - 26cm (10inch) Code - 4473