This Shun Premier 9 inch sharpening steel will help you keep your knives performing perfectly for a long time. In order to keep your Shun Premier knives sharp, it's good to use a honing steel each time you use them. It offers two honing surfaces: a smooth one for day-to-day honing, and a micro-ribbed one for weekly honing. Running a knife against a steel centers the blade's edge, which drifts to one side after regular use. If you use a Shun honing steel after each use, you won't have to sharpen them nearly as often and they'll perform more consistently. This Shun Premier steel also matches other Shun Premier cutlery with its attractive PakkaWood handle in walnut.