ZWILLING 10-inch Sharpening Steel
By ZWILLING · Knife Sharpening · Kitchen & Cooking · More from ZWILLING
- 10-inch chrome-plated stainless steel rod
- Oval rod design for more surface contact
- Made in Germany, item no. 32565-260
- Approx. 62 Rockwell hardness
- 10.24 in total length, 0.71 lbs
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Summary
A chrome-plated oval honing steel for realigning a knife edge between full sharpenings, made in Germany. Check the finish and item number before you buy: the same 10-inch size also comes with a ridged surface (32565-261) and with a stainless steel end cap (32567-261).
Strengths
- The oval rod gives more surface contact than a round rod, so fewer strokes do the work.
- Chrome-plated stainless steel rated near 62 Rockwell by the manufacturer.
- Made in Germany with a comfortable black handle and a hanging hole.
- Serious Eats, testing 11 honing steels in 2026, said ZWILLING honed stainless and carbon knives well and was easy to use at any blade length.
- Owners describe it realigning the edge and stretching the time between full sharpenings.
Weaknesses
- 10-inch refers to the rod only; the whole tool is 10.24 in, shorter than some rival 10-inch steels that count the handle.
- The 62 Rockwell hardness is a manufacturer claim with no independent check.
- One Macy’s reviewer reported a unit made in China without the red Henckels label, contradicting the stated German origin.
- No test of this exact item was found; the evidence is brand-level coverage and owner sentiment.
- Honing steels wear out and eventually need replacing.
- Review counts vary a lot between stores, from a handful to none.
Verified specifications
| Model | 32565-260. |
|---|---|
| Rod length | 26 cm / 10 in. |
| Total length | 10.24 in (26 cm) including the handle. |
| Handle length | 13 cm / 5.12 in. |
| Weight | 0.71 lbs on the manufacturer’s US page; 0.74 lbs on the Canadian page and 0.8 lb at Spotix. |
| Material | stainless steel rod with a chrome-plated surface. |
| Handle | black plastic, ergonomic, with a hanging hole. |
| Hardness | about 62 Rockwell (manufacturer figure). |
| Rod profile | oval, for more surface contact and fewer strokes than a round rod. |
| Rod diameter | 9.2 mm per one retailer. |
| Country of origin | Germany. |
| Color | matte black. |
Full research notes and sources
Honing, not sharpening
This is a maintenance tool, not a sharpener. Its oval chrome-plated rod is meant to be harder than the knife and to realign the edge with a few light strokes, which suits softer steel and daily upkeep rather than grinding a new edge. ZWILLING lists it as part of its Edge Maintenance line, and category guidance from knivesandtools.com notes that honing steels work well on softer steel types and must be harder than the blade being honed. The rod has no moving parts and nothing to service.
Testing and owner reports
No instrumented test of the 32565-260 was found. At the category level, Serious Eats tested 11 honing steels in 2026 and praised ZWILLING’s ability to hone both stainless and carbon knives and its ease of use across blade lengths; Food & Wine included the brand in its 2025 testing. Owner sentiment is positive but small: the manufacturer site and Macy’s both carry well-rated reviews praising sturdy construction and the edge it raises, and one buyer writes that it brings a razor edge back in a couple of strokes. One Macy’s reviewer, however, reported a unit made in China and missing the red Henckels label, which contradicts the manufacturer’s stated German origin and could point to a counterfeit or a mix-up. Review counts vary widely by store, so treat the sentiment as anecdotal.
Care, warranty and lifespan
Keep the rod clean; knivesandtools.com suggests rubbing it with paper and a little olive oil or sunflower oil. Honing steels wear out over time and need replacing, so this is not a buy-once tool for life. One retailer lists a 25-year warranty on materials and manufacturing defects, though the manufacturer does not emphasize that term. There are no electronics or moving parts, so the realistic failure points are a worn surface or a damaged handle.
US retailers cluster tightly. The manufacturer’s US page lists the steel at $59.99 and showed it out of stock at check time, Lowe’s at $59.95, Spotix at $59.99, Macy’s at $59.99 against a $100.00 compare-at, and knivesharpedge.com at $49.99. In Europe, knivesandtools.com lists it at €49.99. ZWILLING’s own alternatives bracket it: the 9-inch steel at $24.99 and the 10-inch diamond steel at $64.99, while its 10-inch end-cap version is $54.99. Generic honing steels run $15 to $30 and Opinel spans €5.70 to €37.99.
Which model this is
This page covers the ZWILLING Edge Maintenance 10-inch Sharpening Steel, item 32565-260, a chrome-plated oval rod made in Germany. Do not confuse it with the ridged chrome-plated 10-inch steel (32565-261), the diamond-coated version (32525-261), the 12-inch steel (32565-310) or the end-cap version (32567-261). One retailer labels the item part of the Four Star series, but ZWILLING’s own page does not use that series name. The US listing is ASIN B00004RFKZ.
Sources
Manufacturer:
- ZWILLING Edge Maintenance 10-inch Sharpening Steel (ZWILLING US)
- ZWILLING 26 cm chrome-plated sharpening steel (ZWILLING Canada)
- ZWILLING 10-inch sharpening steel with stainless steel end cap
- ZWILLING Edge Maintenance 12-inch sharpening steel
- ZWILLING 26 cm ridged chrome-plated sharpening steel (ZWILLING UK)
Independent reviews:
- The best honing steels of 2026, tested (Serious Eats)
- Buying a honing steel: the honing steels tested (knivesandtools.com)
Owner reports:
Stores:
