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Product Care

Cleaning Instructions  |  Use Instructions  |  Sharpening Instructions

Product Care

The majority of our products are stainless steel. All stainless steel is not the same. There are over 150 different grades of stainless steels. Each one has different properties and has been developed for different uses. Some grades are magnetic others are not. Some grades can be hardened by heat treatment others cannot. Some grades retain strength at high temperatures others do not. Some grades resist corrosion better than others. Some grades resist stress cracking better than others.

To be classified as stainless steel the material must contain iron and at least 10.5% chromium. Other alloys are added to increase corrosion resistance, hardness, high temperature performance, etc. This having been said, product care for all of our different stainless steel products is not the same.

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Cleaning Instructions

All High Carbon Stainless Steel Knives
It is recommended that you wash all our stainless steel knives by hand using a mild dishwashing soap and water. After washing, rinse with water and dry thoroughly with a towel.

DO NOT put in the dishwasher. Doing so could damage the sharp edges should they come into contact with other objects in the dishwasher. Also exposure to extreme heat can be harmful to the high carbon stainless steel.

DO NOT use harsh detergents or cleansers containing chlorine bleach.

DO NOT soak before cleaning. In particular, avoid soaking in harsh cleaning solutions and any solution containing bleach.

All Stainless Steel Kitchen Accessories Labeled Either 18/10 or 18/8 Stainless Steel
It is recommended that you wash all these products by hand using a mild dishwashing soap and water. After washing, rinse with water and dry thoroughly with a towel.

These products can be put in the dishwasher. If you are ever in doubt whether a product is dishwasher safe, you should wash it by hand.

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Use Instructions

High Carbon Stainless Steel Knives
All of our knives have edges which are razor sharp. To obtain such sharp edges our knives are factory sharpened at an angle between 10 and 15 degrees. Sharpening at this angle results in a thinner edge, so some words of caution are necessary.

DO NOT attempt to cut through frozen foods or bones. If you should slice into something frozen or solid, remove carefully using a slicing (forward and backward) motion. DO NOT twist the knife side to side to remove it. Doing so will bend your edge and possibly chip it leaving a chunk of knife in the solid matter.

DO NOT cut with a chopping (up and down) motion. This is not the proper way to cut and only dulls your knife. Cut with a slicing (forward and backward) motion.

DO NOT use these knifes for any purpose other than for what they were intended, i.e., the preparation of food. Under no circumstances should they be used as a screwdriver, crowbar or wirecutter.

DO NOT cut on a marble, stone, tile or glass surface.

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Sharpening Instructions

Sointu USA sells a wide variety of sharpening tools. Each tool comes with its own instructions for use. Please refer to those instructions.

As a general rule, the best sharpening tool for an individual is one that he or she is going to use. Each tool is different and may be easy or difficult to use depending on the individual and their level of experience or skill. Keeping this in mind, we recommend periodically sharpening your knives using either a waterstone or ceramic stone. Our MinoSharp Professional Knife Sharpening Waterstone Kits and our Global ceramic stones both come in rough, medium and superfine grits. Normally, a medium grit is sufficient with which to start. However, if your blade is really dull, it may be necessary to start with a rough grit. The superfine grit does only minimal sharpening. Its main propose is to polish the edge of the knife after it is sharpened.

In between stone sharpenings, we recommend that you use our Global fine ceramic or diamond rod to keep the edges of your knives aligned. The diamond rod is harder than the ceramic rod and will align the edge quicker. The diamond rod also will not break if it is hit or dropped like the ceramic rod. However, if you break your ceramic rod, we sell replacements.

These honing rods should only be used when you feel that your knives have lost some of their original sharpness. The length of time will depend on the frequency and type of use, but in most cases no sooner than six months from the date of first use. As you continue to use your Global knives, you are going to find that they are going to need honing more and more frequently. If your Global knives require honing more frequently than once every two weeks, you know it is time for them to be sharpened.

Remember the best sharpening tool for an individual is one that he or she is going to use. If you maintain your knives on a regular basis, it will be easier to maintain them for the long term. Without a doubt, the easiest to use sharpening tools that we sell are our MinoSharp, MinoSharp Plus and MinoSharp 3 hand held ceramic sharpeners. No experience or skill is required to use these sharpeners. These sharpeners will both align your edges and sharpen your knives. Simply follow the instructions on the box which contains the sharpener and you will be sharpening like a pro in no time.

Stone sharpening is the best way to sharpen any brand of knife. However, our MinoSharp, MinoSharp Plus or MinoSharp 3 sharpeners are infinitely better than using nothing at all. You will be amazed at how effective they truly are.

PLEASE NOTE: It is only possible to sharpen knives sharpened on only one side like the Bunmei knives or our Global G-7, G-11 and GS-4 with a waterstone or ceramic stone. Our MinoSharp and MinoSharp Plus sharpeners should not be used for these knives or for knives with serrated edges.

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