FDick 7500330 Dickoron Micro Oval Sharpening Steel 12"

Perfect for maintenance of our prized kitchen knives under normal use. I intend to purchase a sapphire cut as well. F Dick makes some of the hardest knives, so i'd imagine they'd make some of the most wear resistant steels. Very satisfied!

I purchased a Dickoron sapphire cut and the Micro cut. Awesome craftsmanship and very hard.
With these two honing steels I sharpened and finished all my kitchen knives to hair rasing sharp in no time.
Awesome products.

Over the past month, I've been honing my FDick Eurasia chef knife with this steel every time I used it. And the edge is still perfectly razor sharp. What surprised me though is what I saw when wiping down this steel with a paper towel... almost nothing. The finely brushed surface removes very little material.

The other aspect I liked about this steel is the consistency of the texture. Exactly the same across the full length of the surface. Other steels I've seen often have minor dips or fluctuations. And while they produce "good enough" results (sometimes with a few corrections avoiding the bad spots), this steel lets you get to a perfect edge from the start.

FDick honing steels are known for using a harder steel than all the competitors, rated at approximately 66 Rockwell. This is critical because a honing steel is only effective on a knife with a softer metal than itself. And the bigger the difference between the two, the less wear on your steel. German-steel knives generally fall between 54-56HRC.

Specs:
Overall length: 17 1/2" (not including loop)
Honing surface length: 11 13/16"
Honing surface texture: very fine cut, similar to brushed steel
Hardness (specified by manufacturer): HRC 66
Made in Germany

Functionality: 5/5
+Durable hardened steel. It shows no signs of wear after use with FDick knives rated at HRC56.

+Comfortable handle

+Metal loop on handle for storage, though you can also use the sleeve it came in to store it in a drawer

+Surface is perfectly consistent. Many honing steels I've seen (even premium ones), have small dents or imperfections in the surface. While you can still get "good enough" results out of them, you will have a hard time getting a perfect edge.

+-The protective bolster on the handle is metal. If you're new to using a honing steel, be careful not to hit it with your knife. While it will protect your hand if you hit it, you'll end up with dents in your edge.

Fit and Finish: 5/5
+No dents or scratches in the honing surface.
+No chips or scratches on the handle.

Value: 5/5
No direct comparisons available:
+Premium Wusthof steels are available in the $130+ price range, but only in the classic cuts.
+At the same price point, Wusthof makes a super-fine-cut oval steel, though that one uses a budget handle.

Steel was exactly what I wanted.