Appreciation post: whoever taught new guys to sharpen on a cheap boning knife instead of the $200 gyuto, thank you
I watched a guy at a shop in Boise hand a brand new hire a $12 boning knife and a worn 1000 grit stone on his first day, and the kid had a clean edge in 20 minutes. Every other place I worked tossed new people on the expensive house knives, they got scared of grinding too much steel, and they never learned a thing. It matters because a cheap blade lets you feel the burr and make mistakes without sweating the cost, and that feel is what carries over later. The kid was breaking down whole chickens by the end of his second shift with that same knife. What did your first shop start you on, a beater or something nice?