I was blown away by the quality and the sharpness of this knife right out of the package. I trim a lot of briskets, and pork butts, and this thing makes light work of them all. I will admit, I was skeptical about buying the sharpening rod with this badass knife, but as with all knifes there comes a time when sharpening will be needed, and this tool sharpens the blade quickly and efficiently. This is not the cheap piece of steel they throw in the knife blocks at Macy’s and JC Penny. This sharpener and knife combo are made for people who need only the best. If you need a quality reliable blade, you can’t go wrong with this one. Would buy again!