Used for cutting paper, cardboard, fabric, string, price tags, plastic packaging—that list goes on—the scissors in your office or kitchen drawer might be the most reliable everyday tool in your house.

Sharpening stones, or whetstones, have a steeper learning curve than other sharpening options, but the payoff is huge. They offer more control and precision over the sharpness of your knives.

I wouldn’t wish a dull knife on my worst enemy. As the primary cook in my house, and a former chef, I jumped at the chance to assess eight knife sharpeners as part of Consumer Reports’ Outside the ...

Knife sharpening is a capital-C Chore, but once you’re wielding a knife that cuts through tomatoes and onions like butter, you’ll know the task was WORTH IT. A lot of tools can bring dull blades back ...

At a party, dull is a drag. In the kitchen, dull is dangerous. Keeping your knives sharp is essential so you don’t risk slipping or twisting your wrist (and hurting yourself more) when cutting through ...

George Katsumoto of Grand Prairie sharpens scissors at the Jo-Ann store on Preston Road in Dallas one day a week. In the foreground is a pair of vintage red scissors in a bird-shaped sewing caddy.