CCM coated steel is nothing like Blackedge or Step DLC coated steel. Both should not be honed after sharpening, but the CCM coating is more like a paint and comes off real easy. As for sharpening, it sharpens just like the other CCm stainless steel, nothing extra has to be done. With Blackedge, the coating on the bottom has to be removed first, then the sharpening does take more passes to establish the edges the first time. After that, it is sharpened like any other runner.