Knife Sharpening services

You can bring your knives to any of our locations: Calgary, Calgary Farmers' Market, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto or Vancouver. We can turn them around in 24-72 hours, and we will give you a call when they're done! Before bringing us your knives, please clean them well and protect them with plastic blade guards or disposable materials such as newspaper.

We Sharpen all makes and brands of knives, except for serrated (e.g., bread) or ceramic knives. We do not sharpen swords or other weapons.

Our knife sharpening and repair rates are as follows:

Sharpening

We hand sharpen knives on a series of water stones. For Western knives, we start with a 250 grit waterstone and then refine the edge with 1000 grit. For Japanese blades, we continue refining the edge with 2000 grit, 3000 grit, 5000 grit, 8000 grit, 10,000 grit, and maybe even a 12,000 grit stone, depending on the type of steel and function of the knife. We finish all knives on a leather strop with Jeweller's Rouge, to clean up and polish the final edge. This is the way knives are sharpened at the factory/workshop where they are made. In our opinion, it's the best way to return a blade to its original sharpness.

We also sell all the equipment needed for sharpening and maintenance at home. Check out the collection here.

Every knife is constructed individually from different materials so each knife needs unique attention. We'll sharpen most Western blades to 22 degrees, Japanese blades to 15 degrees, and the finest/handmade Japanese blades to 11 degrees. These are the guidelines we follow for what we believe give the sharpest knife with great edge retention, but we're willing to sharpen to personal preference.

We also sharpen single-edged blades with or without a koba or micro-edge. Personally, Kevin uses his Yanagiba and Miroshi without a koba for maximum sharpness, while some people might prefer their Deba with a koba for more strength.

Repairs

If your knife has been damaged, we can help! Repairs we perform include re-aligning the edge profile, fixing broken or bent tips, repairing chips in the blade, and re-attaching or replacing Japanese (wa) handles. Please allow extra time when dropping off your knife for a repair.

Sharpening FAQs

How do I get my knives sharpened/repaired?

• Just bring your knives to any of our locations (Calgary Inglewood, Calgary Farmers' Market, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto or Ottawa). Not near either of our shops? Then mail your knives to us! Click here for mailing instructions.
  
  

What is the best way to transport my knives?

• If you are bringing them into the shop, please bring them in something that can be easily sanitized, such as plastic edge guards. Newspaper works too, as we can dispose of it. Please don't bring them wrapped in towels, or anything that we cannot dispose of or sanitize easily.
  

How Do I Mail Knives in for Sharpening?

• If you find yourself too far away to bring your knives in personally, simply ship them to us instead. Follow these directions if you are sending your knives in the post.
  

How often do knives need re-sharpening?

• This is an impossible question to answer. How hard do you strike the cutting board with each cut and what material are you cutting on? What type of steel is the knife made of? Are you a professional chef or a home cook? How addicted are you to extreme sharpness? How often is the knife being honed? And how is the knife stored? These are all factors that affect edge retention.
  
  The best answer is once the knife stops performing as you like, then it's time for sharpening. We believe in periodic knife maintenance just as most people believe in changing the oil in their car. If you don't know how or couldn't be bothered to sharpen knives yourself, then just bring it to us.
  
  

Can you sharpen my straight razor?

• We totally can at our sister store Kent of Inglewood.