Can you fix knives with nicks in the blade?
Yes, at no extra charge we remove nicks.

Can you repair a knife with a broken tip?
Yes, at no extra charge we can refashion the end of your knife so it will look and perform correctly.

Can you sharpen scissors?
Yes, as long as the scissors come apart and the blades are straight, we can sharpen them.  We cannot sharpen curved scissors like the ones typically used in manicure salons.  For pricing, we count a pair of scissors as one knife.

Can you sharpen ceramic knives?
No, but that will change soon.  We are in the process of qualifying suppliers for the diamond wheels we’d need.

Can you fix broken handles?
No.  But that may change soon also.

Can you sharpen garden shears?
Yes, but we’d rather not.  They won’t fit in our shipping boxes, but if you ask nicely and deliver them to us, you can usually get anything you want sharpened around here.

Why shouldn’t I have my knives sharpened at the hardware store?
Because they will be ruined.  Chances are quite high that the hardware store will place your knives in contact with a high speed grinding wheel.  High speed grinding wheels cause the metal to heat up rapidly and this will lower the hardness of the blade’s edge.  There are plenty of metals that can withstand the heat generated from a high speed grinding wheel, like drill bits and end mills, but kitchen knives are not made from these materials.

Why shouldn’t I have my knives sharpened at the Kitchen store or buy one of those electrical sharpeners they sell?
No kitchen store wants to sharpen your knives.  If your local kitchen store offers knife sharpening, it’s used as a pitch to sell new knives or electrical sharpening equipment.  We, on the other hand focus almost exclusively on sharpening and restoring damaged blades.

What’s the difference between what your equipment does and the sharpeners I can buy at the kitchen store.
Aside from the obvious answer that we can make your knives like new, we can put the correct angle and a hollow-grind on the knife edge and we can document our work.  You can do none of those things with any of the electrical equipment you can buy at a store.  The electrical sharpeners available to the consumer apply a flat single angle.  The machines are noisy in operation and create a decent but far from like new edge.  If you wish to do your own sharpening at home, the absolute best alternative, and we’ve tried them all, is to buy a combination 300/1000 grit Shun Whetstone and have someone show you how to use it.  You’ll still only get a flat edge, but at least you can control the angle and it’s a lot cheaper and quieter than the electrical gizmos. 

How do you know what angle to put on a knife?
There are two ways.  We know from the manufacturer what angle the knife originally had or we can also measure it here.  Most western knives are sharpened to 20o on each side.  Certain Wüsthof, Henckels, Messermeister and all Global, and Shun knives are sharpened to 17o.  No matter the maker, we sharpen all Santoku blades to 17o.  Cleavers are sharpened to 25o as are hunting knives.  As a practical matter, the smaller the angle, the sharper the edge but the tradeoff is wear.  Asian knives as a rule are made of much harder steel than is used in your typical Western knife, so it can hold a sharper angle longer.  If you want to turbo charge your Western knives, just ask us to put on a 15, 16 or 17 degree angle. 

Can you sharpen a one-sided Asian knife?
Yes.  Because there is a cultural stigma in Asia attached to being left handed, knife makers there mass produce knives for right handed people and these knives have an edge only on one side.  When we receive a single sided knife, we measure the angle and apply it to one side only.  The flat side is lapped with a 4000 grit flat waterstone.

Do you service commercial accounts?
Our focus is on making the knives of cooks and chefs right.  High volume commercial accounts would distract us from our mission. 

Our Mission
Our mission is to make sure that every knife leaving here is more than sharp.  We inspect and repair every defect we find in the blade, such as wrong shape from a previous sharpening, bolsters that prevent the back of the blade from making full contact with the cutting surface, reshaping tips that are broken so the knife looks right and works correctly.  We back up our work with a microscopic edge analysis that we put in our report to you.  We apply food grade mineral oil to wooden handles to prevent cracking.  In short, no matter what condition it’s in, it won’t leave here unless it’s right or we simply won’t do it.

 
What is the largest knife that will fit in the box you send out?
7” wide and 18” long.  The box we send you has interior measurements of 17 ¾ long and 3 ½” by 3 ½”.  Inside that box the largest cross sectional dimension is 4 ½” (this is the diagonal measurement of 3 ½” by 3 ½” square.  So how will it accommodate 7” by 18”?  Answer: because we send the shipping box inside a larger box. If you have too many knives or your knives are too big, you can use all the packing supplies and the larger box just by switching the shipping labels.

How long does it take?
We turn around your knives in 24 hours.  It’s the shipping that takes time.  We use FedEx ground and it may take 4 days to go coast to coast.  We are hoping to open an office in Monterey CA to speed up the process, but that won’t happen  this year.

Can you handle a rush order?
Yes.  For the incremental cost of shipping, we will gladly get your knives to you on the exact day you want.  Unfortunately that only applies domestically.  Because Customs may decide it wants to take a look, not even FedEx can guarantee international delivery on a particular day.