Sharpening chef's knives

cbloom · #1 11-09-2006, 06:26 PM

I have some good knives and they've gotten dull where a steel won't fix them, they need to be properly sharpened. So, I found a sharpener guy who wants $10-30 per knife which seems way out of hand.

Or I can get a full set of hand stones here :
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Wh...esForSale.html
for about $100

Anyone ever sharpened by hand lie this? Is the shartpener guy ripping me off, can I find a cheaper service?

Glo · #2 11-09-2006, 06:53 PM

I love my knives and I personally wouldn't want to ruin them by assuming I knew how to sharpen them. I'd hit up a sharpener, maybe call a local William-Sonoma store and see if they recommend any sharpeners in the area. I'm sure you wouldn't be the first to ask them that question.

Anyway, quick search on google and I found a site that offered prices that seemed better than what you were given.
Knife Sharpening Price

I'd call around and get some competitive pricing.

PS. I remember an episode of Good Eats that was solely on knives. Alton recommened getting an expert sharpener to do this bit of handy work.

RunDownHouse · #3 11-09-2006, 06:59 PM

I get mine sharpened for about $8. My buddy who graduated CIA and is at Cornell says I'm an idiot for not learning how to sharpen, buying a stone and oils, and doing it myself. So I'm pretty sure that, if you cared to devote the time/money to it, you could do it yourself and have a life-long skill.

Also, the tool that comes in with your knife set doesn't really sharpen your knife. It keeps it honed, in that it even out pits and bumps, but it doesn't improve the edge, as far as I'm aware.

SamIAm · #4 11-09-2006, 07:09 PM

The "Cooks Warehouse" in my neighborhood has a guy come around once a week with a van of sharpening tools. He's willing to do lawnmower blades and shears and anything he can take apart, but of course mostly what he gets at the cooking store are cooking knives. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

He charged me $5 each for my straight blades. His price for serrated was more; I think it was like $8. $30 seems bonkers.
-Sam

Ron Burgundy · #5 11-09-2006, 07:13 PM

If they're dull to the point that you can't sharpen it by hand, get a pro to do it.

Then buy a diamond sharpener. They last forever and you don't need any lubrication. Look for one that has some kind of mechanism that forces you to sharpen on the correct angle.

SamIAm · #6 11-09-2006, 07:15 PM

[ QUOTE ]
buy a diamond sharpener. They last forever and you don't need any lubrication. Look for one that has some kind of mechanism that forces you to sharpen on the correct angle.

[/ QUOTE ]
What about electric ones? I heard something about how you shouldn't use the electric sharpeners on nice knives because the stone strikes against the knife over and over (or something).
-Sam

Ron Burgundy · #7 11-09-2006, 07:23 PM

Don't know, I've never used an electric one.

SamIAm · #8 11-09-2006, 07:24 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I remember an episode of Good Eats that was solely on knives. Alton recommened getting an expert sharpener to do this bit of handy work.

[/ QUOTE ]
Found it.
-Sam

tinhat · #9 11-09-2006, 07:29 PM

I'm a woodworker so do a *lot* of sharpening of plane irons, chisels, etc., and being familiar with the topic I say just take them to a pro.

Considering the relatively low abrasion cooking knives endure, the expense of good and correct sharpening paraphenalia and time to learn how to use them, I don't see how it's worth it.

About the prices, $10/knife seems reasonable if not a little high; call around (some woodworking stores will sharpen them for you also).

dylan's alias · #10 11-09-2006, 07:46 PM

The store Sur La Table near me has a special where they will sharpen three knives for free every few months. Check around, you may be able to get it done free.

Based on recommendations from Cooks Illustrated magazine, I bought one of these:

http://www.accusharp.com/

It cost $12 at Ace Hardware.

Here's the review:

Could manual sharpeners hold a candle to the electric models we tested? In a word, yes. A few made admirably quick and thorough work of basic sharpening tasks and did so for a fraction of the price of an electric sharpener.
Coming out on top in out testing was the AccuSharp Knife and Tool Sharpener, a simple plastic, hand-held device with a single tungsten carbide V-shaped blade. ... Once testers got over the strangeness of straddling the blade with the sharpener, they found themselves "surprised at how quickly this works," noting that it was "really easy to use ... I'm impressed."