02/10/09

Bad knife sharpening

by piththeelder

I was doubtful over the poor reviews I read about the knife sharpening here, but my knife came out exactly as the other posters described. My knife was pristine but beginning to dull when I brought it in. What I received in return was a jagged mess. The blade is pitted and rough. This was a Wushtof knife. I am very disappointed.

• Pros: nice store, cool stuff
• Cons: bad knife sharpening

12/27/07

Superior Knife Sharpening!

by miiki

I never bother with responses or reviews but I was irate to see the poor review about knife sharpening.

I have had my knives sharpened at Kitchen Arts for years! Every time- wonderful. Once I broke the tip of a knife and Owen re-mastered it into a smaller version. The price is always so affordable and the workmanship always top-notch.

I would not go anywhere else. Owen and Kitchen Arts is the best! [No- i do not know anyone there personally or even remotely.]

• Pros: Hard to find things, dyed in the wool things, newest cutting edge things - excellent customer service
• Cons: high rent, higher prices

08/06/07

A word on Knife Sharpening

by owenmack

Hi there-

Owen Mack here, owner of Kitchen Arts and the guy who does all the knife sharpening. I sharpen about 4,000 knives a year, and have for 12 years...so that's about 48,000 knives. I sharpen and repair knives for homeowners and pros alike and in the process have learned that what is sharp to one person is dull to the next, aesthetics often trump function, and you can't keep everyone happy. Still, that's what I try to do.

I wish the fellow below had complained to me or my staff, because I would have fixed the problem. I could either finish the knives with a polished edge (resulting in no burrs at all) or cleaned up the edge as it was. I do not generally steel knives after grinding, instead I run them through a machine which leaves a bit of tooth on the blade. Most people like this, some don't. For those who don't I polish the edge or run them over a diamond steel, no extra charge. Customers need to speak up for those services!

When a customer claims I've "ruined" their knife (it happens a couple times a year) it's because either I've left more tooth on the knife than they'd like (which I can fix) or because the shape of the knife has changed slightly (a natural result of grinding a knife). I encourage customers with specific sharpening concerns to talk to me before they get their knives ground, otherwise I do what I deem best to maintain the usefulness of the knife...which means it doesn't always look the same.