Do you use a sharpening service?

ryanv403 · Oct 10, 2012

Do you use a sharpening service? i have never used one but want to start one. I dont know if it would even be worth my time though. So do you send your knives off for sharpening? BTW i am not trying to advertise myself as a sharpening service so dont ask if i can sharpen knives for you please. Thanks!

StuntDouble · Oct 10, 2012

You might have more luck with your question in the Maintenance and tinkering sub forum. I've been considering doing the same thing myself, but unless you're Murray Carter, and can charge $20 a knife, it seems you have to turn over quite a volume in order to do well.

IUKE12 · Oct 10, 2012

My sharpening service is the same guy who cuts my lawn. That would be me. Most of the food service industries around my area use knife grinding services. They know better than to call themselves knife sharpeners, after a few months of their service your 10 inch chef knife is a fillet knife.

Dan57 · Oct 10, 2012

You could probably do OK business by sharpening your neighbors' kitchen knives and such. Most every self-respecting knife guy does his (or her) own sharpening.

mkjellgren · Oct 10, 2012

Sharpening your own knives is part of being a responsible knife owner. I understand why a service would exist, but I would never use one.

GuinnessSynd · Oct 10, 2012

hehe...misread the title as system not service....never used someone to sharpen only reprofile quickly.

22-rimfire · Oct 10, 2012

I don't see much market potential unless you can get a bigger customers such as restaurants to form the basis of your business. The sharpening for individuals would be unpredictable but like everything else, you could do it because you enjoy it and pick up whatever business you can. I doubt it will get much past being a "hobby". But I may be under estimating the potential. I do my own sharpening.

555 · Oct 10, 2012

I thought accumulating sharping gear, was a sub hobby of knife collecting.

stevekt · Oct 10, 2012

I sharpen my own but I wouldn't mind trying out a a sharpening service at a local knife shop. I could see myself taking a knife to a professional if I really screwed up an edge. I've sharpened knives of friends but only if they are cheap or mid grade knives. I don't really produce a factory perfect edge so I would rather not mess with some else's high dollar knife. And I would never accept money to sharpen a friend's knife.

drail · Oct 10, 2012

I actually started a sharpening business last year (only kitchen knives) and pounded the streets and handed out business cards and price lists and did free sharpenings to show how much better their knives could be. It took off like gangbusters. I was working my butt of for about 3 months and then it started slowing down. In a town of 95,000 I now have only 3 or 4 steady customers left. No one else offers sharpening in this town. The economy has hit the resturaunt business just like everybody else and most of them figured it was cheaper to just buy an cheap electric sharpener and do it themselves. The few places that still call me are chefs who understand the difference between a hacksaw and a knife. Some of them have very expensive knives that they will not allow any of their employees to touch. Another thing that amazed me was how most of the restuarants have really cheap knives. I'm talking Walmart stuff here. When I would pick them up they were all so dull you couldn't cut yourself with one if you tried. Like completely rounded over. 3 places I talked to actually told me when that when their knives get dull they just toss them and buy new ones. Seriously. Wow. If you can find customers that understand the benefit of using quality knives you can do business. But they seem to be a rapidly decreasing market here. It surprised the heck out of me. The only other market here that I am trying to tap into are all of the rich women from the country clubs who all have really expensive knives and huge designer kitchens, love to cook (and take cooking classes)and have no idea how to get them sharp again. I am hoping if I can get a few of them and make them happy they'll tell all of their girlfriends.

BluntCut MetalWorks · Oct 11, 2012

drail said:
I actually started a sharpening business last year (only kitchen knives) and pounded the streets and handed out business cards and price lists and did free sharpenings to show how much better their knives could be. It took off like gangbusters. I was working my butt of for about 3 months and then it started slowing down. In a town of 95,000 I now have only 3 or 4 steady customers left. No one else offers sharpening in this town. The economy has hit the resturaunt business just like everybody else and most of them figured it was cheaper to just buy an cheap electric sharpener and do it themselves. The few places that still call me are chefs who understand the difference between a hacksaw and a knife. Some of them have very expensive knives that they will not allow any of their employees to touch. Another thing that amazed me was how most of the restuarants have really cheap knives. I'm talking Walmart stuff here. When I would pick them up they were all so dull you couldn't cut yourself with one if you tried. Like completely rounded over. 3 places I talked to actually told me when that when their knives get dull they just toss them and buy new ones. Seriously. Wow. If you can find customers that understand the benefit of using quality knives you can do business. But they seem to be a rapidly decreasing market here. It surprised the heck out of me. The only other market here that I am trying to tap into are all of the rich women from the country clubs who all have really expensive knives and huge designer kitchens, love to cook (and take cooking classes)and have no idea how to get them sharp again. I am hoping if I can get a few of them and make them happy they'll tell all of their girlfriends.

IMO for a viable sharpening biz, the offering need to focus on a wide range of businesses/professionals: chefs, hair stylist/barbers, fine carpenters, resorts, clubs , dental related and so on. In a town with 95K population, a perpetual contract biz-model would generates a decent income.

As for using sharpening services, not me, I enjoy tinker/hack/sharpen any cutleries I can get my hands on.

Striderco · Oct 11, 2012

I send all my knives to Richard J for all my sharpening needs! I can do minor touch ups and can sharpen but i ve got a lot to learn! It is an art! I met Richard here on the forum and after talking to him gave him a shot and boy did he deliver! He uses paper wheels to sharpen. His edges are crazy sharp. He actually sent me a moustache hair that he split in half with a knife that he had just sharpened for me! Im telling you his edges are sick!! And the best part is they last. He truly is a master at what he does and he is the nicest guy in the world. He will take good care of you. He is very reasonable. Something like a buck and inch! Do a search here on the forum and you ll find all kinds of info on him! Cheers!!

drail · Oct 11, 2012

bluntcut, you are correct but to offer service for all of the professions you listed would require a sizable investment in specialized equipment which is beyond the means of someone who is retired and on a fixed income such as I. And a lot of pros like barber/hairstylist shops/dental, etc. use a mail in service that they are quite happy with and most would see no reason to change (just like all of the food operations who throw their knives away and buy new ones. Why pay to have them sharpened?) You really cannot properly sharpen things like barber/stylist scissors and clipper blades on bench stones. To start up a comprehensive operation to service all of those professions is too expensive for me. I am just amazed at all of the customers who now believe that knives are a disposable/replaceable item. The world has changed a great deal in my lifetime. Seems like everything is disposable now.

BluntCut MetalWorks · Oct 11, 2012

drail said:
bluntcut, you are correct but to offer service for all of the professions you listed would require a sizable investment in specialized equipment which is beyond the means of someone who is retired and on a fixed income such as I. And a lot of pros like barber/hairstylist shops/dental, etc. use a mail in service that they are quite happy with and most would see no reason to change (just like all of the food operations who throw their knives away and buy new ones. Why pay to have them sharpened?) You really cannot sharpen things like barber/stylist scissors and clipper blades on bench stones. To start up a comprehensive operation to service all of those professions is too expensive for me. I am just amazed at all of the customers who now believe that knives are a disposable/replaceable item.

I sharpen hair shears (high-end japanese distal convex grind/bevel, hollow back) using benchstones + ceramic files + some handmade small round strops. Learning curve is steep.

I rescued/fixed a bunch of high-end hair shears after the mail-sharpening-services completely ruined the 1/8 to 1/2 inch from the tip. Sharpness test - cut moist/wet tissue or barber neckstrip. I got into this after my relatives lamented how their $200-$500 hair shears won't cut, especially after got back from the local & mail sharpening services - $30 per shear. A bucket of nervous sweat later, hey this stuff is not hard, just smaller that's all. Now, I get free hair cut without guilt, since I sharpened hair shears for fun. Oh, do the market research for your area, $math might surprise you. It's better to have a 3months maint services agreement with a shop, that way it's more economical for them but make your touch-up job very easy since shears & buzzers are still in shape.

Done hi-jacking...