Helping friends with their kitchen knives

[Gary W. Graley]

Here in lies the rub, say you're helping a friend, in my case it was 4 friends from where I use to work. Just around Christmas time, they had knives that were in need of sharpening and asked me to help them. So I told them to bring them in on the same day and I'll swing by and pick them up. Now, they're friends, not "knife" friends if you know what I mean. Their 'cutlery' to put it mildly is subpar to what most would consider good cutlery and so the results will vary and the edges probably won't stay too long, plus they were pretty banged up to start, but I expected some of that. My question is should you even take on this assignment ? Trying to educate them on what good knives are is like talking to a wall, they just really don't care and I get that, non knife people are made different. So I still like them and put the best edges on there that I could for them and they will cut...for a while but given the lives the knives have had so far, they won't cut for too long.

But I at the point that I just don't want to take in that kind of sharpening, it just feels wrong but I don't want to offend them. I tried to show some options for them that would be a step up, such as Mizen blades are a medium level that I think they would end up enjoying but of course, they don't have the interest to pursue such things and I can't blame them. They have hobbies that I'm not interested it and I wouldn't be drawn into the expense of whatever they have for their hobbies either.

So do you guys and gals try to get your friends to bump up their level of cutlery? or do you just sharpen them and not be concerned about it, or not take in that kind of work?

Snowy day here today, just thinking out loud
G2

 

[annr]

I don’t talk knives unless asked—don’t want to hear about how great their knives are [not]…and they usually don’t appreciate my kitchen purchases and wouldn’t spend the $ to upgrade.

I don’t sharpen other people’s knives. I do this enough for work and it’s tiring.

I have bought/gifted ceramic honing rods and taught people how to sharpen or maintain their knives. This has been successful.

Enjoy the snow.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

Yah, I don't start the conversation per se , but they know that I'm the "knife/sharpening guy" so it runs that way. Since retiring it isn't as often so, that's lucky
G2

 

[Grizzly3]

I had to buy and extra course diamond stone to save my others the last time some cheap kitchen knives showed up. Some folks just have no idea and they just work with dull knives. That's their life. I've given away some better knives and also stones and a diamond rod to family and church members. But I sure wouldn't want to have to sharpen anymore of the really poor stuff out there. I attend a small home church and will sharpen any of their knives just to help out.

 

[Bill3152]

The bottom line though is people who are not versed in how to take care of or use a knife are better off not getting high quality knives. How long will the best knife hold an edge on a ceramic plate? Or granite counter? Regarding sharpening I have done so for neighbors. I used to have a belt grinder and paper wheel so it wasn't a chore sharpening a seriously rounded knife up. The usual though... It was sharp but got dull quickly. In which I replied they're better off sending them off to a professional. Lol..

 

[Guy McVer]

The bottom line though is people who are not versed in how to take care of or use a knife are better off not getting high quality knives.

Or for that matter, knives which are expensive and may or may not actually be high quality in their total analysis.

You will never stop people from trying to sell others on paying extra for something which they may or may not even need in the first place, let alone be able to judge accurately or fully appreciate the value in it (or the lack thereof).

If there is money to be made then there are people trying to make it, and they don't care who is paying for what as long as they are the ones who are being paid. Ignorant people will therefore be taken advantage of, and this is not simply a problem in the knife world. It is a problem everywhere.

Caveat emptor

 

[chalby]

If we are talking kitchen knives, some of mine are very low end but they hold an edge for a surprisingly long time because I know how to sharpen(although there are just garbage knives out there too that may be difficult to even get an edge on as well). The reason I know how to sharpen is because from the moment I moved out on my own as a young adult and had to prepare my own meals I despised not having a sharp knife, so I felt the need to learn.

If a friend asked me to sharpen their kitchen knives, I would but I would also try to educate them about what not to do with their knives to prolong the edge...and hopefully convince them to learn how to sharpen themselves.

At least if they are initiating the conversation they have an interest. I no longer volunteer to sharpen friends knives who clearly have no concept of knife care.

 

[elevator man]

I once visited my grandparents in another state, and I'd packed my sharpmaker to take care of my pocket knife. While there I volunteered to sharpen their kitchen knives, as I'd used the sharpmaker on my own. After about an hour and maybe two sharp knives I gave up. I no longer volunteer myself for projects like that. I would consider sharpening a pocket knife for someone if asked but would carefully consider that situation too before committing.

 

[garry3]

I do the friends and family thing. I use one of them old fashion Norton IM-313 tri-hones for that cheap stuff. Two big crystolons and an India handles it pretty quick and I don't feel a need for anything else.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

I had one of those setups, it was quite the rig and worked well, but too messy for me so I ended up giving it to my wife's uncle and I think he still has it but probably doesn't use it.
G2

 

[fishface5]

Oh I sharpen tons of kitchen knives for friends and relatives. Often accompanied by stern admonitions about storing them in a knife block not a drawer, but those with decent knives often have a block or magnetic strip. I use big diamond stones and just seek a working edge since those folks used to dull knives can't be trusted with razor edges. I occasionally get questions about stepping up from pure crap, and generally recommend Victorinox for decent budget knives, but they rarely follow through.

 

[toker]

If a non-knife person asks me to sharpen their knives, it's going to be on a Ken Onion Worksharp and it's going to be a quick and dirty job. If it's a friend that has a quality pocket knife, I'll sharpen it with a Wicked Edge. I usually don't talk too much about knives unless someone notices and likes the knives that I carry or use in the kitchen. But when they ask about prices, they tend not to ask too much more.

 

[BDubbs]

Yea appreciate you trying to help but they don’t and won’t get it, just not for them and now your hard work goes right into the dishwasher. Maybe just recommend a kitchen sharpener from one of the reputable brands and call it a day.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

a few years back one of the ladies where I worked asked me to sharpen her knives, she brought in the entire block of knives, when I finished and brought them back in for her I put a postit on there that said "Block of Death" just so she would be forewarned that they were now sharp.
Wasn't long after she had them, she was cooking, washed up several of the knives and had them in one hand and a paring knife squeezed out of the bundle of her hand and fell to the floor cutting the inside of her left foot along the way. Trip to the emergency room for stitches cost her a LOT, she said later that she probably should have gone to walk in care, might have been cheaper. But she did appreciate how sharp they were. She hasn't had me sharpen anything for her since
G2

edited to add she was wearing flip flops at the time, not regular shoes...

 

[pyreaux]

Sharpen them and only give advice when asked. Even my somewhat cutlery enthused friends quickly get eyes glazed over when going into much detail. Had some credit card points and got my inlaws a decent block set with them, they probably haven't been taken care of though. Used a pocket stone to clean up some extended family's knives once, nothing like a good tomato mashing dull knife getting an actual edge. Weird part was a drawer full of stones in their kitchen, just crap abused knives.

 

[Another Shepherd]

When I sharpen a knife for someone else, my rules of thumb are that if the blade catches on my thumbnail, it's sharp enough, and if it catches on my middle finger nail (which is smoother than my thumbnail), then it is too sharp and they are fairly likely to cut themselves. Conveniently, these cut-offs work out to be around BESS 200 and BESS 150.

 

[Blade Lab]

I regularly sharpen knives for friends who are into cooking ... if not knives. But there's always that one! lol She asked, I said sure, and she dropped off a sack of, I kid you not, box store, scalloped serrated knives. They were actually super cheap steak knives, but she said that that's what she used for preparing meals. I nicely explained that she might as well just buy some new ones, because they really can't be sharpened in any meaningful way.

 

[Gary W. Graley]

B Blade Lab that reminds me of my wife's aunt, we used to go there every 4th of July for a picnic and I would bring my sharpening stones and helped out by sharpening her kitchen knives. She looked forward to that every year but the knives she had were very very low grade type knives, but I wanted to help since they were making the picnic for the entire clan so I would sit at her kitchen table and work for about an hour or so until they were keen enough. But they were some pretty sad knives lemme tell ya!
G2

 

[Grizzly3]

One rule of thumb is to never get their paring knives too sharp. They cut their thumbs every time it seems and eventually let you know. If you do, you might as well include a pack of band aids. I've taught my daughter how to sharpen on a two sided diamond stone. My other daughter and her kids, I just gave them some simple tools to refresh the edges along with some commercial kitchen knives. If they come over, I sharpen whatever they bring. One grandson is a cook and takes care of his own. I gave him a diamond rod which he loves along with a block and some decent inexpensive knives that are not too bad for home use. I'd treated the block and wood handles with a 40% mix of polymerized tung oil, citris oil and some gum rosin and gave him enough to add more coats. I taught my Pastor how to sharpen his filet knives and now he's a happy fisherman with sharp knives like never before. I've tried and tried to teach his wife to use a steel each time but when I do get her knives, you can tell she doesn't. All you can do is try.

 

[Barry H]

When I sharpen a knife for someone else, my rules of thumb are that if the blade catches on my thumbnail, it's sharp enough.

Same here. I have a friend that has me touch up his carry knife/crow par and kitchen knives. On the other hand, my son is a chef and taught him how to sharpen his own knives and can get them restaurant quality sharp.