Knife sharpening

[superkatie]

Just got my knives sharpened at a Sur La Table store and they came back duller than ever! Any recommendations for a place near NW DC/Bethesda? Will travel further if highly recommended. I searched the archives, but couldn't find anything recent.

[superkatie]

Thanks for all the recommendations! This is next on my "to do" list.

[JRCann]

I have posted this before --- look up Truhone.com. $3.00 per knife (2 or more) and they will turn them around in a day or two. They are a commercial knife sharpening machine co. that has a service for restaurant trades. About 20 years ago I experienced the same thing and took my knives to a well known kitchen store in the mall.... a week and a half later they came back in worse shape than ever (they even over heated them and blued the blades! Tru-hone corrected them! Great service. (the comment of $1.00 per inch? -- that would pay for a handful of good knives to be shipped to FL.)

[ClevelandDave]

Logan Hardware on P near 14th NW advertises knife sharpening. Don't now if that is more for lawn mowers and shearers than fine cullinary insturments, but there you go... probably don't charge by the inch...

[Smokeater55]

I've used this place up right by I-95 and I-695. They provide a service to commercial operations where they rent knifes. So I think the deal is they will drop off a set of sharp knives and then pick up the dull ones and sharpen then.
Point is, they have a shop with all kinds of big wheels / wet stones, whatever...I've had great luck with all my steel. They did break a ceramic knife but made good on it. Sorry I don't recall the rates but it is very low, like $3 each, and they will do it as you wait. You may not want to take Shin till talking with them. But anything German or main line they know how to do it without harm.
Martello Knife Service
410-536-7110

[MoCoMe]

I was told that there is a lady who does a sharpening business from a truck at the Bethesda farmers market (or it could be the coop market on Wisc) every Sunday. I haven't stopped to check it out, but am curious. Does anyone know about this? She also is supposed to park in front of the W-S on some sort of schedule..

[dcvino1972]

If they use and automatic knife sharpener, it will eventually ruin your knives. I ship all of my knives to Korin in NYC where they have a Japanese knife master sharpen them by hand. www.korin.com

[Elyssa]

How much does that cost?

[dcvino1972]

I believe Korin charges $15 a knife but IMO that is very reasonable if you have really good knives. Give them a call. They are very nice and helpful.

[DanielK]

$15 for Western knives, $25 for Japanese knives. Plus shipping both ways. And you're without your knife for a week or two.

Yes, Korin does a better job, and will make my knife last longer. But if the knife is worth $100, and it costs me $20 more to use Korin each time...

[dcvino1972]

I agree with you. My Japanese knife cost significantly more than $100 so it is well worth the price and time without my knife to me. If I only spent $100 on a knife, I would take it to a local place.

[Chocolate_Penguins]

I agree! If you have good knives, than you need someone who really know how to take care of them. Most companies just run it though a sharpening wheel quickly and call it sharpened. Even if it is sharper, the edge retention is terrible and it doesn't hold the edge at all.

[Elyssa]

I get my knives sharpened at the 17th Street True Value Hardware store in Dupont. They do a great job and are usually pretty fast. I got my chef's knife sharpened this weekend and I think it cost less than $5.

[kara2006]

The Strosniders right in Bethesda does a great job sharpening knives. They turn them around in a few days.

[alkapal]

the williams-sonoma store in tysons has a knife sharpener come every month. call for details, but i think it is the last (first?) friday of the month.

there a w-s in bethesda, and i'd call there:
North Bethesda
White Flint Mall
11301 Rockville Pike 1st Floor
Williams-Sonoma # 557
North Bethesda, MD, 20895
Phone: [phone]

[jllc30]

Williiams-Sonoma does a good job, but if I remember correctly, it is quite expensive.

[alkapal]

it was $1 per inch.

[ahack]

It's on the more expensive side, yes.

[agarnett100]

Or you can just sharpen them on your own - saves money and time running around

[DanielK]

I don't think $1/inch is on the expensive side - that seems to be the going rate everywhere I've looked.

[MikeR]

That's because it's the gong rate everywhere - the "everyone else charges that" syndrome. It's not any easier or faster to sharpen a 3 inch blade than a 10 inch blade. They should charge by the material and type of blade, but the customer can measure inches.

I can keep my pocket knife and woodworking tools pretty sharp myself, but my kitchen knives seem to get duller quicker than I expect when I sharpen them than One of these days I'm goimg to try a professional sharpening.

[ahack]

Agreed. Because it's the "going rate" doesn't mean it's not expensive. For running it through an electric sharpener? I'm not sure it's going to be any better than SLT since it's the same method.

[drewpbalzac]

I know it is not in your target neighborhood - but the folks at Market Meats in Eastern Market do a nice job.

[3MTA3]

I bought a Shun from another cook for ten dollars 'cause he didn't like the handle! Sent it to the US headquarters in Oregon and they sharpened it for FREE (paid S&H). Before you give your knife up, ask HOW they sharpen it. One knife of mine awhile back (not Shun) came back with a blue hue to it, too heavy of a hand=too hot=lost temper of blade=lost edge. Risking to state the obvious, get an Arkansas stone, do not use water or vegetable oil, EVER. With a little practice....