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Frequently Asked Questions

What does our service cost?

  • The fee for sharpening knives is $6.00 each regardless of length. We sharpen straight-edge knives and most serrated bread knives.
  • Household, kitchen, and fabric scissors cost $8.50 each.
  • Most hand garden tools at $10.00 each.
  • Return Shipping & Handling is $10.00 for the first item, plus $1.00 for each additional item.
  • To view the order form for for sending your knives please click here: Order Form 

How do I send my knives for sharpening?

We make that very simple: You can order our specially designed Knife Shipping Package, and never leave your house. It includes return postage, shipping box, and foam liner. The unique foam packing material is designed for easy use and the safe shipping of knives.

You simply insert your knives and scissors, put the return label on the box (included), and give it to the US Post Office. You can give it to your postman at home or work, drop it off at the post office, or drop it in the corner mailbox. Click here to order your Knife Shipping Package.

Alternatively, you can pack and ship your knives on your own by following the instructions in FAQ answer #3 below.

I want to ship you my knives myself. How do I package the knives to ship them to you?

You can pay a local package delivery company to ship your knives or you can do it yourself with a box, packing material, tape, and label. The knives must not move around in the shipping box or they will puncture the side and the package may be returned to you.

You can wrap them in cardboard, newspaper, or bubble wrap.  Be sure to add additional packing material to prevent them from moving around.  Print out the order form here. Fill it out, do the math, and include a check for payment.  You can use any delivery service that is convenient for you.

How long will it take to sharpen my knives?

We normally sharpen and ship your items back within 2 business days. We use priority mail to quickly return your sharpened items. Most customers have their knives back in about a week.

Why are you better than local Kitchen shops?

All we do is sharpen. We are not selling other items and trying to figure out sharpening as a sideline. We operate a commercial knife sharpening service in the Richmond, VA area and our customers range from Five Diamond hotels and restaurants to small sandwich shops.

All we do is sharpen. We will not try to sell you knives or scissors and we want to make the most of what you already have. We use commercial sharpening machinery specially designed to remove the minimum amount of material when creating your new edge.

Some of our equipment is the same premium sharpening equipment used by Wusthof-Trident and J.A Henckels.

Other equipment we have designed and fabricated in house to meet specific needs. All we do is sharpen. We maintain the original shape of your items. If your items are worn or damaged and need minor repair we can do that too.

We accurately control the angle of the edge we are creating and the speed of the sharpening machines. Your items are sharpened using diamond wheels to prevent overheating and cause burn marks on your edges. Did I mention that all we do is sharpen?

I would rather sharpen my knives myself. Do you have any comments?

Like most skills, learning to sharpen your own knives will take time and money. Hand sharpening with a wet stone or electric sharpening machine takes patience, time, and practice, practice, practice. It is also a skill that easily becomes rusty if you do not do it frequently.

A hand-held wet stone is inexpensive, slow, but forgiving for the beginner, whereas an electric sharpening machine is more money, faster, and can cause great damage when you use it incorrectly. I used to sharpen all my knives by hand. Even on my best day I was not able to match the consistent quality produced by my current equipment.

I live in the Richmond VA area. Can I bring my knives to you and save the shipping expense?

Yes you can and WE MAKE HOUSE CALLS! We can add you to our commercial runs in the Richmond area and stop by your home. We also have multiple drop off locations around town. See the page, Richmond, VA Service for more details.

Are there any knives or scissors you cannot sharpen?

  • I cannot sharpen Cutco brand serrated knives without changing the shape of the serration.
  • Knives with micro-serrations may lose some serrations. These are found on knives sold as never needing to be sharpened but still seem to go dull. These knives usually have fine teeth that bend over after repeated use. You can see this and feel this at the edge. We can create a new sharp edge on these knives but some of the micro-serrations will be removed.
  • At this time, we do not sharpen pinking shears via mail.