Knife Sharpening in Vancouver

[Daddy-A]

I'm looking for a place to take my knives for sharpening. Turns out Corian cutting boards aren't so good for them ... who knew?

I've heard of Knifex but they look to much like Coit vans. Not sure I trust them ... they might try and sell me a franchise.

Any thoughts?

Arne

[nwyles]

I took mine to a knife shop in Pacific Center mall. London Knives I think.

Took three weeks to get back. Very frustrating and the job was not that good.

I have a name in the back of my head of an old school older Italian gentleman who sharpens knives. When I can rattle it out , I will post.

Neil

Edited September 22, 2004 by nwyles (log)

[eatrustic]

I know that Andre Durbach at Parkside uses an Asian gentleman for all his knife sharpening and he is supposed to be amazing. Coop, maybe you could lean across the bar and ask him for us.

[barolo]

I haven't used them myself but I've seen Quality Saw and Knife recommended by the folks at VanEats:

Quality Saw & Knife, 2005 Quebec Street., Vancouver, 604.872.1696

[jayt90]

If you want to maintain your nice blades nicely, there is no better place for whetstones, diamond steels, and ceramic toners, than Lee Valley Tools.

[Foodie in Vancouver]

I have used Knifex with wonderful success and recommend them. I, too, was hesitant until I saw the van at the back of Lesley Stowe's. I also checked with Adrienne at Barbara Jo's and she told me that one of the local high-end kitchens had Knifex do some test knifes and then the restaurant sent them to Wustoff to have them comment on the quality. Apparently Knifex passed with flying colours. I now have them in about twice a year and think they have done a fantastic job. It is quick, easy and to my mind relatively inexpensive.

[Chef Metcalf]

I took my knives to the House of Knives for sharpening........it took two months for me to remember to put them in the car to take them there, and two weeks to get back knives that were dull as when I dropped them off. I

started using Knifex two and a half years ago and have never had a problem.

Razor sharp, and they come to you. Takes about 10-15 minutes to get five knives sharpened for about 20 bucks. They do half the restaurants in Vancouver and Whistler.

If I phone in the morning they are usually there the same day, sometimes within a few hours.

CM

[nwyles]

I took my knives to the House of Knives for sharpening........it took two months for me to remember to put them in the car to take them there, and two weeks to get back knives that were dull as when I dropped them off.

That's it , House of Knives.

I think that they had monkeys bashing the knives on rocks to sharpen them , mine came back pretty dull as well.

[Daddy-A]

You guys are awesome! Granted, I was hoping for an answer closer to:

There's this old Inuit gentleman who lives in a VW Magic Bus off Commercial Drive.  You have to catch him when he's awake and hasn't just been to Da Kine for breakfast.  He uses whale bones and seal skins to bringyour knives to surgical sharpness while humming Armenian show tunes.  Ask for Bob

Once they're sharp, Lee Valley will be my next stop. Love that place!!

Arne

Edited September 22, 2004 by Daddy-A (log)

[Coop]

I used Knifex last year and they did a great job. Warning though, if you are a gear head like me you may find it hard to resist all the cool Wustof and Global stuff they have onboard. BTW I haven't been to Parkside since July.

[Daddy-A]

I used Knifex last year and they did a great job. Warning though, if you are a gear head like me you may find it hard to resist all the cool Wustof and Global stuff they have onboard. BTW I haven't been to Parkside since July.

←

Coop,

Are their prices on Global any good? Some of my knives aren't worth saving so ... Christmas could come early.

No Parkside since July? I hope it wasn't something we said

Arne

[Coop]

I'm not a big fan of Global knives. They don't fit my rather large hands. I know that the prices on thier Trident stuff was very competitive. I have a huge thing for Kershaw Shun knives right now. Of course I don't "need" one but they are so beautiful.

Knife Porn:

http://www.kershawknives.com/kitchen/702C.htm

Just haven't had the chance to do Parkside lately. Have to do Chambar first anyway.

Edited September 22, 2004 by Coop (log)

[Keith Talent]

We went to House of Knives and the did an outstanding job. Quick, cheap and sharper than the day they were bought.

We used to use that guy that traveled to the various Ming Wo's periodically, I think he may now be retired. He basicly never did anything of value, then again he was free, so you got what you pay for.

[jamiemaw]

Knifex.

I used Knifex last year and they did a great job. Warning though, if you are a gear head like me you may find it hard to resist all the cool Wustof and Global stuff they have onboard.

But Coop is right, big problems if I get in the back of the truck too. Stainless steel is like crack. Just too much good stuff. That's probably why I'm not allowed near cooking supply stores without a chaperone. The owner of several Dutch ovens of varying dimension, did I really need that All Clad French oven? Probably not. But I told the kids that I believe in a bilingual kitchen and that people have been pretty hard on the French recently. I also told them that a new horse would just have to wait.

But it gets worse.

For me, a trip to the Ministry of Knives, just outside of Oklahoma City, is the ultimate sex-tourism trip. Way better than Bangkok. First of all, there's lots more than knives: acres of stainless steel appliances and stoves the size of Buicks, even a design expert--just bring your dimensions. Or industrial size stuff, like hot-tub sized blenders, just in case you have a real run on margeritas. Or cannibal-sized stock pots. Terrific. There's a whole building dedicated to glassware and one over there's the mobile oven, smoker and barbecue pavillion and many, many varieties of hardwood briquettes. There's even a museum, sort of like a culinary Smithsonian. My favourite display is the 52-foot conveyor-smoker that Dwayne "Hawg" Slake towed all over the lower 48, winning every major barbecue competition from Pittsburch to Puyallup. It's a little known fact that he developed it in conjunction with NASA.

And there are always lots of fellow collectors near the bar, discussing various benefits of carbon, the latest Japanese technologies, even favoured skinning holds. Believe me, it's way better than visiting the Playboy Mansion where you're likely to meet young women who may not, in fact, be the sharpest knives in the drawer.

But did I I really need to buy that Icelandic whale flensing knife? The non-stick bison garrotte? The La Morte Vite brand miniature quail cleavers? Japanese cheese knives? Hummingbird frottager? Spanish Rooster gelders?

Well, no, I suppose, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy looking at them. And they're better insured than my car. Forget fondling cordless power tools at the Canadian Tire, that's for amateurs. Real men need stainless, and plenty of sharp knives. Because you just never know when you might have to geld a rooster.

There's another problem with Knifex though, just like when the tinker used to patrol the alleys a generation ago. When the neighbours see the truck pull in they race over with their knives. Last time the guy was parked for two hours and I had to go get more beer.

But they did a quality job. Especially on my elk sheers.

Jamie

Edited September 23, 2004 by jamiemaw (log)

[Keith Talent]

You're still using steel elk sheers? Luddite. Next time you're in Oklahoma, pick a Japanese ceramic elk sheer, you'll wonder how you ever lived without. It's like the differnce between black & white and HDTV.

[Chef Fowke]

If you own good knives (and I am sure everyone who posts here does) you need to take extra care with your knives that the local 'knife sharpeners' (the knife butchers) do not....each knife has a different bevel that needs to be honed carefully.

Anyone serious about their knives should PM me. I will help you through it. A $30 tri-stone and a good bottle of sharpening oil will get you results that are 175% better then the commercial...

[Daddy-A]

If you own good knives (and I am sure everyone who posts here does) you need to take extra care with your knives that the local 'knife sharpeners' (the knife butchers) do not....each knife has a different bevel that needs to be honed carefully.

Anyone serious about their knives should PM me. I will help you through it. A $30 tri-stone and a good bottle of sharpening oil will get you results that are 175% better then the commercial...

←

I guess that all depends on what you term "good knives." I have an assorted collection from both my & J's pre-married days. Some I'm sure are good for cutting firewood and not much more. We've been resorting to using a serated edge knife for cutting tomotoes as my so-called "good" knife hasn't been sharp for ... a while.

The "good" knife was a gift from my father. A cold-rolled steel chef's knife (9" blade) that feels good, but has been dulled from using it on a Corian cutting board. I have an maple end-grain butcher block being made for me by my butcher block people which should remedy that situation.

How about a "Knives & Wines" evening at Neil's place? Of course we'd be learning how to sharpen before we started in on the wines. You up for it Brian??

A.

[giblert]

I've tried a few times (via email and phone calls) to get ahold of Knifex but am not having much luck. The best I've got is a "somebody will call you". Does anybody know the secret of getting them to return your call and book an apointment for an in-home visit?

[Coop]

I talked to Darrel the Knife X guy today. Just walked up to the van and knocked. He's coming to do my knives on the 30th. I could forward you his cell # then.

[Stinky Cook]

I've used a "Chef's Choice" electric sharpener for years, and my blades are very sharp. It has 3 passes...1) grinding stone 2) diamond hone 3) very fine diamond hone. It gives a very sharp edge. I think you can get one for just over a hundred bucks. Even if one or two people went in on a machine, it would pay for itself very quickly compared to using a service such as Knifex.

I also think Lee Valley Tools has an excellent selection of sharpening devices. It's all relevant to how much you want to spend there though. A purchase of a sharpening stone is a minor investment. It will last many, many years.

I used Knifex...once. They did not do a bad job. I just wasn't better than what I can do myself. Therefore, I felt it not to be a good value.

[HKDave]

I've used a "Chef's Choice" electric sharpener for years, and my blades are very sharp.  It has 3 passes...1) grinding stone 2) diamond hone  3) very fine diamond hone.  It gives a very sharp edge.  I think you can get one for just over a hundred bucks.  Even if one or two people went in on a machine, it would pay for itself very quickly compared to using a service such as Knifex. 

←

Having used a Chef's Choice to sharpen many other people's knives, I'll second that. A Chef's Choice makes more sense than paying for sharpening, and it's beyond me why more people don't use it. Maybe it won't give you a better edge than an experienced expert with hand stones and 15 minutes of work, but it gives damn near as good a one - in about 30 seconds, without training. Don't use the the roughest setting on the 3-setting model unless you've really toasted the edge of your knife, as it does remove metal.

[dodger]

If you want to maintain your nice blades nicely, there is no better place for whetstones, diamond steels, and ceramic toners, than Lee Valley Tools.

←

I took my knives to the House of Knives for sharpening........it took two months for me to remember to put them in the car to take them there, and two weeks to get back knives that were dull as when I dropped them off.

That's it , House of Knives.

I think that they had monkeys bashing the knives on rocks to sharpen them , mine came back pretty dull as well.

←

I'll second Lee Valley...tool porn!! slice-slice-clickety!

They have since reitred the monkeys from House of Knives in favour of jurors from the O.J. Simpson trial. House of Knives is like the Den for Men of knives...

I have always found a good whetstone and a little elbow grease gave me the edge I was looking for. I like my knives a certain way and doing it myself generates good results.

I used to..in a former life..have my knives sharpened by a guy that showed up in a van at the restaurant. He did a fantastic job. There every Monday in the middle of inventory, but did all our knives (about 15 or so) in 20 minutes for 20 bucks.

The great thing about this particular gentleman, was that he was missing 2 fingers on his right hand and one on his left! However, he did a great job!

Cheers,

John

[giblert]

Thanks Coop. Now I'm starting to wonder if I should buy the magic Chef's Choice machine that people are speaking of. I think I have the phone # of Darrel but I believe he said he couldn't help me and was going to pass my name and number to an associate who would be able to serve my neighbourhood. Never heard back after that but I've bugged Darrel 3x so figured I've definitely given it a good shot. But thank you!

Marie

I talked to Darrel the Knife X guy today. Just walked up to the van and knocked. He's coming to do my knives on the 30th. I could forward you his cell # then.

←

[butter]

I'm interested in buying the Chef's Choice sharpener. Does anyone know where in Vancouver we can get it or should I order it online? Thanks in advance.

[peppyre]

BUY A CHEF's CHOICE!!!! I've had one for about 6 years and I love it! When a friend of mine bought a Henckel at a local thrift shop, I took it home and gave it a new edge. It was just like new. I only need to use mine every 6 months or so. I use my steel everytime I use my knives which keeps them in good shape.