knive sharpening in Montreal

[Pots]

Anyone have any suggestions for good knive sharpening places?I am having a very hard time to find someone who can sharpen my japanese knives,as the steel is high quality,but very sensitive.

[riboflavinjoe]

The guy on Bleury just south Ste Catherine, on the east side (next to the sex shop) mangled my Global knives. My couteau d'office was burnt and nowhere near straight edged when he was done "sharpening" them. Even though many people have recommended this guy to me, I would say don't go there, that's for sure. I think the best would be to get your own stone and take the time to properly do them yourself. Hard lesson! sigh.

[atomic]

The guy on Bleury just south Ste Catherine, on the east side (next to the sex shop) mangled my Global knives.  My couteau d'office was burnt and nowhere near straight edged when he was done "sharpening" them.  Even though many people have recommended this guy to me, I would say don't go there, that's for sure.  I think the best would be to get your own stone and take the time to properly do them yourself.  Hard lesson!  sigh.

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"the guy" on bleury used to be the best in town... before he retired about 4 years ago. so who ever sharpened your knives must be the guy who took over the place... sorry nobody told you before

you might want to try corner of papineau and laurier

that guy is good

[poutine]

I wonder if pss700 can help? Here's his site: Paul's Finest. I'm sure he would have a recommendation. Paging Paul!

[chefworks91]

I invested in a Global whetstone...well worth it. Having your own stone will enable you to sharpen your knives anytime they need it. Think about it, better than paying someone else to do it!

Edited March 24, 2005 by chefworks91 (log)

[blork]

Yeah, you gotta do it yourself. I use a two-sided stone I got at Canadian Tire -- coarse on one side and finer on the other. I was around $8 I think.

It doesn't take long at all with high-carbon steels. A few swipes and you got it. Higher chromium steels take longer. I don't have a Global, but apparently they use a really hard steel that takes a lot of swipes to sharpen. Still, you gotta do it yourself.

Check this: I broke the tip off my pocket Opinel the other day -- just the last millimetre. But with my stone I managed to hone it back to a point so you'd never even know I had broken it.

[atomic]

if you take care of your knives and give a quick sharpen everytime you use them, in theory you shouldnt have to bring them to a pro sharpener

[ArtistSeries]

Okay, I know this is a skill that I should learn but to be honest, I’m not so enthusiastic at the prospect of my ruining a few hundred dollars worth of knives just to be able to say “I did it”.

Does anyone know of a place that takes care in the sharpening of kitchen knives in/around Montreal?

I’m not talking about the guy who also does lawnmower blades and scissors but of someone who actually cares about what they are doing. THey should know the difference the angle on a German and Japanese knife, that will inquire if he should sharpen the right side more than the left one….

They have to exist – any suggestion?

[cricklewood]

I have heard Norten (St-Laurent and Beaubien) does a good job of sharpening but I have never used their services myself but they have been mentioned on this board before . If you predominantly have Japanese Knives I don't know of anyplace in the city that specializes in sharpening them but i'm still hoping there is some hidden place somewhere. You are better off buying a couple of stones and sharpening them yourself rather than having someone ruin them it's not that hard, there is a lot of info here on Egullet but also on http://www.knifeforums.com/ as well as fred's knife discussion at foodie forums. Lee valley has all the stuff you need to sharpen your knives and since they are Canadian shipping won't cost you a fortune.

Edited July 6, 2007 by cricklewood (log)

[wattacetti]

Norten's is about the only place that I've been told to go for knife sharpening. However, depending on what you have for knives, I think you're still better off learning how to sharpen them yourself.

Chad Ward has an eCGI course on knive sharpening (click here), and cricklewood's already mentioned some of the other resources available.

If you don't want to do it with stones, you can get one of the EdgePro Apex systems. And if you're worried about ruining your knives while you're learning, go buy a cheapie stamped blade and practice on that.

[lioness]

Ares in the west island does knife sharpening. I brought in 5 knives and it cost $15 and they did a really good job.

[Pielle]

I have an edgepro apex system and it works like a charm, coudnt be happier with it. I have poor hand-eye coordination and I am pretty bad at stuff involving precision but I can use my Apex without any problems with fantastic results.

As for Norten, the guy sure knows how to sharpen knives, I got my knives sharpened at the place before and was very impressed with the results. However, he sharpens with a strap system, which gives very good results but makes it difficult to control the angle as you get more of a convexe edge side then a straight one. But if what you want is sharp knives, this is the place.

Good luck!

[ArtistSeries]

Thanks to all that responded.

Looks like I will be going to Norten's or Bertoldis (some else suggested them) AND getting serious about wetstones... Great another obsession in my life

[fedelst]

My first choice is my own effort. Considering, I am obsessive about having sharp knives in my kitchen, learning to sharpen a knife properly is imperative for most.

However, on the path to learning to sharpen my own knives I have learned a few very costly lessons.

1/ Never let the guy in the truck that goes up and down the street sharpen anything other than your lawn mower blade, your axe, or anything you can' afford to replace. I spent 2 nights correcting damage to a very expensive Japanese knife... doh..

2/ When in doubt go where the pro's go.. I have used Bertoldi and had great service.

3/ If you own ceramic blades, get yourself a silicone carbide sharpener. You can not put an edge on these suckers without the right technology.

[ArtistSeries]

Thanks fedelst.