Professional Sharpening for Western Style Japanese Knives

Can anyone recommend a source for sharpening professional Japanese chef's knives in Chicago? Thanks.

DutchMuse wrote:Can anyone recommend a source for sharpening professional Japanese chef's knives in Chicago? Thanks.

I would probably check out Northwestern Cutlery first. They seem to be the go-to place for sharpening in the area. nwcutlery.com

Sur La Table always seems to have signs advertising their knife sharpening service (can't remember if it's 24- or 48-hour turnaround)...I've noticed them a few times when entering the Walton St. location. I'm sure it's unnecessarily expensive, especially when compared to more commercial places, but it's conveniently near our place. I'll report back on their prices when I finally get this done.

Sur La Table is usually $1 per inch of knife blade. They have a sharpener for Shun but beyond that I'm not sure about your specific Western Style Japanese Knives.

But, I would recommend heading over to NWC just to check the place out.

I have read somewhere that Sur La Table's "professional knife sharpening service" consists of a store employee using one of the motorized knife sharpeners that they sell. I'm pretty sure they use a highly rated device, perhaps one of the Chef's Choice models, but afaik there is no dedicated professional sharpener on duty in each store...

Also Japanese knives are to be sharpened on only one side and not beveled, iirc.

Northwestern would be your best bet...

mhill95149 wrote:Sur La Table is usually $1 per inch of knife blade. They have a sharpener for Shun but beyond that I'm not sure about your specific Western Style Japanese Knives.

But, I would recommend heading over to NWC just to check the place out.

The Sur La Table price seemed obscene initially, but when I did the math (for me, 7.25" santoku, 6.25" veg knife, 3.25" paring knife = 16.75" of blade), it comes out to $16.75. NWC's flat $3.50/knife for 3 knives comes out to $10.50. $6.25 doesn't seem like a lot, but I guess %-wise it's pretty significant.

Incidentally, high-end Japanese sashimi knives are only supposed to be sharpened on one side, not beveled, etc. However, western-style Japanese knives (santoku's, etc.) can be sharpened like any nice chef's knife...so in theory the store-bought sharpener would be fine, but I'd prefer to have this done right by someone who knows that they're doing.

So the fact that Sur La Table's "service" is just an employee running knives through a retail knife sharpener seals the deal: thanks for the NWC recommendations, I think I'll go there!

OK, this thread has motivated me to take my almost 30 year old Henckels knives in for a professional sharpening. I'm way out in the NW suburbs, but have been referred to

Angelo's Shoe Repair
52 N Williams St
Crystal Lake Il, 60014
815-459-9506

as the best local knife sharpening establishment in the area. Price is $3-5 per knife, depending on the size, and they do it while I wait.

Now, how do I transport 8-10 knives to and from this place so that their edges don't get damaged in transit, and they aren't a hazard. I'm not about to buy one of those knife cases for a single trip.

Cardboard? Pink/blue foam? My old boss's back

j r wrote:Now, how do I transport 8-10 knives to and from this place so that their edges don't get damaged in transit, and they aren't a hazard. I'm not about to buy one of those knife cases for a single trip.

Cardboard? Pink/blue foam? My old boss's back

I usually roll mine up in dish towels. I can usually get at least two knives/towel without the blades touching...more if they are smaller. Put a couple of rubber bands on the outside of the rolled bundle and you have a poor man's knife transport.

NWC sends knives home wrapped in newspaper.
So, that's how I bring them in...

If anyone is still interested in getting their Japanese knives sharpened, I'm here to help. I have been sharpening Japanese knives for over six years. I sharpen by hand through a progression of water stones and finish with a leather strop. I am familiar with most of the brands available commercially. Many have passed through my hands over the years even before I began to sharpen.

I was introduced to to Dave through the cheese making experiment a couple of years ago. And actually received a gift of a traditional knife by one of the participants. Though this is my first post, I'll cop to being a lurker to this point.

Can't say I was particularly satisfied with the job Angelo's did on my knives. Yes, they were sharp, but they didn't seem to stay sharp very long. Not sure if they were ground at the right angle or not.

Having picked up several Japanese knives over the past few years, I'm wondering if its possible to put the sharper 16 degree edge on my old German knives instead of the 24 degree edge they normally have?

The German knives are softer steel than Japanese knives. It's possible to change the angle but the softer steel won't hold that edge. My guess on your Japanese knives is that they aren't hand sharpened on water stones. That's why I started this sharpening business. You can't get the true sharpness out of Japanese knives unless they are sharpened in the manner they are supposed be.

And no offense against German knives. I have those too.