Has anyone tried? (distance,cost,cleanliness,how to make appointment)
Also
Any knife sharpening people nearby? 1 at farmers market doesn’t sound good.
Maybe Hitachiya in Rolling Hills? I haven’t gotten any knives sharpened there, but I stopped by recently and the owners were incredibly knowledgeable, patient and kind.
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I recently had my knives sharpened while shopping at the Irvine Farmers Market. It was very convenient and well priced. The gentleman did a fine job.
I started using Anzen Hardware (Little Tokyo) from that list and it’s worked out pretty well
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I drop mines off once a year at Ross Cutlery across the Grand Central Market. Park at Grand Central, go across the street, go back for a rice bowl from Sari Sari and get goodies to take home from DTLA Cheese. Come back the next week for next level sharp knives I have to worn people about. Currently they are closed on Sundays however…
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what kind of store is this? products or only services?
is there a wait,&how much? do they do scissors/ shears?
Both products and services. They even teach a one-on-one class on knife sharpening.
No wait as far as I can tell but I’ve only had knives done on two occasions. They both took about a week and were around $20 for chefs knives (one was more expensive because it took more work).
Not sure about scissors or shears since we were looking for hand sharpening on our knives.
Japanese knife imports can sharpen your knives. Jon is probably the best/most knowledgeable guy in LA for the job if you’re serious about it, although his wait times can be a bit long due to demand.
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I had my knives sharpened at Hitachiya, paid well over $150 for 8+ knives…the result was disappointingly mixed…some didn’t even pass the “tomato test” when I got home…some were excellent.
I found the service to be cold and sometimes downright rude. Shocking by Japanese standards.
I was told that I could bring them back in a week…um, after the week was over. They gave me a “Sorry, Charlie!” face.
Never going back.
I’d second Japanese Knife imports or Yoshihiro Cutlery.
What I wouldn’t do is take them to any old knife sharpening service…unless you want your precious knives ground down super fast.
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Wow, good to know.
Visited Hitachiya a few years ago and while speaking with the owner/knife sharpening master I caught a pretty strong whiff of alcohol. It was around 11 AM…
I decided to take my knives someplace a little less exciting.
Some places charge higher than others but I can’t quantify how they’re worth the extra charge. Unless there’s some sort of video of their procedure.
Crosses off list. [quote=“Secret_Asian_Man, post:13, topic:13202”]
I had my knives sharpened at Hitachiya, paid well over $150 for 8+ knives…the result was disappointingly mixed…some didn’t even pass the “tomato test” when I got home…s
[/quote]
If you can slice a tomato without holding on to it after it’s sharpened, it should be fine for home use. That’s how I test mine.
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That tomato is Crazy Glued to the cutting board!
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Just like cooking, sharpening is an art. Most sharpeners (like the ones in the farmers markets) use a belt grinder which does the job, but they can’t fine tune certain aspects. Jon from JKI for example, uses a vast variety of Japanese wet stones and can fine tune the angles for you depending on what kind of knife and what you use it for. Beyond that he can fix chips and create a mirror finish on the knife just by sharpening it on an extra high grit stone. There are guys in Japan (like Jon), who dedicate their entire lives to mastering sharpening. It’s extremely impressive and once you see them at work, you can easily tell the difference why some charge more for their work than others.
I swear more people would be way more into kitchen cutlery if they get the chance to use an extremely sharp knife in their home kitchen. It’s one of the most satisfying feelings ever.
Like cutting with a laser beam pew pew pew
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