Sharpening your knife is an important part of its maintenance, helping retain its cutting performance. However, knife sharpening comes with a cost.
You have to consider various factors and how you intend to sharpen your knife, whether professionally, using a stone at home, or a quick honing. So, before you pick your favorite knife, check out this guide to find out just how much it costs to sharpen a knife.
This Is How Much Does It Cost to Sharpen a Knife Professionally
Typically, sharpening your knife professionally will cost you anywhere between $1.5 and $8 per knife length inch. However, you also want to consider factors like the blade type, blade material, and how dull or damaged the blade maybe.
These factors play a role in determining the overall cost of knife sharpening. But, if you find sharpening your knife professionally a little costly, you can always invest in your own sharpening tools. These include tools such as electric knife sharpeners or sharpening stones.
How to Confirm Your Knife Is Blunt?
You can confirm the bluntness of your knife by trying out its cutting efficacy using a piece of paper or tomato. Make a thin slice through a piece of paper or tomato.
The knife should easily glide through the paper or tomato, leaving a smooth and clean cut, if it is sharp enough. You will know that the knife is blunt if it gets caught within the paper or tomato. Alternatively, it may produce a jagged cut.
How Often Should I Get My Knives Professionally Sharpened?
You should ideally get your knives professionally sharpened at least once to twice a year. Sharpening your knife with this consistency retains its sharpness for longer and prevents premature dulling.
However, if you use the knives more frequently (in a commercial kitchen), you should have them sharpened at least three to four times annually.
In addition to getting your knives sharpened professionally, you should also hone them after two to four uses at home and more frequently in a commercial kitchen.
Which Sharpening Method Is Worth My Cost?
Professional sharpening does a particularly excellent job when it comes to sharpening and aligning your knife blade. The process helps straighten the edges and smoothen even the tiniest burrs.
Moreover, professional sharpening gives the blade an impressively sharp and long lasting edge. Nonetheless, you can still take advantage of other existing sharpening methods. Here are the best examples;
Electric Knife Sharpener
Investing in an electric knife sharpener means you don’t have to incur any extra costs every time you want to sharpen your knife. An electric knife sharpener will cost you anywhere from $30 to $500. The best part of using an electric knife sharpener is its convenience.
You don’t really have to do much apart from setting the knife on the sharpener and hitting the on button. However, when compared to other sharpening methods, an electric knife sharpener doesn’t facilitate the same amount of precision and sharpening prowess.
Whetstone/Sharpening Stone
If you want to enjoy more precision and effective sharpening, a whetstone/sharpening stone is a better idea. Priced a little cheaper, a sharpening stone/whetstone will cost you around $7 to $200. What makes a sharpening stone worth it is that it works for nearly all types of knives and blades. Sure, it may come with a steep learning curve.
Nonetheless, when you master the process of sharpening your knife with a stone, you will enjoy the superior results. A sharpening stone/whetstone delivers better control over the actual angle and sharpness of your blade. Moreover, the sharpening stone offers a more delicate sharpening mechanism, ensuring your knife never gets damaged.
Sharpening Steel
Sharpening/honing steel does a good job at aligning and maintaining the blade’s edge. However, you still have to complement this method with actual sharpening since it doesn’t sharpen your knife.
A sharpening steel is used to smoothen out the rough edges once you sharpen your knife on a whetstone. Additionally, it helps to supercharge and give the edge life after cutting different food items.
Is Purchasing a Knife Sharpener Cost-Effective?
Purchasing the right knife sharpener for your knife is very cost-effective. After all, the investment will be a single-time payment.
Moreover, like professional sharpening, the right knife sharpener offers superior results. It facilitates precision angling, a razor-sharp blade, and promotes longer lasting edge.
Is It Better to Buy a New Knife Than Sharpening the Old One?
It depends on the state of the knife. If you simply have a blunt knife blade, you can simply resharpen it instead of purchasing a new one. In fact, you can even restore an old worn-out knife blade by sharpening it.
However, if your knife has suffered significant damage, you should simply get a new one. Examples of the damage include loose or broken-off handle rivets, corroded blades, or significantly chipped blades, to mention a few.
Is Professional Knife Sharpening Worth It?
If you can afford it, professional knife sharpening is certainly worth it. Professional knife sharpening straightens the edges and tackles even the smallest burrs on the blade. Moreover, professionally sharpening your knife gives it a thin, razor-sharp blade and longer lasting edge.
Are There Any Knives That Never Need Sharpening?
Serrated knives, like steak or bread knives, don’t need to be sharpened. These knives typically incorporate jagged teeth on the blade which allow the knife to cut even when dull. Therefore, they don’t really need to be resharpened to cut through even food items like thick steaks.
Check out these top rated innovative knife sharpening options;
Calphalon Classic Self-Sharpening 15-piece Knife Set
The Calphalon Classic Self Sharpening Block Set offers great value for your investment. The set comes with all the essential pieces for your kitchen cutting needs, whether a beginner or seasoned chef. The 15-piece set comes with pairing, utility, serrated utility, santoku, chef’s, and steak knives. Additionally, the set includes kitchen shears and a sharpening knife block.
But, what makes the block set stand out is the built-in ceramic sharpeners that automatically sharpen all the straight-edged knives after every use. Each knife in the set features a balanced full tang design, fitted with durable high carbon steel.
However, the steak knives are made with stamped steel. Furthermore, each knife integrates a triple-riveted contoured handle for a secure and ergonomic grip.
J.A. Henckels International 7-piece Block Set
The J.A Henckels International Statement Kitchen Knife Set comes in handy for those looking for style and functionality. The set features a beautiful stained ash wood base and clean brushed stainless steel finishing on the knife block and knife handles to complement and add class to any kitchen setting.
The knife set comes with a pairing knife, serrated utility knife, santoku knife, chef’s knife, and kitchen shears. With the knife set, every cutting experience is worth it. The set features self-sharpening sloths that sharpen your knife after every slot. Each slot is even labeled with guides for proper placement.
J.A. Henckels 14-piece Self Sharpening Knife Block
The Zwilling J.A. Henckels Knife Block Set is any home cook’s golden token. The set comes with all the necessary tools for various cutting tasks at a pretty affordable price mark.
The knife set includes a pairing serrated, utility, prep, break, santoku, chefs, and steak knives. Moreover, the set incorporates kitchen shears.
To make knife maintenance more reliable, the set offers an inventive, cost-effective solution. Its beautifully finished brushed stainless steel capped and stained ash wood base block is inserted with built-in sharpeners to cater to the straight-edged knives. This setup ensures each knife remains sharp after every use, saving you time and costs on professional sharpening.
Final Thoughts
Knife sharpening remains an essential part of your knife’s maintenance. But, the best part is you can find various methods that work for you based on expertise, time, and cost.
So, before you invest in your favorite knife or knife set, the guide above lets you figure out how much does knife sharpening costs, to help you make the best decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it worth it to have your knives professionally sharpened?
Indeed, having your knives professionally sharpened is absolutely worth it. Any knife, regardless of its initial sharpness, will dull over time and consistent use. The act of knife sharpening can be meticulous and requires a specific set of skills that not everyone has or wants to learn. Using a service that specializes specifically in knife sharpening guarantees that your blades are handled by experts aware of the intricacies this process entails. In this way you ensure both the functional aptitude of your knives, and their longevity. It’s similar to taking your car to a mechanic, and trusting they will get the job done right to maintain peak functionality.
Can a knife-sharpening business be profitable?
Absolutely, a knife-sharpening business can indeed turn over a healthy profit. Much like any venture, the success of a knife-sharpening business greatly depends on your dedication to providing quality service, finding a great location, and effective marketing. However, if done well, there is a substantial market out there of individuals and companies such as restaurants or butchers who regularly require professional knife-sharpening services. Thereby, finding customers won’t be hard, especially considering everyone who has a kitchen has knives and they all dull over time and need to be sharpened. From my experience, working proficiently with dedication in this business can turn to be quite lucrative.
What are the charges for knife sharpening at Ace Hardware?
If you are looking for a convenient and quick solution, Ace Hardware offers a knife sharpening service where an adequately trained associate sharpens your knives rapidly within 90 seconds, or less. The suggested retail price for this service is just $6.99* per knife (*Subject to change by the retailer). It’s like a quick visit to your barber where you know you will walk out satisfied, only this time it’s your knives that get a ‘trim’!
How frequently should professional knife sharpening occur?
When it comes to maintaining the sharpness of your kitchen knives, frequency does matter. Honing your knives at home every 2-4 uses is a good practice. However, experts suggest that a professional knife sharpening service should be used at least once or twice a year for that extra edge. It’s akin to doing regular maintenance on your car but giving it a professional service a few times a year to keep it in an optimal state. Thus, for the health of your blades, twice-a-year professional treatment is a good rule of thumb! As someone who loves to cook, this practice has always kept my knives in top shape, really making a difference in how I prepare my meals.
I have built kniveswow.com because as a home chef I know how important kitchen knives are. I use different kitchen knives every day and they always save my time. Here I share my thoughts, experience and knife maintenance tips with you. You can find more info <a href="https://kniveswow.com/about-us/">about me</a>.