“Are my knives worth sharpening?”

I get this question a lot from customers. It’s a great one, because it always sparks an interesting dialogue.

Usually I’ll follow up with questions for them, like what’s the reason for asking? I think most folks have already made up their mind, since they’ve actually taken the first step of getting them to me. Maybe they’re just looking for confirmation. Related post: How to test for sharpness.

Here are some common responses.

“My knives are exceptionally dull and maybe too far gone.”

I can tell you that I’ve never NOT been able to put a nice edge on a knife, regardless of age, condition, or brand. I’ve put edges on old butter knives! Remember, all knives dull over time with use. Even the best maintained. 

Here’s the real question though: Is spending a few dollars worth it to get them back up and running? Most likely you can get six months to a year of life in a knife (depending on use and if properly maintained). I think it’s worth it. It turns out to cost just pennies a day to get some enjoyment out of them.

“My knife is a less expensive brand. Should I just replace it?” 

Just because it’s a cheaper knife, doesn’t  mean that it’s not worth putting a nice edge on it. There are exceptions to this of course. I always pass on micro serrated steak knives. These are actually meant to be tossed (plus I have no way to sharpen them). I could, however, put a decent straight edge on it if they wished. 

Again, is it worth spending a few dollars to get to use and enjoy that knife for the next year?

“My knives are old.”

This bothers me the most, but this is what we grow up believing. It’s probably even more pronounced these days, even more so than when I was a kid. In this throwaway society that we’re in, when it comes to physical items, old equals bad. It’s this notion that everything must have an expiration date and that once they’ve served their purpose, well, then we discard them.  

Let’s make the comparison to hand tools. It’s weird to think that kitchen knives are tools, but they are. Cutting tools. You don’t just throw away tools, especially the ones that are well made. They’re going to last your whole life and then some. I have and still use some tools from my wife’s grandfather (who lived to almost 100). 

Now some caveats. You have to maintain them. They sometimes need to be oiled. They have to be stored properly. The point is, tools need to be cared for. So do knives. They will benefit from regular maintenance with a ceramic hone once or twice a week. Storing them in a wooden block, drawer tray, or magnetic wall holder. Do these things and they will last a lifetime, and potentially be passed down through the generations. What a cool legacy! Every time a future family member uses your knives to prepare a nice meal, they are thinking of you. Which brings me to the next point…

Sentimental Value

Sometimes I’ll get a real unique knife come across the bench. I just know that this knife has some kind of story behind it. It’s quirky, it’s old (never a bad thing), it has some real character to it. It’s not a Shun, Henkel, or Global. It doesn’t have monetary value, but the owner has some sort of attachment to it. Maybe it was their grandfathers and they want to get it sharpened so they can use it. Again, every time they use it they think about them. That’s a beautiful thing and a fantastic reason to sharpen. It brings the tool back to life and all the memories associated with it.

When I say it’s not worth it.

I can put an edge on (almost) anything that comes across the bench. Very rarely will I decline, but there are couple of reasons that will get a definite no. Sometimes I’ll have to say a knife isn’t worth sharpening when there is hardly any blade left. If it’s been sharpened and used so much that the blade is just plain worn out. The other reason is if the knife has wooden handles and the blade is coming apart from the handle. This is not a safe situation, so I usually advise tossing these.

What about a bent or broken tip?

Please don’t toss that knife! It can still be restored. Even if a blade has a bent or rounded tip, I can grind the steel back and put a new tip on it. This is called re-profiling, and can be a relatively easy fix. With the right tools and a little planning, the results can be quite impressive.

At the end of the day, the decision to sharpen is always the customers to make. I can only give my two cents. I hope my advice is worth something to them.