At Simply Sharp we want to make the process of getting your blades sharp as easy as possible.
We come to you.
The first step to sharper blades is making an appointment for Simply Sharp to come pick up your blades. Appointments can be made via phone, or requested online. All online appointments will be confirmed by a call from Simply Sharp to verify that we can make it to your location at the requested time.
At the time of the Appointment you will receive a call from Simply Sharp letting you know we have arrived. Each blade will be inventoried and tagged with your name on it. An inventory receipt detailing the number and description of each blade received by Simply Sharp will be provided to you. After that we will take the blades to our workshop for sharpening.
Upon receipt each blade is evaluated by the naked eye and under magnification to identify where each blade is damaged and needs the most attention. The starting grit stone is then selected based on what each blade needs. Not every blade needs to start at the most heavy grit, and doing so can shorten the life of your knife by removing more metal than is necessary. Each blade is examined, sharpened, and re-examined under magnification throughout the sharpening process to ensure the burr formed by sharpening is completely removed giving you the longest lasting edge possible on your blades.
Once sharpened you will be contacted for setting up a drop off time for Simply Sharp to bring your blades back to you.
Our Sharpening Process
Each Blade is hand sharpened using sharpening stones, except for convex styling shears which require their own special machines.
Why Sharpening Stones?
The short answer is that we believe sharpening stones are the best and most versatile way to sharpen your blades.
There are several options for sharpening your knives, scissors, and other blades at home or industrially. Sharpening stones are available in a wide range of grits, sizes, and abrasive materials. Sharpening stones offer control and feedback when sharpening. Feedback allows a sharpener to remove only what steel is necessary to get the desired edge. Sharpening on a stone means sharpening by hand which means much less friction and heat is applied to the blade when sharpening compared to any machine grinder. This means sharpening stones are gentle on your knives, extending the blades life.
Sharpening stones also offer unlimited options in the blade angle. Different materials and uses require different angles for each of your blades.
Sharpening stones don’t need a lot of complicated set up, nor space. And many sharpening stones are likely to last as long as the knives you are sharpening.
The two most commonly cited drawbacks to using sharpening stones are, one, that they take skill, meaning they can be hard to use without experience, and, second, that using a sharpening stone is not super fast. Both of those issues are alleviated by using Simply Sharp. At Simply Sharp we have over ten years experinec working with sharpening stones and can deliver the skill of keeping a blade at the correct angle throughout the sharpening process. Sharpening is also our full time job, so we take the time necessary to sharpen and hone your blades to be the best they can be. After being sharpened by Simply Sharp your blades will easily cut what and how they were designed to cut.
Having your blades sharpened on a series of sharpening stones is great for anyone that wants the best possible edge on their knives, scissors, and any other blade. If you have high-end knives that you care about, stones are great. If you have a lot of different blades, sharpening stones offer the most sharpening versatility, which allows Simply Sharp to provide that versatility to you.
At Simply Sharp we have sharpening stones with grits ranging from 240 (for regrinding and removing chips) to 10,000 (for final polishing and honing).
Coarse Stone 220-300 Grit / 45-60 microns - Fast metal removal rate for fixing visible dings, knicks, and chips to create an even edge before further sharpening.
Medium Stone 300-400 Grit / 35-45 microns - Slightly slower metal removal rate, good for fixing knicks and chips only visible under magnification. Intermediate stage before finer grits.
Medium Fine Stone 400-600 Grit / 25-35 microns - Metal removal rate continues to slow down from the coarse grits. This is the minimum recommended grit for final stage of most knives. Ending here will give the edge a frosted appearance and not a polished or shining one.
Fine Stone 600-1,000 Grit / 15-25 microns - A Modest metal removal rate, that continues to leave metal edge with a frosted appearance. Edge sharpness is equivalent to majority of factory edges on knives, tools.
Extra Fine Stone 1,000-2,000 Grit / 8-15 microns - Slow sharpening rate. The Edge begins to look polished. After this stage the blade has a very sharp edge better than most factory edges on good knives.
Extremely Fine Stone 2,000-6,000 Grit / 4-8 microns - Edge is extremely sharp. Very slow sharpening speed. Edge reflects light very well.
Polishing Stone/Leather Strop 6000-10,000 Grit 2-4 microns - Edge is very near perfect, once the burr is removed. Leaves edges polished to the naked eye.
Simply Sharp uses the following angles for sharpening blades unless otherwise requested by the customer.
Double Edge Kitchen Knives: 20 degrees
Single Edge Kitchen Knives: 15 degrees
Cleavers: 30 degrees
Kitchen Shears: 30 degrees
Pocket Knives: 25 degrees
Razors: 15 degrees
Thread Scissors: 25-30 degrees
Fabric Scissors: 35 degrees
Convex (Japanese style) Styling shears: 45-50 degrees
Bevel Edge (German style) Styling Shears: 45 degrees
Hatchets and Axes: 15 degrees
Pruners and Loppers: 25 degrees