Knife sharpening in Potchefstroom
Bring us the blunt ones. Kitchen knives, pocket knives, hunting knives, the good ones and the sentimental ones. We sharpen on the Wicked Edge precision system at 74 Smit Street, and every knife gets a basic service and clean at no extra charge.
Prices
Straightforward prices per knife. High-value and exclusive knives, and any repair work, are quoted after we have seen the knife, so that you know the figure before we touch it.
- A basic service is included with every sharpening, free: we clean the blade and handle, oil the blade, and check and tighten the pivot, lock and screws.
- Serrated blades are R50 more than the price for that type of knife. Bread knives we do not sharpen.
- Chips, broken tips, thinning and reprofiling are quoted on inspection.
- No VAT is added; we are not a VAT vendor.
| Knife | Price |
|---|---|
| Kitchen knives Chef's knives, paring knives, carving knives and the rest of the kitchen drawer. We do not sharpen bread knives. | R50 |
| Folding knives Pocket knives and folders of every kind, including lock-backs, liner locks and slip joints. | R100 |
| Hunting knives Fixed-blade hunting, skinning and bushcraft knives. | R120 |
| High-value and exclusive knives Custom, collectable and premium knives are quoted once we have seen the knife. | By quotation |
| Serrated blades Added to the price for the knife type above. | R50 extra |
| Repairs Chipped edges, broken tips, thinning and reprofiling are quoted once we have inspected the knife. | By quotation |
How it works
Send a WhatsApp
Tell us what you have, or send a photo. We will confirm the price and when to bring the knives in.
Drop them off
74 Smit Street, Potchefstroom, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:30. We share the building with Willie Jordaan Attorneys. When you hand the knives in, we tell you when they will be ready.
We sharpen
Each knife is clamped in the Wicked Edge and taken through the diamond grits and strops at the correct angle for the blade, then serviced and cleaned.
Collect
We let you know when they are ready. Pay on collection.
Willie sharpening five knives from dull to razor sharp, in under nine minutes each. More on our YouTube channel.
Why the Wicked Edge
Freehand sharpening depends on the hand holding the angle for every stroke. The Wicked Edge takes the hand out of it. The blade is held in a vice, and diamond stones on guide rods work both sides of the edge at a fixed, repeatable angle. That is what makes the difference between an edge that feels sharp for a day and one that stays sharp for months: the two bevels meet at a clean apex, at the same angle along the whole length of the blade.
We match the angle to the knife: thinner for a kitchen slicer, more robust for a hunting or bushcraft blade. We finish with fine grits and leather strops for a polished edge that cuts cleanly instead of tearing.
What people get wrong about sharpening
A pull-through sharpener is not a sharpener
The little V-shaped carbide gadgets rip steel off the edge instead of grinding it. They leave a ragged, weak edge that feels sharp for an afternoon and then folds over. Used often enough, they also eat the blade. If you own one, please bring the knife in before it is beyond thinning.
A steel does not sharpen
The honing steel in the kitchen block realigns an edge that has rolled slightly; it does not remove metal or create a new edge. It keeps a sharp knife sharp for longer, but once the edge is genuinely blunt, only a stone will bring it back.
Sharp is a matter of angle
An edge is two bevels meeting at a point. If they do not quite meet, the knife will never be sharp, no matter how long you work at it. If they meet at too steep an angle, the edge is strong but cuts badly; too shallow, and it is keen but chips. Holding the right angle, every stroke, is the whole game, and it is the one thing a guided system does better than any hand.
Blunt gets expensive
A knife that is touched up while it is still fairly sharp takes minutes. A knife that has been left to go completely blunt, or has been through a pull-through sharpener, often needs thinning behind the edge before it can be sharpened at all. That is why thinning is quoted separately.
Glass boards, dishwashers and drawers
Glass, granite and ceramic cutting boards blunt a knife faster than anything you cut on them. Dishwashers batter edges against everything else in the rack and attack the handles. Loose in a drawer, knives blunt each other. Wood or plastic boards, hand washing and a block or a sheath will double the time between sharpenings.
Prices are in South African rand and include VAT where applicable; we are not a VAT vendor, so no VAT is added. Every knife is different, so anything unusual is quoted after we have seen it. Nothing on this page is legal advice; see our terms.
Where to bring your knives
- 74 Smit Street, Potchefstroom, 2531
Same building as Willie Jordaan Attorneys - 082 457 3499 phone and WhatsApp
- itsasteel100@gmail.com
- Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:30
- It's a STEEL on Facebook
- It's a STEEL on Instagram
- Our YouTube channel