The Art of Sharp

Frank sharpened 6 knives for me, 4 Global and 2 Wusthof. The Wusthofs are serrated blades. All are absolutely amazing after his time and talents with them– I swear they feel even better than when first used.
I had to change both the drop-​off and pick-​up appointments more than once and Frank and his wife were extremely pleasant and accommodating. I can’t say enough great things about the results and the customer service. Definitely a gem!

When I called there the first time, I made an appointment to drop my knives off. The wife called me back to change the meeting time so that her husband, the sharpener, could be there. I arrived at the agreed upon time only to meet the lady, but no husband. OK No problem. I asked for an estimate for 6 knives. She told me that her husband would have to let me know after he looked at them. We agreed that he would call me with a price. I waited 4 days and no call. I called them and spoke to her again. She said that they weren’t ready yet. I said, what about a price? Now suddenly knowledgeable, she quoted me a price that I thought was a little high. I asked if there was any negotiating room. She said no, she had already given me a little discount and that was it. I told her that I would come and retrieve the knives instead. When I went to her house, she invited me inside and told me that me being inside her house made her uncomfortable??? Why did she open the door and invite me inside? Then she proceeded to tell me off, that she didn’t like me when we first talked on the phone, and that I was looking for something for nothing. In fact, I never asked for anything for nothing. Instead of arguing with her in front of her son, I asked for the knives so that I may leave. Not before she continued to tell me off. I told her that I expected some sort of call within the 4 days that they had my utensils, but she said that they were busy. I talked to her 4 times throughout this ordeal and never once talked to her husband. I would rather buy a whole new set of knives than to ever have to deal with that lady again.

I concur with the previous reviewers. I stopped by to have my boyfriend’s knife sharpened. It was a Japanese chef knife uniquely designed, purchased secondhand from eBay, and ridiculously dull. The turnaround was quick, I was able to stop by the next night after work. Frank took the time to research about the knife and discovered that the thickness of the blade prevented it from staying sharp for a long period of time. He sharpened the knife, but did not charge me for it. He wasn’t confident about the knife staying sharp due to it’s design, and recommended some knives that weren’t showpieces and would retain their sharpness.
I definitely recommend getting your knives sharpened by Frank. You can tell he has a passion for sharpening knives and truly stands behind the work that he does.

Frank did a great job on my knives — the blades just melt right into tomatoes, onions, whatever. We had some minor communication problems, but they were incredibly accommodating and nice about it. Plus, where else but a home business could you pick up your beautifully sharpened knives at 9 pm on a Wednesday? I couldn’t recommend this business more.

Before I get into this review, let me say that finding a hand knife sharpening service is difficult enough, but add in finding a good one, and that is tantamount to striking oil in your backyard!
I knew an elderly gentleman that I used several times and the results were always top notch. Unfortunately, he passed away a couple of years ago and ever since I’ve been searching for a suitable replacement.
I’ve been to a couple of different «work from home» sharpeners but the results were poor. I even tried the local hardware store solution and that was a disaster!
Enter Frank Surace. I found Frank’s business, The Art of Sharp, on the web. His site was very informative and even features a You Tube video of his methods.
I dropped my knives off at Frank’s home and he quickly began asking me questions about my cutlery. The type of questioning he employed infused great confidence in the results I was hoping to receive. Frank did not disappoint.
A recent «attempt at a sharpening solution» had left my Shun 8″ chef’s knife a mess and I was concerned if it was savable. Frank immediately recognized the blade and redid the angle to factory specs and more… It is a razor blade with heft now!
All in all, Frank sharpened 8 knives for me. The Shun, a 10 inch Hammer Stahl chef’s knife plus a HS 12″ slicing knife, 3 various Santoku blades, a Japanese vegetable cleaver, a Tojiro Japanese paring knife (that now is a lethal weapon!) and all were honed to perfection.
Service was fantastic. I had my knives back in 48 hours and his price point is very fair. Frank offers a mail in option if the north side of the city is out of reach, but I recommend meeting Frank and his family at least once. He instills confidence that the work will be done by an artisan and you will be pleased.
Fortunately, Frank is a relatively young man so I am hoping my search for the perfect edge is over for my lifetime. He has real interest in the craft and treats your edge like it is his.
The highest recommendation here… really quality work.

Well what can I say that hasn’t already been said. Well, screw it, I’m going to say it anyway!
Frank and his business are great! He’s really knowledgeable about knives, all different types of metal, and honing them to be as sharp as it gets. He’s truly a master of his craft, and not to mention a really nice guy. His prices are a few bucks more than going to a hardware store or a cutlery store, but ya know what they say, you get what you pay for.
I brought a total of four knives to Frank. My Gerber Hinderer CLS (Combat Life Saver) pocket knife, a SOG Sogfari which is a tanto blade, saw back machete, my Gerber multi tool, and a Kershaw 1660 Leek Plain Edge Speedsafe pocket knife.
The blade on the Kershaw was chipped at the very tip and had a nicks along the blade, it also has a blade lock that’s at the very end of the body and needs the tip of the blade to prevent the knife from opening in your pocket at random (spring assist).
Basically Frank did wonders on that knife. He fixed the tip without compromising the lock, got all of the nicks out, made it sharp as all hell, switched around the pocket clip, and bent it back to where it actually clips again.
The Gerber multi tool’s straight edge blade (only blade I had Frank work on for the multi tool) is sharper than when I first got it, and that thing use to be like a damn scalpel.
The Sogfari is also crazy sharp. I can’t wait to test it out this summer when I go camping, and have to do some serious sawing and bushwhacking. I’m actually debating ditching my buzzer and shaving with my newly sharpened machete.
Saved my favorite blade for last. My Gerber Hinderer’s blade was a bit beat up since it’s my everyday carry, and I use the thing just about every day. When I first got it, I could effortlessly shave my arm hair with it, and now after some extensive use (not giving a damn what I cut with it, cans, plastic, cardboard, all types of fabrics, wires, wood… etc), then having Frank sharpen the blade, it can once again effortlessly shave off hair.
All in all Frank does great work by hand and I highly recommend having him sharpen your blades.
SUPPORT YOU LOCAL BUSINESS, PEOPLE!!!