Where can I buy a good knife sharpener in Boston?

September 4, 2012 3:37 PM

Where can I buy a good knife sharpener in the Boston area?

My boyfriend's birthday is next week and he would like a good quality knife sharpener. (He mentioned Wusthof Precision Edge 2 and Presto 08800 EverSharp specifically, but is open to other possibilities.) Where can I buy one of these in the Boston area? I'd prefer to buy in person rather than online if possible.

posted by JuliaJellicoe to shopping (5 answers total)

It's not the same style as the ones you mentioned, but I've heard great things about the DMT DuoSharp, a diamond bench stone. (I bought one for my parents as a gift on Michael Ruhlman's recommendation.) The Lowe's near me has it. In general, stones (oil, water, and new-fangled ones like this) are more complicated to use but offer greater control and a better result.
posted by supercres at 3:43 PM on September 4, 2012

Sharpening stones are great, but it takes practice to learn to use them, and even with practice, it takes a while to sharpen a blade. Diamond stones work the best but are quite pricey (around $100 for the DMT). The Rockler woodworking store in North Cambridge usually stocks the DMT diamond stones (as well as other sharpening stones), but they tend to be pricey. Woodcraft, in Woburn, is usually a little cheaper than Rocker. You could also try China Fair in Newton (NOT the Cambridge store), if they have the DMT stones in stock they'll be much cheaper.

The chef's choice is probably the best "automatic" sharpener available to the consumer; I've seen it at the Williams-Sonoma in Burlington. But it's even more expensive than a diamond stone, and using it will wear down your knives faster than a manual system like the DMT.

(FWIW I use the DMT on my knives, but I've been sharpening chisels with whetstones for 35 years)
posted by mr vino at 4:05 PM on September 4, 2012

You might try Eastern Bakers' Supply - they're a restaurant supply store in the North End, not very consumer-oriented (so you might have to wait around while they take a big order from an actual restaurant, and it's kind of warehouse-y), but they're been very friendly to me when I've gone in to buy stuff for my own kitchen.
posted by mskyle at 6:53 PM on September 4, 2012

As someone who regularly sharpens all sorts of knives, I too use a DMT on my kitchen knives. But you might also want to get him some instruction, and the book I've been told to use is this.
posted by clockbound at 6:53 PM on September 4, 2012

Stoddard's Cutlery in Newton should be able to get you set up. Nice folks. They've been in business since 1800, so they have a little bit of experience in these matters...
posted by Philbo at 9:30 PM on September 4, 2012