Get Sharp

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We all remember the days when there were no computers or kids’ channels on TV, but what about the time when men in trucks drove around ringing a bell to sell ice cream in the summer, or playing crazy tunes to get you to bring out your dull knives to be sharpened?

OK, there is still the odd ice-cream truck, but it’s not so easy to find a place to get your knives tended to, not to mention a pair of scissors, some hedge-trimmers or that lawn mower. A nice sharp blade for the mower would come in handy around this time of year, and a sharp knife is a safe knife (dull knives are more likely to wobble and cause accidents).

Andrew and Molly Hutchinson remember those days and have decided to bring them back to us—in a more modern way. They’ve started a company called Sharp My Knife—a door-to-door knife and tool-sharpening business servicing Toronto and the Halton/West Mississauga/Waterloo/Hamilton areas.

The key difference with this company from the ones of days gone by is that you can call and book an appointment with them and they’ll come to your house at a pre-arranged time. No more chasing the truck down the street with your dull knives in hand (not so safe, or savvy). Andrew will show up with his handy tool kit at your door and will sharpen your knives in 15 minutes for up to $5 per knife. No fuss, no muss. If you have scissors that need to be sharpened, Andrew can take care of them, too. There are lots of great packages that make for unique gifts like the Really Sharp Housewarming or Cottage Tune-Up.

Larger items like gardening tools and lawn mowers are taken care of right in the back of the truck. A mechanical engineer by trade, Andrew likes to tinker with things, so taking apart your tools to make them better is right up his alley.

Andrew suggests having your knives sharpened once every three to four months, but it really depends on your use. What we love about Sharp My Knife is that it promotes the idea of buying good, solid kitchen equipment, now that we have the ability to maintain it properly. There’s no need to throw away the old junk and buy new items.

So no more ‘out with the old and in with the new’. We’re liking the old—it’s pretty sharp.

Tested by Leslie M., Burlington