Knifewear

OK, I’m not a professional, but I like cooking and use my knives every day. I splurged a few years ago and purchased a nice hand forged japanese knife from here, and it has served me faithfully ever since.
I took my fancy japanese knife as well as a very old Henckel in to get sharpened recently. The Henckel had a pretty decent knick in the blade, about ½ inch from the point. They were able to fix the blade without loosing too much steel, and it’s slicing better than ever. The cost for this repair? wait for it… $ 5 bucks! Are you kidding?! Such a good deal. Sharpening is just $ 10 per knife, and they are happy to show you day to day care to make the edge last longer. Great service from this place!

Staff: A+
Product: A+
Classes: A+
Owner: A+
And that’s why I go back there when it’s time for a new knife for me, for a gift, or to learn something new about knives.

I heard a lot about the knives at this shop. I went in with no intention to buy anything but after trying a few, I fell in love. I’m now the proud owner of two knives. We opted for the value packed more practical knives, which cost $ 220 and $ 110. Six months later, I’m still pleased as punch with my knives. We also bought a knife display board.
Excellent knives makes such a huge difference when I cook. I often have family and friends over, and the knives cut down the work in half. All that chopping and cutting has become so easy. It’s like cutting through butter with a hot knife. SWEET!
As for service — there is never any pressure to buy. Only lots of background information and help with our many questions. Knifewear also sells unique cookbooks and other cool kitchen gadgets.

Having a great set of knives in your kitchen makes a world of a difference! And when in Calgary I cannot think of a better place to go then this place.
The selection is a wide assortment of knives mostly Japanese. Ofcorse different knives are used for different purposes, so there are so many types. There is also a metal finish to think about and how one kind of metal profound versus another. All the information can get quite overwhelming.
The staff at Knifewear are the absolute best! They are so friendly so knowledgable and very patient when some one like me goes in there asking one million questions. They really helped me and guided me through my selection and when I left I fet I had gotten the best set of knives for me.
I expect that the next time I’m am in Calgary I will visit and hopefully add it my knife collection. I recommend this place highly.

I just got back from the «sharpening class» and I highly recommend you take this course if you have purchased some top quality knives and want to take care of them! I did get 2 knives here at a month long manufacturers sale. They cut beautifully and while expensive, they will last a lifetime with proper care. And I just learned how to care for them myself! I took some Henkels with me the class (as recommended to practice on) and they have never been sharp and now so useful.
The service is terrific and friendly. Every knife purchased comes with one free sharpening from them and they will, for a fee, continue to sharpen your knives if you have no interest in sharpening yourself. It may bring some old dull but quality knife cluttering your drawer back to life!

Love this place! Love these guys! The staff here are so knowledgeable and enthusastic you can’t help but buy a sweet hand-​forged japanese knife or knife-​related accessory from here. I brought my boyfriend here while visiting Calgary (we’re from Edmonton) and he loved it! They have a great selecition of shaving-​related items here and my boyfriend was inspired to get himself a real razor which he now uses and loves. I’ve been to the Edmonton store on Whyte Ave and it is also excellent!

Knifewear is okay if you are into Japanese cutlery and yes they do have fine blades but after a while it’s the same old same old. 60 different Japanese knife styles are still basically the same knife. They do sharpen — are professional — and are too expensive for my taste. It seems like all these 5 star ratings were from friends or maybe from a store contest. It does not seem like people have checked out other Calgary knife outlets fully. Also the rating system here is 2 stars — Meh. I’ve experienced better and 3 stars A-​ok. I am in the 2.5 star range. Lovely store but more different variety needed with more reasonable prices. Thanks!

Knifewear is one of my favorite stores in Calgary, although I don’t go there often. The reason for that is, I would not be able to afford life because I would buy everything.
I recently bought a gyoto which is one of the most beautiful knives I’ve ever seen. The quality is far higher than any other knife I own. One time a group of ninjas broke into my house while I was mincing garlic with my new gyoto, and when they saw my new knife, the cried and ran away. Any knife that can make a group of ninjas cry and run away is a special knife.
I went in there wanting a beautiful, high quality, hand made knife. I am a huge knife fan and I’ve done a lot of research on all sorts of knives and this shop gave me the opportunity to hold and actually cut veggies with the knives. If you go in with a budget, the people in the store will totally help you out.
I went in with a budget of $ 200, and rather than going straight to the $ 200 knives, they gave me a spread of knives ranging from $ 110 to $ 220. They explained the difference between each one, let me hold and use them and gave their advice on which one they would choose. In the end, I came in under budget and got a gorgeous 210 mm Tadafuss Nashiji.
I have zero complaints about the knife and I still love going into the store occasionally to check things out.
The people there are super cool and don’t pressure you at all. They’re totally cool with you just coming in and looking around and they’ll still spend time talking knives with you because they all love the knives too.
¹⁰⁄₁₀ or ⁵⁄₅ or whatever. Would recommend.

I have the people who work at this shop for single handedly addicting me to Japanese knives.
I cook nearly every day, for at least ½ the day and these knives are amazing best kitchen friends.
Great staff that can handle my beserker attitude and can also answer the millions of great and crummy questions I come up with.
I have 2 knives & a knife magnet rack… and I’ve got my eye on a few more.
Great shaving section, cutting boards and who’s its…

Driven by other wonderful reviews, I had to make my way to Knifewear and it did not disappoint! This should be an important stop for any chef, home cook or anyone that appreciates real quality in the kitchen.
This store specializes in imported Japanese knives, of all kinds. I have never seen so many in one place and some were quite beautiful with intricate detail.
They also carry a few kitchen gadgets, knife bags, cookbooks and men’s personal shaver kits.
A cool but tight space of a store with the friendliest service on the planet. You will be greeted and asked what brings you in this date!
You can go in and test practically any knife you want. Even if you think you are not THE best with your knife skills, the knife you are using really makes a difference. A good knife does much of the work for you and I even surprised myself with my potato chopping. Some were so lightweight, it was ridiculous!
I bought a bread knife this date but will be back again to amp up many of my kitchen tools one at a time. Not cheap here, but you get what you pay for!
Thanks Knifewear! (in the heart of Inglewood)

Knifewear is, hands down, the ONLY place in Calgary you should be buying a knife.
They have a beautiful selection of knives that range in price. Some of the knives are hand forged with gorgeous wood grain-​like folded steel blades. Others are top quality machine made knives with laser engraved cherry blossom detailing. Regardless, Knifewear only carries products that are impressive.
Several years ago I bought a knife at knifewear made by Japanese swordsmith Teruyasu Fujiwara the 4^th. It’s made of white carbon steel and stays razor sharp for ages. Though the knife was expensive I have no regrets. When you slice something with a kick ass knife it’s incredibly satisfying and enjoyable. When my knife does, eventually, require a sharpening, I take it to knifewear for some maintenance. They hand sharpen an a series of water stones, which is really cool to sit back and watch.
Today, thats exactly what I did! Not only was I impressed with the beautiful store and the range of knives and other products for sale, but also with the customer service. It sounds silly, but every time I go into Knifewear and chat with an employee, I leave feeling light and happy, with a silly grin on my face. They are welcoming, inclusive, and engaging. Even if you aren’t a chef (I’m not!!) and a total knife noob, Knifewear is going to make you feel like a chopping, slicing, food preping bad ass!
Go there. Buy a knife. You’ll be glad you did.

The staff are amazing!
The products are amazing!
This place is the bomb diggity.

I went in there to purchase a safety razor (after being referred by Madison & Page — another brilliant «shop local» store in Calgary) and was mesmerized by the traditional shaving kit they sell. Firstly, guys, shave with a traditional safety razor (or straight if you dare). I did it once and it is a brilliant experience. Gillette has been lying to us for decades. Shave the way grandpa did. Trust me.
That said, I also am now obsessed with Japanese chef’s knives. What a difference. I am now trying to figure out how to update my blades.

Do not go here. If you have money and you put value on the possession of set money, I can not imagine a more dangerous place for you to to go.
You have passionate & knowledgeable staff.
You have incredible products of unfathomable craftsmanship.
And you are encouraged to play with knives.
Go to Knifewear at your own risk. Please note that you will also become a knife-​snob after you are properly educated about what a good knife is.
Then as your friends see how awesome you’ve become, they will ask you to take them. Then your friends will become poor.
Basically Knifewear is a pyramid scheme to take everyones money through offering incredible products and corrupting you into bringing your friends with their awesomeness.

I was walking around Inglewood yesterday (hadn’t been there n over a year) and stumbled into Knifewear. I thought I was in Tokyo – what an amazing collection of knives. The staff were intelligent and positive. They also have a great collection of cookbooks. I already own a couple of their knives, looks like I will be making another purchase in 2013.

I discovered Japanese knives about 30 years ago and they became my favorites. Imagine my delight on finding Kevin and his wonderful selection of knives.
The staff are extremely helpful. You can try anything on a tomato or potato and find the knife that is perfect for you. I have a mixture of styles, one daughter has very traditional knives, the other has a preference for a French style handle. Whatever you choose it will be high quality, perfect for you, you will learn how to cut with it and they will keep it sharp for you.
A good knife adds to your appreciation of the art of food preparation and this reflects in your cooking.
Forget the price they last a lifetime and you will never go back to clunky mass produced knives again.

Kevin Kent leads a motley band of knife experts in this little Inglewood shop carrying some of the best Japanese knives in existence. Kevin, an ex-​chef who has worked in kitchens for 20 years got the addiction to these sexy and insanely sharp blades while working in London as a sous chef at the famous St. John restaurant. Since then he has grown from selling to chefs from his backpack to having his own shop here in Calgary and now Kelowna.
Though Kevin carries quality knives from the student budget up to the hardcore professional, he also carries a beautiful selection of cutting boards, knife bags, cases, blade covers and sharpening stones. In addition, he has a very cool selection of straight razors and shaving accessories for the aficionados. The shop also conducts «cut like a chef» and knife sharpening classes.
If that’s not enough for you, the store itself is always a great place to just pop in and talk to the staff. They are knowledgable, passionate about food and are always there to help you with any questions you might have about these beautiful and exquisite hand forged creations.
Most of the models that they sell are available for demonstration and there are cutting boards with and endless supply of tomatoes and potatoes for test driving your favourite steel. The first time I sampled a Masakage Koishi (Knifewear’s own brand), I tried dicing a tomato. The task was virtually effortless and I was sold. The tomato practically diced itself out of fear. Yes — they are that sharp.
A good knife is the soul of a chef and if you are passionate about your craft, Knifewear is the place you need to visit. Just a word of warning: buying a knife here is like getting a tattoo — you’ll be back for more.

Kevin and the whole crew at Knifewear are absolutely the best in customer service. They make anyone coming into the shop feel welcome and completely at ease.
If you’re looking for the best kitchen knife you’ve ever used you need to go into Knifewear and checkout the hand forged Masakage collections they’re a delight to use. The best part is they have cutting boards and items to actually try out the knives so that you can find the best match for you.

Ollivanders is to wands as Knifewear is to knives. Walking into the narrow interior of mounted and glass-​encased knives, it’s not a far comparison to make: Knifewear is magical and the hand-​forged knives made by master craftsmen call to you, like a personal wand from Harry Potter lore.
«You don’t choose the knife,» says Rob, the robust moustachioed man who helped me from introduction to final sale, «The knife chooses you.»
Pardon me if this review seems over-​the-​top, but frankly, that’s what an over-​the-​top shop deserves. Knifewear is a specialty knife shop that is proud to showcase its fanaticism and knowledgeability about knives.
The wand — er, knife — shop is strategically organized based on performance. The farther back the shop you go, the higher performance the knife (and price) will be.
That was also where I met Kevin, the owner of the shop, who shook my hand enthusiastically and despite the rush of a Saturday afternoon crowd still seemed to have time to make sure that everyone felt welcomed.
Everyone there is a «knife nerd» and it shows. When Rob reached me a few moments later to talk shop, he explained in grave detail about the knives in the store from the materials it’s made from and why one would be considered «more performance» (aka sharp as hell) to handle shape affecting grip. He asked me questions if I had a knife shape preference and also explained why one would prefer a specific blade shape over another. It made choosing a knife more informed and secure.
I think it’s smart to enter with a budget in mind, as the plethora of options can be wallet emptying as well as intimidating. Speaking of nerd, when I finally narrowed my option to a gorgeous nakiri, because of the hand-​forged nature, each knife has a slightly different finish and make — Rob was the one who made the Harry Potter reference, so I can’t really take the creative credit for that. Albeit a tad cheesy, I loved that little comparison, and I finally chose a knife that «spoke to me.»
If you’re on the hunt for an incomparable knife that’s gorgeous and functional to use, I cannot recommend Knifewear more!

Okay, this place is just amazing, even if you’re just a noob like me when it comes to knives.
Yes, they have some wicked amazing knives imported directly from Japan. Some of these are factory-​made, most are hand-​made. No, they are not cheap. But this should not deter you. Rather, it should make your resolve that much stronger. But what really makes this place sing is the staff.
All of the staff here are passionate about knives, and this passion oozes out when talking to them. Stop in for a quick boo and you will quickly be cutting potatos and tomatos with the super-​sharp, amazing knives. Just try not to giggle too much as you slice — you don’t want to slip and cut your finger (s) off.
Kinfewear offers classes in knife sharpening and knife skills for $ 60/​ea, and they will sharpen your knife starting at $ 5, often while you wait.
They also have a (small) selection of straight razors for the discerning gentleman. Personally they just give me images of Sweeny Todd.
So I recommend you stop in, look around, and talk to Kevin, Rob, or Mark. You will not be disappointed!