DC Sharp

I was really excited to find out about this business and see that the reviews were so good. My experience turned out middling but it would not stop me from recommending the place. I would just advise being very clear on expectations.
I recently brought my straight razor in for sharpening, here are the highlights:
The good: excellent work on the razor, super sharp when I got it back and no damage or scratches to any part of it or the leather case, a great shaving edge handled by obviously talented hands. The guys are all really friendly as well. Very quick response to email inquiry. Nice to drop off and enjoy happy hour at the market. Quicker than mailing it out from drop off to pickup times.
The less than stellar: I emailed asking if they handle razors and got a reply almost immediately saying yes, bring it in, but no note about any service difference for a razor vs. Knives. I thought it would be great to be able to have the razor back quickly/​in an hour and at the affordable rates advertised on their website, but all of that doesn’t pertain to razors apparently. When I finally got out there (an hour metro trip and short, hot walk from Arlington with wife and baby) the guy at the counter took the razor and told me to expect a call in a couple of days. My hopeful quick experience already tossed out I left the razor anyway since I wanted it honed. After a few days and no call I called them a couple times until I reached someone and got confirmation for a pickup, and was told it had’t needed that much work. I metro’d out there again with wife and baby (another hour each way) and on picking it up was told that it cost 30 bucks. That is a big difference from the knife rates so I asked why and was told that razors take a lot of work to sharpen. That is the opposite of what I was told about my razor over the phone.
The rate and time frame really aren’t unreasonable, but I was disappointed none of it was communicated.
Given that it is a big time investment to get there and back twice from Arlington I doubt I will use the service again, but if you live closer, drive, or regularly go to market I would recommend their sharpening skills and friendliness. Just make sure you get clarity on what to expect.

This is a fantastic shop for Japanese knives! I bought a Gyuto knife there and they were super patient and helpful in showing me the options and explaining how to hold the knife properly and not damage the blade. They also did a great job sharpening (by hand, as it should be done) and repairing a Santoku with a broken tip (I dropped it accidentally) — it took like 20 minutes and looks like nothing ever happened! Will definitely be back here.

I had my straight razor sharpened here previously and had an excellent end product. I attempted to go back recently to get my straight razor sharpened; however, I was abruptly and rudely told they no longer sharpen straight razors because «they are a pain in the ass.» I had much higher expectations for customer service than this. Another friend told me they flat out refused to sharpened his Japanese cutlery. I will be seeking a new sharpening vendor.

Wow, I can’t believe how sharp my knife is now! Cutting meat was like slicing through butter. I think it’s actually sharper now then when I bought it.

They do it right, they do it fast, and they do it for any knife, cheap or expensive. I used to be a professional chef, though I’m not anymore. I’ve tried a lot of professional knife sharpeners, and, unhappy with the results, learned how to do it myself. They do it better than I can. For about $ 1 per inch of knife, that’s a great deal.

As a cook at a top-​25 restaurant, sharp knives are of utmost importance. Not only were my knives razor sharp when I picked them up, their turnaround time was wonderful: I dropped them off Sunday afternoon and they were ready first thing Tuesday morning, and I was on my merry way to work.
Worth every penny!

I rely on a Wusthof Santoku and paring knife for my kitchen needs. While I have a handheld knife sharpener that I use on occasion, my knives were in desperate need of some professional care. I had remembered seeing DC Sharp in Union Market, and once I managed to get a free few hours, I took my knives here.
I think I dealt with Kevin (he hails from Boston’s North Shore, just like yours truly). He was friendly and easy-​going, and had both knives ready within an hour. The ease of paying with Square and receiving a text once the work was complete is fantastic. As are my super sharp knives, though I might let my knife-​aficionado boyfriend handle them until they dull slightly, because sometimes my chopping hand moves faster than my holding hand.

Wow! You really don’t know what you are missing until you get your knives sharpened professionally. Thanks guys!!!

I went back yesterday & had a few of my blades resharpen & left it for a few hours came back to find them scary razor sharp, even sharper then they came out of the box! These guys once again did their magic & made a piece of steel into a precise slicing tool as it was meant to be.

Super nice service! I brought in a few knives to be sharpened and they did a great job. Yay!

Take my review with a grain of salt. I have no prior experience with knife sharpeners so I don’t know what comparative features to look for.
That said, DC Sharp seemed to do a great job. I brought ten knives in for sharpening: three chefs knives, three paring knives, and four serrated blades. They finished all ten in about two hours, including fixing broken points on three knives. The total was about $ 150, which isn’t cheap but is hardly a rip-​off either.
Most of these knives were dull, one to the point of being almost unusable, when I brought them in. Now the edge easily catches anything I need to cut through (just chopped a whole assortment of vegetables this morning). I could easily feel this on my finger when I unwrapped them, and the blades looked visibly sharper.
Three other minor things I liked: [1] Their computer system, which I think is used throughout union market, is all electronic. It keeps the cardholder name so after the first time it will email a receipt automatically. No paper. [2] They text you when the knives are ready. [3] The man who took my knives looked them over very carefully when I brought them in, and pointed out exactly what needed to be fixed. Maybe that’s standard practice, but I like that kind of individual attention with any merchant.

Been so long since my beloved Global was as sharp as the day I bought it. Logan Hardware ground it to hell, and so did a ktichen shop in old town. Brought it (and my other knives) to Union Market and DC Sharp made them surgical instruments!
Some of my knives have NEVER been this sharp. Highly recommended over anyone else.

I’ve had my knives for 10 years and they were in serious need of sharpening. DC Sharp did a great job, especially with a chefs knife that I had put in the dishwasher one too many times. I feel like I have a new set of knives again!

Thanks to WaPo Express for the article, I used the drop-​off service at the Annie’s Ace Hardware on Upshur. Quick turnaround, pricier than the service I’ve used previously $ 36 for my 8″ chef’s knife, my 6″ «utility» knife and my 3″ pairing knife but we’ll see how long they last between services. That being said, they are *super* sharp, sharp enough that I could SEE how much sharper they were when I unpacked them. Awesome! Will definitely use again :)

Fantastic company. They sharpened my knives and honed them to be good as new. The guys working there even told me some of my knives weren’t worth the money to sharpen. That meant they chose to advise me not to use their services rather than make money. I really appreciate service like that!

DC Sharp is the place to go for knife sharpening. Gather all your knives, scissors and garden tools and get them sharpened. Chop, Chop!
I will never have a dull blade again, as long as these wonderful guys are at Union Market NE. The Market is also a fun place to walk around, eat and drink.

I was so excited to find these guys. They were recommended to me by the gentleman who’d sold me a gift (straight razor) for my boyfriend as a resource to maintain the edge — and sharpen our kitchen knives.
We brought in 5 blades and a little folding knife I’d had since 1992 that had great sentimental value and was no longer manufactured.
They were able do the knives while we wandered Union Market and ate lunch. We even added to our collection and bought a new kitchen knife.
As they were unable to get to the little folder that day, I was fine with them mailing it back. This is where it all went wrong.
The knife was mailed in a paper envelope, like what you mail a letter in. Not a priority mail cardboard envelope. Not a padded CD mailer. So I received an empty envelope. No knife.
I called immediately. Ryan agreed he’d talk to the post office and call me back on Monday. He suggested he could replace the knife, promised to try and solve the problem.
I waited. No call.
Called them back the following Thursday. Spoke to Ryan who said the post office wasn’t helpful. He offered no solution at that point. I mentioned I’d been waiting for a call.
I’d just started an email to Derek after speaking to Ryan when he called me back. About all they could do was reimburse me what I’d spent on sharpening.
So while they do lovely work and deserve 5 stars for that, their operational processes leave me with a little folding knife shaped hole in my heart.

what a great addition to DC. I have a bunch of top of the line german knives that hold an edge incredibly well. I had a house guest put three of them through the dishwasher– a no no for anything you want to keep sharp. Well no matter how long i used the steel on them i could not bring them back. I have a sharpening stone that was given to me a long time ago but if you use it wrong you can damage the knife beyond repair so i have always been scared to use it. I dropped off the knives with these guys and they perfectly sharpened them. One had been dropped into the gabage disposal and was severly nicked and damaged. Now its perfect! bring your blades to these guys. reasonable and reliable and just nice guys who love high quality knives.

Great service. I dropped off my Knives when i first got to Union Market then picked them up after looking around and eating at the market about an 1 ½ later. Got home and knives are SUPER sharp, love it.

Very good sharpening job, and friendly guys to boot. I haven’t seen their main location at Union Market, but they set up shop at Weygandt Wines in Cleveland Park on Tuesday afternoons. They sharpened while i waited. Will go back.