Potchefstroom · Knives & sharpeners
Knife sharpening in Potchefstroom
Precision sharpening on the Wicked Edge system or by hand on traditional stones, handmade knives by Willie Jordaan, and genuine PUMA knives. Bring your blunt kitchen, pocket and hunting knives to 74 Smit Street and take them home sharp.
Handmade by Willie Jordaan
Knives with character
Made by hand, one at a time, from named steel and named wood. Handmade means no two knives are ever the same: the steel, the wood and the finish make every knife its own.
Sharpening
Sharp knives matter
A blunt knife slips; a sharp knife cuts where you point it. Sharpening is an art, not a chore. We sharpen on the Wicked Edge precision system, which holds the blade in a vice and works both sides at exactly the same angle, stroke after stroke, through the grits and onto strops. Not every knife goes on the Wicked Edge, though: depending on the type of steel and the type of knife, some call for traditional sharpening by hand on stones. Either way, the aim is a true, even edge that lasts, not the ragged edge a cheap pull-through sharpener can leave behind.
Every knife we sharpen gets a basic service at no extra charge: a clean of the blade and handle, a light oil on the blade, and a check of the pivot, lock and screws. Repairs, chips and reprofiling are quoted once we have seen the knife.
| Type of knife | Price per knife |
|---|---|
| Kitchen knives Chef's knives, paring knives, carving knives and the rest of the kitchen drawer. We do not sharpen bread knives. | R50 |
| Folding knives Pocket knives and folders of every kind, including lock-backs, liner locks and slip joints. | R100 |
| Hunting knives Fixed-blade hunting, skinning and bushcraft knives. | R120 |
| High-value and exclusive knives Custom, collectable and premium knives are quoted once we have seen the knife. | By quotation |
| Serrated blades Added to the price for the knife type above. | R50 extra |
| Repairs Chipped edges, broken tips, thinning and reprofiling are quoted once we have inspected the knife. | By quotation |
Wicked Edge dealer
Own the sharpener we use
We are an authorised Wicked Edge dealer. The Carbon, the GO and the pocket-sized Venture range are ordered for you from the factory in Santa Fe with duty, VAT and clearance included in the price, and a few genuine accessories, diamond stones, balsa strops and the Low Angle Adapter, are in stock in Potchefstroom.
Handmade in Potchefstroom
Knives by Willie Jordaan
Böhler N690, 1095 high carbon and 440C blades, heat treated to the steelmaker's specification, on handles of walnut, mopane, leadwood, wild olive and Kirinite. Each knife is sharpened on the Wicked Edge and comes with a handmade leather sheath and a signed certificate of authenticity.
The maker's mark
Every blade carries the name
Each handmade knife is etched with the Willie Jordaan South Africa mark and the steel it is made from, and leaves with a certificate that records its serial number, materials and dimensions. A knife made by hand is a tool first, but it is also the one thing in the drawer that will outlast you.
Willie works from his own patterns but does not copy a knife: each one takes its own shape as the steel, the wood and his eye lead him. Knives made to order are paused while we rebuild our workshop and upgrade the machinery; we will take orders again soon.
It's a STEEL is now a father-and-son business: Willie's son, also Willie Jordaan, has joined him as an apprentice.
Learn something
Steel, shapes and edges
Blade shapes explained
Drop point, clip point, tanto, wharncliffe, karambit and thirteen more: what each shape is for and why.
The steels in our knives
N690, 1095, 440C and PUMA's steels: what each one is, from the makers' own data sheets, and how to look after it.
The art of sharpening
Why sharpening is an art, what can go wrong, and what cheap sharpeners do to a blade.
Think twice, cut once.Chris Reeve Knives
There was never a good knife made of bad steel.Benjamin Franklin
A knife is an atavistic experience. It was man's first tool and weapon. ... No matter how sophisticated we become, a knife takes us back to the cave.Bob Loveless (attributed)
Find us
74 Smit Street, Potchefstroom
We have our own office in the same building as Willie Jordaan Attorneys. Bring your knives in during office hours, or send a WhatsApp first if you want to be sure someone is in.
- 74 Smit Street, Potchefstroom, 2531
Same building as Willie Jordaan Attorneys - 082 457 3499 phone and WhatsApp
- itsasteel100@gmail.com
- Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:30
- It's a STEEL on Facebook
- It's a STEEL on Instagram
- Our YouTube channel