Tosho Knife Arts

After a lifetime of watching too many Food Network shows I have accumulated way too many kitchen knives. So many that more than a few occupy space at the back of my knife block, patiently waiting while others get used and often put back clumsily. A little over a month ago I pulled out one of my rarely used knives-a Shun "Sumo" somewhere between a chefs knife and a cleaver; and was horrified to find a series of large chips along the cutting edge of the blade. Seriously, the damn thing was practically serrated. I debated tossing it, thinking it would cost more to repair than I paid for it, but instead reached out to my friends at Nella Cucina. They recommended Tosho. I called first since their hours are limited. I explained the problem and asked how much it might cost to fix my knife. They quoted me a very reasonable $20, much less than the cost of buying new-if I could find a new one. They did caution me over the phone that in order to make the knife usable again they would grind it down to the level of the deepest chip, which might change the angle and width of the blade. Since my choices were either to see if $20 could make it functional again or essentially throw $150 in the garbage, I figured I'd give it a shot. Not like it was going to a better place anyway. I dropped the knife off on a Thursday and was told it would be ready in a week. I was instructed to pay up front, which surprised me but again-$20 and minimal inconvenience vs. Throwing it away. The knife was ready way ahead of schedule and the edge looks flawless. My only complaint is that when I brought it in, the associate pointed out a number of scratches along the side of the blade. I took this to mean that they would try to remove them, but when I got the knife back they looked like they hadn't been touched. No matter. I view my cooking equipment as tools, not museum pieces. My knife is now functional for the next time the urge to use it strikes. I will gladly go back to Tosho next time I need sharpening.

Probably one of the coolest stores I've ever been to. Honestly, as someone who is a knife lover, it's just too cool. I imagine chefs would have a field day here. So I went online looking for the right knife for my mom's birthday. I narrowed it down to two knives and went to the store the next week. I talked to the sales guy there, he was crazy informative and gave me a few more options for what I was looking for. What was really cool, was he let me try the different knives and had vegetables readily available to be chopped. I ended up getting my dad to come in and give it a try too. We both went with the original option. It was a carbon steel santoku. So it's a Japanese knife, different steel than western knives and a different shape. Which makes a pretty cool birthday present. So here's why I'm giving 4, not 5. They gave us a card on how to care for the knife. My mom followed those instructions to a T, but while that steel is known to discolour, it's not supposed to that quickly and it did not hold an edge the way it's supposed to. Experience wise, great place. Product, 3/5.

Avoid this place! They are very overpriced. You can get equivalent or better quality knives elsewhere for much less cost - Sabatier for example. They said it would take over two weeks to be able to sharpen the knife I bought from them. And then they said if I paid 50% more I could have it the next day - do you call that service?

The sharpening service is very good, but it was much better a few years ago at the Markham St. location. Prices and turnaround times have increased, and they are now highly selective about what they will sharpen (no folders, scissors, tools, etc.). I find this really disappointing for a knife shop. Otherwise, I highly recommend Tosho -- still among the best in the city.

I first brought a single-bevel knife at Tosho for sharpening. They did a very good job and the cost was reasonable. Then I had a knife re-tiped. The work was flawless. Recently, I bought a Hitohira petty knife. I am used to sharp knives. I sold good quality knives for many years. The Hitohira knife is a "revelation"! It slices through material with practically no resistance. It's almost scary... I highly recommend Tosho for its excellent service, great products and reasonable prices (compared to the competition for similar products).

I've purchased 3 knifes from here and a few cutting boards The service is low key and informed - they make great suggestions with no pressure tactics

I have a Chinese Cleaver. Inexpensive and quite useful but can never hold a sharp edge. I would sharpen it myself on a whetstone and it would be good but never razor sharp. I brought it to Tosho Knife Arts and got back a razor sharp edge. All for $10. Totally blown away. I will be bringing it for sharpening more often in the future. Highly, highly recommended.

I had my Roselli UHC 40th Anniversary knife sharpened by Tosho (for 18 dollars, tax included). The sharpening on the micro bevel was evenly done and the knife is sharp as a new knife. Well done. I will be back for this service again.

Awesome knives beautiful selection! I kind of feel awkward that I was talking to them about accidentally cutting my nail off with a different knife, and I cut myself with one of their knives after I bought it! Does this mean I don't need a nail clipper?

It was fun shopping at Tosho knife arts. I enjoyed browsing through their selections of kitchen knives ranging from western to Japanese styles, both single bevel and double bevel designs (more double bevel than single ones in store.) Staff are attentive and friendly: Tyler is kind, knowledgeable about wabouchou, and gave me a ton of tips for knife sharpening. I ended up getting a SLD Santoku knife with Japanese handle from them and couldn't be happier about it :)

Expert knife shop, amazing service. I took my EDC Spyderco there that was severely damaged by another story in Vancouver, the previous shop had destroyed the edge on my blade, and after many hours and attempts by myself, I thought the blade was ruined. When I brought the knife here I explained what happed to my blade and figured it needed a re-profile, to my surprise when I picked it back up, it was perfectly re-profiled with a razor mirror finished edge. The angle was perfectly fine and super sharp, as it is VG-10 the sharpness had retained even through difficult tasks. I highly recommend this shop, as not only are they kind, and professional, they are definitely knife experts. I will always bring my blades here, at least until I take their course on sharpening! Honestly bring your blades here, you will be happy you did. Thank you for providing me with exceptional service and for being so kind. Cheers.