William Tan's Custom Knives, Sharpening, Repair

This is my first ever Yelp review and I'm leaving it because no other reviews mentioned the kind of service I needed and to note my experience:

I've come to William exclusively for sword sharpening. You'll find plenty of knife sharpening services (of varying quality) in any city, but swords are a different animal from kitchen knives.

My first sword, William did an incredibly excellent job, leaving it paper-cutting sharp and it cuts like a dream. My second sword was where William's work really stood out. The sword I brought in didn't have great blade geometry. It had a flat generally lenticular blade geometry that William noted would not provide great cutting capacity. I just told him to do his best and whatever he was able to. Imagine my shock and delight when I picked up my sword and saw he was able to provide the sword with a meticulous, wide, uniform secondary bevel around the entire edge. I mean like an actual quality secondary bevel, not a tiny, fragile secondary bevel you'd get from your weird cousin going to town on your sword with an Accusharp in his garage. The entire thing is razor sharp and meticulously sharpened, with no unevenness or chipping. All for an incredibly fair price as well!

When you have an expensive Albion or Motohara that you chose to buy instead of a down payment for your house, you need to go to someone who knows what they're doing. With normal knife sharpeners, they might treat your sword's edge like a kitchen knife, which it is not. WIlliam understands how swords, sword blade geometry, and sword use work and will ensure your sword gets the treatment it deserves. So, if you're one of the few weirdos who's into swords or other historical arms in the Bay Area looking for a sharpening service you can trust, William's your guy. I wholeheartedly recommend anyone bring in their longswords, tulwars, katanas, falchions, or whatever-else steel women-repellent you have a at home to William.

I took 3 chefs knives to be sharpened on a Wednesday afternoon. My knives are relatively nice (~$200 price range each) and were in good quality, just dull (no chips, rusting, etc).

William's mother greeted me, took my knives, and reminded me of the price range per knife. On Friday morning, I got a text that my knives were ready and confirming the final price. Pick up was quick and easy, and the knives are well sharpened. Two of my knives are polished to a shiny finish, and William was able to maintain that shine. The knives cut so much better now, and I'm sure I'll be back in the future.

A few notes - the gate to the backyard is in the cul de sac (not the main street that the front door is on), so when you send the text letting them know that you've arrived, they'll meet you at that side gate. They only accept cash or Venmo. They don't give you the final price or pickup time until the work is done, I think because William needs to assess the knives. The price felt fair to me given the quality of work, just something to be aware of!

I've had one of those 'life-changing purchase' moments, and it involves a knife. Yes, a knife. Who would've thought?

For years, I was content with my trusty HomeGoods knife set. They were cheap, got the job done, but let's just say they weren't exactly inspiring and that's okay since I don't cook much anyways. However, I am starting to do more meal prepping. My knives were becoming really dull and I looked into getting them sharpened. Will worked his magic on them, and suddenly, chopping vegetables felt like a breeze. It was a game-changer.

But then came the real game-changer: Will's custom knife. It's like holding a piece of art in your hand. The moment I touched it, I knew things were about to get serious in the kitchen. As I mentioned, I don't cook, but I've suddenly spent more time practicing with a bag of onions (yes, I'm that dedicated), and the results are incredible. I watch a lot of cooking shows (please watch The Bear if you haven't already) and I feel like I am as capable as those chefs :).

This knife has ignited a passion for cooking within me. I'm experimenting with new recipes, eating healthier, and actually enjoying the process. Who knew a sharp piece of steel could be so transformative? I'm officially obsessed.

Great service and quick turnaround.

But don't be confused by the setup. It is in the backyard of someone's house.

The talented William and his mom are helpful and will get your knives back into good shape. He completely transformed my dad's knives. If you need proof take a look at the before and after photos.

I would bring my knives back here again.

I have had 3 knives sharpened, including one Japanese knife in carbon steel. All of them came back razor sharp and I'm very satisfied with the service.

Like many of you, I don't want to sharpen my knives. So that's why I went to William Tan.

The process was simple - I dropped off my knives and I picked them up once I got a message that they're done.

I paid and I was off to go cook again. Wow! My knives can chop through scallions like butter.

For $12 a knife, you too can afford getting out the whetstone

William did a great job on my knives and even was able to sharpen them the same day. They are better than ever!

I had 3 knives sharpened by them and they were fantastic! Got them back in better shape than when I bought them. Would absolutely come back again.

William sharpened a Wusthof Chef's knife and a low cost vegetable cleaver and got them sharper than they had ever been before. Service was very friendly, the price extremely reasonable.

I also decided to purchase a custom Nakiri knife (Japanese vegetable knife) from William. I am very happy with this beautiful knife and have been using it every day in the kitchen for my prep work.

I don't trust a lot of people with my knives. My knives are expensive and mean a lot to me. I use them at home and also in a professional kitchen.

I chose William to sharpen my knives because I saw he had a whetstone and hand sharpens them. I messaged him and he responded right away. I was able to drop off my knives and get them back within the same day!

After seeing handiwork, he is a person I definitely trust with my knives and would recommend him to my friends.

Quick turnaround and knives are sharp! The communication was great with easy payment acceptance