Choosing a Sharpener

Most beauty and barber schools smartly train their students to simply say "No" when they are approached by someone soliciting them to sharpen their shears.  There are some precautions that should be taken when selecting the person with whom you are going to entrust your valuable equipment.  After all, these are the tools of your trade.  Your income depends on two things: your skill and the quality of your equipment.

1.  Determine that the sharpener and the company are genuine.  Ask for and keep a business card or brochure.  Check out the website.  Be sure you have the sharpener's name, a street address, a working phone number, and an email address for the company.

2.  Determine experience.  Ask how long the company has been in business.  Ask how long your sharpener has been sharpening.

3.  Determine qualifications.  What professional training does your sharpener have.  Ask about their qualifications.

4.  Determine guarantee.  What is the guarantee policy.  Does the sharpener own the business.  If so, they will be more motivated to ensure your satisfaction. 

5.  Determine equipment used. 

6.  Determine ability to sharpen convex (Asian) shears.

In-store sharpeners should also provide you with answers to these questions.

1.  Determine where they live and what is their normal service area.  Are they just passing through the area or do they live in the area only part time?  If they live part of the year somewhere else in the country, you can expect to get part-time service at best.  How can they guarantee their return for a service issue?  

2.  Ask how often and for how long they will be in your area doing work.  Once again, failure to be based in a close enough proximity year around will mean that you won't be able to get follow-up visits. Reasons for unscheduled service visits can include such things as unexpected damage caused by you accidentally dropping your shears or replacing a lost or damaged part on your favorite pair.  When you trust your shears to Joe at Sharpen My Shears, you can expect prompt service all year long!