Japanese knives

Welcome to StaySharp, we are a store specializing in Japanese kitchen knives that offers the largest selection of Japanese knives in Montreal and Quebec. Our goal is to showcase the ancient art of Japanese forging to the best of our ability by explaining the unique characteristics of these functional works of art.

Wondering where to start? What would be the right knife for your needs? Are you looking for a Japanese chef's knife or a high-end all purpose knife? We're happy to walk you through the process by answering your questions, visit the FAQ or come directly to our knife store in Montreal.

Discover the best Japanese knives in Canada

Japanese knife makers are known for their attention to detail, mastery of forging and use of high quality materials. They have a long tradition of perfecting their craft, and have become famous for their superior quality knives, hand forged by experienced craftsmen. You will find on the StaySharp online store the best Japanese knife manufacturers available in Canada such as:

• Hado
• Hatsukokoro
• Higonokami
• Hitohira
• Jiro
• Kogetsu
• Morihei
• Motokyuuichi
• Nigara Hamono
• Takada No Hamono
• Takeda
• Yoshikane

Find the type of knife that fits your needs

Are you looking for a specific type of Japanese knife? Whether it's a stainless steel blade (SG2, Ginsan, VG-10, ZDP-189), semi-stainless steel (SKD-11, HAP-40, SLD) or traditional carbon steel (Aogami, Shirogami). We have what you need. You are looking for a knife with a particular finish; Damascus, Kurouchi, Migaki, Tsuchime and so on. You can choose what you like best from our wide selection of Japanese kitchen knives.

Japanese knives come in many shapes and sizes for different uses in the kitchen. The most commonly used types are Santoku, Nakiri, Gyuto and Deba, each with its own characteristics to meet the needs of chefs and cooking enthusiasts. The Santoku knife is used for slicing, chopping and mincing, while the Nakiri is a specialized knife for preparing vegetables. The Gyuto is a versatile chef's knife and the Deba is a specialized knife for cutting fish.

StaySharp Montreal is proud to offer the following types of Japanese knives:

• Deba knives
• Gyuto knives
• Honesuki and Hankotsu knives
• Kiritsuke knives
• Nakiri and Usuba knives
• Petty knives
• Santoku and Bunka knives
• Sujihiki, Sakimaru and Yanagiba knives
• Cleaver Knives

We suggest combining a chef's knife and an office knife to start your knife set. You can then add a fish knife or bread knife, for example.

Find out which Japanese knives are best for each purpose and see what we have to offer in Staysharp essentials.

Montreal Japanese knife sharpening service

We offer on-site knife sharpening and repair services in Montreal. We sharpen on water stones in the traditional Japanese way. We do not limit ourselves to sharpening Japanese knives, we accept all blades! Visit our page: sharpening service for more details. We are located less than 30 minutes from Laval or the South Shore, but if you want, you can select the postal option on our site to send us your knives that we will return to you once sharpened.

The StaySharp story

StaySharp was created by Olivier Caza Berthelet, a professional chef who had a fascination for the world of Japanese kitchen knives. He started sharpening his colleagues' knives while still working full time in the Montreal kitchens. He soon realized that there was a crying need for affordable Japanese knives in the restaurant industry. This gave him an idea: Japanese blades at the right price! Learn more about the beginnings of StaySharp knife shop in Montreal on our story page.

Be part of the StaySharp community

Located on the corner of Saint-Denis and Gilford in the heart of the Plateau Mont-Royal, StaySharp is the reference for Japanese blades in Canada. With close ties to the restaurant community, we serve chefs, cooks and culinary students with the tools and advice they need. You can learn more about the different types of Japanese knives and their uses on the learning section of the site or by visiting our Japanese knife store in Montreal. You will also find collaborations between StaySharp and chefs from the Montreal restaurant scene. If you're looking for a good place to eat, ask us! We have some great suggestions.

For the enthusiast who can't get enough of beautiful knives, we invite you to join La Fine Pointe, our exclusive club to get early access to the latest arrivals of high-end Japanese knives.

Japanese knives at the right price

Transparency, selling at the right price and good customer service are core values that StaySharp relies on to move forward. When you are presented with a knife, you are told who

forged the knife, the region it comes from and the materials it is made of. You can even validate this information with an online search.

Furthermore, we are committed to selling our blades at a fair price by being competitive with the rest of the market, the prices at which knives are purchased fluctuate and the prices in the store follow this fluctuation. If we pay less, so do you! Customer service is the backbone of StaySharp, whether it's during the purchase of your blade in the store or for after sales service, we are committed to helping you get the most out of your Japanese knife.

What makes a Japanese knife different?

The main differences between a Japanese knife and a European style knife are the hardness of the steel and the fineness of the edge. The higher hardness of the steel provides better edge retention, while a finer edge increases the cutting ability of a blade as it will go through food better.

The hardness of the steel is due to the high carbon content found in the best steels; Japanese steels contain a minimum of 0.9% and up to 1.3% carbon. The sharpness of Japanese blades is due to the fact that they are hand-molded by skilled sharpeners who have many years of experience. These sharpeners will be able to adapt to each type of blade and type of steel they work with, and judge the best way to finish the knives to get the most out of each of them. A difficult task for a machine that makes hundreds of blades a day.

For a Japanese kitchen knife that lasts a lifetime

At StaySharp, we believe that a good Japanese chef's knife that is well cared for can last for more than 10 years and replace a set of knives purchased in a chain store. The ancestral expertise behind Japanese forging and steel making is simply unmatched. The two combined give us knives that are forged by the best craftsmen from the best materials. The Japanese blades sold at StaySharp are made with these principles in mind to provide unparalleled durability and finish.

So look no further for a superior knife. Japanese kitchen knives offer an exceptional combination of design and performance. Whether you're an experienced chef or simply a cooking enthusiast, a quality knife can make all the difference in preparing your favorite dishes. Discover the StaySharp Japanese knife you need to enhance your cooking experience in store or online today.