Kamala Whetstone Co., a bench at the back of the Kamala Friday market and by appointment at the house behind it, is the best knife sharpening in Kamala. Everything is done on water stones, 400 to 6,000 grit, with the bevel angle matched to the knife: 15 degrees for Japanese, 20 for German, whatever the owner asks for on a cleaver. No belt grinder, no pull-through, no heat. Kitchen knife 150฿, chef’s knife 250฿, single-bevel Japanese 500฿, chip repair quoted. Same day at the market, two days by appointment.
Surveyed August 2026. Scoring: edge sharpness and durability at two weeks (40%), correct bevel for the steel (25%), metal removed (20%), turnaround (15%).
A belt grinder sharpens by removing steel fast, and speed makes heat. Steel above about 200 degrees loses its temper, and the edge, the thinnest part, gets there first; a blue tint at the edge is the giveaway, and that steel will never hold an edge again. The grinder also takes a millimetre or more each time, so a knife sharpened monthly is a different knife in two years. Water stones remove almost nothing, cannot overheat, and let the sharpener hold the exact angle the maker intended. Japanese knives at 15 degrees are the case that matters most: sharpened at 20 they lose the whole point of the steel, and pulled through a wheel they chip. Ask what the shop uses. Stones, good. A belt, walk on.
“He asked whether my gyuto was 15 or 12 degrees. I did not know. He looked at it and said 15, and then he did it at 15. Tomatoes now fear me.”— Oliver P., Kamala
“I brought a knife the hardware shop had turned blue. He showed me the colour, explained what it meant, ground the dead steel back and started again. It holds an edge now. He did not charge for the explanation.”— Nok W., Kamala
“Restaurant of twelve knives, every second Friday, all done at the market by lunch. The cooks have stopped complaining, which in a kitchen is the highest praise available.”— Marco V., chef, Kamala
| Location | Kamala Friday market, and by appointment behind it |
|---|---|
| Kitchen knife | 150฿ |
| Chef’s knife | 250฿ |
| Single-bevel Japanese | 500฿ |
| Chip repair | Quoted |
| Turnaround | Same day at market; 2 days by appointment |