Chinatown Knife Sharpening Shop From S$12 a Knife: Binlin

Binlin Knife Store, at 17 Temple Street #01-02, Singapore 058563, sharpens kitchen knives on-site from S$12 for a petty knife and S$15 for anything between 15cm and 24cm. The shop is open Monday to Saturday from 9am to 6pm and closed on Sundays and public holidays. For a knife sharpening shop in Chinatown that also stocks a wall of Japanese blades, it is the most central walk-in counter in the city, and prices exclude 9% GST.

Binlin's own history page dates the store to 18 March 2023. It grew out of Binlin Linen, an established linen business, through a partnership with the Japanese knife maker Sakai Takayuki. That single brand was the starting point, and the shelves now carry a wider list: Baba Hamono, Daruma Hamono, Yasuda Hamono, Hasegawa Hamono, Michiko Kubota Knifeworks, Suncraft, Seiu Hamono, Tojiro, Kiwami and Kunio Matsutani sit alongside the Sakai Takayuki range.

The team describes itself as advisors and educators as much as retailers. Its story page promises free sharpening and engraving for knives bought there, guidance on blade geometry and steel, and hands-on whetstone demonstrations. That shapes how the counter feels: you are as likely to get a short explanation of why your stainless santoku dulls faster than a Blue Steel gyuto as you are to get a receipt.

The sharpening page lists fees by knife type rather than by inch. For double-edged knives, a petty knife costs S$12, a knife from 15cm to 24cm costs S$15 and anything longer than 24cm costs S$20. Single-edged Japanese knives such as yanagiba, deba and usuba start at S$20. Honbazuke, the first full sharpening that sets the working edge on a new Japanese knife, is done on request.

Damage costs extra. Major repairs, listed as a broken tip, restoring an edge or grinding out deep chips, add S$30 on top of the sharpening fee. Rehandling is S$20, or S$40 if the team has to file the handle or the knife, or saw off part of the tang, and the rehandling fee is waived if you buy the new handle from Binlin. All of these figures are before the 9% GST.

The one firm refusal on the page is serrated knives. Binlin says it is currently unable to sharpen them, so leave the bread knife at home. Everything else on a normal kitchen magnet strip is covered, including the single-bevel sashimi and fish knives that several other Singapore services decline or charge heavily for.

That makes Binlin a good fit for a mixed household. A family with a 21cm gyuto, a petty knife and an old deba would pay S$15, S$12 and from S$20, or about S$47 before GST. If the deba has a chipped heel from hitting fish bones, add S$30 for the repair. My one honest caution is about expectations for cheap stamped knives: a S$15 professional edge on a soft supermarket blade will not last as long as it does on hard Japanese steel.

The page says to bring your knives to the store and have them sharpened on-site, and describes the service as suited to chefs and home cooks who need blades done quickly. It does not publish a fixed turnaround, so arrive early in the day if you want to wait or take a walk while the work is done, rather than turning up shortly before 6pm closing.

Temple Street is a busy tourist lane, lined with souvenir stalls and shophouse cafés, so an early start also means an easier walk to the door. If your knife needs a major repair, mention it at the counter as soon as you arrive, because restoring an edge or a broken tip takes longer than a routine sharpen.

Singapore's Chinatown is crowded and most visitors arrive by MRT, so pack the knives properly. Wrap each blade in a tea towel or slide it into an edge guard, then carry them in a box or knife roll rather than a loose tote bag. Wash and dry the knives first, and if a blade has rust spots, point them out at the counter along with any chips.

Anyone choosing a first Japanese knife should know that a knife bought at Binlin comes with free sharpening. Over a few years, that perk is worth more than the S$15 sharpening price suggests, especially for a home cook who has the edge refreshed two or three times a year.

The shop also sells whetstones, replacement handles and a range of steels, from VG-10 and Ginsan to SG2, Blue Steel No.2, Super Blue and ZDP189. Its online guide explains the trade-offs between high-carbon, stainless and semi-stainless steel. For anyone who wants to stop paying for sharpening altogether, the free whetstone demonstration mentioned on the story page is the cheapest way to learn, and the stones are on the same shelves.

Temple Street is one of the pedestrianised lanes at the heart of Chinatown, and Chinatown MRT station on the North East and Downtown lines is a few minutes' walk away. Walk to the end of the lane and you reach South Bridge Road, where the Sri Mariamman Temple's towering gopuram faces the street, and the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple is a short stroll further south.

For lunch while the knives are done, Chinatown Complex Food Centre on Smith Street is a couple of lanes away, with hundreds of hawker stalls on its second floor. If Binlin is closed on a Sunday or public holiday, Razorsharp in the Tan Boon Liat Building on Outram Road is the nearest alternative counter, opening Monday to Saturday.

Address: 17 Temple Street #01-02, Singapore 058563. Hours: Monday 9am to 6pm, Tuesday 9am to 6pm, Wednesday 9am to 6pm, Thursday 9am to 6pm, Friday 9am to 6pm, Saturday 9am to 6pm, closed Sunday and public holidays. Contact: through the form on binlin-knife.com; no phone number is published.

Fees before 9% GST: petty knife S$12; 15cm to 24cm S$15; over 24cm S$20; single-edged knives from S$20; major repairs plus S$30; rehandling S$20 or S$40. Not accepted: serrated knives. Free sharpening for knives bought at the store. Ask the Karpo APP for a Chinatown hawker stall while you wait.