Meesterslijpers on the Kinkerstraat: knife sharpening, engraving and browsing

Want your knives sharpened in Amsterdam? Then go to Meesterslijpers at Kinkerstraat 267-271 in Oud-West. The De Boer family has been sharpening knives and scissors here since 1980, has its own engraving studio and runs a kitchen shop where you can easily spend an hour. I come here regularly, and I have never once managed to walk out empty-handed.

What makes Meesterslijpers special?

It is really three businesses in one: a traditional sharpening workshop, an engraving studio and a large kitchen shop. And yet it feels like a neighbourhood shop. They sell pans from Le Creuset, but you can just as easily go there for a plunger or a mop.

René de Boer puts it like this: “Listening to the neighbourhood is in our DNA.” If a few customers ask for something they do not have within a short time, it will simply be in stock next time.

How did Meesterslijpers start?

On 1 April 1980, master sharpener Thomas de Boer started his business at the beginning of the Kinkerstraat. When the new part of the street was built later on, they were the very first business there. The old shop window said in elegant lettering what you could bring in: scissors, knives, saws, chisels, skates and garden tools, for sharpening and polishing.

When Thomas’s wife Ellen also started working in the shop, pans and cutlery were added. That is how the sharpening workshop slowly grew into the kitchen shop it is today.

Who is behind the business?

Today the four sons run the business day to day. Johan runs the shop and the shop team, Berend leads the sharpening workshop, Harmen takes care of customer service and administration, and René of the webshop and marketing. Their mother still works in the shop two days a week as a hostess, and Thomas drops by a few times a week for a cup of coffee and a chat.

You notice that in everything. They are service-minded and really take the time to explain things. When I bought the HORL 2 there, a roller sharpener that lets you get your knives sharp again at home, I got an extensive demonstration with it. With a good dose of Amsterdam humour, which only makes it more fun.

How does knife sharpening at Meesterslijpers work?

You bring your knives to the shop, and they are usually ready the next working day. Having a kitchen knife sharpened costs €8.50 (October 2026). You can also bring in scissors, chisels and skates.

Their own recommendation is Kazoku, their own brand: Japanese knives and kitchen tools that they bring in directly from Japan, so that really good knives stay affordable. If you want something personal, they will engrave a name or logo on it.

My tip: take your time to browse

Do not go there in a hurry. First walk calmly through all the aisles. You will get ideas, and it is the perfect place for a present, because you are bound to find something. If you are looking for something specific for the kitchen, they almost certainly have it.

Living around the Kinkerstraat

The Kinkerstraat is a lovely, varied street, with lots of different shops and nice places to eat and drink, and that actually carries on into the Jan Pieter Heijestraat. We have sold several homes here, and buyers keep mentioning the same thing: living right in the bustle of the city, with coffee bars and small restaurants within walking distance. If you want some quiet, you can walk straight into the Vondelpark, and the canal belt is within walking distance too.

Curious how living and buying in this area works? Then read our page about Amsterdam-Oud-West. Looking for a home in Oud-West yourself? Feel free to see what our buying agent can do for you. More shops near our office on the Singel: Lanskroon and StoryTiles.

Photos: Meesterslijpers