Tomato Test - Our sharpness guarantee

Quick read summary

You have 24 hours from the moment your sharpened knives are returned to you to perform your Tomato Test and confirm their sharpness. After this period, our obligations end.

Our guarantee

At Blade & Butler, we confidently guarantee that your knives will return exceptionally sharp — or we’ll resharpen them for free. No quibbles. No exceptions. If we’re unable to show you video proof of your knives passing our Quality Control test, we’ll make it right.

Your 24 hr time window

Once your knives are delivered, you’ll have a 24-hour window to inspect and test them on tomatoes. Why only 24 hours? Because from that point on, the sharpness of your knife is affected by how it’s used, handled, and maintained. A knife can stay sharp for weeks, months, or even years — depending entirely on the user. The 24-hour period simply ensures you’re satisfied with our service before natural wear begins.

The Tomato test

Every knife we return must first slice cleanly through a ripe beef tomato from tip to heel, in a single, smooth motion — with almost no resistance and a razor-sharp, tear-free cut. If your knife fails this test, please record your own Tomato Test and send us the video. Just be sure to pull the knife gently from heel to tip, not push down like a guillotine.

We’ll review your footage alongside our own QC video.

• If your knives passed the Tomato Test in our workshop, the service is considered complete. And a QC sticker is added to the box. If they failed, you’ll receive a free resharpening.

The images shown above and below are genuine examples of “Before & After” Tomato Tests from our workshops — the standard we sharpen to.

Why test on Tomatoes?

The Tomato Test is the most practical and reliable measure of real-world sharpness. Kitchen knives are made to cut food, not paper or arm hair. While shaving or paper-cutting tests look impressive, they don’t reflect how a kitchen knife is actually used — and creating such a fine edge would make your knife more prone to chipping or rolling when it encounters harder materials like bone, pips, or even stone worktops.

With over a century of sharpening experience, we know the precise edge geometry that best suits each knife and its intended purpose. That said, if you’d prefer your knife sharpened to an ultra-fine edge capable of cutting paper or shaving hair, we’re happy to oblige — simply leave a note at checkout. This process takes longer and may require thinning your knife to a more acute angle, but we’ll gladly do it at no extra charge when requested.

Below, you’ll find a visual guide showing the spectrum of sharpness, corresponding bevels, and angles. Our Tomato Test provides an easy, consistent, and quantifiable benchmark — the very standard we guarantee for every single order.

Each knife we service is photographed, filmed, and documented as part of our 360° Care Plan, ensuring complete transparency and traceability.

We’re proud to maintain a 100% no-return rate — and we intend to keep it that way.