Eric’s passion for sharpening first came alive when he was gifted a small set of Mundial Oliver Anquier knives in 2007. These were the most gorgeous knives he had seen, let alone owned! A thorough search of sharpening techniques led him to Ben Dale in Hood River, OR. A technique that matches the orginal angle on the knife? Removes very minimal metal? Can produce a razor sharp edge on hair shears or tomato dicing micro serrations on knives? Eric jumped on board with Ben’s “Edge Pro” sharpening system, detailed instructional videos, and steadfast mentoring. Having learned through his own experience of sharpening his knives, and those of friends over several years as a hobby, sharpening finally burst into an occupation following his hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2009.
Eric began Smart Sharp in 2010 to provide local high quality sharpening in Mendocino county. The business front began at the farmers markets and gradually expanded to provide “to your door” sharpening at hair salons and restaurants. Over the years Eric has sharpened mower blades, paper cutters, 3′ long “ribbon cutting” ceremony scissors, robot-coupe blades, chain saw chains, hair trimmers, and much more. After all that he came to realize that his best value to customers was in the precision that he could provide. Where did most people want precision? With their most highly prized kitchen knives and hair shears. This is how he came to specialize in those.