The Sharpener Standard™
The Sharpener Standard™ is an independent quality standard for professional sharpening and edge fabrication.
It defines what acceptable work means when cutting tools are relied upon for real-world use.
This page exists only to explain meaning. It does not sell sharpening, training, or certification.
What This Standard Is
The Sharpener Standard™ is a reference framework used to evaluate sharpening work based on performance, structural integrity, and accountability.
It replaces opinion, platform ratings, and equipment gatekeeping with outcome-based judgment.
Why This Standard Exists
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Most judgments about sharpening quality are based on reputation, marketing, or equipment claims rather than results.
This Standard exists to establish a clear, outcome-based definition of acceptable work.
What This Standard Is Not
This is not a marketing badge.
This is not a promise of perfection.
This is not approval of brands, machines, or methods.
The Standard does not rank sharpeners. It does not reward visibility.
Core Performance Questions
All work governed by the Standard is evaluated using three questions:
Does the tool complete its intended work?
Is the tool structurally preserved rather than degraded?
Is the user protected over time?
Results Over Equipment
The Sharpener Standard™ does not require specific tools, machines, or brands.
Equipment affects efficiency. It does not determine legitimacy.
Human-Centered Performance
A tool may cut and still fail the Standard.
If use requires excessive force, causes pinching or pulling, or compounds fatigue or injury, the result is unacceptable.
If the use of shears or clipper blades requires excessive force, causes pinching or pulling, or compounds fatigue or injury, the result is unacceptable.
Failure and Accountability
Failure is allowed.
Concealment is not. When work fails to meet the Standard, documentation, remediation, or refusal is expected.
What It Means to Be Governed
To be governed by The Sharpener Standard™ means the work may be reviewed, corrected, refused, or revoked based on evidence.
Governance establishes responsibility. It does not confer status.
Global Application
The Standard applies globally across cultures and economic conditions.
Context changes method—whether restoring convex geometries or traditional bevels—it does not change expectations.
Training vs Accreditation
Training prepares skill.
Accreditation governs outcomes. Training does not guarantee accreditation.
Manufacturer Alignment
The Sharpener Standard™ may recognize manufacturers whose tools are designed, produced, and documented in alignment with the Standard’s performance and integrity requirements.
Manufacturer alignment reflects discipline, transparency, and outcome responsibility. It does not imply endorsement, exclusivity, or immunity from review.
Aligned manufacturers remain subject to evidence-based evaluation, field performance feedback, and revision or removal if outcomes fail to meet the Standard.
Alignment is determined by a manufacturer's adherence to documented Hamaguri (convex) geometries, specialized cobalt alloy preservation, and factory-spec ride line integrity.
For the accreditation pathway and formal review process, continue to: /accreditation
This page defines meaning only. This page does not sell services. This page does not list pricing. This page does not promise outcomes. This page is amended only through formal governance review.
DOCUMENT REF: TSS-NV-STD-1.0-2026
GOVERNANCE: Battle Born Blade Sharpening | Reno, NV
VERIFICATION: Six Sigma Green Belt Certified (University of Nevada, Reno)
STATUS: Frozen upon publish — amendments by formal review only