Canoga Knife Trader is not a "knife shop." It's an armory. I've been shopping here for over 20 years, and I'm not exaggerating when I say I've bought 500+ blades from this place -- tactical knives, hunting knives, combat folders, fixed blades, katanas, machetes, you name it. If it cuts, chops, slices, or survives a zombie apocalypse, I've probably bought it here. This shop operates on old-school standards: knowledge, respect, and zero gimmicks. No mall-kiosk nonsense, no clueless sales pitch. Every blade here feels like it was selected with a purpose -- balance, steel, edge geometry, durability. This is a place for people who actually use their gear, not just look at it. Special shout-out to Michael -- absolute weapons wizard. The man knows blades inside and out. Steel types, grinds, history, use-cases -- if you ask, he answers like a walking encyclopedia. And more importantly, he takes care of loyal customers. They still respect the old regulars here, which is rare these days. Every time I come in, it feels like checking in at base -- familiar faces, solid recommendations, and somehow I always walk out with more than I planned (sometimes including a little extra appreciation for being a long-time customer ). If you're looking for plastic junk, look elsewhere. If you want real steel, real knowledge, and a shop that's been holding the line for decades, this is it. Trusted. Battle-tested. Legendary. Highly recommended -- and I don't say that lightly. -- Oleg read more

See all

I needed to replace the spring on the scissors on my Victorinox (Swiss army knife). He had the part. Other stores (e.g. Victorinox dealers) in the Los Angeles area did not. Michael was a great guy and it was good doing business with him. read more

Brought 5 knives to be sharpened....went and did some errands and when I came back they were done....and a really affordable price!

Went to Canoga Knife Trader for some help extracting a stripped screw from a flip knife. The owner tried his very best for a good 10-15 minutes, but was as unable as I had been at removing the screw. I asked if I could pay him for his time, and he refused. Very nice of him. Though we didn't achieve success together this time, I will most definitely return for knife sharpening and other services he offers. A nice man, and I always like to support local shops. Please do stop by if you need some work done. read more

Don't take your chef's knives here. They ruined my edge and left burrs on it. Have to have a new edge put on after taking it here for sharpening. read more

Great pricing , great service , super sharp and friendly ! Took several knives in for sharpening and I will be a repeat customer for sure . And lots of hidden treasures in this place . read more

I was in need of a new work knife and sharpening and some security gear. I found this AMAZING little shop and was greeted with smiles and positive energy from the moment I walked in. MIKE AND KIM are the best they have the best customer service and prices in town I highly recommend this place. read more

Canoga Knife Trader - I bought and sharpened one of my knives here and came out amazing - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Canoga Park, California

See all

I come here for their surplus, and they have many great things! i have bought much from them, and plan to buy more, would recommend visiting. read more

Mike sharpened 3 of our kitchen knifes. He even tested front of me. Mike is your true expert he did an excellent job. Very friendly people which is a bonus! read more

I love this store! There are so few like it left in this Amazon world we live in, and their prices are so reasonable! They've been around forever, and I was so grateful they survived COVID. They have a little bit of everything and provide services like knife and scissor sharpening and they making keys as well - you can't even get keys made at Home Depot anymore - in this age of service-less stores, they now have a machine and you have to do it yourself - which may or may not work. The people at Knife Trader are so fair and honest that when I brought my cuticle scissors in for sharpening, they told me they didn't even need it! They could easily have just done it and charged me and I never would have known the difference. It's a blessing when you get to deal with good, kind, honest people. I highly recommend this neighborhood gem! read more

Amateurs. Dropped off a couple knives to get sharpened and I get a call 5min later after I left saying, "we can't sharpen this kind of steel" then when I get there they start telling me something about "their machine doesn't want to do it" If you're looking to get your knives sharpened, look elsewhere. read more

Very nice people but the knife sharpening service was beyond horrid. Pictures explain themselves. read more

Canoga Knife Trader - Knife sharpening - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Canoga Park, California

See all

Their new phone number is 818-888-9252. Just Fyi. Cool ass people though and very friendly.

Great selection, excellent customer service. You can't go wrong shopping here. I came in looking for a new EDC pocket knife, I'd carried a Craftsman stockman for years and since I lost it I haven't been able to find a replacement. I had a nice Case knife, but the blades were carbon steel and were not easy to maintain as a everyday carry knife. I then switched to a whittling knife, but had the same issue with the blades. I didn't want cheap stainless, quality is important to me. Here's the issue buying from the internet; you rely on reviews that may or may not be legit. If you want expertise, you need a place like Knife Trader where you can handle the merchandise and leverage the experience of the staff. Will you get the same price as the bargain sites on the internet? Probably not. Is it worth a few extra bucks to get the right knife on your first try? To me, it is. The woman behind the counter took the time to show me what they carried. We narrowed down the options and she actually pulled a beautiful Schrade stockman from the back that was the perfect fit for me. I love this new knife and have already received compliments on it. If you want the convenience of local brick-and-mortar stores, and the ability to get advice from experts, you need to patronize neighborhood businesses like these. For all the people rating this place with one star because you can get a better price online... Pardon the pun, but you're missing the point! read more

Yay for combat boots! As some of you know, I've been searching for mid calf combat boots for a while and finally found it here for less than 50 bucks! Score! The best part, it looks like the Rick Owens boot that sold for about $2000! Double Score! A lot of the Fall 2008 RTW runways showed the pants-tucked-into-boots look so I figured it was my sartorial duty to give it a try. Some of you may shudder at the idea, but after many sleepless nights of considering such idea, I decided that yes, I had to do it. Being the supportive person that he is, Jaychan said the best place to get a great deal on genuine combat boots would be a military surplus store. And, I hate to admit this, he was right. Jaychan joked/warned that many of the people that work at these stores are at times scary. So, I had some trepidation about entering this store. But, the thought of the boots for fall pushed me fearlessly ahead and in I went. Within 10 minutes, I was walking out with my new boots. The salesperson was actually quite nice and nonchalant. He allowed me to manhandle and try on the boots at my leisure. Most importantly, he wasn't creepy or scary! The store was well organized. They had a lot of military gear and of course, knives. I didn't know if the pieces were authentic or they were just replicas so I can't really comment on that. But, it was real enough for me! The store had an "interesting" musk when I first entered....take "interesting" however way you want to take it. Overall, my first military surplus buying experience was a success! Knife Trader also offers precision knife and scissor sharpening services. I'm sure I would be back to sharpen my scissors. And you never know, I might pick up a gas mask next time too if maybe Comme De Garcon decided that it was the next in thing. Or not. read more

If you care about your knife, PLEASE don't get it sharpened here. But I love them as a surplus and knife store.

Stopped in with my favorite knife - which my friend's daughter wrecked when "helping" me prepare a meal. (You cannot CANNOT hack through a bone with a chef's knife! Grr!) I asked the gentleman behind the counter if it could be fixed and to my delight, he said yes, it could be, but it would take a lot of grinding of the blade. "Uh oh," thought I, "bet that's code for, 'This is gonna cost a lot.'" But nope, was only $10, and well worth it! Ned was polite, professional, and most importantly, did a fantastic job of repairing my chef's knife in about 10 minutes. I highly recommend this place and I will definitely be back next time I need a knife or pair of scissors sharpened. And if it matters, he's got quite a number of interesting items from wars past - not sure if they are for sale or just decorative but they were very interesting to view. read more

Came in to sharpen my kitchen knife fast and easy , great price , nice older couple helped me out very nice and polite friendly service.

Came here today simply because I was driving around without a blade and felt uncomfortable being knife-less. So I thought I'd pick up a new edc. In all honesty, without the vast assortment of knives, the "store" is pretty much empty. Aside from some morale shirts, random booklets and pamphlets and a stack of hats, there's not much to shop from. As far as the knives, I'll admit, there are cases and cases of blades, but as far as quality blades, there is maybe a single case full. Everything else is either "imported", no-name and trash. They do carry some Benchmade, some Spyderco, some Byrd, some CRKT, limited Cold Steel, LIMITED Sog and Kershaw. All in all, I did happen to buy an all stainless Byrd Robin 2 that I am quite happy with. There are probably three or four other knives I'd like to buy from him. read more

1. Ned has a storefront NOT a mobile truck where you have to chase down! 2. He's open on Saturdays! 3. He accepts credit cards! Nuff said, how often do you need to sharpen your knives, stop wasting time just go see Ned and get it done! read more

You know, I often don't stop in the Army/Navy surplus kind of shoppes, but for some reason I did today-and wow! There are ALL kinds of knives here. Probably any type you're looking for except for kitchen-it's not a Bed Bath and Beyond, for sure. Antique, new, small, large, all different styles. Lots of the folding tanto point style. I think I even saw a katana or two. There are also tons of pins, patches, gear bags, t-shirts...pretty interesting stuff. Nice owner and a really cool place! Def worth a look see if you're in the area. TIP: FREE parking in rear- only meters out front! read more

Everyone should try to stop in and have their knives sharpened here...as well as have your keys cut! Support the little spots when you can especially when they are as wonderful as this place!! read more

I came in looking for a lock pick on a Saturday. he had only one, the zip gun, $50 and it broke Sunday before I was able to open the lock I needed opened. Monday I called the number on his card SEVERAL TIMES, never an answer. Tuesday I walk in and weird, the phone rings and he answers. Now he tells me that the zip gun he touted as such a great review, HAS NO WARRANTY and all sales are final. Wouldn't even consider a partial return with a restocking fee nor store credit. DISGUSTED at the lack of service and integrity I told him he sold me an mediocre product at an exaggerated price and he had no problem when I said I was leaving his defective product on the counter top, and walked out. I like supporting small business too, but when you treat your customers worse than the larger stores, you leave me no option. I've purchased here before and you know what, NEVER AGAIN. Even when i mentioned that the lock in question was to my storage unit and I needed urgently to get into it to get some camping gear for a GIRL SCOUT TRIP, he showed no empathy. I hope you choke on my fifty dollars. read more

Nice to have a storefront with a ton of blades to look through! Mostly older blades here. Completely hit or miss on their stock. Offerings here seem to be kind of just pieced together as the years have gone on. Priced at a premium compared to online merchants but you are supporting a mom and pop shop. Which may be a lot easier to do if the older gentleman working here was a bit friendlier. I'd come back again to browse, never know what might pop up here. Kind of like an American pickers knife shop. read more

I took in 2 different blades, one of which being the weatherman raptor. The owner sharpened them in such a rush because he wanted to close up shop 15 minutes early. Well he did such a careless job that both my folding knife and scissors still had dings, and were barely sharp. He was too careless to even recognize that the scissors have serrated edges on one side (as all medical scissors do) and decided to completely grind them off. Not only were they ground off, the edge was not even straight, but warped. He does not care or take pride in his work. He just took a $70 pair of medical shears, and destroyed them. Now I have to contact Leatherman directly to get either new ones or new blades. I WILL NOT GO BACK. I WISH I COULD GIVE HIM 0 STARS. read more

Very helpful gentleman that owns and operates this business. Been coming here since I was a young boy with my father and I'm still coming here for my zombie/ dooms day prepping supplies ;-)) read more

Great "surplus" store in the West Valley. Heavier on the knives than the other gear, but a great guy's oasis regardless. He's got a great selection of military curios as well for those with a taste for history. read more

I called asking about knife sharpening. The owner said 5 dollars for a pocket knife which seemed fine but when I got it back after sharpening it was literally the same. When I got my manix 2 from spyderco is was able to cut hair with ease and I assumed after sharpening it would do it again but I was wrong. Do not bring knives here for sharpening. Deffinatly don't know what they are doing. read more

Nothing fancy, but very functional! Took all my kitchen knives in for sharpening. Charged $1/inch to sharpen everything. Sharpest my knives have ever been. Finished all my kitchen knives (80 inches worth) in a few hours. Cuts through thick tri-tip like butter! True test was last night when slicing seared ahi tuna steaks. Cut though perfectly and the presentation was awesome. Never could have done that previously. read more

This was my second time at this store, the first time I didn't buy anything. And the second time I didn't buy anything as well. And for a few reasons. The man was Selling SpyderCo delica 4's for 98 dollars when you can buy them off a reputable website like bladehq.com for 65 dollars. It's a shame cause you want to support small business. He also had a Emerson Kershaw cqc-7 for 67 dollars that's when I was like "no way" I had that exact same knife in my pocket and paid 37 dollars for it with shipping and it's legit. Came razor sharp out of the box with official Kershaw paper work. He kept going on about buying seconds (fakes) I didn't say anything because I wanted to be polite. I almost ended up feeling bad for the man. I wonder how much business he has lost to the internet. Do yourself a favor and just go to websites like bladehq etc. I wanted to walk out with something but just left empty handed. I'll have to check out his knife sharpening skills since I own about 5 knives. Some of them need touching up. I felt bad leaving empty handed and almost bought a lanskey sharpening tool but felt that was overpriced as well. read more

Canoga Knife Trader - He was selling delica 4's for 98 dollars. Don't waste your money. Just buy online... - Knife Sharpening Near Me - Canoga Park, California

See all

I give this shop 2 stars because he did a good job sharpening my pocket knife and he has a decent selection. It is still a stretch because the gentleman was very rude and cranky. He sharpened my knife and TOLD me to pay him I said I was still shopping and he told me to pay him so he could get back to work. He was just sitting there when I walked in. VERY RUDE and Very expensive. I doubt I will ever buy anything from this shop, but I will come to get my other knives sharpened. Very disappointed with the service. read more

I don't usually take the time to lend my two cents to yelp. This knife trader is unfriendly. The old gentleman rude and short. I had money to spend he didn't have the time to earn it. I would never refer business to him. He doesn't even deserve a single star. My particular collection consists of old quality folders. He will never sell one to me. I was very disappointed as I hoped it was one of those places I'd enjoy going to find rare pieces on a repeat basis. If you can't play the game Sir perhaps you need to pass the torch to someone who can provide customer service and a enjoyable atmosphere.... And retire read more

I've been going here for at least 20+ years and the old man is still the best knife sharpener in the valley....maybe that's why he's the only knife sharpener in the valley! read more

I work down the street and I decided to stop in and have a look at their selection. In terms of new, brand-name folders they have a handful of Spyderco and Benchmade staples, and they are all 20-30% more expensive than Amazon, BladeHQ, etc. I have to attribute that to the overhead required from running a physical storefront. I had my Zero Tolerance 0562CF on me - a $250 knife - so, I decided to let them sharpen it while I was there, as the 204P steel is incredibly wear resistant and I am not able to sharpen it on my stones at home. They have a belt grinder, which is better equipped to deal with this type of steel. I let them know this is really hard steel and was assured they could get it sharp. Well, they sharpened it for about one or two minutes and returned it to me with a visible burr on one side of the blade and a newly rounded tip - and overall duller, obviously. Then they refused to accept my $100 bill, so I left the knife as collateral and drove to a gas station to get exact change. F'd up my knife, was a PITA to deal with and had a slim selection of overpriced knives. I wouldn't bother with this place. read more

Just got all my kitchen knives sharpened. Ready same day and they cut everything like butter now.

This is THE place to go for knife sharpening. We brought in all of our kitchen knives and they did a superb job. The cost was very reasonable - only $0.50 cents per inch of blade and they were ready in a little over an hour. Call ahead to make sure the knife sharpening guy is at the shop before you go if you want them done on the same day. read more

The absolute worst customer service you will find anywhere. I've never felt so unwelcome is a shop in my life! If you are not a white male over the age of 50 you will likely be treated with something like contempt by these people. Disgraceful! read more