A warm welcome to Hamono.nl, the webshop by Slijperij J.M. van Rangelrooij. Our small knifeshop imports and distributes Japanese kitchen knives in the Netherlands.

Who are we?

Slijperij J.M. van Rangelrooij is based in The Hague since 1894. This family business has perfected the craft of knife sharpening over the years into a true art. Since 1994, Elwin de Veld has continued the tradition of craftmanship and a many clients can count on his professional knowledge. In the workshop, chef's knives from renowned restaurants from The Netherlands and Belgium are sharpened every day by hand and in the knifeshop a team of enthusiastic employees is ready to inform you about the various knives in the hand picked collection of Japanese knives.

Elwin de Veld about Slijperij J.M. van Rangelrooij:

When I was about fourteen, I was eagerly looking forward to the school holidays, waiting for the moment when I could go to my grandfather's grinding shop. I enjoyed working in the grinding shop and supporting the family business of grandpa. "Work" is not the right word. Actually I should write: " watch, help, or maybe just hang out" . Not much later, when I had finished my high school after a struggle, I was faced with an important choice. I remember my parents asked, “What are you going to do? Are you going to study or are you going to work in the grinding shop? ”. A silence followed. All my classmates went to college and I actually thought, "What should I do? I can't go to work yet, can I? Already?'. Despite that brief doubt, it was abundantly clear. I liked being with my grandfather, the profession appealed to me, I loved good food and I was very good at working with my hands. Nothing stopped me from taking the next step. I will never forget the moment my grandparents came by, in the middle of the summer, still at my parents home and I told them that I had made the choice continue Slijperij J.M. van Rangelrooij. Maybe I didn't realize what I decision I made, but I was ready. The look in Grandpa's eyes I will never forget. He was happy and very proud of the decision I made.

The first years, still by the hand of my grandfather, I slowly entered the world of the hospitality industry. At his side I entered the kitchens, where I lopened my eyes: Corona, Saur, Kurhaus, Savelberg and Julien. The Hague icons, which made me want to put my future in the hands of chefs. My grandfather passed on the passion for sharpening chef's knives. Brands like Sabatier and Goldhamster were gloriously displayed in the store. My preference for knives from Japan also slowly emerged: when looking for the Global knives for the store, I called the importer: “Can I order Global knives from you?" . Now I know there are way better brands, less commercial as the big names.

After years of practice in the workshop, listening to chefs, working stages to Solingen and the search for better chef's knives than the established brands from Europe, the company grew. My grandfather handed the work over to me. In 1994, when still together with my mother (who had also been working in the family business for years), the foundation was laid for the current Slijperij J.M. van Rangelrooij.

A vacation to Poland in 2006 brought me to the love of my life. In Krakow I met my beautiful wife Maja, who not only has an international view on the world, but with whom I also share a passion for good food. Together we share an interest in the culinary world. My enthusiasm for sharp knives has been contagious. Maja has immersed herself in the world of knives and works with great pleasure in the company.

The current Slijperij J.M. van Rangelrooij focuses on sharpening kitchen knives in the region of the 3 largest cities in the Netherlands and on selling a special range of Japanese  knives. The knife brands that used to be displayed in the display cases on route, have now made way for the absolute thigh end of kitchen knives from Japan. The love my wife and I grew for Japan makes us travel every year to the mecca for knife makers. There we look for new brands, visit the knife makers and see with our own eyes how Japanese craftsmanship is practiced. There is a story behind every Japanese brand that we sell in our store or webshop. We know the people behind it, we understand the how and why of the maker. We know where the materials come from, just like a chef knows where his ingredients come from.

We select our range of knives from the base of the sharpening shop. Because of the experience I have gained over the years, there is actually not a knife that I have not yet owned or type of steel that I have not sharpened yet. This knowledge, combined with experience gained by listening to chefs (the real users of the knives), has brought us to where we are today.

The rise of social media means that the world is actually a small village. Our passion for special knives does not go unnoticed for chefs from outside the cities and from outside the Netherlands. We started this webshop for this group. In addition, the group of advanced hobby chefs is growing who want to make the step to professional chef's knives. Our webshop is also interesting for that group.

Our position remains that the purchase of a new chef's knife cannot only be achieved by seeing a beautiful picture in the webshop. We provide all knives in our webshop with detailed information, in order to give a good impression of the knives. It is even better to visit our store in The Hague for personal advice and experience what a knife feels like and how a comparable model feels. This experience is personal and cannot be described in words. This webshop is a showcase of what we have in our range and perfect for a second purchase or for expanding the professional or advanced knife set. Through our webshop we are happy to share our knowledge about the knives and the different knife brands that we have in our range. We continue to widen the range with new knives and new brands.

The many years of experience in practice, the knowledge my grandfather shared with me and our shared interest in the beauty of the craftsmanship (of making knives as well as sharpening knives) has laid a foundation for the way we deal with our profession and our customers.

Thank you for visiting our webshop. We are honored that you took the time to read our story.

Maja en Elwin de Veld