All things sharp
It goes without saying that you can talk to Andreas Lorenzi about knives. After all, he is an eighth-generation knife grinder and dealer. He knows everything there is to know about laminated steel, engraving and the characteristic shape of a Santoku blade. But you might also find yourself suddenly discussing the basic concepts of mathematics or Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle.
The 42-year-old Viennese is versatile and educated, and he talks animatedly, his eyes sparkling behind his rimless glasses. “I’m interested in lots of things; my problem is that I don’t have enough time,” he says and laughs. He studied business administration, so he could have done something completely different instead of taking over the family business. Although – maybe not. The Lorenzi spell seems to be strong. The company’s website features the family tree, listing hundreds of names, many of which are marked in red – these are the ones Andreas Lorenzi knows personally. They are spread all over the world, and a large number of them have something to do with knives. “It’s curious how many members of the family are involved in this field,” says Lorenzi. “Somehow, you can’t seem to escape it.”
The family comes from the Rendena Valley, northwest of Lake Garda. A barren region where mainly mountain farmers lived, who had many children. “That wasn’t enough to make a living,” explains the entrepreneur. “So emigrant professions emerged. Ice cream makers, salami producers, chimney sweeps – and knife and scissor grinders.” They travelled through the countryside with a wooden cart on which a grindstone was mounted and offered their services. Lorenzi acquired one such grinding carts some time ago. The single wheel and wooden horns indicate its origin in the very valley where the family comes from. When he rolls it out of the warehouse onto the street for a photo, the past comes to life.
At the beginning of the 19th century, Lorenzi’s ancestors arrived in Vienna, probably in Napoleon’s entourage. The shop has been in the seventh district since 1835, which was once characterised by small craft businesses and is now more known for its trendy vintage stores and Asian street food. The Lorenzis have over 5,000 products in stock, which can now also be purchased online. Andreas Lorenzi set up the online shop entirely by himself. Paying expensive service providers for something he can figure out himself is out of the question for him. “I’m a tinkerer,” he says, “that way I never get bored.” Today, the Lorenzis are the only ones far and wide who still sharpen knives. This service costs around 15 euros, and involves not only sharpening the blade, but also shaping it as a whole, which cannot be done at home with a whetstone. Although sharpening only accounts for a small part of the turnover today, Lorenzi considers it important to offer both sales and service.
Lorenzi’s mother Elvira, who took over the business from her mother Rosa in 1975, also had other plans. She was a trained opera singer, “a stage lady” as her son says with admiration. And someone who thought outside the box. She travelled to the USA to see what new developments there were, and worked with the Knifemakers’ Guild. Her son, who has been running the company for 20 years, probably inherited his curiosity and entrepreneurial spirit from her. He travels a lot, visiting manufacturers all over the world, and his wife, who also works in the company, and his daughter travel with him when school allows.
In 2017, he founded the Scharf-Sinn gallery opposite the shop, where exhibitions are held regularly, manufacturers drop by for meet-and-greets, and well-attended sharpening courses are offered. “For many people today, experiences are more important than things,” says the entrepreneur, explaining the popularity of the events. He also knows that storytelling is becoming increasingly important. “The good thing about us is that the stories are there; we just have to tell them.” So he’s not worried about the future. “As long as we breathe air and drink water, we will cut things.” He doesn’t see a general increase in quality awareness. “But the number of people who come to us is not decreasing either; we have a market and it has growth potential.”
On the large table in the gallery, next to boxes of original packaged products that the Lorenzis brought back from the Blade Show in Atlanta, the world’s largest knife fair, is a stack of white cardboard rectangles that the seven-year-old Carolina made for the visit to the fair. She has written “Lorenzi” on them in large letters and drawn knives and scissors next to it. The future of the family business seems secure.
By the way, the ideal angle at which a knife is sharpened is 30 degrees – exactly the same angle at which a razor should be applied (and which gave this magazine its name).
This article was first published in the print edition of 30 Grad in autumn 2025.