National Sharpeners Guild

BEYOND THE EDGE ✂️

Sharpening is more than the edge you put on a blade—it’s also the business you build around it.

💬 What’s one thing about running a sharpening business that you wish someone had taught you sooner?

Maybe it’s pricing. Maybe it’s finding customers, marketing, scheduling, or figuring out how to grow. Whatever it is, share what you’ve learned—your experience could help the next sharpener avoid a mistake you had to learn the hard way.

That’s what the Guild is about: real people, real connections, and real support.

And if you’ve been thinking about joining us, you BELONG here.

🔗 Check out the upcoming NSG Annual Convention and see what’s happening:
NSG Events

Nationalsharpenersguild.com/events

Sharpeners supporting sharpeners. Stronger together.

🔪 A QUICK NSG KNIFE CERTIFICATION UPDATE

We want to keep everyone informed as we continue building the NSG certification program.

The NSG Knife Certification Exam will not be offered at the 2026 convention. Knife certification testing is moving to 2027.

And honestly, we believe that’s the right decision.

We want NSG certification to mean something.

That means taking the time to establish the proper standards, testing procedures, judging structure, and consistency before we put candidates through an exam.

We would rather build it the right way than rush an exam onto the schedule just because we said it would happen this year.

BUT — THERE’S STILL SO MUCH TO BE PART OF IN 2026! 👊

The NSG Annual Convention is about much more than one certification exam.

📚 Education
🤝 Networking
🔧 Live demonstrations
🏆 Other certification opportunities
🌎 Industry connections
👥 Building the sharpening community

And there’s another opportunity we want to talk about…

⚖️ WE’RE LOOKING FOR NSG JUDGES!

As we build the future of NSG certification, we need experienced sharpeners who want to help establish, evaluate, and maintain the standards behind the program.

If you have the experience, knowledge, attention to detail, and desire to help move our industry forward, we want to hear from you.

Being an NSG judge isn’t simply about having another title.

It’s about helping ensure that when someone earns an NSG Certification, it carries real credibility and represents a fair, consistent, respected standard.

If you’re interested in becoming an NSG judge, send the NSG team a message.

And if you’ve been considering the 2026 convention, don’t let this update keep you away.

Come learn.
Come connect.
Come share.
Come sharpen.
Come help build what comes next.

🇺🇸 September 17–20, 2026
📍 Hilton Kansas City Airport — Kansas City, MO

👉 REGISTER & SEE THE FULL CONVENTION DETAILS:
NSG 2026 Annual Convention — Registration & Events⁠

Nationalsharpenersguild.com/events

Sharpening Stronger Together. 🔪

🔧 Every sharpener changes along the way.

The way you sharpen today probably isn’t exactly the way you sharpened when you started.

Somewhere along the way, something changed.

Maybe it was a mistake that taught you more than a class ever could.
Maybe someone challenged the way you were doing things.
Maybe you discovered a technique that completely changed your results.
Or maybe you simply reached a point where you started seeing the edge differently.

What was the moment that changed YOUR approach to sharpening?

We want to hear the story behind it—not just the answer.

👇 Share yours. You might give another sharpener the exact lesson they need today.

Sharpening Stronger Together.

Nationalsharpenersguild.com/events

🔪 Sharpener Saturday

Every sharpener has that one tool that just lives on the bench and gets used over and over.

What’s the tool you find yourself reaching for the most in your shop—and what makes it so useful?

Drop your answer below. 👇

Sharpening Stronger Together. 🤝

Nationalsharpenersguild.com/events

📣 Instructor Update – NSG 2026 Annual Convention

We’re excited to welcome Mitch Kingsland as the instructor for Clipper Blade Sharpening in the Field w/ Shop Machine at the 2026 National Sharpeners Guild Annual Convention.

With decades of hands-on experience and a passion for helping sharpeners succeed, Mitch will share practical techniques, real-world solutions, and the methods that have made him one of the industry’s most respected professionals.

🗓 Friday, September 18, 2026
🕞 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM
📍 Osage B

This session was originally scheduled to be taught by Randy Levin. We appreciate Randy’s support of the Guild and are excited to have Mitch leading this class.

If you’re looking to improve your efficiency, consistency, and confidence when sharpening clipper blades in the field or in your shop, this is a class you won’t want to miss.

🎟️ Register today and reserve your seat!
Classes are offered à la carte, so you can build the convention experience that’s right for you.

🔗 nationalsharpenersguild.org/events

🚨 CONVENTION UPDATE! 🚨

Certifications are filling up fast! 🔥

Current availability:

✂️ Beauty Shears – Mostly Full
🐶 Grooming Shears – Few Spots Remaining
💈Clipper Blade Certification – Available
🔪 Knife Certification – Available

⭐ VIP Packages are still available!

If you’re planning to attend the 2026 National Sharpeners Guild Convention, don’t wait until the last minute. Reserve your spot before more certifications and classes fill.

📅 September 17–20, 2026
📍 Hilton Kansas City Airport | Kansas City, MO

👉 Register here:
https://www.nationalsharpenersguild.com/events