What is the difference between the Sharpeners Jam and the Sharpeners"s Guild?

Both events are similar in the paid workshops and presentations. The difference in the two is more in the flavor, for lack of a better word. 

The Sharpeners Jam is a Bonika event. About half of the sharpeners use Bonika Shears and most sell Bonika Shears. There is a strong sense of comradery often called a cross between a family reunion and revival. The emphasis is put on sharing experiences, tips and ideas that will help your fellow sharpeners. All of the vendors (many are the same as at the Sharpeners Convention but some are different) are companies that their products are available for purchase through Bonika Shears. Although there will be a pre-certificatiion test available for the Guild. The only competition is who can bring the best idea to share with the other sharpeners. This year the entertainment will be by the sharpeners who can perform muscially. The Jam is about inspiration, encouragement and education. The Sharpeners Jam is FREE although the workshops previous to the Jam have a cost. The hotel is not convenient to the airport, but is just $69.00 per night. The Jam is held at the same location each year.

The Sharpeners Guild Convention is an event centered around certifying sharpeners. The emphasis is to raise the standards of sharpening and improve sharpening ability. The workshops, which in many cases are the same as the Jam will have more emphasis on how to pass the certification. The vendor room is larger with more of a variety of vendors. The sharpeners will also be more varied and will have a number of different methods of sharpening and sharpening equipment. Clipper blade sharpening and groomer sharpening will play a larger role at the Guild. There is a little more tension in the air since the certification also has the element of competition since the top scores will be announced. The Sharpeners Convention is in a larger hotel and costs incurred will be higher. The location of the Sharpeners Guild varies by the year.

Certification for Master Sharpener at the NBTSG

Check out the three uploaded videos to youtube to explain the sharpening certification process. See how extensive the certification program is. check out www.nbtsg.com to see the certified charpeners in your area. This year's certification program is in St. Louis in September.

Bonika will host the NBTSG

We at Bonika Shears are excited about hosting the National Beauty Tools Sharpeners Guild founded by larry Brooks of SharpEdges. We have always been a supporter of the NBTSG from the beginning and will continue with only a few changes. This years' Guild convention will be September 22-24 in St. Louis.

Things that will remain the same

• Location - St. Louis in September at the same Renaissance Hotel
• Certification program conducted by Dennis Brooks much the same as in the past
• Variety of vendors with various machines and products
• Sharp Edges and Bonika Shears tables will continue to anchor the vendor room
• Up close sharpening demos will be made to small groups using various machines and various sharpening techniques
• The name will remain the same as will the logo with a few tweaks to the design. But you will often hear the NBTSG referred to as the Sharpenes Guild or just the "Guild"

Things that will change

• Reduction of price for the participants. The cost will be $150.00 per person for the two day event with an additional $50.00 voucher to be used with ANY of the vendors if you stay at the hotel.
• Increased vendor pariticpation. We have already heard from new vendors who are beginning to book tables at the 2012 Guild Convention.
• Groups rotating through the sharpening venues will be grouped by experience

Our Sunday evening entertianment will be a "Roast of Larry and Linda Brooks" as this patriarchial couple of the sharpening guilds retire from the industry. The dinner will be approxiamtely $42.00 each. come prepared to share your funiest Larry and Linda story.

We are looking for suggestions to improve the Guild. Please let us know. We may not be able to impliment them all this year but look to improve the guild each year. The guild will not be another Sharpeners Jam. It will be it's own entitiy. We expect the Sharpeners Jam to continue in Atlanta, GA each year and the Guild will become a complimentary but diffeent sharpeners convention. We see the Guild as a more open event with more competitive vendors so that sharpeners can freely and fairly compair sharpening equipment, products to sell and sharpening techniques and ideas. The Sharpeners Jam is more a Bonika sponsored event with an emphasis on sharing ideas amoung sharpeners.

Read the letter from the Brooks about the change over at the ISSA-news blog. http://www.issa-news.blogspot.com/

Report on the NTSBG Show for Sharpeners in St. Louis

The National Beauty Tools Sharpening Guild was held in St. Louis this last week-end. It was the first meeting of this group developed by Larry Brooks. I was very impressed with the work Larry and his family put into making this a successful meeting for sharpeners. The vendor room had 9 scissor brands and 6 vendors selling scissor sharpening equipment and 3 clipper-sharpening machines. It was great for prospective sharpeners to compare all the machines in one room and for those who wanted to upgrade their equipment. We received many compliments from the sharpeners who looked at the Scimech for the first time. Frank Davis was there with us and was able to explain some of his internal design features that account for the Scimech. The presentations by Larry, which included the NTBSG supporters like myself, were well prepared, and in depth. Check out the photos of his PowerPoint presentation.

I was thoroughly impressed with the certification process. The sharpeners were given a number that matched the sealed double hidden number on the bottom of their bag. The shears were damaged equally. I actually looked at a set of the damaged shears… a thinner, a convex and a bevel. If I were given these in a salon, I wouldn’t hesitate to fix them. They were all challenging but reasonable damage. All the participants set up their sharpening either in the meeting room or in their vans with monitors. Bumpers and parts were provided for the repairs. Afterwards the judging lasted throughout the night as each shear was tested, inspected and rated. I was able to go in and see the actual sharpening and the judging and took photos. Larry wanted to be very transparent in his methods so that no one could be accused of partiality in the process. In the end, Ian from Australia had the most points, which leads me to believe that Larry should change the name of the NBTSG by dropping the N. Unless an organization’s acronym spells out a word, I don’t think anyone can remember a group name longer than 4 letters.
The dinner cruise on the riverboat was a nice touch and most of us participated. Another great place we found to eat was the Bandana Barbeque restaurant. We went with Sun and Dong of Hanoko Shears. They were able to experience boiled peanuts for the first time. See all the photos