“Did you know that scissors have got a heart?” Uncle Chow Hon Meng points at the pivot screw connecting the two blades. This heart, which does not beat, plays a key role in cutting performance, as it controls the blade tension, neither too tight or too loose, in order to function properly. Sharp blades create a smooth, clean cut, whereas dull blades are inefficient, resulting in jagged cuts, or even pull and tear the material. Therefore, scissors require sharpening from time to time.
Uncle Chow has been sharpening scissors for over half a century. At 75 years old, he is rather sprightly, and his vision is still sharp like a hawk. First of all, he inspects the wornness of the scissors. Using tools, he loosens and removes the pivot screw, and rids the blades of dirt and rust. The sharpening process starts with hollow grinding with a grinding wheel machine, later on transitioning to coarse and then fine sharpening stones. After that, he wipes the blades clean, lubricate, and reassembles the scissors, tightening the screw until achieving perfect tension.
Apart from scissors, Uncle Chow also sharpens various items, with customers from all over Malaysia, mainly those working in industries that rely on scissors and knives, such as tailors, hairdressers, and chefs. They would invest in high quality tools, to which they grew accustomed over time, even though their tools became dull, they would not dream of discarding or replacing. Some of them visit in person, or courier their tools over to Uncle Chow, just to bring their tools back to life. The toughest job of all is the razor, as it only has one cutting edge, a uniform apex must be achieved.
Uncle Chow is born in Penang, unto a family that does professional sharpening services. His father migrated from China, established a shop named “Heng Lee” in Georgetown, and taught sharpening skills to his children. When Uncle Chow first started out, he perfected his skills through continual practice, and even sharpened scissors and knives for neighbours free of charge. As he came from a big family, he decided to move to Kuala Lumpur to seek better opportunities.
In the 1980s, Bangunan Pak Peng in Petaling Street just opened, a 13-storey complex housing shops and offices, towering above the double-storey shophouses. It was very popular back then, the ground floor retail shops were all rented out to tailors, goldsmiths, tour agencies etc. Uncle Chow only managed to secure a shop on the first floor. He chose to continue his father’s legacy by using the same trade name “Heng Lee”.
Salon products are displayed in the shop windows, the rear end is partitioned into a tiny workshop, brightly lit and well equipped with a wide array of tools and sharpening stones. In Heng Lee Trading Co.’s early days, Uncle Chow hired salespeople to sell salon products, his sales team even had three to four vans covering Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. His only focus is on sharpening services. Later on, his staff members gradually left in pursuit of their personal goals. Even though Uncle Chow is alone in the shop, he does not feel lonely as there are scissors talking to him.
For over four decades, Uncle Chow is punctual at work, and delivers satisfactory results. He prefers appointment-based jobs, not urgent orders, as he requires sufficient time and energy in order to achieve optimal sharpening. Uncle Chow has been through professional training, his charges may be higher, but the quality of his job is guaranteed, hence building a strong and loyal customer base.
As the saying goes, good tools are prerequisite to the success. Even as technology advances, scissors and knives are indispensable. However, nowadays in Petaling Street, very few skillful sharpening craftsmen like Uncle Chow could be found.
有你 UNI Production
Producer : Daniel Lim
Cinematographer : Amelia Lim / Michael Lerk
Drone : Daniel Lim
Video Editor : Michael Lerk
Copywriter : Pua Hui Wen
COPYRIGHTS 2025 ECHINOIDEA SDN BHD
