That's some pretty work. Did he give you a hardness? I know it's a bit thicker than your Japanese made blade, but I'm always nervous seeing fine chefs knives around bones.
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To my SoGa neighbor; sweet knife; sweet knife collection! And....ah.....when is dinner?? Funny thing is that there probably exists a 99% dirt road route that would get from Tally to you. I can smell the chicken.
Update to my knife purchase: I am liking the gyuto: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36251403583640 . I haven't much to compare it to but it's sharp as hell and I haven't needed to touch it up. I'm happy with it and very glad I waterproofed the handle.
More interesting, to me at least, is that I snagged this little guy at the same time and I like it a lot; a lot more than our other paring knives (which are quite sharp now...but the shape of the Pallares is what I favor). I water proofed the handle/tang interface too: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...carbon-boxwood
So, there you have it.
I saw this monster and instantly recalled this old post of yours. I know that you have already found something but I thought you might like a look at it anyway.
Attachment 120084
very tempted to order a set of these:
https://www.benchmade.com/3-piece-set
kinda spendy, but likely a lifetime investment
Eric Estlund appears to still have a kitchen set of his own available.
https://www.wintercutlery.com/upload...560?width=1200
Cool knife, thanks for thinking of me. I ended up ordering the Takeda I linked and have had it close to a year now. I'll admit I was initially intimidated by the thinness and lightweight at first. This is my first and, at present, only Aogami Super knife and over the past year I've not used this knife as much as I could have. I did, however, bring it with me to our Thanksgiving celebration along with a 12" stainless slicing knife as I brought along one of my 2yo hams. I decided to give the Takeda a try on the ham and it was actually pretty great despite being taller and shorter than what you'd typically want for that job. The finish on the Takeda is definitely a plus when releasing semi-transparent slices of ham.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/2mMHz97]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...7f7fab16_b.jpg
So the missus and I had been talking about buying a new chef's knife for our new pied-à-terre, and then today as we're wandering through a department store we stumble upon the Cutco demo kiosk, and we get sucked into the demo, and Ms. Knife Demonstrator Person whips out a pile of celery and potatoes and says "Here, try for yourself!" and my wife slices up a potato and says "I like it...what do you think?" and so I -- reluctantly, because I've been a using Cutco chef's knife since 1968 so I figure I know what I'm getting into -- pick it up, grab a potato, take two slices, and proceed to slice off the tip of my thumb.
Ms. Knife Demonstrator Person, as she's digging around for her first aid kit, says "well at least you know it's a clean cut!"
True story.
Bob, thanks for telling the story.
I hope it was just a little bit.
I was cutting with a grass hook a few years ago, thinking I really should put on gloves, when presto, cut off the tip of my thumb. It hung by a thread and I considered what a PIA doing any kind of handwork would be for a good long while, so I went inside and put some super glue on the hunk of thumb and glued it. Sent a pic to my doc and he told me good job. Never had an issue with it after.
Attachment 120137
As my search continues for a Tiagra level knife I found this at their outlet store. They also had one with “air pockets”. I haven’t seen that type mentioned here. Your thoughts please. If you have better ideas in the $100.00 range let me know
Mike
Edit, looks like I posted pic with air pockets. They have one without also.
If you are looking for a high quality dependable kitchen knife, the Zwilling Pro line is supposed to be very good. I've been told by knife people to avoid the related Henckels line - confusing because Zwilling and Henckels are related companies but Zwilling is (again based on recommendations from knife people) a different & better knife. In our other kitchen (ugh) we have a Zwilling Pro 8" Chef knife, a Pro 4" Paring knife, and Zwilling Pro Utility serrated knife (known in our house as the tomato knife).
I don't think we got them as a set, but it was long enough ago that I cannot remember exactly. I think they arrived one by one as the local kitchen place (the terrific Broadway Panhandler - no longer in business) had sales. However, it appears that Zwilling does offer them as a set.
We also have a chef's knife from the Zwilling Four Star line. I am sure that it is different in some way other than the handle material (metal or thickness or something) but it has been a great, very durable knife as well. I can't really tell the difference. This one we got in a set as a present - there were 5 knives total. One day my wife saw a knife sharpener truck parked in front of our apartment and so she took our knives out for the guy to sharpen. Fortunately the chef's knife happened to be out of the knife block at the time, so she didn't take it down with her because the sharpener guy destroyed the rest of them. Lesson learned.
They have all been incredibly durable knives and hold an edge very well. They got used every day and were basically always out on the cutting board. I've thought about bringing them up here to the country, but we have all our Japanese knives up here so not really necessary.
For the Tiagra-level knife I'll suggest Tojiro. They make a stainless line called the DP that is made from VG10 and is great value for the money. I tried one and it's significantly better than any Henkels-Wustoff-Whatever from the department store, and less money to boot. If you are more adventuresome you can purchase their non-stainless Japanese-style model in White #2 steel for more sharpness with a bit less edge retention.
I still think that unless you have particular wants, the victorinox is the way to go. If the plastic handle bothers you for a couple bucks more you can get one with wood. I prefer it over inexpensive japanese blades. I mean... this is like 65 bucks. How are you gonna beat that?
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/04...g?v=1605302774
As far as that sabatier- I'm not a huge fan of current production. It's ok. The NOS stuff is great... but it's all carbon steel. This is 100$:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/04...g?v=1635378583
I'm in the process of having a custom knife and axe made as holiday gifts for my coworkers.
The knife is a Serbian style chef knife that seems pretty popular in shape and style today. I thought it would be something different than a traditional chefs knife.
That would be an interesting test challenge. A Tojiro DP in 180mm is only $72 and the 210 mm is only $85. Or someone could get a great three-knife starter set for only $100. www.chefknivestogo.com/todp3pcgiset.html. I don't have a Victorinox chef knife. My Victorinox paring knife never gets very sharp but it stays that way for a long time.
I looked it up further--the plastic handled victorinox is currently $40 on amazon and the wood handle is $50. The $65 is from a nicer knife shop that will give it a high quality hand finished edge as part of doing business (and will also not sell a blade that isn't straight).
It would be really interesting to do this test--both quality out of the box (which can be a really, really big issue with knives, even expensive ones), edge as delivered, cutting performance, ease of sharpening, and ultimately how good you can make each of them with some TLC on the stones. If I wasn't already out of time and behind on caring for my own blades I'd probably even try it.
I wouldn't argue against the Victorinox or Tojiro knives listed, though I haven't owned either. I'd add another inexpensive brand/maker to the list, though. I received this 210 gyuto as a gift and have used it every day for a year. It was sharp out of the box, but I wanted to polish the edge a bit and it's been a pleasure to use. At the same time I polished the edge on a bunka from the same maker I'd been using and gave that one as a gift.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...456fea92_b.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0de0b562_b.jpg
Finished item.
You guys are making some nice suggestions, right in my wheelhouse.
Thanks,
Mike
Thought I would post this here as it is pretty neat and the retailer is donating the profits of these to Andres' WCK in addition to making their own donations to WCK. That bog oak is very cool.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yavgdaurwagy.html
Carbon dating on the wood.
Attachment 120709
The local Gourmet Store in the mall has had these on sale for about 1/2 price. Finally had one of the staff take one out of the box so I could play with it a bit. Must say I was impressed balance is spot on feel weightless in the hand, cuts well and if my past experience holds I can make it really sharp. Zwiiling Pro 7" Slim Chef, nice addition to the Block.
https://i.imgur.com/qf2C0Uu.jpg?1
https://i.imgur.com/swMvC2H.jpg?1
Probably goes without saying, but don't put the Zwilling knives with that handle in the dishwasher (basically, don't put any good knives in the dishwasher but these in particular.) Whatever the black material is on the handle, it will shrink from the heat and eventually crack.
Oh definitely, I would never abuse a tool like that :>)my favorite question when someone tells me they have sharp knives is "Do you put them in the sink or Dishwasher? Then you don't have Sharp Knives." I'll see how it works out, the price was right, and I've used this steel before, it will take and hold a fine edge.
I think the Zwilling knives are very good. They make up 30% of our knives. I just had to do a little detective work when the handles on a few started cracking. And I learned that someone who shall remain nameless considered paring and tomato knives to be silverware so they went in the dishwasher. Oh well.
A chef friend warns against Henckels even though they are owned by the same company - though I don't entirely understand the reason. Something about the steel used makes sharpening to a durable edge difficult. But she likes Zwilling knives.
Yes, the henckels branded stuff is tempered very soft (by knife standards). This is so folks can hit bones, seeds, glass cutting surfaces, and even put them in the dishwasher and they will resist chipping. It also means they resist holding a keen edge. The zwilling marked blades are better made, and not for the lowest common use.
Yes, everyone needs a beater knife for squash, bones, and defending against the occasional zombie apocalypse.
Yup. I have the knives that are in the block and the knives hidden in the drawers each in its own little case. The ones in the block, I've witnessed some really distressing usages.
I was tempted to get a DAO VUA nakiri just for the handle! They are very pretty. https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36252121694360
At the end of the day an iron clad, Shirogami 2, 165mm Kaji Bei seemed preferable to me and not terribly expensive. https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36251612872856
The edge profile needed a teeny bit of work as it had an itty bitty high spot in it; one very modest sharpening exercise got rid of that. It's thin, straight, and being shiro 2 will take and hold a very keen edge. I've finished it only as far as 4000 synthetic waterstone; my understanding (link) is that going higher is beneficial for shiro 2 but at 4000 it is very seriously sharp. I haven't touched the edge up since last fall because after essentially daily use it's still sharp as hell. I can't imagine finding a meaningful difference from a more expensive knife of this kind. http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/shirogami_2.shtml
The 210mm Masakane gyuto, SK (I don't know which version...but it's one that works!) carbon mono-steel is pretty fantastic, too. Thin blade, light takes/holds a seriously sharp edge and the handle has grown on me; at the time I wished it had a larger handle, like the one on my Lamson 650 chef but having used it for a while I've come to appreciate it's smaller size and weight; a larger, heavier handle would just make it clunky but the one it has suits the blade and my hands well. The 210s are gone but here it is in a 270: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...39865238913176
I'm glad to have the SS Lamson 650 chef for heavier tasks though, and if I could only have one of these three that's probably what it would be simply because it can be made sharp enough, holds it's edge well enough for this non-professional, is low maintenance, won't chip as easily as the other two, and can do anything I need it to do.
I just made my 2nd best kitchen investment after my Wustof Chef knife; a knife sharpener. No seriously.
https://www.wusthof.com/products/iko...B&gclsrc=aw.ds
I've had a Tojiro DP for at least five years, and it's a good knife. It's not precious. I sharpen it on my bench sander without thinking twice.
I'm sure the Victorinox is good, too. Every one I've ever used has been.
There's a lot to be said for functional knives that you can sharpen using tools that get the job done in a hurry and that you won't mourn if you put a knick in the blade.
More info on the Tojiro DP: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36252882960536
That would be an excellent knife!
As much as I dig my personal little kitchen knife quiver (and the others on this thread, too!), I think it's probably a little difficult to get a kitchen knife that won't take a serviceable edge and hold it reasonably well; unless you're just looking for junk. In my experience dull knives are dull bc folks bang'em around and don't sharpen'em. My sis-in-law bought a new chef 'cause her old one was dull and she'd neither sharpen it (even with the simple, fool proof thingies) nor take it to a place that could...and was but a short walk away. One of my oldest friends just throws his in with everything else so they're dull as can be.
This would be a nice pick for anyone looking for a "nicer" chef in carbon steel without spending silly $: https://bernalcutlery.com/collection...36248507809944
I use a Kaji Bei Nakiri most days that looks like this one. In addition to food, I even used it to cut an offending misplaced metatarsal bump from my specialized insole. Worked great for that. Very sharp, holds edge a long time, and not expensive when available, currently our of stock. Just keep it dry. I see no need to spend a lot on a knife when you can get one that works so well for this low price.
My daughter and her boyfriend had to make a trip to Tsubaya Cutlery in Kappabashi in Tokyo.
They bought a carbon blade ...
https://tsubaya.jp/
They stock over 1,000 varieties of knives from various manufacturers.
https://tsubaya.jp/collections/japanesehandle
https://tsubaya.jp/products/white1-s...oroshi-kokutan
https://i.imgur.com/g3TkFUH.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/1NrneCWh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/zhtx0y6h.jpga
There's a lot to like about my Wüsthof Chef's Knife, except for the fact that it's more of a hassle when it comes to cutting veggies.
Having used a Chinese style chef's knife previously, I bought another Wüsthof purely on the basis of similar form and ended up buying a traditional cleaver. It's a knife completely wasted on me, as I don't trust myself to swing a sharp blade at ~30 inches away from the item to be chopped; nor does it really cut veggies. I gave the knife to my dad.
Recently, it has come to my attention that Wüsthof does indeed make an actual Chinese style chef's knife. It's probably the one I will purchase next.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/03...g?v=1666922057
I wish we went to this place when we were in Tokyo. I may or may not be able to justify the cost of this damascus nakiri over what Wüsthof charges, but my is it pretty.
https://onedrive.live.com/embed?resi...UKo&width=1024