|
Idk about left handed, depends on how the core steel is layered I imagine. My guess is those knives are fine. You'll have to deal with pits, rust, bends, and like no edge. The henkles I generally just don't like, same with whoostof or whatever. Sandpaper on a brick will work but the grits are not equivalent.
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 22:44
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 05:35 |
|
|
Although thinking about it for a minute you'll want explicitly left handed due to the handle for a lot of Japanese knives. If they are done by a famous name it may be easy enough to swap, or it may be glued in by epoxy. D handles IMO suck and I couldn't imagine using one that doesn't fit as well.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 22:51
|
|
|
Okay, didn't realize there were differences in grits depending on application. Handle shape isn't an absolutely massive concern to me, maybe it should be. I have giant hands, I doubt anything is going to fit well. The Fibrox 10" knife I had, the handle was too small to really fill my hand, and it looks like that was about twice the size of most of the Japanese ones.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 23:14
|
|
|
If you don't pinch it'll likely matter. Grab a cheap batch and see how it feels. My beater and most used knife is one from CKTG that was a bad batch of their in house for like 15$. I had to completely re edge it due to a bend but it'll also be the first I give away if a friend wants to try a 51000 or whatever razor steel. They sold it at 25% because the labor of fixing that bend was more then the knife was worth. That's what you're getting into. My top dollar mirror finish SLD steel otoh hasn't been used for a year. Turns out mirror finishes really let food stick to them and the handle is more D then any of my others and I go into food at like 2 degrees off of perpendicular. I pinch too. Someday I'll ruin the finish to make it cloudy and replace the handle with a hex but I have too much else to do around the home as a single goon.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 23:28
|
|
|
Submarine Sandpaper posted:Although thinking about it for a minute you'll want explicitly left handed due to the handle for a lot of Japanese knives. If they are done by a famous name it may be easy enough to swap, or it may be glued in by epoxy. D handles IMO suck and I couldn't imagine using one that doesn't fit as well. Would you not also want specific left handed single bevel knives? Double bevel should mostly be fine for either hand, but it's going to want to pull the wrong direction on a single bevel.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 00:30
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:I also meant to ask, I'm left-handed, would that make chisel bevel knives not work well for me? They make left handed single bevel knives, but you're going to pay extra for them.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 00:57
|
|
|
That was my concern. I mean I guess worst case I buy a used santoku for cheap, get it fixed up by the old grizzled knife-smith guy in town that I'm pretty sure started his career making shoes for the Pony Express horses, and then if the bevel doesn't work for me I have a nice surprise for a friend of mine that likes to cook and I just buy a Fibrox or something.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 01:29
|
|
|
I found this in a box in my basement that I haven't opened in 5 years. I vaguely remember it but can't remember if I bought it or it was a gift. Google translate says this say Honzukuri Guokyu, anyone heard of it? Google search doesn't show anything. I'm guessing it was a gift and was like $30 at Ranch 99 or something. It's kinda funny because I've got a poo poo ton of knives but not a yanagiba just because I wouldn't use one much and then I find that I have a yanagiba. e: I just ran google translate again and now it's saying "book structure <something> kanehisa" which does show some results.
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2021 19:05
|
|
|
Not that flipping an image ourselves is that difficult but it would be nice if you could post the picture with the text right-side up  It says "honzukuri kanehisa" 本造り 兼久 Which basically means genuine/original/authentic/whatever Kanehisa (brand name). Couldn't find any information except that there's a bunch for sale on auction sites. totalnewbie fucked around with this message at 20:24 on May 27, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 27, 2021 19:45
|
|
|
turn your monitor over
|
|
#
?
May 27, 2021 19:57
|
|
|
I'm looking for a decent basic chef's knife, something better than the terrible Walmart knives I've been using for years. I don't do a ton of cooking, and I don't really want a fancy knife that requires a lot of special care outside of edge maintenance. I just want something reliable with a decent edge that I don't have to muscle through stuff. The recommendation in the first post is this Victorinox chef's knife for ~$30-35, but that one is up around $45-50 right now. Is it still the go-to, or is there something better in that $30-$50 price range?
|
|
#
?
May 31, 2021 23:02
|
|
|
Khizan posted:I'm looking for a decent basic chef's knife, something better than the terrible Walmart knives I've been using for years. I don't do a ton of cooking, and I don't really want a fancy knife that requires a lot of special care outside of edge maintenance. I just want something reliable with a decent edge that I don't have to muscle through stuff. That's still the one. You can sometimes find it at around $35 on sale, but the next best thing you're gonna see recommended is the tojiro and it's also $20 or so more than it was back whenever the OP was written. I've had good luck with the Messermeister 4 Seasons line if you're dead set on something that costs $35. I bought the 12" chef knife and used it to cut fruit commercially for a couple of years. It did fine, at least as well as the Dexter Russell knives that we had laying around. I think they still use that same swiss army knife steel but they don't have the internet reputation that I assume has driven up the price of the Victorinox.
|
|
#
?
Jun 1, 2021 01:29
|
|
|
Has anyone tried using a digital angle gauge to help learn to maintain a consistent angle when sharpening knives? I don't know if it's actually better than just using the marker method, but you can get one for $12 on amazon and someone on youtube suggested it. They stick on via magnets and it sounds like they're incredibly light and flimsy so it might actually work.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2021 14:42
|
|
|
mystes posted:Has anyone tried using a digital angle gauge to help learn to maintain a consistent angle when sharpening knives? I don't know if it's actually better than just using the marker method, but you can get one for $12 on amazon and someone on youtube suggested it. They stick on via magnets and it sounds like they're incredibly light and flimsy so it might actually work. I have one that I use for setting up a sharpening guide for my chisels. I know chisels sharpen at much steeper angles than knives, but expect to replace the magnet. Without ridiculous grip I don't see them sitting still on moving metal.
|
|
#
?
Jun 13, 2021 15:15
|
|
|
Stalizard posted:That's still the one. You can sometimes find it at around $35 on sale, but the next best thing you're gonna see recommended is the tojiro and it's also $20 or so more than it was back whenever the OP was written. I bought that Victorinox for my parents back in May for $34 on Amazon (May 10 to be exact). Keep an eye on it and it'll probably drop again. Edit: I havea Tojiro Santoku that I really like as well, it feels a bit nicer in the hand, but I haven't used the Victorinox enough to compare. When I am at my parents house the Victorinox is definitely good enough in every way.
|
|
#
?
Jun 14, 2021 17:25
|
|
|
signalnoise posted:I have one that I use for setting up a sharpening guide for my chisels. I know chisels sharpen at much steeper angles than knives, but expect to replace the magnet. Without ridiculous grip I don't see them sitting still on moving metal. There are some annoyances with trying to use it while sharpening the knife, since you have to stop and wait a second or two to get a decent reading, and you have to be careful to keep it with perpendicular to the blade since I guess the device measures its rotation along its plane (which I guess makes sense but I hadn't thought about it), but it actually seems to work OK and I would say that for the price it's probably better than trying to use a stack of quarters to figure out the correct angle even if it's not amazing.
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2021 01:38
|
|
|
mystes posted:I bought it, because for the price whatever why not, and it actually sticks on fine and doesn't slide around while sharpening, at least on the carbon steel cleaver I'm using. (The magnet seems to be pretty strong and the device weights virtually nothing.) That's good to hear. Which one did you get?
|
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2021 03:17
|
|
|
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0797R51WX which had a coupon and was literally the cheapest one at the time. I have no way of knowing whether it's really accurate and the numbers did go all over the place when I moved the knife (it's hard to even keep the knife steady enough to measure the language well), but it did take seem to help me practice keeping the angle more even when I tried it. mystes fucked around with this message at 03:43 on Jun 15, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jun 15, 2021 03:41
|
|
|
 I've joined the Cult of Japanese Knifes.... It's a nakiri by Shigeki Tanaka in Ginami Silver 3. It was the more subtle nashiji finish that ended up drawing me to it. edit: It appears we can start a Shigeki Tanaka nakiri fan club... KingColliwog posted:I may have decided to spend more than I had planned. Really wanted a nice looking knife and I find nakiris super sexy. I also mostly use knives to cut veggies so... I bought that think. Shigeki Tanaka VG-10. I regret nothing. Pablo Bluth fucked around with this message at 20:48 on Jun 17, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2021 20:43
|
|
|
Pablo Bluth posted:
Do you like it? Mine needed a good sharpening, but is now my favourite knife by far. Looks so good too and I'm a sucker for handmade stuff which adds to my enjoyment everytime.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2021 22:05
|
|
|
this is my gyuto, it's been my go to for years i have a nakiri i never used, but thanks to this thread i've been using it instead of the gyuto and it's really grown on me 
|
|
#
?
Jun 18, 2021 09:00
|
|
|
KingColliwog posted:Do you like it? Mine needed a good sharpening, but is now my favourite knife by far. Looks so good too and I'm a sucker for handmade stuff which adds to my enjoyment everytime.
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2021 10:39
|
|
|
I picked up one of these knives from a thrift store for $1, and what I didn't notice at first is it has super-tiny serrations on the edge. I've never seen that before but it seems like it would be inferior for chopping. The page says it never needs to be sharpened, is it a lovely gimmick or is there something to that? I was thinking of taking it to the sharpener's and seeing how it turned out rather than buying a Mercer or Victorinox but I'm not sure they could even sharpen it with the edge it has. https://www.zwilling.com/us/henckels-eversharp-pro-7-inch-hollow-ground-santoku-31358-181/31358-181-0.html E: I should say I haven't had a chance to really use it yet, I've got problems with my kitchen so I haven't been cooking much, I'm going pescetarian, and as far as vegetables I've just been doing leafy greens and baby carrots. I like the way it handles but it didn't do well when I tried cutting paper to test it. 22 Eargesplitten fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Jun 22, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 21:13
|
|
|
22 Eargesplitten posted:I picked up one of these knives from a thrift store for $1, and what I didn't notice at first is it has super-tiny serrations on the edge. I've never seen that before but it seems like it would be inferior for chopping. The page says it never needs to be sharpened, is it a lovely gimmick or is there something to that? I was thinking of taking it to the sharpener's and seeing how it turned out rather than buying a Mercer or Victorinox but I'm not sure they could even sharpen it with the edge it has. They're counting on those micro-serrations to do a similar thing. That is, to an inexperienced knife user, it will seem like the knife never really gets fully dull because of it. Of course, it's never truly sharp, either. But the serrations will help it rip through a lot of items. EDIT: from the link you gave: Blade hardness (HRC): 54-56 HRC If you put an edge on it will not hold an awesome edge. It'll hold an acceptable edge at best. Kenshin fucked around with this message at 21:30 on Jun 22, 2021 |
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 21:21
|
|
|
I am imagining the browning on produce from using those knives and it makes me feel sick
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 21:24
|
|
|
that's a pretty over the top reaction imo
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 21:26
|
|
|
56 HRC is typical for German kitchen knives and is unlikely to be the reason for poor performance.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 22:48
|
|
|
German kitchen knife steel is soft like babby's bottom
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 22:57
|
|
|
Chemmy posted:56 HRC is typical for German kitchen knives and is unlikely to be the reason for poor performance. 
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 23:01
|
|
|
56 HRC is good enough for an airplane engine bearing, it’s good enough for a knife.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 23:44
|
|
|
Lawnie posted:56 HRC is good enough for an airplane engine bearing, it’s good enough for a knife. It's okay for a knife. Plenty hard to cut things, but it won't hold it's edge as long as most people expect it to do (because they never do, sharpen and hone your knives more often). You could probably sharpen those serrations off that thing, and for a dollar, it's worth the attempt if you have stones already. If anything, you'll learn really well the angle for sharpening as you spend a couple hours messing around with it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2021 23:48
|
|
|
Lawnie posted:56 HRC is good enough for an airplane engine bearing, it’s good enough for a knife. I mean, they're not even close to being the same application.
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2021 00:57
|
|
|
I'm thinking about getting another knife and would love some recommendations. I've currently got a Moritaka 150mm Santoku that I'm basically looking to replace, mostly because it's a bit thick and wedges fairly often, even though I like the feel otherwise. So I'm looking for a thinner, all-purpose knife at about that length (I'm open to nearby lengths, say 170-130mm, but I've already got a 210mm gyutou and a 90mm paring as well so it needs to hit a middle spot). I'd like a tip for coring tomatoes/apples/etc in hand, and I push cut onions/big veg but prefer to rock cut herbs, so a pure nakiri doesn't seem right. I've been looking at bunkas or another santoku, but I'd be open to a cai dao or a petty or whatever else if you've got one you love. (Maybe it's time to get a CCK or SBZ finally?) I like the aogami super steel that Moritaka uses and would totally get that steel again, but would also be open to any other steel that can keep a sharp edge, either stainless or reactive (I use a set of naniwa stones to sharpen). I like some heft but it's not required as long as the knife is blade-weighted; I want a wa handle but am open to any shape (I've only used octagonals). I'm right-handed and don't mind a single bevel. (I'm also trying to hold myself back from replacing my honesuki and getting a sujihiki, so if you have recs for either of those I'd be interested too against my budget's judgment.)
|
|
#
?
Jun 23, 2021 01:05
|
|
|
Does it make sense to buy a yanagiba for stuff like skinning fillets of fish and slicing lox and other non-sashimi preparations? I'm using the Victronix flexible curved boning knife and it works fine until I get to the wider part of the fillet and I feel like a longer knife like a 30cm yanagiba would make it easier.
|
|
#
?
Jun 25, 2021 00:29
|
|
|
Does anyone have any experience with the Tojiro Bolsterless line? The steel is supposed to be the same as the DP line. I found them here: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojirodpa1.html I'm trying to gift some decent knives to my family members and these knives seem to be the perfect fit of price and quality.
|
|
#
?
Jun 30, 2021 16:55
|
|
|
A friend of mine just got me a Chinese vegetable cleaver as a housewarming gift  I have never used one before, so this will be my first Nice Knife. Is there anything I should know about it other than don't use it on bones?I'm going to look into sharpening services in my city, but also probably investigate sharpening it myself - I have plenty of janky knives to practice on before I go to town on the cleaver. Friend said it was "a carbon blade" so... any recs on grit for a sharpening stone?
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2021 16:15
|
|
|
Johnny Truant posted:A friend of mine just got me a Chinese vegetable cleaver as a housewarming gift
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2021 16:53
|
|
|
Johnny Truant posted:A friend of mine just got me a Chinese vegetable cleaver as a housewarming gift This is what I'd consider a basic, entry level sharpening setup. https://wickededgeusa.com/products/generation-3-pro-new-2017-model Pretty straightforward and it will get the job done. (Just kidding that's ridiculous) The above set of advice is good - get a decent 2 sided sharpening stone. If you have a restaurant supply store that sells to the public you may be able to pick up a decent one locally, but check to make sure the stone is intact and free of damage - often those are handled pretty roughly during transit and I've seen them come out with gouges/chips in the stone, which can lead to chips or unevenly sharpened blades. 1000/3000 is a decent setup for carbon steel, it's sort of mid-level and will require that you sharpen your blades semi-regularly (depending on how much you use them, probably every 3-6 months). If you want to spend a bit more, getting a wider range of grit levels will allow for both a finer edge and make it easier to sharpen very dull blades. A setup like this will take care of just about anything you need within reason: https://www.amazon.com/Sharpening-Whetstone-Non-slip-Flattening-Resistant/dp/B088FCJWJW/ The most important thing is technique - it's not difficult, but watch a couple videos and you'll get the hang of it. Lastly, since you mentioned the knife is carbon steel - day to day care is a little bit different than your usual stainless knife. With any knife, you'll want to hand wash and dry it every time you're done with it, however with carbon steel you should oil it after drying. Carbon steel can and will rust - it's correctable if it happens, but this is a simple step. Any neutral food safe oil (i.e. not motor oil) will work. There are super fancy knife oils out there, but in my opinion they're a waste of money. Canola oil, vegetable oil are your best bets - olive oil can be used, but it also goes rancid over time, it's easier to just get into the habit of using a neutral cooking oil. Edit: Lastly, whatever stone you get, read and follow the instructions, whether it says to use the stone with oil, dry, whatever.
|
|
#
?
Jul 1, 2021 19:15
|
|
|
just use the knife like a regular knife, and maybe be careful about where your support hand is lest you shave off a few mm of your support fingers. put anymore thought into it than that and you'll turn into this guy ^^^^^^ and that's not a fate I'd wish on anybody
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2021 04:20
|
|
|
|
| # ? Jun 8, 2024 05:35 |
|
|
mystes posted:Has anyone tried using a digital angle gauge to help learn to maintain a consistent angle when sharpening knives? I don't know if it's actually better than just using the marker method, but you can get one for $12 on amazon and someone on youtube suggested it. They stick on via magnets and it sounds like they're incredibly light and flimsy so it might actually work. I have one of these that I used to set the angle on my Wicked Edge thing. I've never used it in the manner you're talking about but I just stuck it to one of my knives and waved it around a bit and it seems like the magnets are strong enough to do what you want. https://www.amazon.com/iGaging-35-2...581355903&psc=1
|
|
#
?
Jul 2, 2021 16:31
|
|