Search found 2440 matches

by salemj
Wed Mar 13, 2024 11:51 am
Forum: Knife Recommendations
Topic: What's a good stainless knife for me?
Replies: 7
Views: 341

Re: What's a good stainless knife for me?

I haven't used any of Mark's recommendations, but I have to say that I LOVE Myojin's grinds. He grinds many blades costing well north of 500, but my sense is that he brings the same care to every knife, no matter the price. My guess is that his Riki line cuts like a dream.
by salemj
Tue Mar 05, 2024 12:01 pm
Forum: Tim Johnson Knives and Handles
Topic: Kekoa gyuto started
Replies: 57
Views: 1987

Re: Kekoa gyuto started

I love it when you take us through your awesome work like this, Taz. Thanks for doing so!
by salemj
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:27 am
Forum: Knife Recommendations
Topic: Good knife for fish.
Replies: 12
Views: 453

Re: Good knife for fish.

I don't do the kind of whole fish prep described above, but I do have a mioroshi deba and I find it useful as a home cook. The added length helps for cleaning and portioning tasks, while the shorter "deba" design is still there for fish bones and for careful slicing. I use my mioroshi deba...
by salemj
Mon Feb 26, 2024 10:04 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Show us your new knife!
Replies: 4109
Views: 762198

Re: Show us your new knife!

I have been drooling over Daniel's work, process and polishing for years and finally got my hands on one of his knives. It's not Wootz, but still a beauty. Daniel Cauble-230mm slicer in O1 wrapped in iron with KOA and titanium spacers on the handle: https://i.imgur.com/h7vPr4F.jpg https://i.imgur.c...
by salemj
Tue Feb 13, 2024 10:07 pm
Forum: Knife Recommendations
Topic: Professional Knife Recommendations
Replies: 13
Views: 645

Re: Professional Knife Recommendations

Can you provide any more personal details? I feel like you are a very experienced user. Some forum users have a broad sense of how a knife might connect to individuals. For example: are you tall or short? Do you have decent space at work or are you often working in very tight spaces? Mostly prep wor...
by salemj
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:52 pm
Forum: Sharpening Advice
Topic: Single Bevel Deba Trouble - Cannot Hit the Edge
Replies: 9
Views: 1058

Re: Single Bevel Deba Trouble - Cannot Hit the Edge

This might also be a point where the mention of mud is relevant. I don't have experience with this, but my impression has always been that Japanese sharpeners use mud specifically and effectively to help polish the "gaps" that are created with the convex shape. Even if the mud is not grind...
by salemj
Thu Jan 25, 2024 2:59 pm
Forum: Sharpening Advice
Topic: Getting Takayuki sharper
Replies: 8
Views: 952

Re: Getting Takayuki sharper

I don't mean to hijack here, but I'll just say that I bought a couple knives as gifts recently and sent them straight to the recipients. I was horrified when I visited them later and tried the knives: they were totally dull. Not just "meh," but couldn't cut paper without any use. I'm not s...
by salemj
Thu Jan 25, 2024 9:55 am
Forum: Knife Recommendations
Topic: Cutting the cheese
Replies: 12
Views: 884

Re: Cutting the cheese

I LOVE this question. I cut just about every ingredient I use with Japanese knives. The two major exceptions are cheese and pizza (crusts). For cheese, my favourite knife to use is a stamped Henckels or Wusthoff. STAMPED, not forged. Their cheaper lines are thinner than the forged ones, with flatter...
by salemj
Thu Jan 25, 2024 9:19 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Is there a “best” steel?
Replies: 44
Views: 2072

Re: Is there a “best” steel?

I'd disagree with many of the points above about subjectivity (although I totally expect that we probably all agree on the "spirit" of the above posts). The quality of a steel is not subjective. What is "subjective" is what different people prefer in a steel, or the criteria an i...
by salemj
Wed Jan 24, 2024 3:06 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: What do you do with a wonky chopper
Replies: 27
Views: 951

Re: What do you do with a wonky chopper

I think you may be on to something here. I find that the belly on this knife calls for chopping at an angle where the "toe" hits the board first, with the rest of the blade following through as the heel continues to come down. This is a little awkward on my counter but happens naturally i...
by salemj
Wed Jan 24, 2024 11:54 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: What do you do with a wonky chopper
Replies: 27
Views: 951

Re: What do you do with a wonky chopper

I would expect the edge to feel thin and to perform that way given the images. But I have seen many "thin" knives that were not thin behind the edge. For a knife like this, I think you're like to get a SIGNIFICANT uptick in performance if you put your own edge on it using a full progressio...
by salemj
Mon Jan 22, 2024 10:04 pm
Forum: Knife Recommendations
Topic: Please help me help a friend choose a Gyuto 210mm
Replies: 18
Views: 1088

Re: Please help me help a friend choose a Gyuto 210mm

I've definitely had some odd relationships with handles. Less about the shape, and more about the size/weight/dimensions. I also had a less-than-great experience with an Anryu loaner and still really hate those Echizen curved choil-neck transitions for lack of comfort. But I know that this knife is ...
by salemj
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:42 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Anyone Have Experience With A Miyabi
Replies: 6
Views: 1149

Re: Anyone Have Experience With A Miyabi

As above: I don't have a lot of experience with these knives, but I have bought the Koh for a family member and felt it had a decent grind and finish. My experience (mostly in-store) with their higher-end stuff has actually been less impressive, though. I like thinner, more precise edges at $200 and...
by salemj
Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:57 pm
Forum: Tim Johnson Knives and Handles
Topic: 240mm Magnacut gyuto
Replies: 8
Views: 747

Re: 240mm Magnacut gyuto

This looks like it is going to be a very special knife. Seriously.
by salemj
Sun Jan 21, 2024 3:35 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Hand made knives
Replies: 18
Views: 782

Re: Hand made knives

I mention this because you shouldn't feel so crushed! Lots of great info and you're probably right. I should just get over it. Do the knives look great? Yes Do they perform well? Yes Do I enjoy using them and look for things to slice just so I can pick them up? Yes It's just when you watch those vi...
by salemj
Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:41 am
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Hand made knives
Replies: 18
Views: 782

Re: Hand made knives

From what I can gather, the main cost to "hand work" is grinding. Many knives that are stamped and batch-baked are still hand-ground, just as the custom makers above do. It is the effort that goes into shaping the profile and geometry that requires special "hand" skills as oppose...
by salemj
Mon Jan 01, 2024 2:07 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Your top knife of 2023?
Replies: 28
Views: 2245

Re: Your top knife of 2023?

Tough one, I usually lean towards western makers in my collection, but this year the top two are Japanese: 1- Yoshikozu Tanaka 240 Gyuto in Blue2 with damascus cladding and an ebony handle. Did some tweeking of the handle and made the bottom rounded and dropped off some of the girth making it super...
by salemj
Thu Dec 28, 2023 5:22 pm
Forum: Knife Recommendations
Topic: Knife Reboot
Replies: 8
Views: 834

Re: Knife Reboot

I think the one question you skipped is actually the most important. To me, your post suggests not only that you have a bigger kitchen, but perhaps also a bigger cutting board/prep space. In my experience, it is not the size of the kitchen, but the size of the prep space/board that is most important...
by salemj
Thu Dec 28, 2023 10:32 am
Forum: Sharpening Advice
Topic: Miyabi Black ZDP189 knives sharpening angle.
Replies: 4
Views: 866

Re: Miyabi Black ZDP189 knives sharpening angle.

I personally have more success with bigger angles on my short pairing knives. If you measure a 10 angle on a knife that is less than 1 inch tall, it means the spine should only be off the stone by about the height of a nickel or less in most cases (remember that you measure the angle to the center o...
by salemj
Wed Dec 27, 2023 11:51 pm
Forum: General Discussion
Topic: Your top knife of 2023?
Replies: 28
Views: 2245

Re: Your top knife of 2023?

Boy, I started to respond to this and immediately got stuck. I guess that is a good sign! But one knife that has brought me a lot of joy recently is my Ikeda AS KS clone. I've always felt it was a very good knife. But since getting a grill late in the season in 2022, this knife (which is my go-to sl...