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[Briley]

All:

I have a Kramer Zwilling stainless, and while I think it’s great, I am getting the hankering for something nicer. Must be from watching all the videos on the site. I really like that Masakage Koishi, but I’ve seen several I like, like the Masamoto, and others. I just don’t know enough. I’m new to all this.

1)Pro or home cook?
Home

2)What kind of knife do you want? (Gyuto, Santuko, Petty, Paring, Sujihiki, etc.)
Gyuto (I think)

3) What size knife do you want?
Over 8”

4)How much do you want to spend?
$2-275

5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction?
Probably stainless, or stainless clad, but could be talked into all carbon.

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
I don’t really know, to be honest.

7)What are your main knife/knives now?
Kramer Zwilling Stainless, Miyabi Fusion petty

8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair?
Decent. I’m still new to this.

9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter?
Hmm. Push or pull so far, but I sometimes try chopping, and would like to be able to.

10)Do you know how to sharpen?
That’s what got me into this whole thing. I wanted more stuff to sharpen.

Thanks for any advice.

[salemj]

My guess is that your Kramer is probably a great cutter. It is kinda funny—I often step away from the forum and think about how my favorite part of having a collection now is trying to get the best performance from the knives I already have, rather than buying something new and expecting it to cut "better," as a really sharp knife is, well, a really sharp knife.

I really mean that. At this point, it is honestly very difficult for me to imagine buying a knife that outperforms several of the knives I already own. Period. When I buy a new knife, it is mostly to try a different feel or balance or just out of curiosity, and it has little to do with "sharp."

What that means is, when I think about recommendations now, I think a lot more about performance relative to specific people. In your case, you have a passion for sharpening and you have good knives. So, you probably already know "sharp." What may be missing is a certain kind of "feel in the cut." This is much harder to diagnose, as it were.

Questions 6, 8, and 9 are thus very important here, and they are the hardest for you to answer! For example, my first suggestion based on your entire post is to say "try a good Wa-handled laser in monosteel carbon or semi-stainless." It will be super-light, it will cut more cleanly than what you have, and it will give you a whole new sense of weight, balance, and length than what you have. In short, it will open you to a whole new world, and it will be thin enough behind the edge to also make you "feel" like you can sharpen better than ever.

HOWEVER, the Kramer knives have very distinct, heavy, tall, and contoured handles and heels. If you "prefer" this feeling very much, you'd hate a laser. Since you don't seem to know how much you like the handle, and since you also can't rate your skills, this tell me you haven't quite thought about your relationship to the knife and how it feels like an extension of your hand. It also tells me that you don't quite know how you use the knife...it is possible you really use the unique profile of the Kramer, and that a light, long, flatter laser would be weird for you...

Does this make sense? I hope it is at least thought-provoking. Perhaps see if you can comment on some of these points, and also confirm if your Kramer is R2 (a PM steel) or something else.

[Briley]

Salem:

Your points are quite valid. I can tell you when I bought the Kramer, I was able to try out several, from Shun, Global etc. The Kramer felt better to me. I admittedly have a skills gap to fill, but I feel like I might be better with a flatter, longer profile. The Kramer feels very tall to me, like it’s tough to really chop perpendicularly. I suppose I’d like to try something different to see if it’s better or not, since the Kramer is the first nice knife I’ve owned. Prior, I used a Victorinox 8” chef’s knife for a decade. After thinning that on my Shapton Glass stones, it feels like a “sharper” knife to me, but that may be the thinner profile.

Thanks for the thought provoking questions.

[Briley]

Ohh, it’s FC61 steel. .

[Lepus]

FC61 is Henckel's name for AEB-L. It's a fine grained Swedish stainless similar to 13c26, 19c27, and ginsan.

If you want knives to sharpen, go with carbon clad in stainless or monocarbon. The difference is real.

[Jeff B]

The Koishi would definitely be a different experience from the Krammer for you. If you feel that you would like a flatter, shorter knife that is lighter and more nimble then the Koishi might be a great fit. It's an awesome performer and if it's calling out to you I'd jump on it while it's still in stock. I have a feeling the price might jump on the next batch. They were $340 a few years ago when I bought mine and it looks like the price is on the rise again.

[gladius]

I have a Kramer Zwilling stainless, and while I think it’s great, I am getting the hankering for something nicer.

---
Like the Kramer? Upgrade to the 52100 Carbon version <<= it is on sale now with a $25 gift card included! It is a super knife.

[Kit Craft]

I have a Kramer Zwilling stainless, and while I think it’s great, I am getting the hankering for something nicer.

---
Like the Kramer? Upgrade to the 52100 Carbon version <<= it is on sale now with a $25 gift card included! It is a super knife.

+1 I like this suggestion. I like ZKramer knives to begin with.

[salemj]

If the Kramer feels "very tall" to you and if you want to try something different, then I would NOT buy another Kramer. Nothing is wrong with your current one, anyhow.

Honestly, this knife would be an extreme contrast to what you have in every way, and would be really fun on the stones: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/koasgy24.html

It is BIG, LIGHT, LONG, SHORT at the heel, a LASER, and has a CARBON CORE over stainless. It also has a mostly curved profile: read "flat" but no dead spots. It would work with all sorts of techniques.

The only issue is that is is oversized (about 250mm) rather than 240...and you'd probably be better off with something shorter.

Something else that comes to mind that is not a personal favorite but that others like is this: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kawa21.html

It is also available in 240mm. It is stainless with a carbon core and - again - in your price range. It would be more "exotic": hand-made feel, a bit thicker at the spine, but with a very "Japanese" grind that would be different from everything you have.

You should also consider a Yoshimune gyuto. None in stock right now, but these are a little unusual and "different," but from what I understand they get CRAZY sharp and have impressive grinds. They pop up regularly and are not impossible to snag.

You could also try a Konosuke HD. Semi-stainless that is fun on the stones and takes all sorts of edges. These are just out of your price range, but the basic Ho handle model is perhaps within reach. They have the advantage of being lighter, shorter (in length and at the heel), and monosteel. A "basic" knife that is treasured in many collections. I own many Konosukes...I'm a huge fan.

These are just some ideas that come to mind immediately. One that I'd like to recommend but cannot is the SRS-15 (or Harukaze SRS-15). The 210 might work for you, but I think the 240 would be too big, too heavy, and not a good complement to your current collection. Also, the steel is extremely functional, but not what I would call "fun" on the stones.

Finally, Makoto knives are somewhat new to the fold. You could have a LOT of fun with one of these, both on the stones and on the board. There are two lines...you might want to wait for the more expensive one, which also has much nicer fit and finish, from what I read.