Calphalon Katana

Calphalon Katanas are a complicated blend of pretty good and not so good.  There are so many aspects to Katanas, it's hard to go into all of them. 

Fit and finish is adequate but unexceptional for a knife of its price.  Calphalon claims all sorts of performance benefits from the damascus patterned cladding, but it's just propganda.  If you like the way it looks, great.  Beauty is enough of a reason.  However, you should be aware that it has a tendency to scratch and fade.

The handles are unusual, some people like them, some don't, you do.  The blade is fairly thick, and the edge grind is fairly obtuse.  The knives are on the heavy side for Japanese manufactured knives.  The trend among people with good knife skills is towards lighter knives -- but that's a matter of taste, not an absolute.

The profile is certainly more "French" than "German," and very flat along the edge, and not particularly conducive to "rock chopping" in the way a German knife is.  That's not a particularly bid deal.  It's easier to rock chop a flat profile than push cut an arced edge.  (My preference is to flatter rather than curvier, but the Katana takes it a bit too far my taste.)

The VG-1 alloy is fairly good, and sharpens easily.  It's also capable of holding a more acute angle than the very obtuse 22* factory set.  However, the shape of the blade where it flows into the handle makes it hard to sharpen to the 15* it ought to be.  VG-1 doesn't wear particularly quickly, but at the Katana's relatively low hardness it does roll.  Consequently, the knives need a fair amount of maintenance with a steel.

Bottom Line:  They're not bad for the price, but if you're serious about high performance knives, for a few dollars more you can do much better.  However, the subject of better knives raises the related subject of sharpening.  There's no point in investing in expensive knives which you can't or won't keep sharp.

Hope this helps,
BDL
Edited by boar_d_laze - 3/4/10 at 12:37am

Hi Schmoozer,

You asked,

Sort of, but not exactly.  Here's how "rock chopping" works:  The tip of the kinfe goes down.  The rest of the blade follows in a sort of guillotine motion.  Because the edge of the knife has an arc, the user keeps pushing down on the handle until the back of the knife is down far enough that the food gets cut through.  Most people with good skills (with chef's knifes) also slide the knife forward slightly as it cuts ( to keep the chop silent and to avoid making "accordion" cuts). 

"Rock chopping" is not a traditional knife skills term, but seems to have come from knife forums on the net as a way from distinguishing the European style of chopping from the Asian "push cut." 

If you just rock the knife around the board making the food progressively smaller -- especially if you keep you press down on the knife near the tip with your offhand -- that's called "walking" the knife.  A lot of people mince that way -- in fact darn near everyone, including me -- despite the fact that it's a good way to chip your knife. 

Thank you for saying so. 


Yes and no.  It's only a good value if it suits you.  I keep a sort of mental knife continuum in my head, and have been wrestling with where to put the Katanas since you asked.  More specifically, whether they're better or worse than Forschner Rosewood (or Forschner Fibrox) which are far less expensive. 

The Calphalons have a better profile than the Forschners and are made from better steel.  But their geometry makes it very difficult to sharpen them the way they should be sharpened, etc., etc.  In my opinion your verdict on the Katana comes down to looks.  Do you value them more than the knife's undistinguished utility as a tool?  If you do prize its apearance and don't care that much about performance, $60 seems attractive as knife prices go these days.   

I don't care for them and wouldn't buy one, no matter how cheaply sold.  But you're not me and neither of us expects or wants you to be.   

FWIW, I know a pro with decent skills who's on his second or third Katana.  He says he likes them because "they're hard to hurt."

If you're looking for a lot of performance you could spend significantly less on a Forschner, or a little more on something like a Kakayagi Basic, a Kakayagi VG-10, a MAC Superior, MAC Chef, Misono Moly, Togiharu Inox, etc.  Rating performance above looks, you might even consider a German like a Messermeister Meridian Elite. 

Let me add that knives are all about sharpening.  If you're buying to own for more than a few months of so you really should have a plan which goes beyond "a sharpening steel, and sending it out once a year."  A truly sharp knife makes a huge difference in the level of quality you can put into your cooking and the level of enjoyment you can take from it. 

BDL

PS.  The Kakayagi Basic, and (probably) both MACs mentioned are made from the same VG-1 alloy used for the Katana.  But, mostly because of geometry, they're significantly better performers.
Edited by boar_d_laze - 3/4/10 at 8:14am

I recently left the casino and started  working a station at a local fine dining restaurant (beautiful view).

Looking around I noticed the house knives and a few steels.

One of the steels stood out so I felt it and then gave it a try.

I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it honed.

After a little research I fiound out it is a Calphalon Katana series diamond steel.

BDL, I believe most of your reviews, responses etc. are regarding knives.

Do you have an opinion on this steel?

"Diamond" usually means one of two things.  The steel is either cross-cut grooved or impreganted with a diamond abrasive.  In either case, diamond steels are almost always very aggressive.  The Calphalon Katana is of the sort which is coated with synthetic diamond.  

 

Because it's a rod which means a very thin contact patch, which in turn means a lot of pressure on the knife, it grinds very quickly.  The immediate result is a toothy edge; and if you like a little "bite," you'll like the scuff. 

 

However...

 

A toothy edge isn't quite the same thing as a sharp edge.  Although it will cut quickly and efficiently, it won't make a really clean cut. 

 

Another problem with an edge that coarse is the teeth bend and break quickly creating the need for frequent steeling.  Obviously, over the long term it wears your knives down quickly by removing so much material.

 

Yet another problem is that the narrow force magnifies the amount of force per unit area, and every bobble or other imprecision in the honing stroke is magnified creating many high and low spots along the bevel.  This weakens the blade and makes it prone to chipping. 

 

Also, toothy edges tend to bite into the board, and will easily chip if there's any torque at all on the upstroke.  Almost everyone who's used a coarsely sharpened knife on a poly board is familiar with the feeling and the breaking metal sound going along with it.

 

If you've got cheap knives and like a toothy edge -- why not? Except maybe that it costs more, and won't do a better job than an AccuSharp or Jiff "V." 

 

Bottom Line:

From a "knife guy" perspective, it's a rod best avoided.

 

BDL

Thanks BDL, something for me to ponder.

Jim,

 

How can anything so obviously good be so bad?  If you're more about cooking than having a knife collection, the idea of getting an efficient edge so... well... so efficiently is very seductive.  I felt bad being the guy with the bad news about something with which you were so obviously smitten.

 

Trust me, the "bad" really does come out over time.  There's no law which says you have to relive mistakes I made thirty years ago. 

 

On the other hand, there's no law which says you can't find out for yourself either.

 

One thing about it is is that you may like that kind of edge, so wotthehell, wotthehell.  Another thing of it is that your knives may be inexpensive enough so that chewing them up is no big deal.  And again, wotthehell, wotthehell.

 

BDL

BDL,

in regards to sharpeners, what would you suggest for standard blade maintenance between professionally sharpenings?

I hope I don't step on any toes here, but I just want to put my two cents in on this discussion.  As far as the Katana knife goes from Caphalon I think they are really great.  I purchased the 8" chef knife that you are talking about and I have to tell you that it is a very nice knife.  It comes from the factory with a great edge, and with a few strokes on a good steel it comes back like a charm.  I personally don't care if the etching on the blade gets scratched, all I care about is will the knife hold an edge and will it take an edge when it comes time to resharpen it.  This one takes an edge beautifully.  Hardly any effort.  To me many people that are professional chefs and cooks think that they need to spend a lot of money for knives.  I have always gone outside of the mainstream and don't give a rip about what others do or how much they spend on their tools.  The way I see it is that if you find a tool that works for you and it appeals to you in some way that strikes a chord, then by all means you should have it.  

 

As for sharpening your knives I just found the best ever system for sharpening and keeping sharp your knives.  I have always wanted something that was foolproof and would allow anyone to put a dangerously sharp edge on a knife.  This is the system right here.  http://www.wickededgeusa.com/.  I have tried most of the systems and this is by far the best for getting your blades seriously sharp.  Get the knives you want but get this for keeping them sharp.  It works and you won't be disappointed.  Good Luck

 

Chagal

 

http://phpalumbo.com

The main issues with the Katana are the goofy handles and the fact that they're a bit spendy for what you get.  The Tojiro DP is made of the same steel but with better ergonomics, and it's slightly cheaper.  Still, for the average home cook they'll get the job done.

 

I'm not sure if you follow the forums, Paul, but soon Jende will be offering custom water stones cut for the Wicked Edge.  Clay Allison has been playing with a set of Choceras IIRC that Ken Schwartz cut for the WEPS system and has been very impressed.  I don't think it will be long til they'll be ready to order.

The handle on this knife actually works for me.  I like it, and it fits in my hand rather comfortably.  I have large hands and the way we chefs hold knives makes it fit quite nicely.  And as I am slightly above average as a home cook they do work quite well for me.  As for price I purchased mine at a Home Goods store on sale for around $39.  It was perfect pricing for what I consider to be one of the better knives I own.  And, I have spoken to Clay regarding the Wicked Edge, and I am in the process of becoming a dealer for them here in Connecticut.  I think that will be a good move for me.  One can hope.

Very cool!  Clay has been doing a good job of listening to the criticisms and feedback to improve his device over time.  IIRC there's a mod in the works to allow sharpening at much lower angles than the current version can do.  If that comes to fruition the EP Apex will have some competition.

We added the Chosera line and adding the Shapton line soon. We're also carrying strops w/ compounds down to 0.025 microns. The new mod for lower angles should be ready in October.

 

-Clay