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Aesthetics and durability of j-knife markings

post #1 of 7
10/10/11 at 5:43am
Thread Starter 

OK, so this isn't exclusive to j-knives but I'm curious as to how well the j-knife markings hold up over time as I think they are a key part of the aesthetics of these knife.  I MIGHT be in the market for another new knife in the next month or two (already ordered a Messermeister based on my want for a German knife with some heft for specific tasks).   I have a hattori HD petty but the markings are ingraved and not paint/ink. 

 

 

There seems to be at least a little divide between some folks who don't care at all about aesthetics (just want a highly functional "tool") and the folks who might place aesthetics at the top of their list (insert naive Su La Table shopper here).

 


Consider me a mix of the two... maybe.  We'll see if I still feel this way after this thread, LOL.  I'm a home cook so my knife won't take the constant abuse of a pro kitchen.  It might take me 10 years to dice 500 onions instead of one morning.  And therefore I feel like I can veer towards aesthetics a little more and hopefully have the knife still look great for years.

 

Let me be a little more specific: 

 

1.  Will a Tojiro, Mac Pro, epicedge Ryusen Blazen, kikcuihi TKC, Hattori FH (a knives I'm considering) etc... keep their japanese characters on the blade for 5 years under normal household wear and tear?  Will the characters essentially look perfect or will bits and pieces of them be worn off?

 

2.  I've heard some stories about the damascus type patterns scratching or wearing.  I have a Shun Classic (I know - GASP..  :) ...) that's about 1 year old, used a lot and doesn't show any wear in the "faux" damascus really, IMO.

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post #2 of 7
10/10/11 at 1:26pm

My wife's Mac superior knives are a LOT older than 5 years.  The knives get a lot of use around here, and the graphics are still perfectly fine. The blades have scuffs and scratches, The handles are sort of a dingy brown as compared to my 3 year old Pro gyuto, but about the same color as her 40 year old, give or take, Mac original which has no graphics.  My gyuto looks pretty much like it did new.

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post #3 of 7
10/10/11 at 9:50pm

FWIW, my MAC Chef's series knives that I use for traveling and camping (time share units always have terrible knives) and that I've had for @ 12 years or so have retained their graphics just fine.  The Knives themselves are a bit scratched here and there because I do use them quite a bit and they get used for everything, but the graphics are fine.  They are guarded and cased virtually all the time when they are not being used.

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post #4 of 7
10/10/11 at 10:19pm

Avoid ever using a metal polish. Sometimes when removing rust or other times it becomes necessary logos do fade.

 

Below is my 15 year old Wustof Grand Prix and a barely used Wustof Grand Prix II. The 15 year old has gotten polished about 3 times over the years and most of the fading was from that.

 

No dishwashers, for countless reasons other than the logo, no polishing on the logo, and no abrasives like steel wool are best for the logo preservation.

 

I did see a Mac that had the Granton scallops developing rust in there but nowhere else. Always dry thoroughly after washing and pay special attention to the scallops if the knife has them like the bottom blade.

 

Jim

 

2011-10-10_21-52-58_317.jpg


Edited by KnifeSavers - 10/11/11 at 6:58am
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post #5 of 7
10/10/11 at 11:21pm

The silk screened ones can come off pretty easily.  The etched or engraved ones can last as long as the knife.  A lot depends on how you care for them.

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post #6 of 7
10/11/11 at 7:32pm
Thread Starter 



 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phaedrus View Post

The silk screened ones can come off pretty easily.  The etched or engraved ones can last as long as the knife.  A lot depends on how you care for them.



Is it fair/accurate to say that on a MAC the red/blue MAC logo is silk screened and the japanese characters on the other side are more etched/engraved?  I seem to think I've read a few times that the MAC logo wears off somewhat quickly...

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post #7 of 7
10/11/11 at 8:11pm

I haven't had a MAC in my hand in years, only seen a couple.  I couldn't really say.  I used to get hung up on trying to baby the silk screening but now I don't bother.

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