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Damascus 240 'Chef's' recommendation

2K views 24 replies 4 participants last post by  bonesetter 
#1 ·
Looking for a hammered Damascus 240mm chef's gyuto knife

Things I would like:

Easy to sharpen (so stainless or one of those interesting sounding carbons). Also not VG-10

I don't want a cladded - 'faux damascus' type

Western handle

Not a German profile with a high tip, but also not totally flat French style

Budget - hopefully somewhere between $100 - $200 but can stretch to $300

All help very much appreciated 
 
#3 ·
Thanks Millions

Your suggestion linked above has a damascus cladding (I like the fact it has carbon core)

I kinda wanted to avoid the faux cladding, for all the reasons I have read about - thick blade, scratch and fade? And if ever I wanted the blade thinned it would look bad?

Other thing, I was hoping for more of a western style handle

This combination seems thin on the ground, as most are VG-10

Thanks again
 
#4 ·
Tanaka is iron clad.  It's easy to thin when you need to, as opposed to stainless cladding which feels kind of gummy on the stones.

Any damascus knife you thin is going to scratch up the blade face.  You need to refinish with a sandpaper progression and some flitz.  You can also make it 'pop' with some light etching

If you want a low maintenance knife that looks good after normal sharpening, look at wide bevel knives and forget damascus
 
#6 ·
Tanaka is iron clad. It's easy to thin when you need to, as opposed to stainless cladding which feels kind of gummy on the stones.

Any damascus knife you thin is going to scratch up the blade face. You need to refinish with a sandpaper progression and some flitz. You can also make it 'pop' with some light etching

If you want a low maintenance knife that looks good after normal sharpening, look at wide bevel knives and forget damascus
I haven't looked at single bevelled knives at all. Could you kindly link an example?

Thankyou
 
#7 ·
You don't want clad (layered) blades. You don't want pattern welding (faux damascus). Are you after a single metal damascus?
Yes, I was thinking of a non-clad single metal Damascus

This ebay knife looks just what I was after (not sure about material as I don't know anything about that particular one), but the profile is a tad flat for my liking, not sure about the handle and of course, it is a Santoku

Sakai Takayuki Swedish Stainless Hammered Damascus Wa-Santoku Knife
 
#9 ·
I haven't looked at single bevelled knives at all. Could you kindly link an example?

Thankyou
The sharpening is similar, but I'm talking about a wide bevel double bevel knife like this:
You don't want clad (layered) blades. You don't want pattern welding (faux damascus). Are you after a single metal damascus?
Those are expensive. Delbert Ealy, Devin Thomas, other customs. Doesn't exist in this price range
 
#10 ·
#15 ·
Yes ordo, that'll be it

So, for a single metal blade you need to spend upwards of 500?
Oh, no. MillionKnives just mentioned 'author' damascus knives from very reputable blade-smiths in America.

If you resign the idea of having a fashion damascus blade, and please do it, you can have for instance a Hiromoto (Benuser can tell more about this brand than me, but i guess the Honyaki series is single metal) for about $279, which is really cheap for honyaki blades. Here's a 240 mm. gyuto (please skip the Santoku).


Also Misono Swedish mono steel 240 mm. gyuto for $137,70


Masamoto HC 240 mm. virgin carbon steel gyuto for $212.


And Hattori, Kanemasa, etc., all single metal knives NON damascus.
 
#17 · (Edited)
You might get a coreless Damascus parer for $500, but anything like a 240 is going to be well over 1K

2 sources that might not have a long waiting list:

http://www.doorcountyforgeworks.com/Welcome.html

http://cosmoknives.com/its-all-about-the-steel/

Rick
My god - I can truly say that's the most beautiful knife I've come across. The damascus pattern is the best I've seen (better than all the Kramer's I've seen). Love the handle, the sloping bolster, the relief on the choil. Just wow

Cosmo knife 8" fusion

 
#19 ·
He even knows your preferred profile, to the T I'd say.

Rick
He he

As much as I have the lust and would love to romp around with that for an afternoon, I wouldn't like to own the knife - for its profile.

Yes, the high tippers (well, my Robert Welch) have not being seeing much action of late.... it's the JCK carbonext I reach for pretty much for everything. I have being practicing sharpening all the knives on the stones and the JCK has taken on an extraordinarily sweet edge and combined with a strong feel through the blade, and yes, a much lower height tip, has become an absolute joy to use

I can still rock just fine, onion dicing has become show off, and all with less elbow /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smoking.gif

Cosmo does however do custom. No idea on pricing I suppose for one of those bad boys?

The Kai Shun 9.5" hammered damascus Tim Mlazer which I ordered 5 weeks ago is currently in shipping. I'll probably send it back

Thanks everyone for the advice so far - you guys rock - although the wallet looks like continuing to get a fair bit lighter
 
#20 ·
Oh as far as the profile, got you mixed up with another recent poster.  He wanted the big belly but a lower than typical German tip, that sums up the Cosmo.  Who the hell was that now?

Hard to say what he'd do a custom for, you'll just have to wait till he gets back from vacation.  I don't think he's well known yet though, so that helps.  These are all essentially one-off knives, so I don't think the price would change much for a different profile.

Rick
 
#22 ·
I try to guide bonesetter into the moral, almost religious benefits of single metal non damascus knives and all of you are spoling the (already wasted) guy. Damnation!
ordo - I don't know quite how, but I'm still lost in space

I'm feeling the draw for 'the one' (= the next one, until I've tried them all), or tried enough to synergise with Millions and Rick, and meanwhile soaking up the great BdLa x
 
#23 · (Edited)
#25 ·

These are some of the knives Cosmo has in stock. They are ~$1K (Canadian), 8" and I'm not too sure about the profiles

I think I'm going to give up on the idea of a Damascus, certainly mono steel anyway and follow Ordo's mantra. Why blow the budget on one 'possible' when I can just get more knives for the same money?? :)

I do like the Tanaka Blue R2 (with iron Damascus clad) Million's linked above though, so may go for that
 
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