Culinary Scalpels

Hi to All!

I was fortunate enough to get in on Randy's new venture into AEB-L Parings and gave them a whirl yesterday evening while making some artisan bread, braciola and mouse with strawberries with some cool results! I thought you might want to look at some pictures and specs!

HHH Petty's Specs

1) Traditional Petty (If it can be called that)
AEB-L Steel
50-50 Bevel
Stabilized Spalted Hack Berry handle with 2 mosaic pins
Total Length is 180mm
Blade Length is 76.81
Thickness before thinning 2.97
Thickness after thinning (Makers Mark) 2.08
Thickness behind the edge at Makers Mark 0.65 (At 5mm inn)
Finger groove length

2) Wharncliffe Petty
AEB-L Steel
50-50 Bevel
Stabilized Spalted Hack Berry handle with 2 mosaic pins
Total Length is 168mm
Blade Length is 63.85
Thickness before thinning 2.94
Thickness after thinning (Makers Mark ) 2.14
Thickness behind the edge at Makers Mark 0.64 (at 5mm inn)

The subjects at hand

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1287_zps918f6553.jpg

The lineup just for fun!

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1327_zpsc9a40876.jpg

The Handle

My hand ends where the handle ends (But I have XL hands) to that satisfies my enough handle for my hand requirement but there is 3 fingers on the handle and my index on the groove under normal circumstances.

There is enough girth (15.55mm wide) of the handle for me to have some "torque" so to speak so I can comfortably maneuver.

Well rounded, no protrusions, gaps or shrinkage of any kind (and as I've said before "I can be picky"). To be noted is the cool slant of the "so to speak" bolster. :thumbsup:

The Groove Area

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1354_zps950fd642.jpg

The groove measures 24mm in lenght and is well rounded.. so I had no uncomfortable feeling in my index (That can sometimes occur).. there is a change in tapering that is well executed from spine to bottom.

I was a bit concerned at first that the blade might "transfer" to the groove and make it uncomfortable (Notching into my finger) but that was not the case... Points there to Mister "R"

The Blade

One word... "Scalpel".... if there is something these little wonderful little scalpels of culinary precision can do is "CUT" :clown:

Very thin behind the edge, I have no issues.. the tip is lifted on the traditional as to not get caught and pulled down on the Wharncliffe... no "problem" its what I expected.

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1352_zps8418561b.jpg


Performance

The bread never saw it coming... My personal test of a petty is "scoring" a loaf of uncooked artisan bread and cutting a fresh batch of strawberries... well.. it passed with fllying colors... Its thick where is must be thick, what needs to be rounded is rounded, and what needs to be ridiculously this IS a freaking scalpel...

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1329_zps9f42f16e.jpg

The result:

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1336_zps193e8aed.jpg

NOTE: I could still move my INDEX and THUMB to pinch above the nothch area to get some more grip (Understand as control) of the blade with plenty of space while cutting the strawberries

My Favorite

That little "Hump" on the spine, after the notch and above the makers mark that makes the blade more accesible and easier to pinch.. KUDOS! :spin chair:

To be done / Improved / Experimented

Not much to improve... :my2cents:

Just to be a pain in the butt and because I cant leave this review without saying "something"... I would like to see a flatter handle (And why not... see what happens if he makes it just a tad taller), just to see what that "does" and maybe tappering the las 10mm of the (non existent) "bolster" to see what that does. But still rounded...

:yap:

But pretty please.. don't tamper with the blade or notch.. OR Hump..

I dont know if it can be done.. but if anyone can.. I am sure its HIM!

GOOD JOB RANDY!

Thanks for listening.. CF over and out..

:thankyou333:

Wow great stuff, I can't wait to receive mine once customs is done with it. Out of the two, which one do you think you will reach for more often?

Aw... man... Good Question Scott!

I want to say traditional because of the curvature... but then.. I say that because I'm more accustomed to that type of profile.

The first thing I noticed in use is that the blade in the Wharncliffe "is" smaller and helps for those difficult situations. :scared4:

The Wharncliffe is a little more specialized, I find that its helpful when the job requires a straight edge and/or some "tip" work, When you need to get IN there (You know what I mean?).

I think that many here might even prefer or be accustomed to the straighter profile... but most pull back at least a little at the end. That is the main difference... the TIP in my view.

I imagine the Sheep's foot is the extreme that equation. It goes from curved pulled back and to in your face type of a job.I want to say that the blade almost goes convex to concave if that makes any sense! :beatinghead:

Don't get me wrong, liked working with them both! It depends on the job at hand..

Hey Randy! Here is another suggestion... a batch of Sheep Foot version of your paring?
I dont know if that idea might gain a lot of traction... worth pondering. :whistling:

CF

great write up. I am loving the look of what Randy is doing with these.

Thanks!

Special note...... what I was trying to say when I said at some point when going from convex/cancave and such, was Birds Beak, not Sheep's foot.

I knew there was something that wasn't quite right!

This leads me to a question to ponder: The difference between Sheep's foot and Wharncliffe...

Apparently the sheeps foot has a bit of curvature at the end, while the wharncliffe does not... (It has a larger radius on the spine, giving a straighter edge).

SO.. Randy's knife reviewed IS a Wharncliffe, right?

:helicop:

A couple of photos I missed :tease:

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1398_zps1deee936.jpg

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1400_zpsdbed317b.jpg

http://i1311.photobucket.com/albums/s676/customfan1/IMG_1399_zpse118a3ba.jpg

Customfan said:

SO.. Randy's knife reviewed IS a Wharncliffe, right?

:helicop:

Click to expand...

Yep sure is.

Glad to see and hear your liking them V. Strawberry's tremble at the sight of these kitchen scalpels!

HHH Knives said:

Strawberry's tremble at the sight of these kitchen scalpels!

Click to expand...

I am more worried for the mice.