My Damasteel Gyuto Review
I'm breaking this review into a few different groups in an attempt to keep my jumbled thoughts somewhat organized!
Initial package:
The knife came in very nice little red cloth bag with an edge protector on it. There was also a nice little touch - a certificate with steel type, model, production number, care, etc. I really found this to be a pleasant surprise that I would definitely keep if it were my knife.
Overall, great presentation and it was a lot fun to open and added to the suspense!
4/5
Factory Edge:
The factory edge on the knife was truly as good as it gets!*
It was done on a 30000 grit paper wheel and would be equivalent to (I'm guessing by bite, polish, etc) a 6k-8k stone. The edge actually was done VERY nicely with a bit of convexity to it. Hands down, the best factory edge I've seen. *
5/5
Fit and Finish:
This is where Pierre's knives really shine! The F and F is almost perfect, with only the smallest "flaw" in one or two spots. The handle meets up with the spine absolutely flawlessly! It's seamless, smooth and incredibly well done.
Both the choil and spine are nicely rounded and I have no complaints. Very comfortable and attractive (how can a choil be attractive???)
The only spot that I noticed anything to note would be where the spacer and bolster meet up. On one side, the spacer is slightly smaller than the one on the opposite. I will admit, this adds to the uniqueness and overall feel of the knife, but if you're a perfectionist and you hate anything slightly out of whack, this will be it.*
Other than that, f and f is beautiful!
4.5/5
Handle:
What can I say? It was done by a person, not a robot. It is perhaps my favorite part of the whole knife (and that's saying a lot!)
This part might sound a bit strange to most, but the handle feels warm in the hand and a little bit organic. It's almost as if the knife and handle were grown together in a magical land far, far away! The edges are soft and smooth. It is very close to being perfectly symmetrical, with a bit of 'personality'.
There are a few spots where Pierre fixed nature's mistakes, and did a nice job of it. Any holes were filled, and made to feel like they were never there.
The handle has three very attractive mosaic pins, with a great colour match to the rest of the knife.
The bolster has a beautiful look to it, but might be a bit too squared off for some. Depending on grip style, you might notice the bolster up against your palm, but I had no real complaints.
Overall, the handle is my favorite so far.*
4.5/5
Blade (Profile and Grind):
The blade is a cross between a western and a j-knife, in my opinion. It's much closer to a j-knife, with a nice amount of flatness to belly.*
The tip is about halfway between the spine and bottom of the cutting edge and both flow nicely into it. The location of the tip makes it slightly less useable for fine detail work, as a result of the height. However, the tip becomes a non issue once you "get used to it". For people who like a little bit more height at the tip it is great and instills a sense of durability. If you prefer a more pointed tip, just tell Pierre when you order *
The heel at the cutting edge rises slightly (a millimeter) towards the spine and lends itself VERY nicely to my preferred "French Style" of cutting. The blade profile makes your hands feel fast and the knife is an eager cutter! For pure push cutters, the somewhat raised heel can very easily be flattened out, but it's not an absolute necessity.
The grind on the knife appears to be above average, but I didn't take my calipers to it...I know, I dropped the ball on this one! The spine appears to be about 2.3ish millimeters at the heel, with a nice distal taper as well as grind to the edge.*
I'm sure some would thin it out a touch behind the edge, but for me, I'd leave as is. I plowed through sweet potatoes, Yukon Golds and a ton of other product with no real issues. For the sweet potatoes, I used a bit of a guillotine action (think heel of deba on a fish spine) and cut through almost perfectly, with only minor 'breaking' at the bottom of the slice.
The only produce I noticed any sticking with was fresh button mushrooms...portabellos were fine, but the white buttons stuck to the side, until the next slice pushed it off. It was strange and I can't figure out why, but I have a feeling that once the side of the blade has been broken in a bit and smoothed out through use and washing that this mysterious phenomenon will disappear - though I could be wrong.
I'm giving the blade a 4/5 because I prefer a pointier tip and some could complain about the edge profile. Even with these slight issues, I am very impressed and part of the beauty of custom knives is that you get to specify your needs and wants, and these become non-issues. For a "generic" shape, it is great, useable and performs beautifully.*
Edge Retention:
And here is the one we all wondered about. How will DAMASTEEL hold up in a kitchen???
I'm sending the knife on to Caddy with absolutely no touch ups from the minute I got it. It cut a lot of product (produce, fungi, protein, arm hair, paper...) and it is still super sharp. I would love for Caddy to comment on its state once he gets a look at it, just to back up my claim of how the edge held. The edge retained its sharpness at least as well as the vg10 (likely better) I have used, and better than my Misono Carbon. I think this steel is great for a home user, and I can't wait to read what the pros have to say in regards to a commercial kitchen.
4.5/5 (for home use)
Overall Feel:
The gyuto has some heft compared to many j-knives, but is not heavy in any sense. It gives a sense of quality and durability.*
I was trying to think of a knife that I could compare it to as far as weight and balance are concerned, and the closest I can come up with might have to be a Mac Mighty Chef Knife.*
You definitely feel the gyuto in your hand, but the balance is directly in front of the bolster (perfect in my opinion) which makes it feel much more nimble than most knives in its weight class.*
I have the feeling this knife would be a fantastic workhorse. It can trim meat, mince and dice garlic/ginger like an absolute champ and slice literally paper thin slices. In my opinion, it would be an awesome line knife! It can put up with the pounding and do the fancy footwork needed for mise.*
Overall, I'm giving it a SOLID 4.5/5!
I'm sad to see it go, but I am truly looking forward to reading everyone else's reviews.*
I was picking on everything I could, and I had only the few minor 'negatives' to mention.
Beautiful knife. I love the pattern. The handle is terrific!
To the rest of the guys in this pass around - Please take care of my gyuto. I'll miss it! But, as they say, *"absence makes the heart grow fonder"!