German asymmetry - a peeler knife

Got a carbon peeler -- used for potatoes -- by Robert Herder, Solingen. Very common in Europe. Was curious about the geometry. Well, it's asymmetric, but not as we know. The side supposed to get in touch with the potato -- the right side with a right-hander -- is flat, the left side meant to evacuate the skin if I may say so is convex. The edge somewhat off-centered to the right. The gross edge OOTB: right side ending at some 4 degree, plus a small bevel of some 20 degree, left side some 6 degree perhaps.
Wouldn't use it for any task with board contact, though. It's soft steel, around 56HRc.

This is what it looks like. Mine is the carbon version.

http://www.edenwebshops.co.uk/en/pt/-adola-molenmesje-rvs.htm

i love em. they are called "classic" in germany.

This is a big guess... But if this is a knife designed specifically for peeling potatoes that may be the reason for the convex left side.

Assuming that you peel a potato by holding it in your left hand above the board ,
The knife in the right hand peeling towards yourself.
The convex left side may then push the skin away .
This is a common peeling technique

Again... Just a guess

pretty sure that you are aware but the more expensive Robert Herder 'Für Zwei' caebon parer is a bit harder (60 hrc)

Yup, that is classic geometry for a peeler knife, as I am sure you have noticed by now it helps the knife to function efficiently at this task, helps the blade to slide just under the peel rather than digging deep into the fruit or vegetable.

olpappy said:

Yup, that is classic geometry for a peeler knife, as I am sure you have noticed by now it helps the knife to function efficiently at this task, helps the blade to slide just under the peel rather than digging deep into the fruit or vegetable.

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Exactly, I now understand why my best knives are poor peelers!

I should have said, the micro-bevel is on the LEFT side. This stuff is by moments quite confusing, at least to me.

Are root vegetables regularly peeled in hand in Japan? I have seen carrots/Daikon but don't recall conventional skin peeling of potatoes for example. I learned potato peeling by hand from my German raised mother but she is left-handed so I am sure her paring knife is symmetrical. Geometry seems to be a fascinating part of the knife game.

Any takers on Jknife - in hand - asymmetrical petty ideas - ?

Oh, I love using the 10cm Mikihisa Banno for peeling anything not too hard - this, though, has the same "does not dig in too deep" effect while being conventionally right handed (using it with the ura facing away from the vegetable).

If the Herder is built like a left handed 70/30, why does it not steer right and exactly dig in like no tomorrow?

Steering with a 19 grams knife?

But indeed, a 380 grams fat yo-deba with the same figures would steer like crazy -- counter-clockwise by the way, as there's almost no friction at the right side.

If the asymmetry is used to help with the knife digging or not digging into the vegetable, is that not taking advantage of steering? And counter clockwise steering would cause it to dig in if the knife is held right handed, edge towards user.

Steering will we much less pronounced or almost non-existent with lighter and thinner knives. You won't find much lighter and thinner than the Herder peeler.

LifeByA1000Cuts said:

If the asymmetry is used to help with the knife digging or not digging into the vegetable, is that not taking advantage of steering? And counter clockwise steering would cause it to dig in if the knife is held right handed, edge towards user.

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There's no advantage of steering, but you may get used to live with some steering, though. Asymmetry helps in getting thinner slices and enhancing food separation. Steering may be reduced by balancing friction on both sides, but that's highly irrelevant with such a light and thin blade as Herder's peeler.

I just noticed that one the Eden/Knives and tools website they also sell a Herder peeling knife K1 for EUR 35.50. It looks a bit better than the classic windmill paring knife, but anyone got an idea why the big price difference?

Handle: longer, no birchwood but prune, full tang, four rivets; steel: 60 Rc instead of the common 56 or so. Not really sold as a peeler, not sure about its geometry.

And this is the real classic parer, no peeler:

http://www.knivesandtools.de/de/pt/-robert-herder-1922-officemesser-10-cm-walnussholz.htm