KitchenCommander
Well-Known Member
A little while back I posted a thread asking for information on the Chicago Cutlery 44S 10" chef knife and got little results. I was looking on ebay for fun project knives and stumbled upon them and wanted to see if anyone likes them or not. Well I saw a few for cheap and decided to give them a try. I have never done a kitchen knife review, but have been using older carbon steel and some stainless so I'll do my best to provide good information for everyone. I ended up with a few to try out and these are my findings.
I found two lots from the same seller that I bought. One with a 44S (10") and a 42S (8"), and another with two 42S's. Price for each lot was $15+shipping, and I think the total for 4 knives was ~$37 shipped.
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The 42S below came with damaged edges, but I was able to restore them fairly well. I do not have after photos of the knives, but I lightly sanded and oiled the handles and sharpened them up.
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My first observation was that one of them was noticeably thicker and heavier than the other 2. The middle knife in the pic has a thicker tang than the other two.
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Here are the choil shots of the three 42S knives. The shots can be deceiving as some are not as thin as they look. The choil was relieved slightly making it look thinner than it is. Still not too shabby.
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Choil shot of the 44S. This one looked thick in person despite the photo which makes it look serviceable. Regrettably I did not sharpen the 44S and use it with the factory grind. I planned it for a project knife and didn't want to sharpen it before I to my mods.
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Photo of the 44S after my mods. I thinned it with my new belt sander (not very well, but it will work) This knife did not have a full flat grind, and held most of the spine thickness through the length of the blade. I hope my photo illustrates kind of how the originally grind was. It was thick behind the edge, and very blade heavy. I thinned it out a good amount, and re-handled with Wenge. I only used 1/4" thick scales, so the knife is still handle heavy, but cuts quite well and looks much better. I feel like I have a nice knife now compared to my disappointed unboxing upon first receipt.
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Conclusions:
I used the 42S with the best grind (the bottom choil shot) for a couple of weeks off and on. It has a nice profile with good belly and has good geometry. The handle was thick and boxy, so I sanded down some finger ramps to make a pinch grip more manageable. It gets pretty sharp but edge retention is only decent. Loses the shaving edge rather quickly, but holds a working edge for a good amount of time (yes I know that is subjective sorry). I touched it up once over the 2 weeks, but it didn't need a sharpening, it just lost the shaving edge and I wanted it back. I know for kitchen knives working edges are mostly not very desirable, but as a loaner knife, travel knife, or backup beater, they are very good for the $10-$15 I see many go for on the bay. Sharpenability was average, not difficult, but it did take time. I sharpened all three of the 42S and they all handled about the same. I put a thin ~12 degree primary bevel (rough guess) then a thick ~20 degree secondary bevel to help with edge stability. The primary bevel took a while, but after the edge was thinned the secondary bevel was much easier to work with. Burrs were a slight problem with this stainless steel, but manageable. They don't get carbon steel sharp, but they can take a good edge. Please keep in mind that I had 3 and was able to choose the nicest one. Two of them had thinner spines and one was thicker. All had good geometry, but one stood out as better than the rest. I ended up giving one away, am keeping one, and have a spare for another gift, or to sell to a co-worker or anyone who needs a cheap upgrade.
For the 44S, I did not get to use it with the factory grind. I feel I can safely say it would not be very fun to use right out of the package (on the one I got) due to the thickness near the edge. Wedging was my primary concern. I was not able to sample a variety like on the 42S, so please keep this in mind. I feel like the 44S has much more potential than the example I got. After thinning, the knife cut very well. I'm not very good on the belt sander yet, but was able to get the geometry somewhere where I was very happy cutting with it. The blade is heavy, but gets sharp. I got the 44S sharper than the 42S if that means anything. It has a nice profile, with a generous flat spot near the heel, so it push cuts and chops very well after the tune up. My new handle is a little thin for my taste (should have bought 3/8 thick scales not 1/4) but the pinch grip is nice and it is comfortable to use. Haven't used it enough to do edge retention tests, but it gets nicely sharp and was not difficult to sharpen. Sometimes I would get a stubborn burr, but it just takes finesse to remove.
Rating (my opinion with limited experience)
42S
Sharpness 6/10
Geometry variable (6/10)
Profile 7/10 Good for rocking
Handle 5/10 boxy with some gaps
Edge Retension 6/10 midrange stainless
AVERAGE 6/10
44S
Sharpness 7/10
Geometry variable (5/10)
Profile 7/10
Handle 5/10 boxy with some gaps
Edge Retension N/A (not enough data)
AVERAGE 6/10
I realized I don't have any good dimensions for ya'll, so I'll try to get some dimensions up later. I do not have a scale, so weights are not available.
I found two lots from the same seller that I bought. One with a 44S (10") and a 42S (8"), and another with two 42S's. Price for each lot was $15+shipping, and I think the total for 4 knives was ~$37 shipped.
The 42S below came with damaged edges, but I was able to restore them fairly well. I do not have after photos of the knives, but I lightly sanded and oiled the handles and sharpened them up.
My first observation was that one of them was noticeably thicker and heavier than the other 2. The middle knife in the pic has a thicker tang than the other two.
Here are the choil shots of the three 42S knives. The shots can be deceiving as some are not as thin as they look. The choil was relieved slightly making it look thinner than it is. Still not too shabby.
Choil shot of the 44S. This one looked thick in person despite the photo which makes it look serviceable. Regrettably I did not sharpen the 44S and use it with the factory grind. I planned it for a project knife and didn't want to sharpen it before I to my mods.
Photo of the 44S after my mods. I thinned it with my new belt sander (not very well, but it will work) This knife did not have a full flat grind, and held most of the spine thickness through the length of the blade. I hope my photo illustrates kind of how the originally grind was. It was thick behind the edge, and very blade heavy. I thinned it out a good amount, and re-handled with Wenge. I only used 1/4" thick scales, so the knife is still handle heavy, but cuts quite well and looks much better. I feel like I have a nice knife now compared to my disappointed unboxing upon first receipt.
Conclusions:
I used the 42S with the best grind (the bottom choil shot) for a couple of weeks off and on. It has a nice profile with good belly and has good geometry. The handle was thick and boxy, so I sanded down some finger ramps to make a pinch grip more manageable. It gets pretty sharp but edge retention is only decent. Loses the shaving edge rather quickly, but holds a working edge for a good amount of time (yes I know that is subjective sorry). I touched it up once over the 2 weeks, but it didn't need a sharpening, it just lost the shaving edge and I wanted it back. I know for kitchen knives working edges are mostly not very desirable, but as a loaner knife, travel knife, or backup beater, they are very good for the $10-$15 I see many go for on the bay. Sharpenability was average, not difficult, but it did take time. I sharpened all three of the 42S and they all handled about the same. I put a thin ~12 degree primary bevel (rough guess) then a thick ~20 degree secondary bevel to help with edge stability. The primary bevel took a while, but after the edge was thinned the secondary bevel was much easier to work with. Burrs were a slight problem with this stainless steel, but manageable. They don't get carbon steel sharp, but they can take a good edge. Please keep in mind that I had 3 and was able to choose the nicest one. Two of them had thinner spines and one was thicker. All had good geometry, but one stood out as better than the rest. I ended up giving one away, am keeping one, and have a spare for another gift, or to sell to a co-worker or anyone who needs a cheap upgrade.
For the 44S, I did not get to use it with the factory grind. I feel I can safely say it would not be very fun to use right out of the package (on the one I got) due to the thickness near the edge. Wedging was my primary concern. I was not able to sample a variety like on the 42S, so please keep this in mind. I feel like the 44S has much more potential than the example I got. After thinning, the knife cut very well. I'm not very good on the belt sander yet, but was able to get the geometry somewhere where I was very happy cutting with it. The blade is heavy, but gets sharp. I got the 44S sharper than the 42S if that means anything. It has a nice profile, with a generous flat spot near the heel, so it push cuts and chops very well after the tune up. My new handle is a little thin for my taste (should have bought 3/8 thick scales not 1/4) but the pinch grip is nice and it is comfortable to use. Haven't used it enough to do edge retention tests, but it gets nicely sharp and was not difficult to sharpen. Sometimes I would get a stubborn burr, but it just takes finesse to remove.
Rating (my opinion with limited experience)
42S
Sharpness 6/10
Geometry variable (6/10)
Profile 7/10 Good for rocking
Handle 5/10 boxy with some gaps
Edge Retension 6/10 midrange stainless
AVERAGE 6/10
44S
Sharpness 7/10
Geometry variable (5/10)
Profile 7/10
Handle 5/10 boxy with some gaps
Edge Retension N/A (not enough data)
AVERAGE 6/10
I realized I don't have any good dimensions for ya'll, so I'll try to get some dimensions up later. I do not have a scale, so weights are not available.