El Pescador
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- Mar 1, 2011
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DT 229 mm (tip to heel) non-stainless tool steel prototype gyuto
Here's a little background on how I acquired this knife:
It wasnt a knife that I needed. I was visiting Devin and he pulled out several kitchen knives he said hed been working on. He pointed one out, in particular, that had a handle constructed out of brushed wenge. I used this knife to make a chef salad in his kitchen and I really liked the feel of it and how it was cutting. After getting home and sleeping on it, I felt compelled to call him up and ask him if I could buy it. He said, Yes. A few days later, it showed up and started using it.
What really set this knife apart from any other knife Id used to this point was how it held its edge through a three day, 1400 lbs roasted lamb marathon on poly boards. I used this knife along with a DTITK 240 mm gyuto in 52100 and within a few hours, it became clear to me that the prototype was far outperforming the 52100 with regard to edge retention. The flip side is that it was also somewhat more reactive than the 52100. The 52100 knife already had an established patina and by the end of the day, I was calling the prototype my Dark Side gyuto, as in Dark Side of the Force.
While I havent gone out of my way to destroy it, Ive been told Im incapable of babying things. I have used it to cut all kinds of food, acidic or not and I really havent had a problem with it at all. Furthermore, it hasnt rusted in spite of leaving it damp after wiping.
An interesting visual characteristic that doesnt really show in the pictures is the level of finish on the blade. It is covered with deep grind marks than have only partially been ground out. Devin mentioned it was so difficult to work that he didnt want to put the time into it in order to finish polishing out the grind marks since it wasnt going to be up for sale anyway.
Here are some of the relevant measurements:
Spine over the heel 3 mm
Spine half way between the heel and tip 2.3 mm
Spine 20 mm from the tip 1.4 mm
Thickness 5 mm from the edge 0.67 mm averaged from three points
Height heel to spine: 50 mm
Handle length 142 mm
Handle height at the butt 27 mm
Handle height at the bolster 23 mm
HRc ~62
These are some photos with a 240 TKC for comparison. Notice how thin this knife is compared to the TKC in the 4th photo (prototype is on left).
Here's a little background on how I acquired this knife:
It wasnt a knife that I needed. I was visiting Devin and he pulled out several kitchen knives he said hed been working on. He pointed one out, in particular, that had a handle constructed out of brushed wenge. I used this knife to make a chef salad in his kitchen and I really liked the feel of it and how it was cutting. After getting home and sleeping on it, I felt compelled to call him up and ask him if I could buy it. He said, Yes. A few days later, it showed up and started using it.
What really set this knife apart from any other knife Id used to this point was how it held its edge through a three day, 1400 lbs roasted lamb marathon on poly boards. I used this knife along with a DTITK 240 mm gyuto in 52100 and within a few hours, it became clear to me that the prototype was far outperforming the 52100 with regard to edge retention. The flip side is that it was also somewhat more reactive than the 52100. The 52100 knife already had an established patina and by the end of the day, I was calling the prototype my Dark Side gyuto, as in Dark Side of the Force.
While I havent gone out of my way to destroy it, Ive been told Im incapable of babying things. I have used it to cut all kinds of food, acidic or not and I really havent had a problem with it at all. Furthermore, it hasnt rusted in spite of leaving it damp after wiping.
An interesting visual characteristic that doesnt really show in the pictures is the level of finish on the blade. It is covered with deep grind marks than have only partially been ground out. Devin mentioned it was so difficult to work that he didnt want to put the time into it in order to finish polishing out the grind marks since it wasnt going to be up for sale anyway.
Here are some of the relevant measurements:
Spine over the heel 3 mm
Spine half way between the heel and tip 2.3 mm
Spine 20 mm from the tip 1.4 mm
Thickness 5 mm from the edge 0.67 mm averaged from three points
Height heel to spine: 50 mm
Handle length 142 mm
Handle height at the butt 27 mm
Handle height at the bolster 23 mm
HRc ~62
These are some photos with a 240 TKC for comparison. Notice how thin this knife is compared to the TKC in the 4th photo (prototype is on left).
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