I am the kind of person who has to love his tools. I'm a experimental physical scientist (optical spectroscopy, I build lasers and interferometers to do photochemistry and photophysics experiments), with a penchance for home-built, superlatively functioning instruments. This affliction carries over into the rest of my life, where any tool that I will use for potentially an hour or more a day simply has to perform well, and in the kitchen it is no different. Bryan's knives are a good match for me.
My previous experience with carbon steel was a large stainless Takeda nakiri, and so much of my discussion here will be contrasted with my experience with that knife.
First, the raw data on the Raquin chef knife.
Data
Blade material: sanmai construction, 145SC core (see Bryan's comments about the steel here) sandwiched between XC10 cladding, everything is reactive;
Blade length: 257mm;
End-to-end length: 395mm;
Max height: 46mm;
Height at the symbol: 26mm;
Average thickness (this comes from Bryan, I don't have a vernier caliper to confirm at the moment): 1.5mm;
Handle material: black matte finish paperstone, with 3 and 6mm diameter brass pins;
Mass: 211g.
Appearance and handling
I really like Bryan's aesthetic sense, the kurouchi finish he often applies is really nice, and that certainly applies in this case. Before the knife got to me I wasn't entirely convinced about the handle (both the fact that it's paperstone instead of wood, and that it is western style instead of a simple octagonal handle as in my previous Takeda nakiri), but it feels fantastic in the hand, and has a nice heft, and I would go so far as to say I'm much happier with this handle than the pakka and rosewood handle of the Takedas. The contrast of the brass pins on the black paperstone handle is great. The paperstone is a little bit rough in places (there is one instance of it not being flush with the metal handle), but doesn't affect how comfortable or functional the knife is. The balance point is exactly with my finger resting on the knife and just touching the handle, great for a pinch grip. That you can see the sanmai construction even at the butt end of the knife is a really nice touch, though I have to pay a little more attention to it, it has developed quite a patina!
Cutting performance
Nothing to complain about whatsoever. Push and pull cutting are great, draw cuts feel like most foods aren't even there, something I didn't try much with my Takeda nakiri. I previously never rock chopped anything, the Takeda nakiri profile wasn't great for that, so that is something I've explored a little bit more, and is great for denser foods that could give some trouble with wedging (dense apples or potatoes, primarily). Any issues I've had so far are mostly my lack of skill, and nothing to do with the knife. It's been a little over a month of regular use, and I so far haven't felt the need to touch up the knife yet, it feels as sharp as the day I got it.
Food release
Large cuts fall away with no problem, even wet potatoes. Smaller items can be a little bit tricker, like matchsticks with carrots, cutting up cloves of garlic, or chopping herbs. But in general, I would say, not a significant issue at all. This seems to be consistent with Sharptool's observations of his big nakiri.
Reactivity
This was an area of concern, since I had previously only used stainless clad knives, albeit with a reactive core. Here the cladding is also reactive, but I have had no problems with either rust or with transferring flavour to food. I didn't do exhaustive experiments to confirm this completely, but I thought that the aogami super core of my previous Takeda nakiri led to a strange taste on certain foods on occasion (strawberries, apples). I have noticed absolutely nothing with the 145SC steel of the Raquin chef knife. Both the core and the cladding readily patina, the core has taken on a darker shade, while the cladding changes dramatically depending on what I cut. Potatoes give it a brown/orange cast, which you can see in some of the photos here. Cutting citrus fruits tends to wash that orange patina away. The stainless cladding on my previous knife didn't patina like this, so it's been fun to see the patina profile of the knife change depending on what I'm cutting, and I no longer think of it as a concern.
Conclusion
Simply put: I'll be looking to get more of Bryan's knives where possible.
My previous experience with carbon steel was a large stainless Takeda nakiri, and so much of my discussion here will be contrasted with my experience with that knife.
First, the raw data on the Raquin chef knife.
Data
Blade material: sanmai construction, 145SC core (see Bryan's comments about the steel here) sandwiched between XC10 cladding, everything is reactive;
Blade length: 257mm;
End-to-end length: 395mm;
Max height: 46mm;
Height at the symbol: 26mm;
Average thickness (this comes from Bryan, I don't have a vernier caliper to confirm at the moment): 1.5mm;
Handle material: black matte finish paperstone, with 3 and 6mm diameter brass pins;
Mass: 211g.
Appearance and handling
I really like Bryan's aesthetic sense, the kurouchi finish he often applies is really nice, and that certainly applies in this case. Before the knife got to me I wasn't entirely convinced about the handle (both the fact that it's paperstone instead of wood, and that it is western style instead of a simple octagonal handle as in my previous Takeda nakiri), but it feels fantastic in the hand, and has a nice heft, and I would go so far as to say I'm much happier with this handle than the pakka and rosewood handle of the Takedas. The contrast of the brass pins on the black paperstone handle is great. The paperstone is a little bit rough in places (there is one instance of it not being flush with the metal handle), but doesn't affect how comfortable or functional the knife is. The balance point is exactly with my finger resting on the knife and just touching the handle, great for a pinch grip. That you can see the sanmai construction even at the butt end of the knife is a really nice touch, though I have to pay a little more attention to it, it has developed quite a patina!
Cutting performance
Nothing to complain about whatsoever. Push and pull cutting are great, draw cuts feel like most foods aren't even there, something I didn't try much with my Takeda nakiri. I previously never rock chopped anything, the Takeda nakiri profile wasn't great for that, so that is something I've explored a little bit more, and is great for denser foods that could give some trouble with wedging (dense apples or potatoes, primarily). Any issues I've had so far are mostly my lack of skill, and nothing to do with the knife. It's been a little over a month of regular use, and I so far haven't felt the need to touch up the knife yet, it feels as sharp as the day I got it.
Food release
Large cuts fall away with no problem, even wet potatoes. Smaller items can be a little bit tricker, like matchsticks with carrots, cutting up cloves of garlic, or chopping herbs. But in general, I would say, not a significant issue at all. This seems to be consistent with Sharptool's observations of his big nakiri.
Reactivity
This was an area of concern, since I had previously only used stainless clad knives, albeit with a reactive core. Here the cladding is also reactive, but I have had no problems with either rust or with transferring flavour to food. I didn't do exhaustive experiments to confirm this completely, but I thought that the aogami super core of my previous Takeda nakiri led to a strange taste on certain foods on occasion (strawberries, apples). I have noticed absolutely nothing with the 145SC steel of the Raquin chef knife. Both the core and the cladding readily patina, the core has taken on a darker shade, while the cladding changes dramatically depending on what I cut. Potatoes give it a brown/orange cast, which you can see in some of the photos here. Cutting citrus fruits tends to wash that orange patina away. The stainless cladding on my previous knife didn't patina like this, so it's been fun to see the patina profile of the knife change depending on what I'm cutting, and I no longer think of it as a concern.
Conclusion
Simply put: I'll be looking to get more of Bryan's knives where possible.
