Why are carbon knives almost always cheaper than stain-resistant knives?

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Korin_Mari

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Carbon knives are well known amongst professional for their incredibly sharp blades and easy to sharpen material. Yet, regardless of carbon knives’ superiority, chefs often wonder why stain-resistant knives are always more expensive than carbon knives.

Carbon knives are cheaper than stain-resistant knives, because they are inherently much more expensive to manufacture. Carbon knives are always 100% carbon regardless of what grade or quality it is. However, to make stain-resistant knives several different alloys must be added to create the steel and a blade that strives to match carbon knives. Stain-resistant knives must also be forged at a significantly higher temperature than carbon steel knives. While carbon knives are forged at 800 to 900 degrees, stain-resistant knives are forged at around 1,400 degrees. Generally, manufacturers cannot do this procedure and must send them elsewhere for the initial forging.

 
Carbon (except 52100) are more easy to work with and you can do the whole process in-house. Thats why custom makers prefers to use carbon and not stainless. Grinding Blue or White is much more easy than AEB-L or other stainless steels. Carbon steel is also more cheap than stainless (my conclusion after reading about them).
 
Do you craft custom knives? Thats awesome! But yes, exactly. :D
Thanks for reading :)
 
It really varies. More people in Japan definitely use carbon knives, regardless of being a chef or not. A lot house wives or home cooks just prefer traditional Japanese knives or carbon knives. In terms of chefs, I think it depends more on what type of cuisine they're making, just like in the US. But there are definitely more carbon knife users in a Japanese kitchen.

(Sorry it took me a little while to reply. I was trying to get my facts straight lol)
 
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