Parer Ideas

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DevinT

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This is one knife that varies more than most.

What do you like?

What makes it good?

How do you use it?

I usually make some for Christmas and give them out.

Help me come up with something cool this year. Move to Panaca and you might get one.

Hoss
 
I have a short and stumpy little custom parer that I LOVE. I had to have one made because I couldn't find one short enough. With smallish hands and stubby fingers I couldn't do some tricks with longer blades, like the one where you put your thumb on the stem of an apple and pivot the knife around your thumb to remove part of the core. This one is just shy of 2 1/2". The choil curves away from the handle towards the blade so there's nothing poking me when I choke up on it to do fiddly work. It's a great little knife--my favorite parer. I use it for peeling stuff, cutting out nasty bits, or on the table when there's a block of cheese that needs nibbles cut off. It's carbon damascus, so when it comes to cutting up limes I pull out a stainless parer. Both are western handles.

Now if I could find an AEB-L parer in a short and stumpy size with a western handle I'd be set...hint hint!
 
This might make you cringe. Maybe a birds beak/ sheepsfoot (I think that is right). It would be still in the same tradition, but a little different.
 
Personally, I like a western "bottle" handle with a little more palm swell, 3.5 inches in length, with the first two inches being thicker and rounded on the spine with the last .5 inch stupid thin.
 
I had a four inch vintage carbon sabatier parer that was the best I've ever used. I could peel carrots and ginger as fast as with a peeler and it was also great for probing temps on larger steaks. My Chef at the time borrowed it to clean artichokes and must have swept into the trash with the waste because I never saw it again. And I looked through all the garbage cans, I liked it that much. He got nominated for a beard award two months later and Wustoff sent him a 4.5 inch parer as a congrats. I saw it in the office and took it. Use it at home all the time and we call it "The James Beard Knife". It's the newer handled version and is actually a nice knife. I still miss the sab. It is still my standard bearer. Just my 12 cents.
 
I have used and lost a lot of parers over the years.My favourite used to be the 3 inch henckles,4 star,the steel wasnt great but the shape and length of the blade was great.It was not well balanced though as the handle is heavy.I know have an old Hoffritz parer which is the best parer I have ever used,it is not the best steel and it has these odd black markings on the blade,but it is lazer thin,really light,comfortable and well balanced. http://auctions.findtarget.com/detail_product/290545342672/wingen/
 
Thanks everyone, good stuff.

Western or wa, what do you think. The posts so far tend to be western.

TK where are you?

Hoss
 
I really like the hybrid handle on the parer Pierre Rodrigue made for me a couple years ago (full tang, a little less bulky then a typical western). I think wa is tough to handle on a knife that will mainly be used up off the board.
 
I've had a few parers over the years and given away all but one. Part of it is that I've adjusted my technique and the kinds of food I eat to a 150-220 petty. The only one left is a Henckels 3" blade that I spent a lot of time thinning by hand. I thinned the entire blade...a lot. I've never liked the Japanese versions. They really aren't pointy enough. I like the somewhat worn out, triangular, pointy little knife. I like stainless for it but it would be nice to have one that holds a super keen edge well. I've spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out if I really care about balance in a paring knife and I've come to the conclusion that I don't and I might actually like the super-handle-heaviness of the Henckels more than anything. I kinda like the birds' beak parer idea because they are nice for peeling but they aren't awesome all around knives. So there you go: thin, pointy, small (20 mm tall at the heel, flatish profile, 75 mm long) and fairly substantial handle.
 
I have several, and I like having my options. The short stubby parer is what I pull out for hulling strawberries and coring stuff. The regular pointy-tip parer gets every-day use. My sheep's foot gets used more with peeling and light chopping, and my slightly longer carbon petty gets used with bigger fruits.

I've posted this set of parers before, and I still love the idea. I would love a maker to offer a set of 3 or 4 paring knives.

k.
 
Hmmm. It depends on which crowd you're after. The twobest parers I've ever used are both Sabatier TIs; One is a Nogent (I use it daily), and the other is their standard 4" parer with the rosewood handle. However, I'm not much good with a paring knife, but I amworking on it. My MIL can peel a potato in about 3 seconds with one and I want to be that good with one. My wife is almost as fluent in the language of the parer as her mom is and they both like 3" blades with very little height and an edge that is flush with the handle.

However, Pierre is making my wife a custom parer with his "standard profile" and bulletproof materials.she almost made me keep that beautiful dammy with mammoth ivory parer I had for sale. So, in my mind, because it's a cross between what I like and what she likes (she's a parer expert), I say something very similar to that one.
 
Thanks for the help. I have a new design, just need to get my foot better so that I can try one.

Hoss
 
Awesome! If you can't find a home for one, let me know. :)
 
RIMG0613.jpg

A little late, but the bottom one is my fave.
 
The blade on the bottom one is almost exactly my Henckels right down to the bolster that needs a little grinding.
 
That Harner looks perfect to me!

Get better soon Hoss!
 
Prototype: 1.5mm thick, 16mm tall, 3 inch blade, 4 inch handle.

This one is san mai with carbon core and mountain mahogany.

The handle and spine are straight with each other, it looks off in the pic.

I made this one sitting down, prefer standing.

Hoss

001.JPG
 
This is the first one I've ever done with out a guard/bolster drop. I think that I'll put some jimps on top and bottom to prevent slipping. This one is very comfortable. Choking up is very nice with this design.

We'll see. Lefty's mother in law won't buy one that is not flush. I think she might be right.

Hoss
 
I personally like a little more blade height for the reasons mentioned plus sharpening ease and longevity.
 
Dang, san mai paring knives for christmas, I need to move to Panaca. Maybe they need a burger place.
 
+1 to ecchef and heirkb and then you might have to start the slope on the spine earlier.
 
Dang, san mai paring knives for christmas, I need to move to Panaca. Maybe they need a burger place.
Maybe a Burger, Wood and Rehandling place. Can't be too many of those in Montana.
But......I'm going to have to wait for the global warming to kick in. Too dang cold there right now.

Devin,
Cool little knife. I like it.
 
I used to have a couple of paring knives with flattened bulbous handles that fit completely in the palm of your hand. Made in France, received as gift I lots of knives to choose from when people visit, remarkable that virtually every one pick up one of these to try. Sadly , someone forgot to let go of one of them(3.5 inch blade), I still have one left if you're interested in an image
 
I used to have a couple of paring knives with flattened bulbous handles that fit completely in the palm of your hand. Made in France, received as gift I lots of knives to choose from when people visit, remarkable that virtually every one pick up one of these to try. Sadly , someone forgot to let go of one of them(3.5 inch blade), I still have one left if you're interested in an image

Yes please, I would love to see a pic or something.

Hoss
 
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