Ebony Handles from Knives & Stones

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tostadas

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I've been researching different knifes and saw some that I like being sold at K&S. Many of these knives at K&S come with ebony handles. However I read that many people have complaints about ebony handles. For those that have experience with K&S ebony handles, and ebony handles in general, can you provide any insight to the quality of these? I'm in no rush to make a purchase, but wonder if I should look elsewhere if this is indeed a problem.
 
Fwiw, I have one of them on my Tanaka Ginsan petty, and it doesn’t bother me that much. That said, it’s my least favorite handle of all my knives. (Also had an Akebono at some point, and the ebony handle was the only part of the knife I didn’t like.) I guess the K&S handles are pretty good for ebony, and some people are into that kind of handle. The people that complain about them generally want more grip than ebony gives, and sometimes want a more forward balance, since ebony is a heavier wood. Other people just think they look great, apparently, but I can’t really speak for them.
 
I have ebony from KnS as well, it did not break on me as it happened to some other people.
The handle is nice overall, I would prefer it to be HO instead though. I discovered I an not a big fan of ebony looks or feel either.
 
I have and have made many handles with ebony, and have yet to see any splitting. Perhaps it has to do with using fully dried stable wood.
 
I have one knife with a KnS handle. The only thing I can complain about is the ridiculously high grit finish that it has. It feels very slick but you can easily sand it a little coarser if you want some more grip.
Other than that it’s a beautiful handle.
 
I have one knife with a KnS handle. The only thing I can complain about is the ridiculously high grit finish that it has. It feels very slick but you can easily sand it a little coarser if you want some more grip.
Other than that it’s a beautiful handle.
Is it coated with like a lacquer, or is it just very smooth sanding?
 
I have one. I think it's lacquer, but I can't tell. It looks great, but, honestly, I prefer a good ho wood handle. It's slick and shifts the balance quite a bit. I like handle heavy knives, but this is a little much. I've got it on a Mazaki, which is already pretty stout. Maybe it would be a good option on a laser?
 
I really like my ebony handle from K&S. Really beefy in terms of weight but it makes the balance on my mazaki enjoyable. It's definitely got a slick texture but I've had much more slippery handles from other places. Overall the quality is quite nice in my opinion
 
I just want to echo the sentiment of a slick handle. I have a Shinko Seilan gyuto. If I was still working in kitchens, I'd knock it off.
 
The downside of ebony is that it's heavy and a little slick. I expect most hardwoods finished with a high grit will be similar. It's not an issue in my home use- most of my hand's purchase on the knife is on the blade itself. The handle is really just stabilising the knife against the palm of my hand. YMMV.

The upside is that it looks and feels nice.

I have quite a few KnS handles, including several ebony ones. They are matched pretty well to the blade weight. They have all been durable in my home use. I especially like the feel of the heart shaped handles.

I have a Mizuno with an ebony handle. Although I bought it from KnS, I don't think it is their handle. It also looks and feels nice , is well matched to the blade and has been durable.

No doubt though, ho and burned chestnut (and even pine) are more grippy and can suit a particular blade's aesthetic.
 
I have a double spacer ebony handle from KnS on my 210 Akebono. It takes the balance point back to the heel which is not optimal. The handle appears to be lacquered although I can see some grain. It is slippery and I can catch my fingernail on the edges of both spacers. I would not get another one.

I’m considering another one of their knives but they want to put an ebony handle on it. I have enquired as to any other choice and am waiting for a reply. If no other choice I will only buy the knife without a handle.
 
I have a knife from K&S from a few years ago with an ebony handle which is still the same now as when I first received it. Ebony can often take a high polish, and the handle I have from K&S is pretty nicely polished. The one I got is a very high quality handle.

As mentioned earlier, some people don't like the tactile feel of a smooth polished handle. And some don't like the heavy wood moving the balance point back more towards the handle. The balance point on the knife I got works fine for me, just around my pinch grip, but it may alter it more on less blade heavy knives.

One of the issues with ebony is potential cracking either due to using wood that hasn't been seasoned/dried long enough or from getting the wood too hot when shaping/sanding it. While I write "ebony", there are actually a number of different ebony species with varying physical properties (some harder and/or more brittle than others).
 
I bought a couple of K&S Tanaka's
The blue steel core was ebony with red spacer. Like red and black. Handle looked nice but too long and thin for my taste. Sold them to my friend instructor at the culinary school and his son who had just started cooking job. Took a little off the back of the handles with a fine Japanese hand saw. Sanded finished them off with bevels. To me knives looked more in proportion. I turned my friend who I worked with many years at Kahala Hilton to MM Tanaka's . He loved that knife & wanted one for his son & another one for himself.

I have become a fan of the shorter thicker burnt chestnut handles.
 
I have a lot of knives with ebony handles (15-20, but not from k&s). I like them, because they look nice -way better than those ho handles. So, I have to say that as a home cook, I enjoy a tool, which works and looks nice at the same time. I never had any problems with cracks or slippery, though I agree that other handle materials do a better job here, which may be an argument for a professional.

Mack.
 
Think black handles look nice. Esp. on KU carbon blades. I have several with African blackwood from Stefan's stash when he lived in Hawaii.
 
I don't mind any handle.
BUT THAT SILVER SPACER!!! It spinned on me so much, such a pain. I boiled the handle to remove, smashed the handle in 2, removed the spacer. Glued it back together.

I learnt on his ebony they are pre-made with very large holes. And he uses wedges and spacers on the inside to hold it all together.

I like my lightweight handles. Ho- FTW.
 
No experience w/ the K&S ebony, but I have their heart shaped snakewood/blond horn handle on a TF Denka and it looks stunning--and it's got a 1" hairline crack but is still totally functional. (Excellent response and service from James, by the way, when I wrote about the crack.) I think the shine and slickness probably come from the stabilizers in the wood enhanced by buffing.
 
Metal spacers must be roughed up before glue. Think about it metal is not as pouris as other spacers and wood. They can be a weak point of a wa handle.
 
I sanded down my KS ebony handle which removed the shiny finish and brought out the grain and multiple colors in the ebony. This also got rid of the slight oversize of the metal spacer. I then buffed the handle with a microfiber cloth, heated the handle with a hair dryer and applied a light coat of Axe wax and buffed again. The ebony looked much better and had a little grip. Easy fix
 
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