A knife knumpty gets his hands on a Kippington

[Luftmensch]

mostly the profile

Agreed:

blacksmith > profile > grind > length > whats on tv tonight > steel

... and for me... as a pinch-grip home cook with only ~1hour of knife use a day, i am ambivalent about lengths between 200 and 250. And am even fine with a 180 santoku! (oh the horror )

 

[Dhoff]

Guess I'm using the hybrid too hammer pinch

 

[juice]

Hands up everyone who is surprised that a thread I started has gone off on a wild tangent

 

[M1k3]

Hands up everyone who is suprised that a thread I started has gone off on a wild tangent

Hands up everyone who is surprised a thread on KKF has gone off on a wild tangent.

 

[ian]

Hands up everyone who is surprised that a thread I started has gone off on a wild tangent

What’s off topic about this? It seems we got our hands on a Kippington above.

 

[Kippington]

What do you call this grip?

I think the term "hammer grip" tends to get a bad rep, mostly due to people not knowing how to use a hammer. I imagine most people consider it the same as a white knuckle "death grip".
If I had a hammer the same weight as your gyuto, I would probably want to hold it the same way you did in the clip.

Watch a few seconds into each of these videos from guys that know how to use a hammer. I've already skipped to the relevant parts.

 

[Luftmensch]

I imagine most people consider it the same as a white knuckle "death grip".

A bit like swinging a mattock. The head is heavy. You dont get too much of a bounce back either. You have to lift the tool all the way back up! And sometimes pull it out of the soil. If you're planning on using it for any length of time on a hot day, it would be a waste of energy (and less controlled) to do much more than let gravity do the work on the way down! Like Uri says - guide it down. White knuckling the handle on impact can send significant, fatiguing shocks back up your wrists and arms. Better to be barely holding onto it or even 'griping' the air around the handle on impact. That way the handle can absorb shock without transferring it back into your body.

 

[dafox]

I think the term "hammer grip" tends to get a bad rep, mostly due to people not knowing how to use a hammer. I imagine most people consider it the same as a white knuckle "death grip".
If I had a hammer the same weight as your gyuto, I would probably want to hold it the same way you did in the clip.

Watch a few seconds into each of these videos from guys that know how to use a hammer. I've already skipped to the relevant parts.

Thanks Kippington!

 

[OnionSlicer]

To me, pinch grip means the blade is being pinched between the thumb and the index finger, regardless of whether the pinching is around the neck or the engraving. Saltydog is no home cook, and he pinches around the neck in his videos and has said that he considers that to still be pinch grip. When I think of hammer grip, I think of thumb wrapping around the handle.

I like handles that are comfy in both pinch positions. Forward pinch for more control, neck pinch for more blade and for chopping (since the flat spot is commonly at the heel).

 

[ma_sha1]

That’s why I called it neck grip earlier, ends the debate between the hammer camp & the pinch clan. It’s a neck grip if anyone is grabbing by the neck.

 

[M1k3]

It’s a neck grip if anyone is grabbing by the neck.

 

[Kippington]

That’s why I called it neck grip earlier, ends the debate between the hammer camp & the pinch clan. It’s a neck grip if anyone is grabbing by the neck.

To me, pinch grip means the blade is being pinched between the thumb and the index finger, regardless of whether the pinching is around the neck or the engraving. Saltydog is no home cook, and he pinches around the neck in his videos and has said that he considers that to still be pinch grip. When I think of hammer grip, I think of thumb wrapping around the handle.

I like handles that are comfy in both pinch positions. Forward pinch for more control, neck pinch for more blade and for chopping (since the flat spot is commonly at the heel).

The problem with this is there are now three different pinch grips - forward, neck and full handle - as well as a hammer grip which is the incorrect way to hold a hammer.

 

[cotedupy]

My better half (who has very good knife skills and has worked in kitchens) uses what looks a bit like a 'hammer' grip, but is actually, as mentioned above, pinching but around the ferrule/bolster. It works well for her because she uses almost exclusively rocking cuts. Tho that does blunt stuff a lot more quickly.

A q. perhaps for @Kippington - is there anything different I should be doing when sharpening the knives she uses, compared to how I might normally sharpen...?

 

[Kippington]

A q. perhaps for @Kippington - is there anything different I should be doing when sharpening the knives she uses, compared to how I might normally sharpen...?

Realistically it doesn't matter all that much. But you can sharpen to a wider angle for a rock cutter if you want.

 

[cotedupy]

Realistically it doesn't matter all that much. But you can sharpen to a wider angle for a rock cutter if you want.

Ta. That's what I assumed, we've not chipped any knives yet, but it sometimes makes me nervous watching her cut!