Affordable S grinds?

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crlums

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I'm tempted by the geometry of an s grind gyuto but have yet to try one. So far what I've seen available tends to fall in the >$500 category. Are there any good options out there for closer to $300? I realize these grinds are technically challenging to achieve so maybe its not doable at that price point, but I wanted to see if there are any options I'm missing.
 
Could see if anyone wants to part with a Kamon production knife? The second gen sold for 265 euros new + shipping I believe.
 
crlums said:
Thanks for the idea! I didn't realize that earlier versions were less expensive. The only versions I've seen are newer and pricer like this one. SOLD - Kamon S-Grind Gyuto 250mm. I'll keep my eye out for older versions
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Ok so most of the knives Kamon sells are individual orders. That knife you've linked is one of those. You get on his waiting list then when your name comes up he makes you a knife in the specs you want (grind, finish, handle materials, handle style etc). These range in price from 500 euros+

However, he's also done two runs of what he called 'production' knives. They were batches which were all the same, no fancy handle materials and generally more workmanlike without the bells and whistles. The second batch of these were 265 euros + postage + paypal fees. Not sure how much the first batch were. Someone might be willing to sell you one of these for around your price point if you put up a WTB in BST.
 
I ordered an Alfredsson Christmas Special which was a limited run of 24 knives where everyone voted on his IG story what kind of knife they wanted for delivery around Christmas. The price was only 2600 KR which is around your budget but we had to pay full price before he even started the project. His knives seem quite reasonably priced so maybe keep an eye on his work or even contact him about a custom.

https://alfredssonknives.com/product/the-pincher-stainless-steel-k-tip-gyuto-series/
The quality of Alfredsson should be quite good knowing that one of our resident collectors who seems to mainly specialize in collecting Dalman also bought an Alfredsson.
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/show-your-newest-knife-buy.7655/post-762383
 
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Migraine said:
Ok so most of the knives Kamon sells are individual orders. That knife you've linked is one of those. You get on his waiting list then when your name comes up he makes you a knife in the specs you want (grind, finish, handle materials, handle style etc). These range in price from 500 euros+

However, he's also done two runs of what he called 'production' knives. They were batches which were all the same, no fancy handle materials and generally more workmanlike without the bells and whistles. The second batch of these were 265 euros + postage + paypal fees. Not sure how much the first batch were. Someone might be willing to sell you one of these for around your price point if you put up a WTB in BST.
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Thanks so much for the details. Will be very helpful if I end up posting a WTB
 
crlums said:
Thanks for the recs. Both Smedja Aspen and Alfredsson and new to me. I'll be keeping an eye on both
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Both of these are good recommendations. Alfredsson will probably be out of s-ginds in this price range until next X-mas. I think Smedja Aspen is working on a new set of knives. Steel by Lundbergs is doing a series of lower-priced knives for his webbshop. Unsure about the grind though. He's said that these knives will be thicker, as they are supposed to appeal to non-knife nerds as well.
 
I have one from Runningman Forge, second from the right. I think they go for $275.00 in 52100. I am a fan, could use some thinning but that probably goes for almost all S-grinds. His heat treat seems to be pretty spot on and holds a good edge.
 

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Sorry this is all I had on my phone. I can do more later.
It was dont one handed so not the best demo but it works. I was using a full flat ground knife in AEB-L and getting frustrated because the slices stuck so bad, I gave this a shot and all was well.
 
I have a Kamon production knife, version 1, that I don’t use as I have a couple of customs from him...

let me know if you’re interested. I’m in Europe though so shipping might be a Bia*ch
 
AT5760 said:
By S-grind are we talking fuller-style grinds, or any knife that has a transition from concavity in the upper half of the blade face to convexity in the lower half of the blade face? Forgive me if I'm not describing it correctly. The current thread led me to dig up this older thread:

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/what-exactly-is-an-s-grind.20304/
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Both--or at least that's how I see it...
The difference is how the S got there. The fuller-style S-grinds have that ground in. On other knives, like Takeda, the concavity from spine down is forged in.
Note, too, that it doesn't always have to be concave high then convex low. Dalman, for example did (still does?) a version of an S with concave at the bottom.
 
I recently sold my RunningMan forge amd picked up a new S-grind from Nordquist Designs. I wouldn't put it in the same class since it's almost double in price but I think it's worth it. The tip of this knife is thinner than any other knife I own. Unlike the Running man this flies through onions. The back half still gives you the benefit of the S-grind. I still recommend the running man forge but this knife is on a whole nother level
 
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