Hey folks. I enjoyed my chance to use this knife. It is really nice to be able to try out stuff at minimal cost (shipping) and see how you like things. For me, I've had two Isasmedjan knives that I've owned before, and this is the third one I've used (for reference). Of note, I've sold my two previous ones because I didn't love them that much.
With this knife, I wanted to see how Jonas' work has evolved. That said, if I were to put out a BLUF on this knife it would be:
Just meh, it's OK but not a knife I'd ever buy or keep; not as good as anything currently in my rotation.
So perhaps it reaffirms my view that Isasmedjan knives are not for me, but I want to give some feedback on what, specifically, I disliked.
1. Grind - the grind is OK, but not great. Distal taper isn't strong enough for my liking and the blade stays thick through the tip. It's thin enough behind the edge, but is a relatively narrow bevel and though faded across the blade, it's really obvious the blade stay thicker through the middle than it could/should be. As a result, it doesn't do great in dense foods and makes you work to move the knife through things. It's not a knife that feels easy to use.
2. Profile - this really annoyed me. There was absolutely no flat spot on the blade and in fact, it even had some upward curve by the heel. See my photos. It's a big sore spot for me. Foods with skin close to the board were not strengths of this knife as the profile means you were forced to rock to cut through things. This is not for the push or pull cutting person.
3. Steel - Apex Ultra is great stuff, but this iteration felt glassy on the stones to me. It didn't take an edge as quickly as I liked and it didn't provide great feedback on my finishing stones. Meh, I think it could be better.
4. Other - small details like the handle being installed crooked and the tip being chipped (see previous posts) really took some of the joy away from this for me. I'm a sticker for details at times and performance combined with aesthetics just didn't sit right with me.
I used this compared to the following knives for reference: Ashi Ginga Western Stainless, The Nine 230mm wrought dammy clad Blue 2, Kamon 250mm 1.2519, Ryusen Blazen 240mm R2, Bazes 200mm wrought iron clad VToku2. In my view, all of the above performed better than the Isasmedjan.
But, this is why we do pass arounds. Some people love things, and others not so much. For me, this was a great chance to try the blade out at minimal risk and/or cost, and provide my thoughts. Thanks to
@jedy617 for putting it together and sending it around. It's off tomorrow to the next host.
3. @thebradleycrew (Currently here)
