bahamaroot
Idiot Savant
Yoshimi Kato makes nice VG10 and SG2 core Damascus knives within budget under his own name and for Masakage.
Are there any good "Damascus" Kitchen Knives for up to 300$?
- Thread starter Messer Mojo
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+1 for the Shiro Kamo knives; within your budget and the ones I have gotten my father were really well received and he has had nothing but positive things to say about them.
Super broad question. Maybe do some research and then come back with a more narrowed focus?
Have a look here:
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/who-do-you-buy-from.52523/
Have a look here:
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/who-do-you-buy-from.52523/
Thank you everybody. I can work with these suggestions.
However, I noticed almost only japanese style knives were suggested. What about european knives and european/german brands within that price range?
@HumbleHomeCook thanks, this links is also very helpful.
And in general, lot of helpful links in here.
However, I noticed almost only japanese style knives were suggested. What about european knives and european/german brands within that price range?
@HumbleHomeCook thanks, this links is also very helpful.
And in general, lot of helpful links in here.
James
Senior Member
The only german/european branded damascus knife that I can think of is the zwilling kramer sg2
I can only give you my opinion but I suspect it is shared, to one degree or another, by many others. There's absolutely nothing wrong with buying European style brands but once you slip past about $100USD they're short comings just become more and more apparent. European knives are workhorses and their expertise is is just that. They can do just about everything, are comfortable to a broad spectrum of user profiles, and can stand up to a fair amount of aggressive use. Yes, you can certainly get very nice looking knives in this category but it's the core of the offering that matters the most. To me, that's design, blade geometry, and the steel.
By comparison to Japanese knives, European knives tend to be heavier in both blade and handle. Again, these are your draft horses of the kitchen. They will almost always have thicker grinds behind the edge. While the big dogs have been reducing their actual edge bevel angles, they will still fatten up real quick. All that coupled with steel that is going to be softer adds up to a knife does what it is designed to do very well but doesn't do anything other than that particularly well.
I love having a good European style knife around and think the Wusthof Gourmet line is fantastic. It's a little lighter and thinner but still sturdy and at a reasonable price. Throwing more money into thee knives will get you a slight step up in hardness, one which I would argue most folks will never notice, but quickly starts becoming about aesthetics rather than function.
Japanese knives on the other hand tend to be lighter, more nimble, weighted more to the blade, thinner grinds and harder steels. That is very generalized but small increases in price can bring a lot of differences in performance with these knives. And even the lesser expensive ones have a lot to offer in terms of performance. So, when you start asking for suggestions, especially up to $300, the overwhelming majority of them are going to be for Japanese knives.
And as has been pointed out, keep in mind, damascus is just cosmetic. This is especially true of European style knives where the core edge is still likely to be that softer steel.
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Yep and they are made in zwillings factory in seki japan, (same as miyabi) but the kramers are western styled profiles. I have a pairing from them and for a factory knife it's pretty great little thing. My Kramer SG2 was my first nicer knife, only thing I wasn't crazy about was the micarta handle.
One nice thing about the Zwilling Kramer's are that they balance at the pinch as opposed to the Miyabi which balance right at the front of the bolster.
I doubt I'll ever get rid of my ZKramer Carbon.
I doubt I'll ever get rid of my ZKramer Carbon.
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Yep, I actually sold my SG2 kramer years ago and replaced it with the 52100 because I wanted a wood handle, and the carbon steel thing was alluring to me as a newbie at first haha. Still have it after 4-5 years or so. Just such a comfy knife to use, love the fit and finish details like the perfectly polished choil
If you want inexpensive damascus VG10 the JCK Gekko line has many options for about $100 with western handles. There are a zillion sellers of this style. Takayuki for example. In my opinion these are much better than the standard offerings from european makers like wusthoff or henckels.
There are a few german manufacturers, who make Damascus knives, but most of them are more expensive.
@HumbleHomeCook Thanks, I'm kinda familiar with the differences between european & japanese knives, but it makes sense now why most knife suggestions are japanese.
I'm aware of one small german manufacturer called Schmiedeglut, who is making damascus santokus, within that price range.
Looks like it could be Kamo’s work, doesn’t it?
billyO
Well-Known Member
Another option (might take a bit more effort, but would be worth it) would be to locate any local makers/bladesmiths and have them make one for you. As a member of the NWBA (Northwest Blacksmith Assn) I know makers who make $10,000 damascus blades regularly, and members who make $300 blades regularly, with the main difference being the name of the maker. Check out some blademaker/bladesmith forums for more options (bladeforums.com. bladesmithsforum.com, knifedogs.com are a few that have makers participating regularly)
