Best $15 knife ever?

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gic

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I used to think Kom Kom and Penguin were the best ultra cheap knives to suggest to friends but I have discovered that Amazon is selling a bunch of Chinese made knives that claim to be made out of decent steels for under $15. In particular I bought this one to play with cause it was $14.99(!):

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075B3VHSN/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

that claims to be made out of AUS-8 which is quite a good mid level steel. I tested the HRC with my files and it seems to be around 58 which is consistent with AUS-8. OOB edge and geometry weren't that bad all things considered (of course nowhere near as thin as the Kom-Kom and Penguin) and of course 5 minutes on a finishing stone and it was really razor sharp.
 
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...though one has to leave one thing to both the Kiwi/Kom Kom and the Herder parer... these actually appear to have a wide user base where they come from, probably for good reason.
 
Yes, count me with the weirded crowd. I am also still puzzled exactly how they make a knife like that. I once broke the handle of a similar looking knife to see how it is made but it left me more puzzled than before. My best guess is soft stainless bolster and pommel, iron tang (was very rusty in my knife, and blaxe welded to bolster, either mig or resistance weld, I don't know. So four pieces of metal and some resin with a lot of filler dust for handle material. I just purchased a strip of 440C of 30mmx2mm to try to make a petty on my new grinder and it cost me more than that chef's knife. So either that is not Aus8, they got it at an insanely low price, Aus8 isn't really premium stainless or I got ripped off but I fail to see how it can be made and sold retail under 30 dollars given the price of most knife steels.
 
Just curious how many tons of steel you bought to be able to compare pricing?
 
Lol, just enough for three knives. But when I go to a store I also just buy one knife. If you look steel prices on Alibaba you get chinese made X50crmov15 for about 4k/ton. So you can make a cheap knife from that. Japanese made steels are typically not that cheap. I don't know for how much VG10 or AUS 8 go per ton but i believe it is a lot more.
 
These Japanese named knives must be Chinese made, so what does it matter what they call the steel? You're most likely talking pos grinds and HT.
 
Here are some shots I took:

2018-02-11 16.59.13.jpg


2018-02-11 16.57.47.jpg
 
Well everything is relative, we are talking about $15 here. ANd, HT for simple steels can be automated pretty well - the HRC seems within normal range for AUS-8 according to my files and the grind isn't really that bad. I think for say a person without much money or who will throw their knives in the dishwasher anyway, it's not a bad choice all things considered..
 
Actually I see Homeer sells an aus8, aus10 and 4116 blades. The aus10 damascus might actually be intersting at $40. You can get well made knives from China, of course. Tojiro and others do it, even a company called Ever Sharp, so maybe Homeer also. My fascination with cheap knives seems to be creeping back.
 
@Danzo even the naming has a nasty edge :)

Wonder what the energy for the HT, and the abrasives for finishing that chinese 4116 would cost a) if you used the least grinding and the softest HT you could get away with, b) chose the best HT and geometry for use.
 
Ooops, I could be wrong but I seemed to have heard the DP was made in China, I also recall hearing that of the Victorinox also, I of course could be totally wrong here, wouldn't be the first time.
 


I spent 23$CAD (18.25usd) on this. Its a Masahiro, its MBS-26 as far as I know, sharper than a lot of knives OOB. Very thin, about 1.5mm, and its a Made in Japan. The bunny rabbit is might not be as cool as the Misono Dragon, but hey I think it looks damn cool.

 
gic said:
Well everything is relative, we are talking about $15 here. ANd, HT for simple steels can be automated pretty well - the HRC seems within normal range for AUS-8 according to my files and the grind isn't really that bad. I think for say a person without much money or who will throw their knives in the dishwasher anyway, it's not a bad choice all things considered..
Click to expand...

Have used AUS-8 not bad user friendly stainless. Gic have you cut with it much? Is it real thick behind the edge like many cheap knives or does it have a decent grind?
 
Picked up one of these 14.99 Amazon. The handle is good for such a cheap knife. It has distal taper gets thin at the tip. The bolster is not tacked on, is part of the blade. A little more sweep at the tip than most Japanese knives. Has a flat spot back of blade. The AUS8 sharpened well no problem getting a burr which is more than I can say for a lot of cheaper stainless.

Rounded the spine now will start cutting with it for a while to test it's performance.
 
Well if anyone interested have been using this cheap 14.99 AUS8 blade for about a week prepping meals. I had put a good edge on it before testing. After a week of home use it will still slice a tomato. Lots of vegetables including potatoes and carrots. Edge quality has diminished with use.

The tip is pretty thin behind the edge it gets thicker towards the heel. It cuts pretty good considering it's cost. The steel is better than a Kiwi or Tom Tom. I slice large Maui sweet onions, a Kochi or Tanaka does a better job of it than this knife.

I would say that this is one of the better cheap stainless. I sharpen quite a bit of it. These days use a belt to thin out cheap dull knives & finish on a large 1K King stone. The AUS8 steel is much better than a lot of that crap.
 
I just bought the damascus (AUS-10) version for $40, better grind and better steel. I like it, will make my standard present for someone who wants a little bling
 
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