Birch & Bevel 230mm Carbon Gyuto

[240_Gyutos_Only]

Being first in line, I got to use the knife this weekend, while watching some of my neighbors panic and board up their windows due to tropical storm Hilary that will supposedly hit us out here in Arizona.

As Gshep91 already mentioned, he sent it out with the tip slightly bent to the left and some minor orange spots that may be patina or early onset of rust. Here are pics of the blade upon arrival. I got it on 8/19, just wrote the wrong date and was too lazy to re-write.

I measured:
Length: 232.5mm
Height at heel: 53mm
Spine: 4.3mm at handle
Weight:174g

I really like the look of the blade. The nashiji-esque finish has some shallow vertical grooves here and there. It also has some sparkly/glittery looking areas, not entirely sure what that is. The transition zone between nashiji and the nicely polished bevel is really well done.

The grind along the wide bevel is clean and fairly flat with a subtle convexity on both sides.

Balance point is between the maker's mark and choil, right at the pinch grip for me.

The flat-ish area is about 1/2 of the knife, with a bit of a hard stop but nowhere near as hard as say a Yoshikane.

The knife arrived with a somewhat mediocre edge, slid across fingernails easily and would not bite into tomato skin. I will attribute this to Gshep91 not wanting us boneheads to cut ourselves, how kind of him. Some light stropping brought the edge back nicely.

Made some Greek salad, the knife went thru cucumber/tomato/etc. as well as the best knives I've used, with no real stiction issues. The tip is really good for onions, this is where having a big distal taper helps. Chopping carrots at the heel is easy, but not quite as easy as w/ a "laser" profile.

The knife arrived with some patina already and I added a good amount just from the quick job described above. I tried to wipe down immediately after cutting, still got patina. However, there was no discoloration at all on the onion itself and I did not notice any strong smell from the knife.

The two things that stick out to me about this knife compared to Japanese knives are the profile and handle.

I like this profile better than the standard Japanese gyuto. It is thinner near the tip and thus better for things like cutting thru onion.

The handle resembles a Japanese wa handle but with european flair, buffalo horn replaced w/ birch bark and brass. Terrific attention to detail on it. I really like the profile of the handle, it has octagonal cuts on top and a U shape on the bottom which feels great in the hand. It is a tad shorter than my other wa handles, I have slightly above average male hands and I prefer this shorter handle since the back portion of the handle does little in a pinch grip. The back of the handle is sloped, so the knife cannot be stood up on its handle. Of course, I am probably the only one on earth to ever try to do that.

I would say one thing that could be better is more polish on the choil. It is nicely ground and quite comfortable but not high-polished. The spine could also be polished higher. Probably to be expected at the price, and easy enough for the owner to polish.

I expect most people who are not carbon averse would love this knife. I am definitely considering one (maybe w/ ApexUltra).

Many thanks to Gshep91 for putting this together. I'll put up some more recent pictures right before I send it out.

 

[Smidderton]

I'm interested in the edge retention of 1.2419. Also how it compares to 1.2519. Any Insights? I guess it also depends on Fredrik's heattreatment...

 

[Smidderton]

Some light stropping brought the edge back nicely

Nice Review. Thanks.
What did you use for stropping?

 

[240_Gyutos_Only]

Nice Review. Thanks.
What did you use for stropping?

I just used a leather strop on wood w/ fine green polishing compound.

No idea about the steel's edge retention, as I didn't use it long enough.

 

[240_Gyutos_Only]

Mailed out to mrmoves92 this morning. Here are some pics right before packing:

 

[mrmoves92]

I received the knife earlier this evening. Everything looks and feels great (the fit and finish seems really nice). I was able to carefully bend the tip back to straight, as shown in the pictures below. I cut up an apple tonight and it cut well. I’ll have some actual cooking tomorrow night, so I can really try it out. The edge is pretty sharp but has no bite (probably from the stropping). I am going to see if I can get away with only stropping while the knife is in my possession, and if not, I will keep sharpening to a minimum and let you know what I do.

 

[Smidderton]

Good Job on the tip!

 

[Gshep91]

I received the knife earlier this evening. Everything looks and feels great (the fit and finish seems really nice). I was able to carefully bend the tip back to straight, as shown in the pictures below. I cut up an apple tonight and it cut well. I’ll have some actual cooking tomorrow night, so I can really try it out. The edge is pretty sharp but has no bite (probably from the stropping). I am going to see if I can get away with only stropping while the knife is in my possession, and if not, I will keep sharpening to a minimum and let you know what I do.

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The main reason I hosted this PA is to get free knife maintenance
Appreciate you taking the bend out!

 

[Gshep91]

So after the US leg of the tour is done I’m going to be sending this to @KasumiJLA in Canada. If there’s a few Canadians that want to give it a go I’m open to it so just reach out!

 

[KasumiJLA]

Thank you again for this buddy! For real

 

[mrmoves92]

I am going to be in a lot of trouble when the 250mm version of this knife is back in stock. I am really impressed so far.

 

[Gshep91]

I am going to be in a lot of trouble when the 250mm version of this knife is back in stock. I am really impressed so far.

I wish I got the 250 instead sometimes. Since buying the 230 I’ve moved towards bigger stuff. But I’m torn between going with another Spare version or trying one of the 2 Isasmedjan ones

 

[David R]

I am interested if you still have slots open. I'm in Portland, OR. I have several nice knives and know how to care for them. I'm a decent sharpener and can touch up the edge ONLY if needed. I rarely scratch the face of a blade, but since this isn't my knife I would tape it up before sharpening just to be safe.

Relatively new here, so I could put the money up for collateral so you don't have to worry about me keeping it.

 

[Gshep91]

I am interested if you still have slots open. I'm in Portland, OR. I have several nice knives and know how to care for them. I'm a decent sharpener and can touch up the edge ONLY if needed. I rarely scratch the face of a blade, but since this isn't my knife I would tape it up before sharpening just to be safe.

Relatively new here, so I could put the money up for collateral so you don't have to worry about me keeping it.

Hey there! Seeing as I have 13 people already and was hoping to be at 10, I’m going to say this is full.
If anyone drops out or if it goes faster than I’m expecting I’m happy to add you on to the end.

I’m anticipating a late December return to me if everyone sticks to 1 week + 2 days shipping

 

[xsmx13]

I wish I got the 250 instead sometimes. Since buying the 230 I’ve moved towards bigger stuff. But I’m torn between going with another Spare version or trying one of the 2 Isasmedjan ones

Just buy all of them in 250mm.

 

[Gshep91]

Just buy all of them in 250mm.

My wallet is already too light these days. I’m buying all of @BillHanna stuff right now

 

[nickrut]

Just buy all of them in 250mm.

If one is good, more is better. I fully endorse this message.

 

[Gshep91]

If one is good, more is better. I fully endorse this message.

Hard to pass up with the sale from @moderncooking but damn.. been debating adding an isas which I really want to try with an Oliver martens or the Simon K or the BB gyuto…

 

[nickrut]

Hard to pass up with the sale from @moderncooking but damn.. been debating adding an isas which I really want to try with an Oliver martens or the Simon K or the BB gyuto…

I’ll contribute $10 towards the effort if needed. Lol

Have been wanting to try an isas myself.

 

[M1k3]

Hard to pass up with the sale from @moderncooking but damn.. been debating adding an isas which I really want to try with an Oliver martens or the Simon K or the BB gyuto…

 

[mrmoves92]

I used the knife one last time last night, washed and dried it, gave it a rub down with mineral oil, and packaged it. I will ship the package to @timebard later this week to accommodate his schedule. Here are photos of the knife in action during this week and before I oiled and packaged it:

I really enjoyed this knife. Before trying the knife, I was expecting it to generally be nice, but I didn’t put much thought into it. Once I tried the knife, I was shocked by how well it cut and how much I enjoyed using it.

What I liked:
1. Nice distal taper - from a comfortable spine out of the handle, this knife consistently tapers down to a very thin tip.
2. Grind - the grind cuts well. The back half of the knife is a little thicker and stronger while still being thin enough to cut well, and the front third to half of the knife is readily nail flexing and able to cut really well. Horizontal swipes in onions were really nice.
3. Heel height - nice.
4. Edge retention - I didn’t use the knife enough to actually test the edge retention, but the knife held the smooth edge that it came to me with better than I expected, and it did not seem to deteriorate when I cut up a lot of tomatoes. I thought that I was going to have to sharpen it because of the lack of bite, but I didn’t, and the knife was still cutting really well by the end of the week. If you are thinking that you will have to sharpen it, try giving it a strop before going straight to stones because that worked for me (and to preserve the condition of @Gshep91’s knife)
5. Lack of reactivity - the steel did not seem too reactive. It already had patina, so that could have helped, but it did not seem that reactive, and I never worried about rust or excessive/ugly patina while cutting acidic ingredients.
6. Handle - @martinhuber can certainly make a handle. It felt great, with a nice shape, no noticeable steps between the materials, and crisp transitions between the top sides, and it looks great.
7. Polish/Surface finish - the knife has a simple horizontal polish that seems to do really well. It cuts smoothly, without feeling draggy, and it isn’t too fine to cause big stiction issues. I sometimes had a thin slice of carrot get a bit stuck to the knife, but that is okay.
8. Balance point - The balance point was pretty good, right on my pinch grip.
9. Fit and finish - the knife is comfortable with well rounded choil and spine.

What I didn’t like (only personal nitpicks):
1. Balance point - although the balance point was pretty nice, I would have preferred it a bit more forward, but this is just personal preference, and I wouldn’t want to mess with the distal taper or weight if the knife.
2. Choil/heel shape - I didn’t like the swept back heel. It made my finger feel crowded with how I grip the knife, it takes away useful edge length, and it makes it harder to use the heel as a coring tool like for taking the stem out of tomatoes.

That is everything that I can think of right now. I will update this post or make a different post if I think of anything new. I was really impressed, and I am now on the search for a Spare and/or Birch and Bevel knife. @moderncooking I will be messaging you about that discount.

I hope that everyone else enjoys this knife as much as I have.

 

[Matt Jacobs]

I love your comments about the swept back heal. I ton of makers do this and I love the looks. That being said whenever I look at one of my knives with patina I clearly dont the back 1-2" making it a waste for me. Not a huge issue but its certainly kept me from buying from certain makers like Adonis where the swept back heal is extreme.

 

[Homechef]

I love your comments about the swept back heal. I ton of makers do this and I love the looks. That being said whenever I look at one of my knives with patina I clearly dont the back 1-2" making it a waste for me. Not a huge issue but its certainly kept me from buying from certain makers like Adonis where the swept back heal is extreme.

I like the visual patina test. I’m sitting here reading this thinking I like the look and feel like I use it, but maybe not as much as I think! If anything it provides some “cushion zone” potentially helping start my cut closer to where the heel would have met the neck if perpendicular.

 

[240_Gyutos_Only]

I thought the "swept back heel" was about creating a little pocket in the choil to make the knife a bit more secure and comfortable in a pinch grip. While that part of the blade edge is kind of wasted in a pinch grip since it is right under the finger, it can be used if you do slices with your index finger on the spine, or when holding the handle with a tennis grip.

 

[Gshep91]

I thought the "swept back heel" was about creating a little pocket in the choil to make the knife a bit more secure and comfortable in a pinch grip. While that part of the blade edge is kind of wasted in a pinch grip since it is right under the finger, it can be used if you do slices with your index finger on the spine, or when holding the handle with a tennis grip.

Even in a pinch you can use the heel if you’re doing a long slicing motion too.

It definitely makes the knife feel shorter that 230 though

 

[240_Gyutos_Only]

Even in a pinch you can use the heel if you’re doing a long slicing motion too.

It definitely makes the knife feel shorter that 230 though

I guess that's true since this one is decently tall at 53mm, and especially for the 250mm at 56mm. Missed my chance to try some pinch heel slices while I had it.

 

[moderncooking]

I used the knife one last time last night, washed and dried it, gave it a rub down with mineral oil, and packaged it. I will ship the package to @timebard later this week to accommodate his schedule. Here are photos of the knife in action during this week and before I oiled and packaged it:

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I really enjoyed this knife. Before trying the knife, I was expecting it to generally be nice, but I didn’t put much thought into it. Once I tried the knife, I was shocked by how well it cut and how much I enjoyed using it.

What I liked:
1. Nice distal taper - from a comfortable spine out of the handle, this knife consistently tapers down to a very thin tip.
2. Grind - the grind cuts well. The back half of the knife is a little thicker and stronger while still being thin enough to cut well, and the front third to half of the knife is readily nail flexing and able to cut really well. Horizontal swipes in onions were really nice.
3. Heel height - nice.
4. Edge retention - I didn’t use the knife enough to actually test the edge retention, but the knife held the smooth edge that it came to me with better than I expected, and it did not seem to deteriorate when I cut up a lot of tomatoes. I thought that I was going to have to sharpen it because of the lack of bite, but I didn’t, and the knife was still cutting really well by the end of the week. If you are thinking that you will have to sharpen it, try giving it a strop before going straight to stones because that worked for me (and to preserve the condition of @Gshep91’s knife)
5. Lack of reactivity - the steel did not seem too reactive. It already had patina, so that could have helped, but it did not seem that reactive, and I never worried about rust or excessive/ugly patina while cutting acidic ingredients.
6. Handle - @martinhuber can certainly make a handle. It felt great, with a nice shape, no noticeable steps between the materials, and crisp transitions between the top sides, and it looks great.
7. Polish/Surface finish - the knife has a simple horizontal polish that seems to do really well. It cuts smoothly, without feeling draggy, and it isn’t too fine to cause big stiction issues. I sometimes had a thin slice of carrot get a bit stuck to the knife, but that is okay.
8. Balance point - The balance point was pretty good, right on my pinch grip.
9. Fit and finish - the knife is comfortable with well rounded choil and spine.

What I didn’t like (only personal nitpicks):
1. Balance point - although the balance point was pretty nice, I would have preferred it a bit more forward, but this is just personal preference, and I wouldn’t want to mess with the distal taper or weight if the knife.
2. Choil/heel shape - I didn’t like the swept back heel. It made my finger feel crowded with how I grip the knife, it takes away useful edge length, and it makes it harder to use the heel as a coring tool like for taking the stem out of tomatoes.

That is everything that I can think of right now. I will update this post or make a different post if I think of anything new. I was really impressed, and I am now on the search for a Spare and/or Birch and Bevel knife. @moderncooking I will be messaging you about that discount.

I hope that everyone else enjoys this knife as much as I have.

Great feedback @mrmoves92 thank you very much. I’ll take your comments about the choil back to the drawing board. Maybe we can come up with some subtle changes to improve thing.

Standing by for your message

 

[Mytola]

Even in a pinch you can use the heel if you’re doing a long slicing motion too.

It definitely makes the knife feel shorter that 230 though

Yes, this is exactly my impression too. I have this knife myself, and I was a bit sceptical to the 230mm edge length before I purchased it, as I really prefer shorter knives handling wise - but I also like to be able to do longer slices. These preferences are of course directly counters to each other, but after using mine for the last few weeks now I really feel like I'm handling a much shorter blade than the 230mm length, but with all the benefits of the extra length. I am HUGELY impressed with mine, and I agree with all the things mrmoves92 liked about it! Mine is a bit lighter at 166g and even a bit thinner from looking at the pictures (I dont have a caliper, so I can't check it for sure though). I plan to post a review after using it a bit more, and I couldn't be happier with it.

 

[mrmoves92]

I shipped the knife to @timebard this morning, and it should get to him on Tuesday.

 

[moderncooking]

Yes, this is exactly my impression too. I have this knife myself, and I was a bit sceptical to the 230mm edge length before I purchased it, as I really prefer shorter knives handling wise - but I also like to be able to do longer slices. These preferences are of course directly counters to each other, but after using mine for the last few weeks now I really feel like I'm handling a much shorter blade than the 230mm length, but with all the benefits of the extra length. I am HUGELY impressed with mine, and I agree with all the things mrmoves92 liked about it! Mine is a bit lighter at 166g and even a bit thinner from looking at the pictures (I dont have a caliper, so I can't check it for sure though). I plan to post a review after using it a bit more, and I couldn't be happier with it.

That's an interesting point. As someone who follows trends in the kitchen knives game, length is something that swings back and forth. Personally, I think 230mm is perfect for me, but taper plays a big roll here. A few months back I received a knife from @KAMON Knives which was 270mm, when it first arrived I did my usual inspection and quality checks to ensure the knife was not damaged in the post and then I sat down with the spec sheet to start entering the details into the site. I then noticed that Ben had marked the knife down as a 270mm, I was so surprised that I had to go and measure the knife. On my first inspection the knife felt like a 250mm at most.

A good distal taper gives a knife so much versatility. Aside from making the knife feel lighter and more nimble it also ensures that you have sections of the blade that can be used for more workhorse type tasks and other sections that can be used for finer more detailed work. In addition, it means that the same dividing action that convex geometry gives a knife is also applied from tip to heel. So, when doing push cuts it improves the cutting performance of the knife.

Naturally, you can get more stability from a knife that features a thicker consistent spine or a finer more delicate slicing performance from a consistently thin spine, but you sacrifice handling and versatility.

For the Birch and Bevel Gyuto this tapered, tall, KS profile is perfect as an all-rounder, a daily driver, and that's what we set out to make.

I really appreciate all the feedback you guys are delivering here and @martinhuber, @Fredrik Spåre and I are taking note as we hope to continually improve