In the first we'll look at dimensions, grind and initial impressions. In the second (which I'll do later when I've sharpened them properly) my thoughts on how they perform. Apologies as ever for the picture quality, or lack thereof.
I was in a Chinese kitchenware shop in Melbourne the other day and noticed they had some CCK behind the counter, including my favourite size: 1302. I've been looking for one for a while and the price, $90 AUS, seemed pretty decent. Though the equivalent Leung Tim Mulberry Chopper #2 is a little cheaper at $67 AUS. Here are our two knives, as you can see - with fancy new handles.
CCK:
Leung Tim:
Now these are the same model from two of the best Chinese brands, so we'd expect them to be pretty similar, which they are, but there are some small differences. It may not be apparent in those pics, but the Leung tim Has a tiny amount more curve to the belly, and the CCK seems marginally lighter and thinner. Though when we put them on the scales they're almost identical:
CCK:
Leung Tim (this is the same model, but not my normal one. It was kindly given to me by another member for a bit of restoration, after he tried to remove the lacquer and it slightly affected the KU, and then decided it probably wasn't for him anyway):
When we look more closely at them the reasons for this become apparent. Firstly - though both are 96mm tall, the Leung Tim is slightly longer at 212mm compared to 209mm for the CCK. And secondly - the weight distribution is slightly different. The CCK has a marginally thicker tang and a more aggressive early taper, the Leung Tim has a more even taper and weight distribution. We'll look later at whether this affects them in use.
CCK:
Leung Tim:
And finally for Part 1, lets look at the grinds. I've looked at a fair few caidao in my time; grinds are not particularly consistent tbh, and I doubt either of these was really intentional. So this is just a comparison of my own two, others *will* be different. The Leung Tim has something I've seen often on their knives, which is a grind that might favour food release for a right hander, the outside face is more convex with the inside almost straight. The CCK is all over the place, both sides appear to have slight 's-grinds' (I think that's the correct term), but in different places.
CCK:
Leung Tim:
Part 2 to follow later today / tomorrow, when sharpened and used.
I was in a Chinese kitchenware shop in Melbourne the other day and noticed they had some CCK behind the counter, including my favourite size: 1302. I've been looking for one for a while and the price, $90 AUS, seemed pretty decent. Though the equivalent Leung Tim Mulberry Chopper #2 is a little cheaper at $67 AUS. Here are our two knives, as you can see - with fancy new handles.
CCK:
Leung Tim:
Now these are the same model from two of the best Chinese brands, so we'd expect them to be pretty similar, which they are, but there are some small differences. It may not be apparent in those pics, but the Leung tim Has a tiny amount more curve to the belly, and the CCK seems marginally lighter and thinner. Though when we put them on the scales they're almost identical:
CCK:
Leung Tim (this is the same model, but not my normal one. It was kindly given to me by another member for a bit of restoration, after he tried to remove the lacquer and it slightly affected the KU, and then decided it probably wasn't for him anyway):
When we look more closely at them the reasons for this become apparent. Firstly - though both are 96mm tall, the Leung Tim is slightly longer at 212mm compared to 209mm for the CCK. And secondly - the weight distribution is slightly different. The CCK has a marginally thicker tang and a more aggressive early taper, the Leung Tim has a more even taper and weight distribution. We'll look later at whether this affects them in use.
CCK:
Leung Tim:
And finally for Part 1, lets look at the grinds. I've looked at a fair few caidao in my time; grinds are not particularly consistent tbh, and I doubt either of these was really intentional. So this is just a comparison of my own two, others *will* be different. The Leung Tim has something I've seen often on their knives, which is a grind that might favour food release for a right hander, the outside face is more convex with the inside almost straight. The CCK is all over the place, both sides appear to have slight 's-grinds' (I think that's the correct term), but in different places.
CCK:
Leung Tim:
Part 2 to follow later today / tomorrow, when sharpened and used.
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