Ever have a knife?

[thistle]

that you didn't really like or respect, until it cuts the h*** out of you? I had just such an experience last night-this is my most recently purchased kitchen knife (I've taken a bit of a break), it's a Tanaka deba, purchased off ebay from 330 mate. It was quite cheap, I didn't have a deba, or any single bevel knife, the description said 2 letters engraved free, so I got a wavy 'LN' on my knife. The handle is bad (I have a few other Tanaka knives & this is common), it is a bit wider than the ferrule, & it's HEAVY (I don't know what I was expecting, I have a Watanabe kaibou, which is slightly hefty, but this thing is like an axe!).

I got it, looked it over, wasn't thrilled, stuck it on the magblok, & then as I was looking it over again last night, somehow sliced my thumb-it gave me a new respect for this knife-it still has an ugly, ill-fitting handle (maybe I should look into rehandling it?), but the knife, which I had almost written off, is something I'm thinking about, for heavy duty butchering...

Has anyone else had a similar experience w/ a knife, one that deserves a second chance?

 

[tk59]

Shibazi meat? cleaver. I was visiting a friend at her mom's house. Her mom was using a very old chinese veggie cleaver. I made some comment like "I've been thinking about getting one of those." That Christmas, she gives me the Shibazi which is nothing like the cleaver her mom was using. It has a hole in it and didn't fit in my knife block at the time so I hung it behind my quick n dirty paddle strop. After staring at it for a year or two, I decided to sharpen it and use it to open coconuts which my family is very fond of. It sharpens easy and it's good for this purpose so there you go...

 

[mr drinky]

It isn't a sexy knife, but the Forschner bread knife nabbed me once and that hurts. The serration damages more tissue and it hurts like a MF. Worst yet, it cut me right under the fingernail.

k.

 

[kalaeb]

I hated the jck AS kagayuki knife. It left a horrible steely oxidizing smell where ever it cut. It was so bad I stopped using the knife. I left it at work and did not think about it for a few months, then I tok it out again to look at it, sliced my under side of my finger pretty bad, and after that our respect grew and we have been friends ever since. The smell is not so bad anymore.

 

[Eamon Burke]

My Tanaka Yanagi bit me twice at work. I didn't know I was cut until I saw blood dripping everywhere. It wouldn't stop bleeding, and didn't heal for like a week solid. And I just bumped it!

 

[spaceconvoy]

Haha, just like after getting into a fight with another guy... either you'll hate him for life, or become great friends.

 

[Crothcipt]

that you didn't really like or respect, until it cuts the h*** out of you? I had just such an experience last night-this is my most recently purchased kitchen knife (I've taken a bit of a break), it's a Tanaka deba, purchased off ebay from 330 mate. It was quite cheap, I didn't have a deba, or any single bevel knife, the description said 2 letters engraved free, so I got a wavy 'LN' on my knife. The handle is bad (I have a few other Tanaka knives & this is common), it is a bit wider than the ferrule, & it's HEAVY (I don't know what I was expecting, I have a Watanabe kaibou, which is slightly hefty, but this thing is like an axe!).

I got it, looked it over, wasn't thrilled, stuck it on the magblok, & then as I was looking it over again last night, somehow sliced my thumb-it gave me a new respect for this knife-it still has an ugly, ill-fitting handle (maybe I should look into rehandling it?), but the knife, which I had almost written off, is something I'm thinking about, for heavy duty butchering...

Has anyone else had a similar experience w/ a knife, one that deserves a second chance?

I just bought the same knife off e-bay, and was wondering if you did re handle it? The one I got the spacer doesn't even line up with the rest of the split handle.

 

[Eamon Burke]

I've noticed the sharpest knives don't hurt when they cut you, they just startle the crap out of you.

I remember a sushi chef telling me that you have to feed a new knife your blood before it will get really sharp. I think there is truth in that--you don't respect it's cutting power until you are on the wrong end of it!