Experience with Shihan A2 vs AEB-L?

[shtoonkeyg]

Hi Folks,

Thanks to wonderful forum advice, I’ve settled on getting a Shihan A2 or AEB-L 210mm gyuto as my primary “service” knife to use on the line at a job I’m about to start. I can either get on his list for a custom A2 (I’m not sure how valuable the “custom” aspect itself will be for me, I don’t really know what I like in profiles and grinds yet), or I can try to obtain an AEB-L Shihan from a secondhand source (he told me recently that he will not be producing anything in AEB-L for an extended period of time). Does anyone have any thoughts on which route I should go, or experience with either or both of the steels?

The difference between the semi-stainless A2 and the fully stainless AEB-L is actually not that important to me, I am pretty clean with my knives and just wanted something with at least partial corrosion resistance. Aspects I’m more interested in is which will perform better at more acute or obtuse edges, different finishing grits (1000 v 3000 v 8000 are the ones I have), sharpening speed, edge retention, etc.

I’m also aware that heat treat and a maker’s experience with the steel is important. That’s why I’m asking in regards to Shihan A2 vs Shihan AEBL, if anyone has specific experience!

Thanks!

 

[Troopah_Knives]

Assuming the grinds are the same and the HT quality is good. I would consider AEB-L to be superior steel. It has a better balance of hardness-toughness as well as somewhat better wear resistance and a much better carbide structure. On top of all that (even though it's not a huge deal as you said) it is stainless which is a nice bonus. Unless other forum members say that the HT quality differs drastically I'd recommend AEB-L.

 

[blokey]

One of the bonus for Shi.Han A2 is the beautiful banding, I know it has nothing to do with performance and probably will be lost in professional environment but it is nice to look at. I haven't use his AEB-L, but I find his A2 slightly more enjoyable to sharpen and more toothy than some of the AEB-L knives I have, tho that also don't mean much. Can't go wrong with Shi.Han.

 

[shtoonkeyg]

One of the bonus for Shi.Han A2 is the beautiful banding, I know it has nothing to do with performance and probably will be lost in professional environment but it is nice to look at. I haven't use his AEB-L, but I find his A2 slightly more enjoyable to sharpen and more toothy than some of the AEB-L knives I have, tho that also don't mean much. Can't go wrong with Shi.Han.

I’ve heard a lot about the toothiness of A2. While I do enjoy a toothy edge, I’m more interested in purely which one will stay serviceably sharp over the course of a dinner shift.

Wondering how A2 compares to other semi-stainless products like SG2 or SKD as well, just for my own reference.

 

[Troopah_Knives]

I’ve heard a lot about the toothiness of A2. While I do enjoy a toothy edge, I’m more interested in purely which one will stay serviceably sharp over the course of a dinner shift.

Wondering how A2 compares to other semi-stainless products like SG2 or SKD as well, just for my own reference.

A2 is the same as SKD. Compared to SG2 it has worse corrosion resistance, somewhat better toughness, and much lower wear resistance.

 

[blokey]

I’ve heard a lot about the toothiness of A2. While I do enjoy a toothy edge, I’m more interested in purely which one will stay serviceably sharp over the course of a dinner shift.

Wondering how A2 compares to other semi-stainless products like SG2 or SKD as well, just for my own reference.

SG2 should have better wear resistance, A2 is the same as SKD12, SKD11 is D2.

 

[kpham12]

I bought one of his old A2 gyutos and I liked the steel so much, when I ordered a custom, I got another A2.

I thinned mine after awhile and I sharpen at a decently low angle so the edge is thin and acute and still holds up well to being beat on a poly board all day, although I prefer a nice synthetic rubber when possible. No edge rolling or significant chipping. Very low reactivity, you can leave it wet, laying on the cutting board while you do other stuff and it will patina, but won’t rust.

The edge is on the toothier side and retains its bite as it dulls so even after prolonged use, it doesn’t slide on tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc so definitely stays “serviceably sharp”. Other common A2/SKD like Yoshikane SKD and Takamura Chromax have a similar reputation.

Sharpens like any good carbon steel, fast to raise an burr and easy to deburr. Finishing just at 1000 grit seems like a bit of a waste since the steel is already naturally on the toothy side. 2-4k edge is great for general use, but you can definitely go higher grit if you feel like it.

It’s a very well balanced steel. I’m sure his AEB-L is great too, the guy nails his HTs. There was a 220 mm AEB-L gyuto for sale on another forum a couple days ago, but I think it’s gone now.

 

[captaincaed]

Have you reached out to the man himself? Shehan probably has a pretty good idea of edge retention, and is easy to talk to.

 

[Bico Doce]

I had a Shihan workhorse in aebl and I really liked it. Felt great on the board, tough as nails and easy to sharpen. Edge retention was meh but I didn’t find that as a negative because it was easy to bring back with strop. Tbh, you can’t go wrong with either.

If you can get a custom, I would go with A2. I think having a knife tuned to your preferences is worth more than picking between these 2 steels.

 

[timebard]

It’s a very well balanced steel. I’m sure his AEB-L is great too, the guy nails his HTs. There was a 220 mm AEB-L gyuto for sale on another forum a couple days ago, but I think it’s gone now.

It is... will report back on it when it arrives!

I haven't tried Shihan's A2 but have had equivalent (SKD) Yoshikanes and had similar experiences to those above - average retention, takes a toothy edge, easy to sharpen, low reactivity, not particularly tough. AEB-L in my experience is pretty similar on ease of sharpening and retention but definitely tougher. If I had to use only one steel for all my knives it'd be hard to do better than AEB-L for practicality, although that'd be boring.

 

[esoo]

I have an A2 custom from him. Custom was I wanted a Sakai 210 (200mm length) and wanted balance at the pinch. He nailed it perfectly.

The A2 is super easy to sharpen. My only issue, which is likely me, is that I find it hard to remove the burr when sharpening.

 

[Barmoley]

Like someone else suggested I would talk to Shehan, he is a very cool person to talk to. You can't just compare steels in this case since he has somewhat unique heat treats for his steels, his focus for them is a bit different so we can't just compare a2 to AEB-L. He usually doesn't push hardness and focuses on somewhat other attributes. So best to tell him what you value and ask him which of the steels he works with he would recommend.

 

[timebard]

Okay, I got the 220 AEB-L from the other forum about a week ago and have been using it pretty constantly since. Edge came in rough shape (to my inexpert eye, what I was seeing is consistent with edge deflections rather than chipping being the failure mode) so I put it on stones right away (SP2k -> BBW) and it sharpened up to a serviceable level with no real difficulty. Not quite as easy as Dalman's AEB-L (which is magic) but comparable to my Kippington AEB-L. The edge geometry is a little more conservative so it's hard to give a totally apples to apples comparison.

In use it feels bulletproof - I haven't had a lot of opportunity to beat on it but it's handled crusty baguette no problem - but the initial edge I gave it is not the absolute toothiest. That may just be a reflection of needing to figure out the best stone / grit to finish on. I tentatively suspect a fresh A2 edge would (all else equal) give you a little more tooth for stuff like pepper and tomato skins than AEB-L but that's just conjecture.

Bottom line, a Shihan in this size is just an outstanding all-around package. It's not the absolute best at anything but hits a great sweet spot as a low maintenance everyday go-to.

 

[esoo]

On my A2, the failure mode has been rolling, not chipping. The wife took it to some pretty hard candy () and rolled the edge in a number of places. Pic here Daily Knife Pics. Any Knife. Join In!. So easy to sharpen it took just a couple of minutes on a SG6K to fix it up.