If you've been around here for long, you probably don't need this review to know Jules makes a great knife. But in case you didn't know: they're great, and you should try one.
Trying a Kipp had been on my knife bucket list for a while when this summer I managed to be first in line for not one but two Kipps, first a workpony via BST from @Brian Weekley and then a laser direct from Jules. (Budget? What budget?) I wanted to put up a quick side-by-side of how they perform, what I like, what I love, and what I might possibly tweak if he ever reopens his books.
The Knives
Workpony: 245x53mm, 233g, AEB-L mono, handle of G10 and spalted maple burl. Per Brian, the spine is 3.45mm at heel, 2.62mm at mid blade, and 1.15mm 1” from tip.
Laser: 225x54mm, 196g, 52100 mono, handle of black Juma and pine. 3mm at the spine with steady taper to a damn thin tip.
In hand:
Both knives are very comfortable in hand, with attention focused on practical aspects. Both are very nicely rounded for a righty user at the choil. The WP has a champfered and eased spine while the laser is fully rounded. Both have a fairly simple hairline finish. The feather logo looks to be engraved freehand, and, if I'm being honest, looks a little neater on the WP than the laser.
Balance-wise, the WP is fairly neutral despite a heavy handle, with the balance point maybe just a hair behind the pinch, depending on how much you choke up. With a much lighter pine handle, the laser is forward balanced but in a way that still feels very nimble. With as much distal taper as these knives have, an aggressive forward balance is probably not feasible.
The handles are pretty different--the WP features a nice stabilized burl that looks gorgeous and feels good in hand, but the stippled, artificial-looking G10 ferrule doesn't compliment it. The black Juma material used for the laser ferrule is quite a bit nicer. Both handles are a bit large for my taste, and the laser's in particular feels disproportionately long for the blade. At some point I'll get around to shortening them by ~1cm, which in particular would do the WP a favor in terms of balance.
Looking at the choil shots, you'd be forgiven if you mixed up which is which. The WP choil (right) is, I think, pretty representative of the grind: midweight asymmetric convex grind that gets very thin behind the edge. The laser (left) looks much more workhorsey than it is; the extra metal at the choil makes for a sturdier heel and more comfortable pinch grip. However, the grind past the heel is definitely thinner and more lasery than the WP, though still convex.
Without knocking off the handles I can't confirm it, but I suspect that the weight of the two blades themselves are very close despite the different grind styles and slightly shorter blade length of the laser.
On the board:
These are the best two knives I've used, hands down. If I could only keep one knife in my drawer, it'd be the workpony, and if I had to pick the best absolute cutter it'd be the laser. The WP has a great cutting feel, very thin behind the edge to initiate and gently convex further up; the laser just blows through nearly every kind of ingredient like it's barely there.
To pick a couple key cutting tests: the WP was my first knife that could do horizontal cuts in onions truly smoothly, and the laser the first that could do it effortlessly. My Yoshikane used to be my go-to there; it can handle the job well but hesitates a little by comparison. The very thin tips are great for mincing garlic as well.
I did a side-by-side with a Wakui, two Yoshikanes, and a Toyama (all good cutters) slicing sweet potatoes into fries, a good dense product challenge. The Kipps could both power through with minimal slowdown, while all three other blades wedged and needed some (at times substantial) extra force to complete cuts. For another denser food, the laser is the only knife in my collection that reliably halves apples without needing an extra push or change of angle part way through. The WP also handles apples quite well, especially using the tip, but will still hesitate on that first halving cut; the rest of my gyutos wedge or stick to varying degrees.
The WP combines great performance with a sturdy feeling on the board. The edge has never felt fragile and I haven't hesitated to use it for tough product. The laser, unsurprisingly, feels a bit delicate, but not excessively so.
The profiles of both knives are very well thought out--the WP reminds me of a Wakui, my favorite jknife profile, and the laser is an abbreviated version of the same with a bit more upsweep at the very tip. For me, the key feature is that the blade has a very generous flat spot for push cutting without the hard stop/clunk like a Yoshi. The laser has a bullnose format (holds blade height a ways out, moderately steep curve to a low tip), which is not my favorite in terms of maneuverability of the tip, but effectively prioritizes making more of the edge length useful for push cutting.
Food release isn't top notch for either knife, but that's what the hook/chevron grind is for, right? The WP sheds food pretty well, while the laser is unsurprisingly a bit stickier, though not too bad.
I didn't come to these blades expecting stellar edge retention, but have been very happy with it. I've had the laser in use for over a month at home without a touch up and it's still making clean, nearly effortless cuts through tomato and pepper skins. The WP has been in use maybe twice that time and called for one or two very quick touchups at 6k.
Wrapup
Both of these are fantastic knives that stand a tier above everything else I've tried. The workpony is an excellent, low-maintenance all-arounder, and the laser is probably the last I'll ever need. The speed at which Jules' work gets snapped up is entirely justified, in my opinion, and if you get the chance you won't regret trying one.
