I would be hesitant to buy most knives that doesn't specify the steel type. There are some brands you can trust you are getting something good, but otherwise I would avoid.
A bit of online digging turns up the fact that this is Chinese manufacture. I suspect the steel is not a good alloy and almost certainly has the sort of indifferent heat treat I have come to expect from Chinese cutlery that tries to conceal its origin.
Mostly I just like the K tip and saw this said carbon steel rather than "high carbon" and got interested. Would like to put a K tip in my collection sometime
I saw it said "carbon steel" rather than "high carbon" so I wasn't sure. Mostly I just want a decent K tip lol
Thank you
https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/munetoshi-kurouchi-bunka-180mm/
Thank you! I got setup to be notified when that second one is available. A little more in my price range. Plus I like how it's darker on top.
Third one I mean. The second doesn't work
First link is Chef Knives to Go .com
That's a good tip. Err, good point.
Thank you. I really appreciate it. Idk why, I just have a fascination with a ktip. I have to add one to my beginning collection lol
I really need to stop paying attention to these $30 knives I come across and like you said, look at the restaurant supply or these Japanese sites. Luckily I have a restaurant supply right down the street. To be honest, I don't have much need for a ktip besides I always thought they look really cool and want one haha
It's a bit counter-intuitive but especially in a low-budget situation you want to skip the junk that's just a waste of money... I wished I had done that because in the end all those junk knives added up to at least 1 good knife.
That's why I was curious about that 1.4116 steel that wusthof and zwilling use. I've seen pro chefs use them and worked in a lot of restaurants that recommend them. Why are they so popular among chefs if it isn't good steel?
You mean the best part?!
Thank you. I know with pans you have stainless pans, cast iron pans carbon steel pans etc so I get confused with knives. All those pans are very different and have different qualities so I assumed the same is true in knives but a lot of others have been saying the same as you do you're probably right. Just another marketing term for knives
Because it's not as bad as people make it out to be. It's perfectly functional. It's also very cheap, very resistant to dishwashers, works reasonably well in combination with a steel, and like others probably mentioned before: most chefs arent that obsessive about their tools anyway. It's also the kind of stuff they still get recommended or forced to buy when going to culinary school.
To confuse you further. Cast iron and carbon steel pans both contain carbon. Cast iron actually more than carbon steel. A lot of these kind of 'category names' don't necessarily make a ton of sense. It's not even necessarily the fault of any marketting departments; a lot of these terms just pop up in common language and they stick.
If I remember right, carbon steel is 98% carbon and cast iron is 99%
Most carbon steel pans tend to be 1% carbon (very similar to a lot of knife steels actually) whereas cast iron tends to be around 3% from what I've read. But I don't think there's really a definition on either of them that says they have to be a specific percentage of carbon content so there can be quite some variation.
Better yet, buy Larrin's book - Knife Engineering.... If you really want to start understanding steels and its impact on edges I suggest you go read Larrin Thomas's blog. But that rabbit whole runs pretty deep...
I will have to learn more about steels soon. I'm still obsessed with getting my sharpening down haha.Most carbon steel pans tend to be 1% carbon (very similar to a lot of knife steels actually) whereas cast iron tends to be around 3% from what I've read. But I don't think there's really a definition on either of them that says they have to be a specific percentage of carbon content so there can be quite some variation.
Honestly in actual usage the materials behave very similar actually. Only reason you see a difference with cast iron vs carbon steel is that most cast iron pans are thicker than most carbon steel pans and have a rougher finish. But once you make them the same thickness and finish them the same they behave very similar.
Carbon steel isnt legally defined so even when it's used in the way we normally use it here (indicating a non-stainless knife) that still doesn't say much since the carbon content can still differ wildly, easily from 0,5% to 1,5%. Only way to really find out is to know what steel the knife is made of and what the specs of the steel are. Even in Japan you can find knives in a wide variety of steels that behave quite similar.
So yes, high carbon or carbon steel are all very hollow terms simply because they aren't officially defined in any manner. If you really want to start understanding steels and its impact on edges I suggest you go read Larrin Thomas's blog. But that rabbit whole runs pretty deep...
