paulraphael
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2016
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My main gyuto for the last dozen years has a ginsan blade, ostensibly ~HRC 60, but based on its performance I'm guessing it's somewhat softer than this. The edge stability isn't what I'd hope, although I do sharpen it to very acute angles. I appreciate how well it cuts and how responsive it is on the stones.
After reading a bunch of steel articles on Larrin's blog I'm getting persuaded that AEB-L is a much better steel than ginsan. Especially for my priorities (edge stability, sharpenability). But interestingly, when I look at people's subjective experiences in forums like this one, people find the two to be more or less interchangeable. Including people who have had similar knives in each steel (or essentially similar steels ... 19c27, 13c26 etc). And among Japanese knifemakers, ginsan and its Swedish doppelganger seem more popular.
Any thoughts on why the research suggests AEB-L is so much better, while users don't have such a clear preference?
After reading a bunch of steel articles on Larrin's blog I'm getting persuaded that AEB-L is a much better steel than ginsan. Especially for my priorities (edge stability, sharpenability). But interestingly, when I look at people's subjective experiences in forums like this one, people find the two to be more or less interchangeable. Including people who have had similar knives in each steel (or essentially similar steels ... 19c27, 13c26 etc). And among Japanese knifemakers, ginsan and its Swedish doppelganger seem more popular.
Any thoughts on why the research suggests AEB-L is so much better, while users don't have such a clear preference?