Haburn Knives - Your thoughts?

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What are your thoughts on Haburn Knives? They look nicely done, especially the knives with fancier detail work. I wonder if these knives are more of a show piece as opposed to well made for kitchen use.

Anyone have first hand experience with Haburn and can offer a little insight?

Feel free to post pics of your Haburns.
 
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Edit: original post said Kamon - just going to leave this here as the I like the pic ;)

Certainly meant to be used (this is the Massdrop Kamon)
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Any quibbles I may have about it fall into the personal opinion category. It's an extremely well made tool, not a showpiece.
 
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Certainly meant to be used (this is the Massdrop Kamon)
View attachment 172543

Any quibbles I may have about it fall into the personal opinion category. It's an extremely well made tool, not a showpiece.
I'm such an idiot. I was just looking at Kamons stuff and had his name on the mind. What I am really wondering about is Haburns Knives. I'd love to own a Kamon some day but they seem impossible to land.

*Updated original post
 
Agree with everything Daveb said ....

Would add that from a maker stand point - Ian is very easy to work with and you won't go wrong (IMO) if you are looking for a custom piece ... FWIW - he has never been late, over budget or not delivered a function piece of working art ... if you want someone who works with carbon fiber he is definitely your guy ...

PM me for any specific thoughts if you want ...
 
I have always wondered the same things about Hayburn. I am local to him and asked if I could come see his shop but he doesnt allow visitors. He seems to be an absolute master of his craft. I personally would probably not purchase from him based on pricing. I am fine with his custom pricing, stainless damascus etc. When I see a maker charging 1200 for AEB-L or 1500 for 52100 mono steel though, I am no longer interested. Its similar to a guy like Don Nguyen. If people are willing to buy that is great but you cant convince me that his AEB-L is 3 times better than Shihan, Tsourkan, Dalmen etc.
 
I certainly here you when it comes to pricing ... when it comes to customs things get a little weird ... my only point with Ian, in particular, is he is a pro and will (IMO) meet all expectations & has always been on time/budget.

I haven't tried Shihan but heard great things and I am a huge fan of both Marko and Robin ... getting a Dalman has become quite the challenge though and Marko doesn't make as many blades currently although that can change.
 
I have a couple of Haburns as well and tried another. All are excellent. Ian also is great to work with. He modified one of his knives for me and delivered much better than expected results.

You can't just look at steel when comparing prices from different makers. Clearly people are willing to huge premiums for some knives made out of "regular" steel. Take something like Ashi honyaki for example, it is just white 2 and yet....
 
I have a couple of Haburns as well and tried another. All are excellent. Ian also is great to work with. He modified one of his knives for me and delivered much better than expected results.

You can't just look at steel when comparing prices from different makers. Clearly people are willing to huge premiums for some knives made out of "regular" steel. Take something like Ashi honyaki for example, it is just white 2 and yet....
How do they perform in the kitchen as compared to other knives you use? Do you find yourself using it over others due to its performance?

Or is it more of just it being a pleasure to use something that is really well made?
 
How do they perform in the kitchen?
They perform very well, that's why I wrote that they were excellent. Grinds and profiles work very well for me. They also balance well for me. His grey steel, whatever it is, has above average edge holding. It is some sort of semi stainless. His AEB-L seems to be on the same level as other top makers AEB-L. Overall, excellent knives. Price is a different discussion, but the knives themselves are very good.
 
They perform very well, that's why I wrote that they were excellent. Grinds and profiles work very well for me. They also balance well for me. His grey steel, whatever it is, has above average edge holding. It is some sort of semi stainless. His AEB-L seems to be on the same level as other top makers AEB-L. Overall, excellent knives. Price is a different discussion, but the knives themselves are very good.
Very cool. This is what I wanted to hear.
I do agree that price is definitely another discussion altogether. For the purpose of what I'm trying to find out, I've taken price out of the equation.

Thank you for your insight.
 
What are your thoughts on Haburn Knives? They look nicely done, especially the knives with fancier detail work. I wonder if these knives are more of a show piece as opposed to well made for kitchen use.

Anyone have first hand experience with Haburn and can offer a little insight?

Feel free to post pics of your Haburns.
I own many different custom makers knives.
Haburn is in the very top echelon for cutting performance… fit finish is also just tops…
Would highly recommend and he is top notch to deal with… a real professional
 
Amongst all of the kitchen knife makers out there, Ian is making some of the best. Upper echelon indeed, and an absolute professional at what he does.
 
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I toured his shop a long time ago when he was getting started and recognized he was going to do great things. His fit and finish has always been A+ and he's also a very accountable person (some makers are absolutely terrible business people). He puts a lot of thought into his process and I think it shows in his work. Back then, his work was underpriced for what it was but I was also broke so sadly I don't own anything from him.
 
Barmoley is 100% correct in what is "missing" from this thread;

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I even have one very similar to him ... well maybe he has it now ... close up on the last two dammies from Ian plus the very last beauty (SS san mai) ...

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Plus the in-lay handle work ... mammoth ... simply 'stupid' ... looks, cuts and releases like a champ ...

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