HSC/// is pretty damn good

[stringer]

I have three. They are all bangers. I am terrible with steel names and don't know the handle materials. The gyuto is wrought clad carbon. Some letters and numbers. The petty and paring are monosteel zwear or cruwear. I am going to eventually get a western handled gyuto to match the little guys. Harbeer is fantastic to work with and one of the best in the game for my tastes for ergonomics and performance.

 

[Danejah]

I have three. They are all bangers. I am terrible with steel names and don't know the handle materials. The gyuto is wrought clad carbon. Some letters and numbers. The petty and paring are monosteel zwear or cruwear. I am going to eventually get a western handled gyuto to match the little guys. Harbeer is fantastic to work with and one of the best in the game for my tastes for ergonomics and performance.

View attachment 323963

Any noticeable differences in zwear vs cruwear?

 

[Barmoley]

Gonna revive this thread opposed to starting a new one.

I’ve never tried an HSC and recently reached out about a knife and Harbeer seems like a great guy to work with. Will be a while potentially as he is in the states for an unknown amount of time. However I wanted to hear people’s opinions on knives they’ve gotten from him to help me decide on handle/steel options based on experiences. I was initially drawn to his use of more wear resistant steels and a western handle. I don’t have any diamond sharpening stones. Let me see what you got and your thoughts!

His zwear/cruwear is excellent and I would highly recommend it or MagnaCut. All these steels benefit from diamond stones to get the best results most efficiently even though you technically don’t need them. You have time to buy a few diamond stones by the time your knife will be made or you can try to go without and see how that works for you. Apexultra from Harbeer is great too and doesn’t require diamond stones. I am sure the other steels he works with he does well too, but I can only speak about what I have experience with. I have both his western and WA handles and both work great for me. His western is very comfortable for me and I use pinch grip almost exclusively. His WA are well executed WA, I just feel like most good WA handles are similar and it is harder to screw one up. Western handles seem more difficult to make right and he did a good job on mine. Basically just go with the style you like more and Harbeer will make it work.

 

[Danejah]

His zwear/cruwear is excellent and I would highly recommend it or MagnaCut. All these steels benefit from diamond stones to get the best results most efficiently even though you technically don’t need them. You have time to buy a few diamond stones by the time your knife will be made or you can try to go without and see how that works for you. Apexultra from Harbeer is great too and doesn’t require diamond stones. I am sure the other steels he works with he does well too, but I can only speak about what I have experience with. I have both his western and WA handles and both work great for me. His western is very comfortable for me and I use pinch grip almost exclusively. His WA are well executed WA, I just feel like most good WA handles are similar and it is harder to screw one up. Western handles seem more difficult to make right and he did a good job on mine. Basically just go with the style you like more and Harbeer will make it work.

Definitely leaning towards one of the “wear” steels.

 

[Just a DK]

Have a cruwear and 14c28n from him.

He is quite versatile in terms of what steel / handle material. I would say if no diamond dont do the cruwear… the synthetics just scratched the edge and did nothing in terms of sharpening. Im sure if i went hamm on pressure i could have made it work…

 

[Barmoley]

Any noticeable differences in zwear vs cruwear?

For our purposes there is no difference between these steels.

 

[Barmoley]

Have a cruwear and 14c28n from him.

He is quite versatile in terms of what steel / handle material. I would say if no diamond dont do the cruwear… the synthetics just scratched the edge and did nothing in terms of sharpening. Im sure if i went hamm on pressure i could have made it work…

Which specific stones did you use. I’ve had pretty good results with SiC based stones such as king neo 800 and diamond loaded strop or without a strop. I too would recommend diamond stones to make life easier and Venev or JKI resin stones are not that expensive and work well.

 

[Just a DK]

Which specific stones did you use. I’ve had pretty good results with SiC based stones such as king neo 800 and diamond loaded strop or without a strop. I too would recommend diamond stones to make life easier and Venev or JKI resin stones are not that expensive and work well.

Chosera 1k and a moreihei 4k.

I think pressure and longer time needed to be adjusted, in this instance I wanted to specifically test for my edification sharpening wear resistant on typical synthetics vs my venevs so I was worried more about utilizing a consistent pressure and maintaining similar passes on the stone.

I knew what the results would be but had to feel it by raising burr on one side on synth vs other on diamond.

The morihei really did nothing outside polishing edge.

 

[M1k3]

Gonna revive this thread opposed to starting a new one.

I’ve never tried an HSC and recently reached out about a knife and Harbeer seems like a great guy to work with. Will be a while potentially as he is in the states for an unknown amount of time. However I wanted to hear people’s opinions on knives they’ve gotten from him to help me decide on handle/steel options based on experiences. I was initially drawn to his use of more wear resistant steels and a western handle. I don’t have any diamond sharpening stones. Let me see what you got and your thoughts!

He's a great guy to work with. Very communicative without being overly so.

As far as handle/steel options, that's going to be personal preference and working with what he does best.

Just to touch on the wear resistant steel though, Z-wear/Cru-wear does benefit from diamond stones. That said, you can definitely get a great edge with something like a Shapton Glass 500 and 2k-4k stones.

Or you can go with ApexUltra, which isn't as wear resistant, more like a buffed up 52100.

 

[captaincaed]

I was initially drawn to his use of more wear resistant steels and a western handle. I don’t have any diamond sharpening stones. Let me see what you got and your thoughts!

I have a western handled knife from Harbeer in a wear resistant tool steel. I really like it, and it stays high use knife drawer, and has done so for the past year. Harbeer and Dan Bidinger are the two makers I have basically settled on.

I really like the wear resistant tool steel (CPM CruWear aka Zwear). It’s a bit tougher than carbon steel, so it’s a little less prone to chipping. And of course the wear resistance is much higher. I think you get the best bang for the buck when sharpening if you use a 1000 or 2000 grit stone. For those grits, you don’t really need diamond, but a higher quality stone helps. So a good Norton India or crystolon stone would be an inexpensive way to produce a good edge. If you had a little bit more money to spend the JKI soaking stones have given me great edges. I think a Chosera (naniwa pro) would do well also. I can try out the 2k and report back if you want, just tag me in a post to let me know.

(I shot the video after using the JKI 2K AlOx stone. I didn't re-sharpen it for months until I hit a metal twist tie in some cilantro).

I'm not a huge fan of the Harbeer western handle I have, mostly because it’s just a little on the large side, and a little on the overly-smooth-and-round side. I like a western handle that has a bit of a ridge at the corners (like a Mac), even if it’s a soft ridge. But the Harbeer handle feels a little bit like a bar of soap. on the other hand I tried a wa handle Harbeer at the West Coast gathering. It was excellent. If Harbeer is able to do a little bit of a faceting on a western handle, I think it would be a real winner.

 

[stringer]

Have a cruwear and 14c28n from him.

He is quite versatile in terms of what steel / handle material. I would say if no diamond dont do the cruwear… the synthetics just scratched the edge and did nothing in terms of sharpening. Im sure if i went hamm on pressure i could have made it work…

I sharpen mine on Naniwa Diamonds.

 

[Matt Jacobs]

I recently picked up one from him wrought iron clad Apex Ultra beautiful knife. I was impressed right away. Wasn't necessarily completely in love though, and almost traded for another knife on this forum in the meantime. I kept using it though and every time I used it I fell more and more in love to the point where I can't trade it. It's just such a flawlessly executed knife and the way it handles on the board is as good as anything I've ever used

 

[Danejah]

I have a western handled knife from Harbeer in a wear resistant tool steel. I really like it, and it stays high use knife drawer, and has done so for the past year. Harbeer and Dan Bidinger are the two makers I have basically settled on.

I really like the wear resistant tool steel (CPM CruWear aka Zwear). It’s a bit tougher than carbon steel, so it’s a little less prone to chipping. And of course the wear resistance is much higher. I think you get the best bang for the buck when sharpening if you use a 1000 or 2000 grit stone. For those grits, you don’t really need diamond, but a higher quality stone helps. So a good Norton India or crystolon stone would be an inexpensive way to produce a good edge. If you had a little bit more money to spend the JKI soaking stones have given me great edges. I think a Chosera (naniwa pro) would do well also. I can try out the 2k and report back if you want, just tag me in a post to let me know.

(I shot the video after using the JKI 2K AlOx stone. I didn't re-sharpen it for months until I hit a metal twist tie in some cilantro).

I'm not a huge fan of the Harbeer western handle I have, mostly because it’s just a little on the large side, and a little on the overly smooth side. I like a western handle that has a bit of a ridge at the corners (like a Mac), even if it’s a soft ridge. But the Harbeer handle feels a little bit like a bar of soap. on the other hand I tried a wa handle Harbeer at the West Coast gathering. It was excellent. If Harbeer is able to do a little bit of a faceting on a western handle, I think it would be a real winner.

I actually saw your video on that knife and had similar feelings about the handle.Otherwise seems like an awesome blade. Love the edge retention. I really think it's maybe down to either the cruwear (which Ive never tried) or Apex (which I have and loved from eddworks). My current sharpening stones are gesshin 400,2k,synthetic natural and a BBW. Harbeer did say that the cruwear would be fine to sharpen with the stones I do have but sounds a bit mixed on here. Diamonds fro sure would make things much easier however finding a venev seems tough these days its always sold out, I really don't want to go crazy with price on diamond stones. What is AIOx?

 

[captaincaed]

Diamonds fro sure would make things much easier

Diamond will help you refine the carbides themselves, but are also pretty aggressive and can make it easier to leave a pretty persistent burr. if you stop at around 2000 grit, you’re not so much refining the carbides as allowing a carbide rich edge to remain and believe me it’s still definitely sharp enough for kitchen work, especially for produce. if you can’t find a diamond stone and want one, the perforated DMT diamond plates are quite good in my experience. I use them extensively for woodworking, chisels and plane irons. fine and extra fine grits are pretty good for kitchen knives. Stay away from the extra extra fine. They used to be good, but the current production seems to be lacking in consistency. I actually have an open ticket with DMT complaining about one of these. The solid DMT plates are kind of dog **** and I don’t like them. Not flat, inconsistent grit.

What is AIOx?

aluminum oxide. It’s probably the most common abrasive in sandpaper and synthetic sharpening stones. From what I understand it is also an abrasive component in some Japanese natural stones. The stones that are more highly prized have a little bit higher concentration of aluminum oxide compared to silicon dioxidefrom what I understand it is also an abrasive component in some Japanese natural stones. The stones that are more highly prized have a little bit higher concentration of aluminum oxide compared to silica grit. this makes them a bit harder, and able to cut harder material for longer.

Silicon carbide is another common material, and it’s found in things like Norton crystolon stones.

You can also go up the food chain in hardness a bit to ceramics. 3M cubitron paper uses ceramic abrasive. A lot of 2 x 72 grinding belts do the same. Especially the coarser ones.

silicon carbide is more brittle than aluminum oxide, and I think at least from my experience aluminum oxide and ceramic can leave slightly sharper grit particles than silicon carbide, which can leave a more aggressive feeling edge, and cut faster. I feel like silicon carbide can round over a bit. But that is total speculation on my part.

My current sharpening stones are gesshin 400,2k,synthetic natural and a BBW.

If you stop at the 2K, you’ll be good to go. I honestly have the trouble getting the synthetic natural to perform super well. Somedays I feel like I’ve got the knack, and some days I feel like an idiot. The 2K never lets me down. Another trick I like to do is go to the BBW after the 2K. that helps me deburr cleanly, then I go back to the 2K for one or two light edge leading swipes to bring some of the aggression back.

 

[daveb]

I have three. They are all bangers. I am terrible with steel names and don't know the handle materials. The gyuto is wrought clad carbon. Some letters and numbers. The petty and paring are monosteel zwear or cruwear. I am going to eventually get a western handled gyuto to match the little guys. Harbeer is fantastic to work with and one of the best in the game for my tastes for ergonomics and performance.

View attachment 323963

@stringer How tall is that gyuto?

 

[Danejah]

Diamond will help you refine the carbides themselves, but are also pretty aggressive and can make it easier to leave a pretty persistent burr. if you stop at around 2000 grit, you’re not so much refining the carbides as allowing a carbide rich edge to remain and believe me it’s still definitely sharp enough for kitchen work, especially for produce. if you can’t find a diamond stone and want one, the perforated DMT diamond plates are quite good in my experience. I use them extensively for woodworking, chisels and plane irons. fine and extra fine grits are pretty good for kitchen knives. Stay away from the extra extra fine. They used to be good, but the current production seems to be lacking in consistency. I actually have an open ticket with DMT complaining about one of these. The solid DMT plates are kind of dog **** and I don’t like them. Not flat, inconsistent grit.

aluminum oxide. It’s probably the most common abrasive in sandpaper and synthetic sharpening stones. From what I understand it is also an abrasive component in some Japanese natural stones. The stones that are more highly prized have a little bit higher concentration of aluminum oxide compared to silicon dioxidefrom what I understand it is also an abrasive component in some Japanese natural stones. The stones that are more highly prized have a little bit higher concentration of aluminum oxide compared to silica grit. this makes them a bit harder, and able to cut harder material for longer.

Silicon carbide is another common material, and it’s found in things like Norton crystolon stones.

You can also go up the food chain in hardness a bit to ceramics. 3M cubitron paper uses ceramic abrasive. A lot of 2 x 72 grinding belts do the same. Especially the coarser ones.

silicon carbide is more brittle than aluminum oxide, and I think at least from my experience aluminum oxide and ceramic can leave slightly sharper grit particles than silicon carbide, which can leave a more aggressive feeling edge, and cut faster. I feel like silicon carbide can round over a bit. But that is total speculation on my part.

If you stop at the 2K, you’ll be good to go. I honestly have the trouble getting the synthetic natural to perform super well. Somedays I feel like I’ve got the knack, and some days I feel like an idiot. The 2K never lets me down. Another trick I like to do is go to the BBW after the 2K. that helps me deburr cleanly, then I go back to the 2K for one or two light edge leading swipes to bring some of the aggression back.

This is super helpful, thank you. The BBW is new to me and ive been going gesshin 2k (which is an awesome stone) and finishing off on BBW with great results. If I go with the cruwear perhaps I'll probably give your suggestion a shot before I go buying diamond stones.....

 

[captaincaed]

You’ve got some great stones, give it a shot! The diamond plates will always be there if you change your mind.

 

[HSC /// Knives]

I'm not a huge fan of the Harbeer western handle I have, mostly because it’s just a little on the large side, and a little on the overly-smooth-and-round side. I like a western handle that has a bit of a ridge at the corners (like a Mac), even if it’s a soft ridge. But the Harbeer handle feels a little bit like a bar of soap. on the other hand I tried a wa handle Harbeer at the West Coast gathering. It was excellent. If Harbeer is able to do a little bit of a faceting on a western handle, I think it would be a real winner.

Thanks for the feedback, I can understand what you are saying. I’m staying at a friends house and he actually has a Mac so I can see the difference

 

[captaincaed]

Thanks for the feedback, I can understand what you are saying. I’m staying at a friends house and he actually has a Mac so I can see the difference

Thanks for hearing it. It’s a wonderful knife, and hasn’t left the main drawer since I got it. It’s more one of those things I’m learning about my own preferences.

 

[DHunter86]

All these steels benefit from diamond stones to get the best results most efficiently even though you technically don’t need them

I have a Magnacut from Harbeer, and can say for certain Shapton Pros do work on this steel --> had to grind out a small burr due to courier damage (I suspect a drop from a high place leading to the slightly rounded heel going straight through packaging and hitting something hard), and had no issues at all. I can also attest to how tough Harbeer's treatment of Magnacut is, only a minor chip, and the rest of it deformed but still attached to the edge .

Takes a keen edge right off a 2k Shapton Pro, or a Chosera 3k, I've tried both. Of course, diamonds (NSK Hakuto line) work a little faster, but not by much for sharpening.