Bought Kippington WP - Going out with a bang

[freskfesk]

Hi,

I am about to become a father and would like to be "done" with this hobby (good luck with that). Therefore I would like to buy what is the endgame knife for me: a Kippington workpony.

Would prefer right hand bias, in sizes 220 to 250. If you have another type of Kippington, I would still like to hear from you. Any state of usage is fine.

I am located in Norway and will pay for shipping.

Thanks!

Edit: Right hand biased added

 

[mengwong]

Congratulations. After the workpony, may your next buy be a Zwilling Twinny!

 

[freskfesk]

Haha! Thanks

 

[timebard]

Congrats and good luck finding one! It's an endgame knife for sure - have tried many gyutos after getting my workpony, a few have equaled it but none have surpassed it as an all-arounder.

 

[freskfesk]

Thank you, @timebard! I would be interested in hearing which gyutos equaled your Kippington as all-rounder. Send me a PM if this question is too much off topic (I don't know how strictly we should adhere to BST rules).

 

[Neutri]

TBH i'd be interested too

 

[timebard]

Sure. Kipp's laser is maybe an even better cutter but a little too delicate for a daily driver for my taste (I traded mine and kept the WP). Having recently tried a few test cuts with the passaround Ashi honyaki I'd put it in a similar zone. The Konosuke MM is probably the closest competitor in my lineup in terms of overall performance and cutting feel ... unfortunately they're almost as hard to come by as a Kipp! Wat Pro ironclad is right up there as a cutter, except it lacks the distal taper to have a really high-performing tip (and I don't love the profile, but that's more taste than performance).

I go back and forth a little on whether my Dalman x BB belongs in this elite group or a half-step down; it's more of a thin midweight/tall near-laser than a true midweight, and lacks the bit of heft and resulting cutting feel that I prefer... but it's such a good performer.

I also think Shihan is pretty exceptional, but he's optimizing for performance relative to a higher standard of toughness/durability, so there's a tradeoff in pure performance in the examples I've tried.

 

[pjheff]

I go back and forth a little on whether my Dalman x BB belongs in this elite group or a half-step down; it's more of a thin midweight/tall near-laser than a true midweight, and lacks the bit of heft and resulting cutting feel that I prefer... but it's such a good performer.

I also think Shihan is pretty exceptional, but he's optimizing for performance relative to a higher standard of toughness/durability, so there's a tradeoff in pure performance in the examples I've tried.

As someone who owns both a Dalman/BB and a ShiHan, this post is very helpful and only further whets my appetite to try a Kippington.

 

[LostHighway]

Kippingtons are at the top tier of my list as well. I have a chevron hook grind, a WP, and a petty. I've also briefly used the laser. I find Devin Thomas to be Jules closest performance rival, very different knives but both in the functional top tier. The Tsourkan WH is a bit more of a niche knife but also first rate. I find LaSeur to be a small step behind these makers. Obviously there are a bunch of other excellent knife makers but these are my personal favorites so far. None of my Japanese knives, while very good, are quite in this league IMO. There are a number of young makers coming up including Malachi/Troopah, Tomislav/Radiona Breg and a few others who show great potential. My list is always subject to change.
I have no experience with ShiHan, Bazes, Xerxes, Markin, Ingoglia, Comet, or Yannick but I've tried a good share of the other vaunted knives.

 

[blokey]

Congrats and good luck finding one! It's an endgame knife for sure - have tried many gyutos after getting my workpony, a few have equaled it but none have surpassed it as an all-arounder.

Smilies experience here, super hard to find a knife that’s truly as good a cutter while the same time versatile as Kippington Workpony\laserpony. Here’s my experience
Equal or better cutter:
Birgersson #159: one of the best cutter I’ve had, good weight and beautiful handle. But the edge is very thin, probably not as versatile as the Kip.
Migoto 240mm Shinogi Blue #1: one of the best Japanese cutter I’ve tried, truly wowed me after many good knives, I’d say it is even slightly better cutter than the Kip, tho only by a small margin. Super thin edge but still stiff, not as fragile as some lasers, good weight too for a Sakai 240. It’s almost all purpose, still bit thin for me to do some hard tasks, tho I wouldn’t use good knife for those tasks anyway.
Xinguo M390 KS style gyuto: super laser, super thin and super cutter, good steel, not much to say here. Same problem as all other lasers, bit too thin.
Equal all purpose knives:
Newham MagnaCut: Gorgeous knife also from Australia, good all around grind and taper, super comfy handle and probably best all around knife steel. I can core an avocado, cut a old corn or fillet a fish with no worries. But it just didn’t whoa me in the cutting, it’s a good cutter but I have many good cutters it’s not standing out too much.
Spåre MCX 250mm ApexUltra gyuto: Good cutter, good steel and looks beautiful, similar problems (Not really a problem tho) as Newham.
Toyama: kind of my base line good cutter and workhorse knife, not as good a cutter as the ones above, still excellent.
Truly equal Knives:
Shi.Han custom A2: my example is thinner in grind and tip so mileage may vary, truly a excellent workhorse and cutter. Tho slight more expensive than the Kip.
Sakai Kikumori Gokujo Chinese chef: not a fair comparison I know…I just love this knife, tho white #2 steel is bit basic all other aspect is excellent.

I’m also waiting for the Matt Sicard custom, Skye Elier French chef and Simon Herde small series, I’ve heard great things too.

 

[Neutri]

Just out of curiosity, if any of you tried an Isasmedjan, how would you compare it with the kip ?

 

[blokey]

Just out of curiosity, if any of you tried an Isasmedjan, how would you compare it with the kip ?

I got the Birch and Bevel Apex Ultra by him and Tobias Hangler, good all around knife, I’d say similar the MCX. Tho his custom could be very different.

 

[Neutri]

the wrought iron one?

I got the Birch and Bevel Apex Ultra by him and Tobias Hangler, good all around knife, I’d say similar the MCX. Tho his custom could be very different.

 

[blokey]

the wrought iron one?

Yeah.

 

[LostHighway]

Just out of curiosity, if any of you tried an Isasmedjan, how would you compare it with the kip ?

Jonas is an extremely nice guy and one of the most pleasant custom makers to deal with IME but I find his grinds, a bit thicker in maybe not the right places, and profiles to be a step behind Kippington. This is not to say that his knives are less than excellent. These matters are very subjective.

 

[timebard]

Jonas is an extremely nice guy and one of the most pleasant custom makers to deal with IME but I find his grinds, a bit thicker in maybe not the right places, and profiles to be a step behind Kippington. This is not to say that his knives are less than excellent. These matters are very subjective.

Fully agree. Jonas does nice work but having tried two from both makers I feel Jules' grinds are on a different level. Subjectively, they feel really different in hand, with Isas having a dense, blade-heavy feel that I personally don't click with but others clearly do.

 

[pjheff]

I find Devin Thomas to be Jules closest performance rival, very different knives but both in the functional top tier. The Tsourkan WH is a bit more of a niche knife but also first rate. I find LaSeur to be a small step behind these makers. Obviously there are a bunch of other excellent knife makers but these are my personal favorites so far.

As someone with a DT and Laseur, I thank you for these additional data points.

 

[Bico Doce]

I agree with a lot of what’s been said here. I believe I owned at least one knife from all but 2 of the makers mentioned. The Kipp workpony is superb but I found the laserpony to be a major upgrade to the point where I sold the workpony.

IMHO, Xerxes user friendly grind is almost unparalleled for hitting all the sweet spots on a middle of the road knife. Not sure it is easier to find one of these but you may as well add it to your search. I’ve tried a couple different ones from Jannis in this grind and they are amazingly consistent.

Bazes is another I would recommend without reservation. He a perfectionist and his knives perform at highest level but without having a “signature” grind attached/labeled to each knife it may be hard to find that middleweight you’re looking for.

 

[jedy617]

For a super workhorse that might be a bit more attainable, honestly my HVB by Tansu has really surprised me. It has a workhorse grind by looking at the choil, but somehow goes through carrots with zero crack.

Good luck on the search though, would love to try a kippington someday!

 

[blokey]

For a super workhorse that might be a bit more attainable, honestly my HVB by Tansu has really surprised me. It has a workhorse grind by looking at the choil, but somehow goes through carrots with zero crack.

Good luck on the search though, would love to try a kippington someday!

Really want to try HVB, hope he puts out more in Blue #2

 

[jedy617]

Really want to try HVB, hope he puts out more in Blue #2

Give me a shout if you wanna try mine

 

[blokey]

Give me a shout if you wanna try mine

Thanks, I probably don’t need more temptation at the start of the year tho lol.

 

[pjheff]

IMHO, Xerxes user friendly grind is almost unparalleled for hitting all the sweet spots on a middle of the road knife. Not sure it is easier to find one of these but you may as well add it to your search. I’ve tried a couple different ones from Jannis in this grind and they are amazingly consistent.

I want to apologize to the OP for my contributions to thread drift, but I really appreciate the insight and perspective shared in these posts.

 

[DrD23]

same, thought about making a new thread just to continue this convo but wasn't sure what to call it. Got more insight into users opinions on westerns from this WTB post than most of the threads I could find on the topic

 

[pjheff]

same, thought about making a new thread just to continue this convo but wasn't sure what to call it. Got more insight into users opinions on westerns from this WTB post than most of the threads I could find on the topic

 

[freskfesk]

Thank you to all the thread contributors! Especially those sharing their insights. Please keep it going, as I find this thread really interesting!

 

[freskfesk]

Well, you did it, KKF! A treasure is on its way to me now

Thank you very much for all contributions and helpful messages. And a special thanks to the seller!

 

[pjheff]

Well, you did it, KKF! A treasure is on its way to me now

Thank you very much for all contributions and helpful messages. And a special thanks to the seller!

Where is that green with envy emoji?

First dibs if it’s not a keeper!