Got one ... like it very much. Not the first knife off the rack but definitely in the “keeper” category. In some respects similar to Bryan Raquin’s Meat Killer. Here’s a pic of my Meat Killer which I like very much as wells.
Knife qualities that matter most to you
- Thread starter captaincaed
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Then again, I've had more problems with factory-made overall than handmade. For one thing, what passes as perfect F&F at first glance often has many faults OOTB. They just look so licked and machine-made most people won't even bother to look closer.
Not against you at all, your points make sense. Just fed with a few members thinking every knife will stand perfect OOTB. Rarely is so. Levels vary to F&F, and also fed with people making F&F into "faults" when it's not the case. So double standard also applies to that guy according to whom a TF is necessarily a "faulty" knife that needs "repairs", in that he completely exaggerates it and misses the point.
Then again it's pretty much all some can do, talking about things they don't understand, making small things bigger to suit their discourse, while having no experience at all to share that has a point.
The older I get the more I realize how little I really know about the things I held strong opinions about In my younger years.
As I see it there’s a hard split between knife users. To the pros their knives are their tools ... a big part of how they earn their living. On the other side there’s the collectors and home chef’s. To them the knife is more of an art form.
I definitely fall in the latter category and do not feel qualified to even comment on the needs of the pros. Similarly my views as a home cook are equally valid and I’m really not concerned about the opinions of others concerning my knife selections. What’s important to me is that the knife be hand made. I really don’t even like knives where the maker uses pre-laminated steel. That’s not to say that I don’t have production knives and pre-laminated knives in my collection. I do and I use them regularly. What’s important to me is to try to understand what the maker was trying to accomplish. I’ve consumed countless bottles of wine sitting in the evening with a couple of my knives just fondling them and thinking about how the maker brought them to life. In use I’m most adept at adjusting my cutting style to the knife in hand. That’s part of the fun. Similarly. maintaining my knives through sharpening, stropping and polishing is another pleasure. There is a myriad of factors to consider when putting a blade to a stone. I like figuring that stuff out.
As I see it there’s a hard split between knife users. To the pros their knives are their tools ... a big part of how they earn their living. On the other side there’s the collectors and home chef’s. To them the knife is more of an art form.
I definitely fall in the latter category and do not feel qualified to even comment on the needs of the pros. Similarly my views as a home cook are equally valid and I’m really not concerned about the opinions of others concerning my knife selections. What’s important to me is that the knife be hand made. I really don’t even like knives where the maker uses pre-laminated steel. That’s not to say that I don’t have production knives and pre-laminated knives in my collection. I do and I use them regularly. What’s important to me is to try to understand what the maker was trying to accomplish. I’ve consumed countless bottles of wine sitting in the evening with a couple of my knives just fondling them and thinking about how the maker brought them to life. In use I’m most adept at adjusting my cutting style to the knife in hand. That’s part of the fun. Similarly. maintaining my knives through sharpening, stropping and polishing is another pleasure. There is a myriad of factors to consider when putting a blade to a stone. I like figuring that stuff out.
Most important knife quality for me is a straight edge. I can look past some defects, but I’ve received some knives that aren’t dead straight and that grinds the hell outta my gears. It’s really easy for a retailer or craftsman to just shoot their line of sight down a knife edge. The fact that some neglect to do that before sending knives out is astonishing to me. Other flaws I can look past if they’re easily fixable. Though the idea of having to bend a brand new knife to make it straight isn’t something I’m cool with.
