Kramer Zwilling 8" carbon?

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Nomo4me

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I have a stable of wa handled sanmai forged knives. Mostly Aogami Super blue but some R2, Blue #2, VG-10 etc thrown in the mix.
For purposes of both cutting and sharpening I've been wanting to play with something else lately. I live alone, none of my knives receive heavy or difficult use.
I've tried to buy on ebay but sellers there have no stock, but email to say they'll locate one after auction close. I demanded a refund.

Is the juice not worth the squeeze on this model ?
 
Ill be the first to chime in here ... I owned SG2 / 52100 / Aeb-l Models.
They have a purpose for a certain person. I dont think they are anything special.

SG2 was by far the best of the bunch. (mother now loves it)
52100 - Sold because handle shrunk like crazy (Toronto weather is surprisingly dry in winter) ... Grind was ok - HT was very good ... its a perfectly distal tapered* flat grind* surprisingly even when i did an initial thin on the stones.
Aeb-l -- feels like it was made to hit a price point ... i just gave it away.

Depends what you have ... you'll get more juice with other squeezes ... but if you really want to try the kramer, cant replace it. -- wait it out here on the bst .. they do pop up, and the 8" arn't the easiest to sell (most of the KKFers are closer to 10" types)

Cheers,
L
 
Ive owned the 52100 8", 10", and petty for several years(~2012/13) and the meiji line for about 3 years. They are good, but slightly thicker behind the edge than I prefer but definitely still good. If you get one I would put a compound/convex bevel and thin it behind the edge a bit. I think the steel is fine, but I've yet to try a really great 52100 steel.

Like Lucas said, if you are looking for that kind of aesthetic you won't really find it, unless you are going to a custom maker, there are some small makers making very similarly shaped knives.

Where are you located?
 
So. The 10" always felt like a super long flat connected to an aggressively upswept tip. Felt like two separate blades that didn't play well together. I would have to change my grip/ angle going from slicing to tip work.

I thought the 8" would alleviate this, but instead it just feels like they took away two inches of the long flat, leaving the knife to feel literally the same on the board.
 
Great responses all and thanks. I'm in SLC Utah, to answer that question.
The S2 version doesn't appeal to me, due to the ethos of damaskas san mai construction, and the likelihood of high stiction from those textured sides.
My breakfast routine includes dicing a bit of either cabbage or cauliflower so I'm drawn to something deep enough to transfer into the pan in one go.
What might be fun would be to buy a 2nd hand 8" Kramer 52100 and chisel grind it: leave the left side flat and single bevel the right side and reshape that slab side to have some convexity to aide release. I have the gear to do this myself.

But now a 2nd consideration: Utah is the 2nd driest state in the USA. The blackwood handle would, as noted above, surely want to shrink in both width and length.
 
Nomo4me said:
Great responses all and thanks. I'm in SLC Utah, to answer that question.
The S2 version doesn't appeal to me, due to the ethos of damaskas san mai construction, and the likelihood of high stiction from those textured sides.
My breakfast routine includes dicing a bit of either cabbage or cauliflower so I'm drawn to something deep enough to transfer into the pan in one go.
What might be fun would be to buy a 2nd hand 8" Kramer 52100 and chisel grind it: leave the left side flat and single bevel the right side and reshape that slab side to have some convexity to aide release. I have the gear to do this myself.

But now a 2nd consideration: Utah is the 2nd driest state in the USA. The blackwood handle would, as noted above, surely want to shrink in both width and length.
Click to expand...
thats not super viable unless you are starting with lots of steel. I would just put a flat grind on the left, or a more steep one, and a convex on the right
 
I have a the 8in carbon... It's a bit heavy and clumsy feeling to me but being from WA St. And born in oly I still feel optimistic that I can thin it out to my liking more and more as I get better at sharpening... The steel does feel fantastic compared to many of the mass produced knives I've tried and adandoned thus far.

As for the ebay thing... Sounds like a scam to me. Not already owning the item you sell by end of auction should not be allowed if you ask me. I would refuse payment and log a complaint...

Also, You mentioned that you're not fond of the Damascus but there seems to be a good deal for a meiji 8in right now should you want to consider
https://homebutcher.com/collections...ucts/zwilling-kramer-meiji-8-inch-chefs-knife
 
NO ChoP! said:
So. The 10" always felt like a super long flat connected to an aggressively upswept tip. Felt like two separate blades that didn't play well together. I would have to change my grip/ angle going from slicing to tip work.

I thought the 8" would alleviate this, but instead it just feels like they took away two inches of the long flat, leaving the knife to feel literally the same on the board.
Click to expand...
+1

Also, bear in mind the 8“ knife is quite tall for its shortish length. And the handle, oh boy, it is big! For me, I always found Kramer knives „ugly“. Still I have them a chance when I found the 52100 blackwood ones for cheap. Only kept the parer, which is fantastic. The gyutos are clumsy and awkward. At least that’s what my opinion is...

My 2 cents: try this knife before you buy, unless you get it really cheap. I am not talking 20-30% off because I’d still find that too expensive...
 
Homebutcher has some 52100 with customed handle. I got a 10 inch one during BFCM sale and its handle hasn't shrunk yet. I also have a 10 inch sg2 and I personally think the grind is better on the 52100 because the 52100 is thicker on the spine and thinner behind the edge. Also food sticks with the sg2 one af...
 
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On the SG2 version, the food sticking is more about the grind rather than the damascus. A good regrind can make it a Ferrari. But be aware the nickel/stainless layer is very abrasion resistant if you don't have power tools.
 
Nomo4me said:
I have a stable of wa handled sanmai forged knives. Mostly Aogami Super blue but some R2, Blue #2, VG-10 etc thrown in the mix.
For purposes of both cutting and sharpening I've been wanting to play with something else lately. I live alone, none of my knives receive heavy or difficult use.
I've tried to buy on ebay but sellers there have no stock, but email to say they'll locate one after auction close. I demanded a refund.

Is the juice not worth the squeeze on this model ?
Click to expand...
Dude if you are still deciding, my new post in the sharpening section may give you some idea.
 
Cool replies all. I'll tidy this thread up by revealing what I ended up buying this trip down the rabbit hole.
I went to a Sur Le Table in town and looked at the SG2 version and decided against the KW knife, even in the carbon version.

Which got me to asking - what is motivating my desire to purchase a knife I have no earthly use for ?
And I realized I wanted something - fancy. Not Miyabi garish, but nice, with some polish to it. And maybe flashier than the rest of my wa handled herd, much as I enjoy them.
Without further blather, I have this on the way. With no regrets.

https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/saji-knives-1/products/saji-rainbow-damascus-bunka
 
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