valgard
Stones Addict (terminal case)
I would start by saying that this is NOT a review (that's why I didn't post it in that section but if a mod thinks it's appropriate please move it), I do not have the experience to give a meaningful one, this are my personal impressions and experiences so far with one Gyuto 240mm and one Butcher 170mm.
I have had the Gyuto for a little over a month now and the Butcher for over three weeks and and thought I should give my impressions. I ask that you forgive, but correct, any misuse of a term in the following paragraphs.
Gyuto 240
Out of the box impressions:
It was pretty sharp and ready to be used although the profiles curve wasnt entirely smooth. That problem was minimal and only near the heel, it was gone after a quick session with stones.
Finish was very rustic but I find it cool, spine and choil were relieved but by no means rounded and I might or might not do that at some point as it doesnt bother me as is. Handle on the other hand is very nice Ho and horn with an extremely good finish and you cant feel the transition between the two materials at all. The knife feels nice and substantial in hand without being too heavy (in fact I found it lighter and more nimble than I had been led to expect).
Cutting with the knife is a lot of fun, food release is exceptional (https://www.instagram.com/p/BQuL_B5DOj7/) and it falls through wet produce like potatoes. I like the profile and find that it works well with my thrust cutting motion. Also, for some reason the knife makes me want to chop for the first time and I have had some fun doing so. In tax and hard produce like carrots and sweet potatoes the knife wedges, and not just a little, fat carrots are basically cracked for a good chunk of their circumference rather than cleanly cut. In sweet potatoes its not that bad in my experience but I definitely reach for a different knife to cut thick carrots at least. Other stuff is dealt with fine, horizontal cuts in onions are not the best but it manages.
Sharpening the knife the first time to eliminate the little bump in the profile was a joy and even someone just starting like me could get the knife shaving sharp. Three weeks later (home use) the edge was still holding fantastically but I got a Red Aoto from JNS and had to try it right? I was itching to try and get one of those Kasumi finishes I had seen so I laid the bevel flat on the stones and got a very ugly surprise as you can see bellow. Feel free to point whatever stupid thing Ive done or whether that is possibly my fault and not the knife but it looks to me as though the grind isn't very uniform at all and has various low or even very low spots (overgrinds?). This is the most noticeable near the heel, and also a close to the tip. In some parts of the knife I can only get contact with the stones (have tried several) at the very edge and the shindig line, or even mostly left and right of the spot. I decided not to pursue fixing this as it appeared to me that I would need to remove a lot of metal and with my (lack of) ability I probably would screw the geometry and the knife cuts well for me ATM. It looks as Ugly as it could and the worst thing is the teaser I got from the one section that was nicely ground where I got a pretty decent finish for my first try (maybe the whole mess is my fault but I doubt it at this point).
Overall I would say that even with the aforementioned issues I like the knife and enjoy using it a lot. I got it during the sale at JNS so a very good price for a knife I enjoy a lot. Given the opportunity I would buy it again and I suspect this one will stay with me at least for a while.
Have others have the same issues? Is this something only from this batch? Feel free to share your comments.
The pics to show the low spots:
The last one shows the only section I could get right.
I have had the Gyuto for a little over a month now and the Butcher for over three weeks and and thought I should give my impressions. I ask that you forgive, but correct, any misuse of a term in the following paragraphs.
Gyuto 240
Out of the box impressions:
It was pretty sharp and ready to be used although the profiles curve wasnt entirely smooth. That problem was minimal and only near the heel, it was gone after a quick session with stones.
Finish was very rustic but I find it cool, spine and choil were relieved but by no means rounded and I might or might not do that at some point as it doesnt bother me as is. Handle on the other hand is very nice Ho and horn with an extremely good finish and you cant feel the transition between the two materials at all. The knife feels nice and substantial in hand without being too heavy (in fact I found it lighter and more nimble than I had been led to expect).
Cutting with the knife is a lot of fun, food release is exceptional (https://www.instagram.com/p/BQuL_B5DOj7/) and it falls through wet produce like potatoes. I like the profile and find that it works well with my thrust cutting motion. Also, for some reason the knife makes me want to chop for the first time and I have had some fun doing so. In tax and hard produce like carrots and sweet potatoes the knife wedges, and not just a little, fat carrots are basically cracked for a good chunk of their circumference rather than cleanly cut. In sweet potatoes its not that bad in my experience but I definitely reach for a different knife to cut thick carrots at least. Other stuff is dealt with fine, horizontal cuts in onions are not the best but it manages.
Sharpening the knife the first time to eliminate the little bump in the profile was a joy and even someone just starting like me could get the knife shaving sharp. Three weeks later (home use) the edge was still holding fantastically but I got a Red Aoto from JNS and had to try it right? I was itching to try and get one of those Kasumi finishes I had seen so I laid the bevel flat on the stones and got a very ugly surprise as you can see bellow. Feel free to point whatever stupid thing Ive done or whether that is possibly my fault and not the knife but it looks to me as though the grind isn't very uniform at all and has various low or even very low spots (overgrinds?). This is the most noticeable near the heel, and also a close to the tip. In some parts of the knife I can only get contact with the stones (have tried several) at the very edge and the shindig line, or even mostly left and right of the spot. I decided not to pursue fixing this as it appeared to me that I would need to remove a lot of metal and with my (lack of) ability I probably would screw the geometry and the knife cuts well for me ATM. It looks as Ugly as it could and the worst thing is the teaser I got from the one section that was nicely ground where I got a pretty decent finish for my first try (maybe the whole mess is my fault but I doubt it at this point).
Overall I would say that even with the aforementioned issues I like the knife and enjoy using it a lot. I got it during the sale at JNS so a very good price for a knife I enjoy a lot. Given the opportunity I would buy it again and I suspect this one will stay with me at least for a while.
Have others have the same issues? Is this something only from this batch? Feel free to share your comments.
The pics to show the low spots:
The last one shows the only section I could get right.
