Erik_v
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Review: Zwilling Twin Cermax 180mm santoku
I've sharpened knives free-hand for a few years now but I've never owned a quality chef's knife. My previous knives were brandless, second-hand, made of soft steel. I wanted something high quality enthousiast-grade as my first real knife, and this is a good match. The use of ZDP-189 steel and the high hardness make this a special knife.
I bought it in february for around 200 euro. This is the only chef's knife I have used since then. I cook 3-4 times per week for 2 persons. It needed sharpening for the first time 2 weeks ago.
Some highlights of my experience:
Discoloration
=============
The blade did not corrode. What did occur was an even brass-tinted discoloration I have not seen before on any knife. It looked good and I did not bother removing it. Over time scratches revealed the original color again and made it look less appealing. I was able to remove the discoloration easily by rubbing it with a wet cloth.
Chipping
========
"micro-chipping" occured from the start. I'm not seeing any chipping now 2 weeks after sharpening it.
Delicate with a heavy handle
============================
The knife has a 2mm spine which tapers over the full width from the spine to the cutting edge. This makes for a thin blade which feels delicate. Unfortunately the handle is a lot heaver than the blade.
Honing
======
It seems worth mentioning that a honing steel has no effect on this knife. This is probably due to the high hardness. The edge does not need realigment.
Sharpening
==========
You sometimes read that knives made of hard steel are harder to sharpen. I didn't find it to be the case with this knife. The thinness of this blade helps with this. At ~15 degrees the bevel is only 0,5 mm wide so it is a very small surface you are grinding.
I used chosera and eden stones of these grits: 220 - 400 - 1000 - 2000 - 3000. I used the 220 until the micro-chips were gone and then moved pretty quickly through the rest. At 1000 I noticed this knife is a lot sharper than my cheap knives at 1000 grit and at 3000 it has a sharpness that is not possible with the cheap knives. After stropping I could reliably do a push cut through printing paper.
Santoku usage
=============
This is my first santoku. The santoku profile makes you do less "rock-n-chop" and more slice/straight chop. I think this is a fine way to chop and I find I'm more accurate this way.
There are sometimes situations where I think I'd prefer a french-style knife. It is hard to explain but I'll try. When mincing large parts into smaller ones, I sometimes apply a 2-hand "mine"/"fine chop" method with the santoku. This is slightly awkward with larger pieces. With a French knife I suspect I would be able to do a rock-and-chop at first and then move into a mince/"fince chop".
Final verdict: happy customer. I can recommend this knife.
Apologies for lack of pictures and details! Maybe I can provide these at the next sharpening in half a year or so.
I've sharpened knives free-hand for a few years now but I've never owned a quality chef's knife. My previous knives were brandless, second-hand, made of soft steel. I wanted something high quality enthousiast-grade as my first real knife, and this is a good match. The use of ZDP-189 steel and the high hardness make this a special knife.
I bought it in february for around 200 euro. This is the only chef's knife I have used since then. I cook 3-4 times per week for 2 persons. It needed sharpening for the first time 2 weeks ago.
Some highlights of my experience:
Discoloration
=============
The blade did not corrode. What did occur was an even brass-tinted discoloration I have not seen before on any knife. It looked good and I did not bother removing it. Over time scratches revealed the original color again and made it look less appealing. I was able to remove the discoloration easily by rubbing it with a wet cloth.
Chipping
========
"micro-chipping" occured from the start. I'm not seeing any chipping now 2 weeks after sharpening it.
Delicate with a heavy handle
============================
The knife has a 2mm spine which tapers over the full width from the spine to the cutting edge. This makes for a thin blade which feels delicate. Unfortunately the handle is a lot heaver than the blade.
Honing
======
It seems worth mentioning that a honing steel has no effect on this knife. This is probably due to the high hardness. The edge does not need realigment.
Sharpening
==========
You sometimes read that knives made of hard steel are harder to sharpen. I didn't find it to be the case with this knife. The thinness of this blade helps with this. At ~15 degrees the bevel is only 0,5 mm wide so it is a very small surface you are grinding.
I used chosera and eden stones of these grits: 220 - 400 - 1000 - 2000 - 3000. I used the 220 until the micro-chips were gone and then moved pretty quickly through the rest. At 1000 I noticed this knife is a lot sharper than my cheap knives at 1000 grit and at 3000 it has a sharpness that is not possible with the cheap knives. After stropping I could reliably do a push cut through printing paper.
Santoku usage
=============
This is my first santoku. The santoku profile makes you do less "rock-n-chop" and more slice/straight chop. I think this is a fine way to chop and I find I'm more accurate this way.
There are sometimes situations where I think I'd prefer a french-style knife. It is hard to explain but I'll try. When mincing large parts into smaller ones, I sometimes apply a 2-hand "mine"/"fine chop" method with the santoku. This is slightly awkward with larger pieces. With a French knife I suspect I would be able to do a rock-and-chop at first and then move into a mince/"fince chop".
Final verdict: happy customer. I can recommend this knife.
Apologies for lack of pictures and details! Maybe I can provide these at the next sharpening in half a year or so.
