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I like A2/SKD12 a lot, on metallurgy sense it is a very average steel, but no steel I’ve tried feels like quite like it, very slow to rust, but sharpens like simple carbon, even AEB-L only sharpens like carbon at the edge, still feels like stainless when thinning and polishing, slippy and clogging a lot, A2/SKD12 doesnt do that, they also have a very nice and toothy edge like a blue steel
 
blokey said:
I like the cutting feel of Blue 2 more, 52100 really depends on the person, some crisp like a white steel, some gummy and slippery almost like stainless
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I don't know. We can compare steels or we can compare makers. If 52100 depends on the maker then Blue 2 has to also depend on the maker. Either can be crap or good. I'd argue that best 52100 is better than best Blue 2. Then again I doubt many could tell the difference in a blind test which is which, but theoretically speaking it would be hard to imagine why blue 2 would be better than 52100 since 52100 technically has better attributes. A2 being similar to Blue 2 in feel, I am also not sure as they are quite different steels. I am just very skeptical that anyone can tell steels apart by cutting feel.
 
Barmoley said:
I don't know. We can compare steels or we can compare makers. If 52100 depends on the maker then Blue 2 has to also depend on the maker. Either can be crap or good. I'd argue that best 52100 is better than best Blue 2. Then again I doubt many could tell the difference in a blind test which is which, but theoretically speaking it would be hard to imagine why blue 2 would be better than 52100 since 52100 technically has better attributes. A2 being similar to Blue 2 in feel, I am also not sure as they are quite different steels. I am just very skeptical that anyone can tell steels apart by cutting feel.
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Yeah but I never had crap blue2 as crap as crap 52100, they tend to all pretty decent.
 
blokey said:
Yeah but I never had crap blue2 as crap as crap 52100, they tend to all pretty decent.
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That is interesting. I've never had crap 52100, but I've had blue 2 that was too chippy. I just don't think these are steel attributes since both can be crap or good. Maybe 52100 is harder to heat treat when eyeballing? I don't know why that would be though, one of the local metallurgists or makers could probably answer this.

Just saying it is not the steel, but the maker.
 
Barmoley said:
That is interesting. I've never had crap 52100, but I've had blue 2 that was too chippy. I just don't think these are steel attributes since both can be crap or good. Maybe 52100 is harder to heat treat when eyeballing? I don't know why that would be though, one of the local metallurgists or makers could probably answer this.

Just saying it is not the steel, but the maker.
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The other way around, I'd suppose prelam A#2 in a subpar batch - IF not the maker.

But I'd indeed be curious to know what 52100 unit was subpar. Except perhaps ZKramer or some obscure custom maker without a clue.

Not to dismiss @blokey experience, but rather because I think I ought to hear about it.
 
ModRQC said:
The other way around, I'd suppose prelam A#2 in a subpar batch - IF not the maker.

But I'd indeed be curious to know what 52100 unit was subpar. Except perhaps ZKramer or some obscure custom maker without a clue.

Not to dismiss @blokey experience, but rather because I think I ought to hear about it.
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I found ZKramer 52100 other goodin the 3-4 examples I've tried and very consistent. Any steel can be ruined, no matter what it is.

On the other hand we could probably argue until the end of time what good feeling steel actually is.
 
Barmoley said:
That is interesting. I've never had crap 52100, but I've had blue 2 that was too chippy. I just don't think these are steel attributes since both can be crap or good. Maybe 52100 is harder to heat treat when eyeballing? I don't know why that would be though, one of the local metallurgists or makers could probably answer this.

Just saying it is not the steel, but the maker.
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Probably temper brittleness? At least when I talk to Xinguo about why some 52100 feels so bad he said something like that.

ModRQC said:
The other way around, I'd suppose prelam A#2 in a subpar batch - IF not the maker.

But I'd indeed be curious to know what 52100 unit was subpar. Except perhaps ZKramer or some obscure custom maker without a clue.

Not to dismiss @blokey experience, but rather because I think I ought to hear about it.
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Will PM you
 
Barmoley said:
I found ZKramer 52100 other goodin the 3-4 examples I've tried and very consistent. Any steel can be ruined, no matter what it is.

On the other hand we could probably argue until the end of time what good feeling steel actually is.
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Not chippy being a good start but what I was aiming at mostly is that maker doesn’t necessarily means flawless and I’d just like to hear about @blokey experience before dismissing it as such. Also, I remember a general opinion being more so-so about ZKramer units, although I’d figure most would be okay.
 
52100 can actually be a little finicky with lower austenitizing temperatures IME.

It starts to spheroidize pretty easily, and I've under hardened blades done in batches because of excessive soak times during thermal cycles (before I was doing everything by DET anneal with higher temps as I do now) and inadequate austenitizing time

. Normalized 52100 will hit 67 HRC according to Larrin's tests. A single grain refining cycle reduced the as quenched hardness to 65 hrc. A DET anneal further reduced the as quenched hardness to 63hrc. And considering you'll lose a point or two off of that from a 300f temper (which is the minimum most blades are tempered at)....yeah, I can see a 60-61 hrc or less kitchen knife feeling less than ideal
 
ethompson said:
it’s one of only two knives I’ve sharpened where I’d describe the heat treatment as flawed.
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The one heat treat I thought was flawed was a Yoshikazu Ikeda honyaki. Would not hold an edge that either I or a professional shop put on it. Shame because the grind was an amazing midweight/work pony job that was so clean.

Fwiw I was unimpressed by both the grind and reactivity on a PA Kato. Only one I've tried but those tugboat grinds have an upper limit of usefulness.
 
Barmoley said:
Then again I doubt many could tell the difference in a blind test
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I’m almost positive I couldn’t. Both well treated and at similar hardness I doubt I could do better than random odds at sorting simple carbons by edge sharpening feel and cut feel alone.

My ideas of what makes a good steel have evolved also. I’m not too bothered by how nice something feels anymore - glassy is fine. My standard for a good steel is something that takes a great edge at both 400 grit and off a fine natural and then has that edge age gracefully. By that I mean it can take heavy use without taking damage, looses peak toothiness in a predictable way, and is easily restored over a period of a few months without resetting the bevel on coarser stones.
 
ethompson said:
I’m almost positive I couldn’t. Both well treated and at similar hardness I doubt I could do better than random odds at sorting simple carbons by edge sharpening feel and cut feel alone.

My ideas of what makes a good steel have evolved also. I’m not too bothered by how nice something feels anymore - glassy is fine. My standard for a good steel is something that takes a great edge at both 400 grit and off a fine natural and then has that edge age gracefully. By that I mean it can take heavy use without taking damage, looses peak toothiness in a predictable way, and is easily restored over a period of a few months without resetting the bevel on coarser stones.
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everyone's free to have an opinion but this is the correct one IMO.

unless a knife feels like absolute dog water on the stones, it's whatever.
 
DitmasPork said:
Had seen Melinda's on the shelf forever, but finally decided to try it within the past year. Good stuff, have been using the one in the black label.

TBH, only go to McDonald's (and Taco Bell) when traveling, when there's little other options.
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Haven't been to McDonald's since late 1990's. Used to eat big breakfast across from IIikai Hotel waiting for ice to temper after pulled it out of freezer. My friend Lance the banquet chef got me that ice carving account.

Never liked burgers that couldn't even put lettuce & tomato on them.

One of hot sauce threads on KKF someone praised Marie Sharp's Habanero pepper sauce from Belize.
Don't know how many bottles have bought over the years. My favorite is Smoky Habanero Sauce. I'm out of it now. Using this it's the milder version good ingredients less peppers & more of other stuff like carrots, garlic, onions, vinegar, lime juice. Janice doesn't like any heat at all. I add to my meals with Marie Sharp's I'm a loyal customer.
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Here’s a higher scoville take. Heat for the sake of heat is overrated. The only way I think heat should exist is in the way Koreans sometimes do it in cases like fire chicken, which generally involves it as one of the layers of flavor and a tremendous amount of cheese to temper the heat so you get a huge flavor bomb without having to sweat.

I want to drink something because I feel like it, not because my mouth is burning.
 
peppers are good fun. i like to garden and try to grow a few new ones every year. one year i had about 30 cultivars going – it was like a damn pepper museum. probably grown about 50 kinds total.

SBs are really good. have grown red MoA and several yellow/orange ones including papa dreadie, TFM, freeport, fun crosses like scotch brains (not stabilized and some look super gnarly).

this year i'm trying some guy's cross of SB and bahamian goat. he's been working on it for several years now, and the pheno looks fairly stabilized. been watching his progress on youtube. going to try a pack of seeds from whp:

https://www.whitehotpeppers.com/products/ks-lemon-starburst-ksls
i also love bhuts. hard to describe, but they can have these gasoline-like aromas that i go nuts for.

lemon drops are also great. fataliis, too.
 
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Naftoor said:
Here’s a higher scoville take. Heat for the sake of heat is overrated. The only way I think heat should exist is in the way Koreans sometimes do it in cases like fire chicken, which generally involves it as one of the layers of flavor and a tremendous amount of cheese to temper the heat so you get a huge flavor bomb without having to sweat.

I want to drink something because I feel like it, not because my mouth is burning.
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I guess since in unpopular opinions, but how did Korean food get so much cheese on it? We are mostly lactose intolerant!!! Who comes up with this stuff
 
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