Your favourite Semi-/Stainless Knife

[daddy yo yo]

Custom: DT ITK in AEB-L and KIPPINGTON in CPM-154.

Off-the-shelf: RYUSEN BLAZEN in SG2.

 

[JBroida]

rhis is skd12 and i dont think anyone is making blades out of it. but it would be good though.

Chemical composition(mass fraction)(wt.%) of the JIS SKD 12

Element	Weight %
C​	0.95-1.05
Mn​	1.00
Si​	0.50
Cr​	4.75-5.50
Ni​	0.30
Mo​	0.90-1.40
V​	0.15-0.50
Cu​	0.25
P​	0.03
S​	0.03

SDK 12 is not uncommon in japan, though it can sometimes go by proprietary names or different names from different steel manufacturers

 

[NotThinEnough]

i was under the impression that the hammered stainless clad ones are d2? i have one and i think its almost real SS in stain resistance, so that indicates d2.

they can make it in sld. but they don't do it in that finish to minimize confusion. its skd12
stain resistance of a steel from different brands can differ widely. besides ingredients and acidity, it seems surface finish can affect it a lot.

 

[Carl Kotte]

Takamura sg2, Mac Pro, and tojiro vg10 and sg2. And Kippington aebl.

 

[M1k3]

they can make it in sld. but they don't do it in that finish to minimize confusion. its skd12
stain resistance of a steel from different brands can differ widely. besides ingredients and acidity, it seems surface finish can affect it a lot.

Getting chromium into solution with the steel versus basically sitting around, for core steel. Surface finish also plays a slight role.

 

[inferno]

SDK 12 is not uncommon in japan, though it can sometimes go by proprietary names or different names from different steel manufacturers

is "carbonext" an a2/skd12 equivalent?

 

[zizirex]

is "carbonext" an a2/skd12 equivalent?

Nope, I'm guessing Carbonext, HD2, Bessaku, TK and TKC are all the same steel.

 

[GorillaGrunt]

Heard a rumor that it might be d2-like; mine was pretty stainless except right at the pinch point. could just as easily be like one of the above or Aritsugu alloy though. Definitely not A2-like based on patination though.

 

[applepieforbreakfast]

Heard a rumor that it might be d2-like; mine was pretty stainless except right at the pinch point. could just as easily be like one of the above or Aritsugu alloy though. Definitely not A2-like based on patination though.

That's what I've been thinking. My TKC acts similarly to other D2 knives I have, with regards to corrosion. Not real sure about edge retention, the other D2 knives are EDC oriented and used for different tasks.

 

[Nemo]

My Carbonext is pretty soft. It'd have to be a very conservative HT of D2.

 

[dafox]

The semistainless steel in the Kikuichi TKC is reported to be around 61-62 but it feels kinda rubbery when you bounce it on the board.

 

[Nemo]

I think Carbonext says 58.

 

[JPx801]

Been mentioned here several times before but I’ll vote for the Shibata Kōtetsu SG2 line. My 185mm Bunka dropped clean through paper out of the box and is still as sharp as the day I got it.

 

[inferno]

you know that it has to cut a falling silk cloth thing for it to be sharp right.

 

[nexus1935]

My vote is also for the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka

 

[Qapla']

Bert2368 did an XRF analysis of the Carbonext. At 7.36% Cr, it's clearly not D2.

 

[spaceconvoy]

you know that it has to cut a falling silk cloth thing for it to be sharp right.

The only true test is to hold the knife with its edge facing up, then drop 1 oz of cotton candy from 1 inch above. If it doesn't cleave into two perfect halves without sticking, your knife is dull

 

[josemartinlopez]

A number of people on this thread mentioned the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka. Is this like the Watanabe Pro Nakiri of the stainless side of the community?

Also, are there any of the highly regarded custom makers who specialize in stainless? A number of answers here cited custom knives, and Kippington came up a few times.

 

[McMan]

Not a lot wrong with Yoshikane in SKD... classic.
Gengetsu and Heiji as well. (Though I hesitate to call Heiji "Semi-Stainless", regardless of what he calls it ("special stainless")--What's special is that it patinas quick, deep, and dark--just won't rust )

 

[Southpaw]

My Yaxell Super Gou SG2 200mm Gyuto...


Kidding I hate the blade... but it’s beautiful with a great handle (although I have completely converted to wa handles.) But performance is pretty Amazon level and the profile is absolute dog S***. There’s almost no flat spot aside for like an inch and a half and it’s under my pinch grip. Ahh if I could go back in time I’d buy ANYTHING else.

However it’s by default my favorite stainless knife because I don’t have any others in my kitchen (other than my knife set utility and bread knife.). I’ve kinda sworn off significant amounts of chromium for the time being.

Have yet to even hold a Semi-Stainless, although I’m definitely going to get one down the line. I’ve put a Konosuke HD2 in my shopping cart at least three times and changed my mind as I was giving my credit card info.

I really don’t know much about semi stainless steels. I’m a big fan of Damascus Steel however and I think it’s definitely in my future to get a semi with Damascus, but I don’t know where to start.

 

[toddnmd]

A number of people on this thread mentioned the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka. Is this like the Watanabe Pro Nakiri of the stainless side of the community?

Nope. Bunkas are less popular than nakiris here, which are far less popular than gyutos. I don’t think there’s a standard pick. But Shibata overall seems respected.

 

[NO ChoP!]

My only stainless/ss

240mm Yoshimi Kato sg2 dammy gyuto
150mm Shigeki Tanaka sg2 dammy petty
270mm Yoshikane skd tsuchime sujihiki

Reach for them intentionally when I know I will be extra busy and might not be attentive to their proper care.

 

[QCDawg]

Heiji for semi. Suisin inox honyaki for stainless. Kaeru for beater.

 

[GorillaGrunt]

The only true test is to hold the knife with its edge facing up, then drop 1 oz of cotton candy from 1 inch above. If it doesn't cleave into two perfect halves without sticking, your knife is dull

slightly off topic, but I am proud to have sliced a falling piece of ticket paper in the air the other day. I figured I could probably do it after sharpening but was worried about how dorky it would look if I failed.

back on: if CarboNext is definitely not d2-ish, next guess especially knowing 7-8% Cr is something close to Aritsugu alloy. Way more stain resistant than A2

 

[spaceconvoy]

ha, yeah that's why I make sure my wife isn't around when I'm sharpening. Gotta clean up an embarrassing amount of shredded paper.

And one thing I recently discovered - Herder's stainless steel is not that stainless. Not exactly semi-stainless, but maybe more like quasi-stainless?

 

[friz]

I really really like the ginsan wide bevel Konosuke gyuto. I also really enjoyed the semi-stainless from Heiji, but Heiji fit and finish I didn't like.