SOLD ZEN 230MM Chevron grind knife Official launch

[VincenteFox]

Apparently, I can no longer edit posts? Not sure what that's about, but anyway here are a few pictures to see the choil, edges, texture, odd bit on the side of the blade, etc.:

 

[bill_zeng]

I think I should practice my knife-sharpening skills.

 

[bill_zeng]

Apparently, I can no longer edit posts? Not sure what that's about, but anyway here are a few pictures to see the choil, edges, texture, odd bit on the side of the blade, etc.:

At first, I sent you an initial version. That version was very smooth. But unfortunately, that batch of knives is still at the US Customs. So I can only send you the second version again, and the surface of the second version has been intentionally made rough and uneven to reduce sticking. 13 of friends received the first version. 14 of friends' first knives were detained by Customs. The two versions are different.
I feel very upset every time I think about this. I lost money.

 

[sanmateo]

… 14 of friends' first knives were detained by Customs. The two versions are different.
I feel very upset every time I think about this. I lost money.

Will Customs not even return the knives to sender, or are they permanently confiscated?

 

[bill_zeng]

I also used mine for almost all of my thanksgiving cooking, so it got a real workout over the last two days, and I have a somewhat similar review to @pitted_soul. The cutting performance was not great, but take that with a grain of salt because my ootb edge was not very good and I haven't touched it up--I'll be interested to see how it performs once I do. As pitted mentioned, you can definitely feel the texture while using it, which is odd. Not necessarily a problem but definitely noticeable.

F&F is hit or miss for me. The sharpening wasn't great, and some bits of the edge are better sharpened or polished than others, for example, with an odd section on the flat (see picture). But it doesn't have any sharp corners on the choil/spine, the handle both looks and feels very nice, and the balance is good.

The hook is less pronounced than I expected based on pictures, but it is definitely there and it really seems to do its job: to echo pitted again, the most striking thing about this knife is the food release. It's really remarkable. Not a single thing--potatoes, carrots, onions, turkey, nuts, celery, whatever--stuck almost at all. While it didn't quite fly through the product, it absolutely shed it. And I had the same experience with onions, where it made it so much easier and more pleasant to make all my cuts to dice an onion when I didn't have to worry about shepherding a piece back into place that wanted to stay with my blade.

This isn't a new realization, but I'm curious about the long-term prospects since the ability to thin, reprofile, repair a tip, etc. is very limited. It's a weird knife and using it is a different experience than using any other knife I have or have used. But it does some things very well, I think it punches above its price point, and I look forward to putting a better edge on it and trying it some more. I don't regret the purchase and if you're looking for something with good food release, this is your huckleberry.

What you received is the second version. I reduced the thickness of the hook to minimize cutting resistance. Through testing, I concluded that this hook size still allows for good food release. If, by chance, the first batch of blades clears customs, you can compare the differences between the first and second versions. The first version focused more on appearance, while the second version prioritizes cutting performance. Of course, my sharpening skills are still not perfect, and that has affected the overall experience with this knife. Recently, I’ve been working on some special diamond sharpening stones, hoping they will improve the sharpness of my blades.

 

[mengwong]

The nonstick finish is particularly effective on the holding hand. With potato chunks I expect the right side to release, and it does. But the lowered stiction on the left side came as a welcome surprise.

I sharpened the edge for the first time this week and am very pleased with the improvement in cutting performance. At first I was curious if the perceived concavity of the hook would cause difficulties. I am glad to report it does not.

 

[bill_zeng]

Will Customs not even return the knives to sender, or are they permanently confiscated?

I’m not sure whether the shipment will be returned. I really hope they can pass the inspection and send to my friends. It’s been nearly two weeks without any updates. If they do get returned, that would also be fine. This kind of thing happens occasionally. I have a friend whose entire container of goods was seized. Of course, his goods were more sensitive—electronic cigarettes. As a cross-border merchant, this is just a normal risk. It’s really a matter of luck.

 

[VincenteFox]

What you received is the second version. I reduced the thickness of the hook to minimize cutting resistance. Through testing, I concluded that this hook size still allows for good food release. If, by chance, the first batch of blades clears customs, you can compare the differences between the first and second versions. The first version focused more on appearance, while the second version prioritizes cutting performance. Of course, my sharpening skills are still not perfect, and that has affected the overall experience with this knife. Recently, I’ve been working on some special diamond sharpening stones, hoping they will improve the sharpness of my blades.

Interesting--I'd be curious to do so. That explains the difference in hook size. I can obviously only speak to the version I have, but I'll say that I think it seems totally sufficient to help with food release. I was really blown away by how it repelled any stickage between the hook, the grooves, and the finish on the blade.

 

[VincenteFox]

At first, I sent you an initial version. That version was very smooth. But unfortunately, that batch of knives is still at the US Customs. So I can only send you the second version again, and the surface of the second version has been intentionally made rough and uneven to reduce sticking. 13 of friends received the first version. 14 of friends' first knives were detained by Customs. The two versions are different.
I feel very upset every time I think about this. I lost money.

Oh, I wasn't complaining, you don't need to send me anything. I hope it came through that I think the knife is really unique and a good deal for what I paid (or even what it would cost without the early-purchase discount). And I didn't mean the roughness on the whole blade, there's just this one spot that has kind of a ... different looking finish? It didn't photograph well, but you can see it in the first and third image of my post. It's probably just an effect of some uneven polishing.

 

[bill_zeng]

Oh, I wasn't complaining, you don't need to send me anything. I hope it came through that I think the knife is really unique and a good deal for what I paid (or even what it would cost without the early-purchase discount). And I didn't mean the roughness on the whole blade, there's just this one spot that has kind of a ... different looking finish? It didn't photograph well, but you can see it in the first and third image of my post. It's probably just an effect of some uneven polishing.

The polishing does have a slight issue, with some corners not being perfectly even. I’m working on optimizing this for future versions. For the next iteration, I’ve planned a titanium coating process, where the entire knife will be coated in a layer of titanium. This will give it a much more uniform appearance, with only the sharpened edge exposed to air, With this approach, the knife would gain corrosion resistance close to stainless steel, while retaining the cutting feel and impact resistance of semi-stainless steel.
At the same time, I'm also optimizing the curve of the blade to make it more conducive to cutting. This adjustment will improve the overall cutting performance, making the knife even more efficient and enjoyable to use.

 

[sanmateo]

The polishing does have a slight issue, with some corners not being perfectly even. I’m working on optimizing this for future versions. For the next iteration, I’ve planned a titanium coating process, where the entire knife will be coated in a layer of titanium. This will give it a much more uniform appearance, with only the sharpened edge exposed to air, With this approach, the knife would gain corrosion resistance close to stainless steel, while retaining the cutting feel and impact resistance of semi-stainless steel.
At the same time, I'm also optimizing the curve of the blade to make it more conducive to cutting. This adjustment will improve the overall cutting performance, making the knife even more efficient and enjoyable to use.

personally I would stay away from coatings. I like knowing I can polish and restore a scratched knife with simple tools or a buffing wheel. After it begins to show wear, a coating would have to be completely stripped and professionally reapplied.

 

[bill_zeng]

The reason I chose titanium coating is that for the next knife, I want to make it available to regular users. For them, rust resistance is very important. At the same time, I want to retain the characteristics of the current steel. Titanium is the only material that can meet both requirements, as it is completely safe and harmless to the human body. Of course, if some people don't need the titanium coating, that's very simple. I will plan to offer a version without the coating. My goal is to make this design accessible to more people, so I need to make the knife easier to maintain.

personally I would stay away from coatings. I like knowing I can polish and restore a scratched knife with simple tools or a buffing wheel. After it begins to show wear, a coating would have to be completely stripped and professionally reapplied.

 

[VincenteFox]

The polishing does have a slight issue, with some corners not being perfectly even. I’m working on optimizing this for future versions. For the next iteration, I’ve planned a titanium coating process, where the entire knife will be coated in a layer of titanium. This will give it a much more uniform appearance, with only the sharpened edge exposed to air, With this approach, the knife would gain corrosion resistance close to stainless steel, while retaining the cutting feel and impact resistance of semi-stainless steel.
At the same time, I'm also optimizing the curve of the blade to make it more conducive to cutting. This adjustment will improve the overall cutting performance, making the knife even more efficient and enjoyable to use.

I will also say, I left it uncleaned for fair bits of time while I was cooking and it only reacted slightly, so even as is I'm pretty impressed by its level of non-reactivity. I have other knives that would've been absolutely covered in purples and bronzes. It's not stainless, obviously, but I wouldn't expect it to be.