Looking for knife info. Be gentle
- Thread starter pacanis
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Excuse the phone pic....
I don't know what it is, but holding this knife feels so different from one of my others. It's definitely light, but also feels very dangerous. I can't wait to try it out
I didn't know it came with a soft plastic sheath, so ordered a couple generic plastic blade protectors. No matter how carefully I try to put the blade into the plastic I end up with white "dust" on the blade. This baby is sharp for sure.
I gotta laugh at the instruction page that came with it. It looks to have some sharpening information on it because of the diagrams, but it's all in Japanese....... all except for Made in Japan and This warranty is only valid in Japan. Just enough english to tell you what you already know
The Tojiro Buzz recommended.
I don't know what it is, but holding this knife feels so different from one of my others. It's definitely light, but also feels very dangerous. I can't wait to try it out
I didn't know it came with a soft plastic sheath, so ordered a couple generic plastic blade protectors. No matter how carefully I try to put the blade into the plastic I end up with white "dust" on the blade. This baby is sharp for sure.
I gotta laugh at the instruction page that came with it. It looks to have some sharpening information on it because of the diagrams, but it's all in Japanese....... all except for Made in Japan and This warranty is only valid in Japan. Just enough english to tell you what you already know
The Tojiro Buzz recommended.
Attachments
RobsanX
Sous Chef
Nice looking blade you have there! That will keep the burglars at bay!
buzzard767
Sous Chef
I don't know what it is, but holding this knife feels so different from one of my others. It's definitely light, but also feels very dangerous. I can't wait to try it out
You were concerned about the handle. How does it fit? Be sure and experiment with both a full handle grip and a pinch grip. I switched to a pinch grip long ago as it gives me an increase in control. Not everyone feels that way however. It may seem better initially to use a full grip to feel the weight of the blade. Whichever you choose, keep the grip light and don't use any more downward pressure than required. Let the edge do the talking.
Buzz
buzzard767
Sous Chef
I might add, keep your concentration. The blade can be made quite a bit more sharp but the DP's are fairly good right out of the box. Don't take your eyes off the knife when you're using it. Small diversions have cost me a few nasty cuts in the past. The good news is that the cuts made by a sharp blade are so clean that they heal more easily if that's any consolation.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
How about a stir-fry? Thin slices of meat and cut up onions, mushrooms, red and green peppers, minced garlic and ginger. Plus you can use the tip of the blade to pry the lid off a bottle of beer to go with it!
FincaPerlitas
Senior Cook
Of the knives available at Knife Depot, my choice would be the Victorinox Forged Full Tang Chef's Knife Model: 41620 at $69.99.
I also recommend a quality, easy to use sharpening system. This one is very good and not too expensive: Lansky Deluxe Turnbox Crock Stick Sharpener LCD5D at $23.49. (you can buy it cheaper at Amazon).
I also recommend a quality, easy to use sharpening system. This one is very good and not too expensive: Lansky Deluxe Turnbox Crock Stick Sharpener LCD5D at $23.49. (you can buy it cheaper at Amazon).
The handle is nice. It's on the small side, which feels pretty comfortable.
I've tried the pinch grip earlier and didn't think I liked it, probably because I was more familiar with gripping the whole handle, but the other night I found myself using a pinch grip without realizing it until I had been cutting a while. So we'll see. I'm not looking to develop any crazy knife skills, just have a decent knife.
I've tried the pinch grip earlier and didn't think I liked it, probably because I was more familiar with gripping the whole handle, but the other night I found myself using a pinch grip without realizing it until I had been cutting a while. So we'll see. I'm not looking to develop any crazy knife skills, just have a decent knife.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
For those who use a pinch grip, if you find the spine of the knife is to sharp and is giving you blisters you can sand those sharp corners down a bit. I know so people would think this sacrilege, but if you see your knife as a tool and not a work of art and don't want to deal with blisters then if can be done and will be more comfortable to use.
FincaPerlitas
Senior Cook
I just did a quick web search to see what else I found in the same price range.
Take a look at cutleryandmore.com. They have a Wusthof Grand Prix (original series) 8" Chefs Knive on clearance at $69.95 with free shipping. Wusthof redesigned the handle recently and renamed the line Grand Prix II. I prefer the original and at the clearance price it's a steal! This is the exact knife I use myself and can recommend it without qualification.
Take a look at cutleryandmore.com. They have a Wusthof Grand Prix (original series) 8" Chefs Knive on clearance at $69.95 with free shipping. Wusthof redesigned the handle recently and renamed the line Grand Prix II. I prefer the original and at the clearance price it's a steal! This is the exact knife I use myself and can recommend it without qualification.
buzzard767
Sous Chef
Not sacrilege. In fact, many knives come this way. Yoshikane comes to mind, with both the spine and the choil eased during production. For knives that are not pre-eased it is a simple thing to do it yourself with a vise and sandpaper. It's your knife, so make it the way you want it.
justplainbill
Executive Chef
Please let us know how the edge holds up on your new 8.2" Tojiro RC60 knife.
Knife observations
OK. Here ya go. I've been using this knife for what, maybe 2 weeks now? this is what I have noticed compared to the cheap chefs knives I was using before.
It's friggin sharp. And light. Those were my first two thoughts when I started using it. I got used to it an like the way it feels.
Potatoes REALLY stick to it. Terribly. I can no longer slice a halved potato one way, spin it ninety degrees and slice back through it. Or onions for that matter. When you make a slice, the sliced piece lifts right back up with the knife, stuck to the blade. I don't know if that is a property of the thinner blade not "wedging" or giving itself some clearance space, or the blade material itself, because when I used the side of the blade tonight to smash some garlic cloves, I really had to do some scraping with my fingers to get the garlic "residue" off of the blade's side.
Some things it slices right through, and some things I have to use a little force. Could it be dull this quickly? I don't think so, or otherwise it would feel dull on everything, wouldn't it? Jalapenos it cuts right through, bell peppers right through, tomatoes right through, but carrots..... unless I am using a light chopping action to dice them, it takes a little pushing compared to my cheapos. Other things too, that I can't put my finger on right now. And I have tried different strokes, slicing motions, sawing motions.... things that were the norm with my other knives and I didn't notice any difference moving from one food to another, but I don't understand why this knife works so well on some foods and mediocre at best on others. Maybe I was expecting too much.
Looking at the blade tonight it almost looks like I can see a jagged edge. I looked closely at it because as I wiped it off with a paper towel, going from the spine (is it?) towards the edge, I noticed a slight dragging feeling. A couple more wipes and I saw very tiny bits of paper towel stuck to the edge, as if there's a burr on it. And trust me, I've been very delicate with this knife. I can almost guarantee I mishandled an old Dexter Russel Chinese knife that I've had since the mid eighties without this happening, though I haven't used it in years, so I made need to break that one out and see if these silicone cutting boards are too hard on knives.
But at any rate, I do not like the way food sticks to this knife at all. That happened from day one. And because it's so sharp you have to be extra careful picking the food off of the blade.
Anyway. That's my observations with this Tojiro DP. And I have "nicked" myself twice, which isn't that bad I guess. Nothing a little super glue didn't fix right up. Once with the point when opening a package of meat and once with the back corner of the blade while I was working the food with my left hand (I'm right handed) and I let my right thumb brush against the corner of the blade.
OK. Here ya go. I've been using this knife for what, maybe 2 weeks now? this is what I have noticed compared to the cheap chefs knives I was using before.
It's friggin sharp. And light. Those were my first two thoughts when I started using it. I got used to it an like the way it feels.
Potatoes REALLY stick to it. Terribly. I can no longer slice a halved potato one way, spin it ninety degrees and slice back through it. Or onions for that matter. When you make a slice, the sliced piece lifts right back up with the knife, stuck to the blade. I don't know if that is a property of the thinner blade not "wedging" or giving itself some clearance space, or the blade material itself, because when I used the side of the blade tonight to smash some garlic cloves, I really had to do some scraping with my fingers to get the garlic "residue" off of the blade's side.
Some things it slices right through, and some things I have to use a little force. Could it be dull this quickly? I don't think so, or otherwise it would feel dull on everything, wouldn't it? Jalapenos it cuts right through, bell peppers right through, tomatoes right through, but carrots..... unless I am using a light chopping action to dice them, it takes a little pushing compared to my cheapos. Other things too, that I can't put my finger on right now. And I have tried different strokes, slicing motions, sawing motions.... things that were the norm with my other knives and I didn't notice any difference moving from one food to another, but I don't understand why this knife works so well on some foods and mediocre at best on others. Maybe I was expecting too much.
Looking at the blade tonight it almost looks like I can see a jagged edge. I looked closely at it because as I wiped it off with a paper towel, going from the spine (is it?) towards the edge, I noticed a slight dragging feeling. A couple more wipes and I saw very tiny bits of paper towel stuck to the edge, as if there's a burr on it. And trust me, I've been very delicate with this knife. I can almost guarantee I mishandled an old Dexter Russel Chinese knife that I've had since the mid eighties without this happening, though I haven't used it in years, so I made need to break that one out and see if these silicone cutting boards are too hard on knives.
But at any rate, I do not like the way food sticks to this knife at all. That happened from day one. And because it's so sharp you have to be extra careful picking the food off of the blade.
Anyway. That's my observations with this Tojiro DP. And I have "nicked" myself twice, which isn't that bad I guess. Nothing a little super glue didn't fix right up. Once with the point when opening a package of meat and once with the back corner of the blade while I was working the food with my left hand (I'm right handed) and I let my right thumb brush against the corner of the blade.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
Have you been using a steel?
Not yet, GB.
I ordered one from the knife maker, even though I also read not to use a steel on Japanese blades..... which of course gets a little confusing too.... don't steel Japanese knives, but here's a steel from a Japanese knife maker
but that kind of leads back to one of my earlier posts about whether or not Japanese blades are more delicate, or more prone to needing touched up, whatever it was I asked.
But no, I haven't steeled it yet. It's not what I would call dull, just cutting very differently from food to food, whereas I'm used to a knife cutting the same.
I ordered one from the knife maker, even though I also read not to use a steel on Japanese blades..... which of course gets a little confusing too.... don't steel Japanese knives, but here's a steel from a Japanese knife maker
but that kind of leads back to one of my earlier posts about whether or not Japanese blades are more delicate, or more prone to needing touched up, whatever it was I asked.But no, I haven't steeled it yet. It's not what I would call dull, just cutting very differently from food to food, whereas I'm used to a knife cutting the same.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
You do not steel a knife because it is dull. Steeling a dull knife will not make it any sharper. You steel a knife because the sharp part rolls over and ends up pointing the wrong way (for lack of a better way of describing it). You should be steeling your blade before every use. Your "steel" can be made of different things such as ceramic, glass, steel, or other things. I am no knife expert so I am sure that one of them will come on and explain exactly what you need for your Japanese blade, but it sounds to me that it exactly what you need. Your blade is sharp, but just out of whack.
buzzard767
Sous Chef
Pacanis - I have never seen a side of a blade so rough that paper stuck to it. The closest thing to that would be the Shun Wasabi line with bead blasted blades that create a large amount of friction while cutting. If this roughness is causing the problem, smooth it out with some 400-600 wet/dry sandpaper. Don't be concerned about a little bit of chipping on a factory edge as it is very common. The edge improves enormously when properly sharpened. Any steel will help your edge once it starts begins to degrade. I prefer ceramic or borosilicate but even a grooved steel steel will work. The secret is to make very light strokes. Three a side is all it takes on any of my knives.
GB - German and other soft knives roll. They usually advertise them to be about 58 on the Rockwell Hardness "C" scale but in actual tests they are often found to be 52-56. These are the edges that roll and need to be realigned. Japanese knives are 58-66 and this is too hard to roll. Instead, they chip. The hardness enables the edge to be taken to a sharper level and last longer but as in all things there is a trade off.
Buzz
GB - German and other soft knives roll. They usually advertise them to be about 58 on the Rockwell Hardness "C" scale but in actual tests they are often found to be 52-56. These are the edges that roll and need to be realigned. Japanese knives are 58-66 and this is too hard to roll. Instead, they chip. The hardness enables the edge to be taken to a sharper level and last longer but as in all things there is a trade off.
Buzz
Similar threads
