Awesome "Chef's Knife"!!

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1, If I were a restaurant owner and you wanted to buy one for use in the kitchen and showed proficiency I would not have a problem, but as far as buying it for you I don't know how that would go over.

2 The person using it shows good comfort using the knife. He has used it for a while, but if I tried to use it I don't think I would be that good with it. It would have a steep learning curve because of the odd angle. That my .02 cents. The real knife experts will post here soon.
 
That was kind of cool to watch. That blade looks like it would be good for big cuts, but for more delicate work not so much. Did you notice how sloppy his cuts were on the bell pepper? I could not imagine mincing garlic or herbs with that knife either.

I loved how he made a little slit in the fish skin to hook his finger into. That is a great idea.
 
I like how he made that slit too, GB! I would have made another one closer up also. I still say a boning/fish knife would have done a better job. That knife is really cool...but it doesn't look like it would be comfortable for me. Nonetheless, it is way cool!
 
The angle in the middle of the blade forces you to change your chopping style and arm angle as compared to a chef's knife. The fact that you only ever use the front half of the blade puts you hand farther away from the food, which reduces your leverage and control.
 
That shape is what's called a Ghurka Khukuri knife. It's an ancient design intended for fighting -- hand-to-hand combat -- and despite the skill in its use shown by the guy in the video, I think it would be a very poor choice for the kitchen for a couple of reasons.

First, it's very thick, not thin like most kitchen knives (that's so it has the heft to lop off an enemy's head and cut through bone without breaking the blade).

Second, the cutting edge is very curved, an arc, whereas the cutting edge on every kitchen knife I've ever used is more or less flat.

Third, the handle is in a very awkward position relative to the cutting edge, which I believe would lead to fatigue and possible carpal tunnel problems over time.

These knives have been around for centuries, yet they've never been popular in the kitchen, and I suspect that's for the above and other reasons. You might as well use a machete.

They are cool however, and not necessarily expensive. Here's a nice decorative one for $38 from World Knives.

products_486_2_original.jpg
 
Yeah I was sort of half joking about actually using it. It looks good for slicing, but it would be awkward to chop with. I'm pretty impressed with the individual in the video's skill.
 
mr_misanthropy said:
Yeah I was sort of half joking about actually using it. It looks good for slicing, but it would be awkward to chop with. I'm pretty impressed with the individual in the video's skill.
Click to expand...

OK, now that I know this bit of history, it puts a different spin on my original take on it. Thanks for posting this - I never knew anything about these knives before. I was also concerned with the angle of everything like Andy M...no need to worry now...makes perfect sense for combat! ;)
 
A bit more of the history.

The Khukuri (spelling does vary) is a Nepalese peasant's knife. It's design is reckoned by the outdoor knife people to be the most efficient of the Machete designs as the recurve blade generates a lot of shearing force on a blow.

The current official supplier to the Ghurkas (British and Indian) is Khukuri House, link: Khukuri House - Official Khukuri/Kukri supplier to Gurkhas

The designs and sizes do vary according to usage. The one in the video looks similar to a modern military design.

As for persuading the owner, just turning up with one is probably good enough, especially if you start talking to it and then pretending to listen what it says back to you. When the boss is starting to piss me off I start talking to my knives, and then "replying" to the knife "no, no, no, the boss is a nice man we shouldn't do that".
 
You know what the worst part is, though? A Khukuri knife, once drawn, isn't supposed to be sheathed again until it's drawn blood. That's the tradition at any rate.
 
Not to be a total fanboy, but that knife is actually a Himalayan Imports WWII-model. I remember that video on a thread (requires registration, sorry) at BladeForums.com. HI khukuris run the gamut from heavy duty choppers to slick, lightweight choppers, leaving the WWII model right in the middle.

Actually my cleaver was made by Himalayan Imports based on my design. The BirGhorka factory's craftsmen, or "kamis," are adept at big choppers, making cleavers a natural extension.

khleaverchoprt0.jpg
 
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Never saw this type of knife before - interesting video.

I didn't think he did such an efficient and clean job with the salmon.
The knife seemed too thick and stiff for a filleting job.
He was certainly comfortable and skilled in using the knife but
I bet that Martin Yan or Jacques Pepin could have done all the jobs better and faster.
 
I just want to point out that it looks like the video is not real time. It has been sped up. I am not sure if that changes anyone's opinion of how competent he is with that knife (not that speed equals competence).
 
Just curious, what was magic about what he did? He did the same thing that every other cook does every day, but in a sloppy way with a cool looking knife.
 
jpaulg said:
As for persuading the owner, just turning up with one is probably good enough, especially if you start talking to it and then pretending to listen what it says back to you. When the boss is starting to piss me off I start talking to my knives, and then "replying" to the knife "no, no, no, the boss is a nice man we shouldn't do that".
Click to expand...


I'm glad I am NOT your boss!:chef:
 
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