Al Mar kitchen knives?

C

crazyengineer

Joined
Apr 2, 2011
Messages
1,140
I haven't really ever dealt with anything Al Mar, so, how good are the Al Mar kitchen knives?

Has anyone ever used them?

how do they handle?

I have used wustof, henkels, shun, and chicago cutlery (older set). I have used the Chicagos and the Shun quite a bit, how do they compare to the shun (which did very well for me)? I used the Kaji line of knives by the way

I was particularly looking at the stainless steel ones
the ones with these handles
sc8.jpg


I am planning on getting my first set of knives (hopefully soon) since I am in college now and out of the house. So I did some research on what is out there. and ran across Al Mar

so, how do they compare and thanks for all the help as usual
 
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Also, how about information on Al Mar in general.

I have come across a lot of knife brands that are unknown to me, since joining here, and I still come across them form time to time. This is one of those times.
 
Al Mar really doesn't get much love on BladeForums. Personally, I think this is their own fault as they don't really promote themselves here, or anywhere for that matter. Also, I feel that their product line is pretty stale.

That said, while I have no experience with their kitchen knives, my Al Mar SERE 2000 has been my favorite knife even before I really got into knives. I have yet to find a production knife to equal it (I also have yet to be able to afford any CRKs to really be sure). In fact, I was just commenting to my brother today that if I could only keep one folder, that would be it, no questions asked. I had to send the knife in once for a repair (my own fault) and their customer service was top notch. If the heat treat and edge on these knives hold up at all like that on my SERE, I would expect them to be awesome.
 
I was kind of surprised that I didnt see much on here about Al Mar on here when I searched, I can understand having no kitchen knives on here, but was shocked when I came up with very few others, usually they were thrown in lists of what people had or what not. I was judging solely by vendor description and price and figured that there would be at least a few people here that liked them enough to talk about them. I don't normally try to judge a knife by its price though, I use price as a reference only when I can find very little, as it can sometimes help pinpoint where to look for answers.

anyways

the kitchen knives are supposed to be some really hard steel though. I think 33 layers with the center layer being VG-10 Cobalt stainless. with a rockwell of 60-62 (i'm used to pocket knives between like 57 and 60).

I also like the Al Mar shiva for looks etc..., i really want to handle some of these blades now.

I know you said that they don't promote themselves much, which makes me wonder, I personally have had some awesome luck with brands (not just knives, but stuf in general) that aren't advertised and have it end up being a really awesome product even compared to the best known brand.

you really gave me the info I was looking for though, that just the knife company in general made some really good knives.
 
I don't have any experience with Al Mar kitchen knives, but as to the quality of their folders and fixed blades, it is top notch. They are quite a value for their price. They aren't inexpensive, but the fit and finish on the examples I've owned is great. I don't see why their kitchen knives would be any different.
 
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I was honestly not expecting to find too many people who had used their kitchen knives, as there isn't much of a following of Al Mar here on BF.

thanks to both of you guys for posting your experiences in general with Al Mar.

I honestly believe this is what I will get whenever I get a set of knives. I will do a review on them if/when I get them


I am still interested in everyones experiences with Al Mar though by the way
 
I bought my Dad a Santoku (sp?) Al Mar for his birthday this year. He really likes it. In comparison to a Shun I think they have better fit and finish, I like their faux-Damascus pattern better, and I think they look classier. They have, it seems to me (I've never taken a Shun apart), a stronger tang. The cocobolo handles are a nicer touch than the pakka wood used on Shuns. Plus, at the time I bought the knife, the Al Mar was about 10% cheaper than the comparable model of Shun, and both use the same steel.
 
I was looking at the stainless handled ones rather than the cocobolo, but I was more interested in how the blades perform. I am hoping to get them over the summer this summer.

I will most likely get a roll and blade guards to keep them in (live in dorms or in apartment with room mates...don't really want them using my knives)

it seems to me that everyone that has used the Al Mars are happy with them. When I get them I will do a more in depth review on them.
 
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