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- Apr 20, 2018
- Messages
- 4,458
Why Review A $30 Kitchen Knife? Well a few weeks ago I was getting revved up to commission a knife for my wife's birthday from
Eric J.S.
when I had an unexpected expenditure that made it infeasible to continue. My wife saw the communications I was having with Eric and politely informed me that she didn't want a custom kitchen knife. As much she would love the red handle and such, she said, knives are my thing and she doesn't want to fret over a fancy knife. Hence, why she always leaves my knives alone and just uses her couple that she likes. So, that frees me up to look into what I am interested in next.
I'm very intrigued by nakiri. After decades of western-style chef's knives I bought a gyuto a while back and have been really enjoying the exploration of "push" chopping vs. rock chopping. But, before I go dropping a fair amount of coin on the blade type, I wanted to test it out. Just the shape and style, how do I like it?
I stumbled across the Dexter Russell 7"x2" Chinese Chef's Knife (aka vegetable cleaver) Product #S5197 for $30USD and decided it was close enough to what I wanted that it was worth a try.
Here's the knife compared to an 8.5" gyuto, 8" chef's knife, and a pairing knife:
Observations: I didn't take a picture of it but the knife comes with a large sticker on the side of the blade that informs you that the edge has been carefully applied by skilled craftsman, etc., etc. The edge is not refined and you'll find yourself cussing as you scrub the sticker off (acetone is your friend). Irony. But, the edge was evenly ground and easily brought up to a high level. I used a soft Arkansas and a strop and was quite pleased. The steel is obviously stamped and I would say it is in the ~55-57HRC range like Fibrox, Wusthof Gourmet and others.
In the pinch grip the blade actually feels pretty good and balances well. Laying the blade across your finger about an inch forward of the back of the blade will balance it. It's perfectly acceptable, especially given the general lightness of the knife. The wooden handle is a little bulky but I found I adjusted to it pretty quickly. I did put a couple coats of mineral oil on the handle.
The spine, front and back edges were pretty square and fairly sharp. I expected that at this price point but I have to say it was no worse than knives I have that are three times the price. A little time with 100 grit sandpaper and a SiC stone smoothed things out nicely.
I can't find my calipers just now but I'd put the spine around 2.5mm. Keep in mind, there is no lengthwise distal taper so the spine width is consistent along the entire length. This is true of all knives of this style, not just this model.
One thing to be aware of is the brass (?) end on the handle has gaps along the blade. This can allow water to get in there so be sure to tip it downward after washing to ensure there's nothing left in there.
I've been using the knife pretty much everyday since it got here.
It slices and dices pretty well.
I'm still not sure how I feel about the nakiri/cleaver design yet but within that design concept, I am quite pleasantly surprised by this knife. After a little massaging it really is light, tough, sharp, and enjoyable to use. I wish I would've bought this knife back when my kids were still at home as at this price point and the forgiving steel, I wouldn't have had any issue with them using and washing it.
I'm thinking this might be a good platform for me to experiment with blade thinning as well.
All in all, based on a few weeks, I recommend this knife and am happy I bought it.
It sure is making me consider what something in this design from Eric would be like!
Eric J.S.
when I had an unexpected expenditure that made it infeasible to continue. My wife saw the communications I was having with Eric and politely informed me that she didn't want a custom kitchen knife. As much she would love the red handle and such, she said, knives are my thing and she doesn't want to fret over a fancy knife. Hence, why she always leaves my knives alone and just uses her couple that she likes. So, that frees me up to look into what I am interested in next.I'm very intrigued by nakiri. After decades of western-style chef's knives I bought a gyuto a while back and have been really enjoying the exploration of "push" chopping vs. rock chopping. But, before I go dropping a fair amount of coin on the blade type, I wanted to test it out. Just the shape and style, how do I like it?
I stumbled across the Dexter Russell 7"x2" Chinese Chef's Knife (aka vegetable cleaver) Product #S5197 for $30USD and decided it was close enough to what I wanted that it was worth a try.
Here's the knife compared to an 8.5" gyuto, 8" chef's knife, and a pairing knife:
Observations: I didn't take a picture of it but the knife comes with a large sticker on the side of the blade that informs you that the edge has been carefully applied by skilled craftsman, etc., etc. The edge is not refined and you'll find yourself cussing as you scrub the sticker off (acetone is your friend). Irony. But, the edge was evenly ground and easily brought up to a high level. I used a soft Arkansas and a strop and was quite pleased. The steel is obviously stamped and I would say it is in the ~55-57HRC range like Fibrox, Wusthof Gourmet and others.
In the pinch grip the blade actually feels pretty good and balances well. Laying the blade across your finger about an inch forward of the back of the blade will balance it. It's perfectly acceptable, especially given the general lightness of the knife. The wooden handle is a little bulky but I found I adjusted to it pretty quickly. I did put a couple coats of mineral oil on the handle.
The spine, front and back edges were pretty square and fairly sharp. I expected that at this price point but I have to say it was no worse than knives I have that are three times the price. A little time with 100 grit sandpaper and a SiC stone smoothed things out nicely.
I can't find my calipers just now but I'd put the spine around 2.5mm. Keep in mind, there is no lengthwise distal taper so the spine width is consistent along the entire length. This is true of all knives of this style, not just this model.
One thing to be aware of is the brass (?) end on the handle has gaps along the blade. This can allow water to get in there so be sure to tip it downward after washing to ensure there's nothing left in there.
I've been using the knife pretty much everyday since it got here.
It slices and dices pretty well.
I'm still not sure how I feel about the nakiri/cleaver design yet but within that design concept, I am quite pleasantly surprised by this knife. After a little massaging it really is light, tough, sharp, and enjoyable to use. I wish I would've bought this knife back when my kids were still at home as at this price point and the forgiving steel, I wouldn't have had any issue with them using and washing it.
I'm thinking this might be a good platform for me to experiment with blade thinning as well.
All in all, based on a few weeks, I recommend this knife and am happy I bought it.
It sure is making me consider what something in this design from Eric would be like!
