Model K2 Custom Chef Knife and Matching Utility-Wilson Custom Knives

[Sam Wilson]

OK, I recently finished this set up for a customer. No sheath this time, just the chef and utility knife. The chef on this one has less belly, and is flat for about 4" or so from the heel, before it begins to taper toward the point. The blade is distally tapered toward the point, and is 2" wide at its maximum width. The spine is also radiused for comfort. I know 440C isn't the most popular with some of the higher end folks, but I use it for these unless requested otherwise. The edge is taken down to .010 before sharpening on the chef, and about .015 on the utility, since people tend to be harder on the utility knives.

I finish the stabilized elder burl handles to a soft satin sheen which feels good in the hand, but still has plenty of grip, even when wet. You can see in the next to last pic that I bookmatched the scales, as the wood had some great yellow and tan slashes running through it. Handle scales are pinned and epoxied. Please feel free to give me feedback, as this is my second set, and am always looking to make improvement.

Blade: 9" on chef, 4 1/2" on utility
Steel: 440C @ RC 60
Thickness: .108" (before grinding)
Max width: 2" (on chef)
Handle material: Stabilized Elder Burl
Hardware: 316 SS pins

Thanks for looking,

Sam Wilson :thumbup:

 

[OldNavy]

I like this one way better than the K1 { the blade on that reminded me of a Busse Battle Mistress } very nice but not what I like in the kitchen.

I like the contours on the handle of the K2 also, looks like it would be more comfortable.

The tip could come down a bit more, I do more pull slicing & vertical chopping than tip down & rocking so less of a belly is better. Not really a ding I just like
a Thiers-Issard Sabatier style blade

 

[Sam Wilson]

I like this one way better than the K1 { the blade on that reminded me of a Busse Battle Mistress } very nice but not what I like in the kitchen.

I like the contours on the handle of the K2 also, looks like it would be more comfortable.

The tip could come down a bit more, I do more pull slicing & vertical chopping than tip down & rocking so less of a belly is better. Not really a ding I just like
a Thiers-Issard Sabatier style blade

Thank you, OldNavy. I appreciate the feedback. That's what made the difference between the two Models. The Battle Mistress reference cracked me up. I may have let my preference for robust knives with plenty of belly get the better of me on that one, lol. Either way, I like the improvements made so far, and I must say, the handle on the K2 is very comfortable. Putting more of a radius on the edges made a big difference. Thank you again. :thumbup: