A while back I posted about chef knives/kitchen knives wondering where I could get a decent quality, carbon steel or super-steel knife for a reasonable price that's ground and heat treater properly. I still can't figure out why companies like Spyderco don't have a $40-50 workhorse out that would appeal to knife aficionados but that's not what this thread is about.
Anyway I finally got a knife from Kanetsune, the Kc124. It's got San Mai construction (sandwiched steel - a stainless 410 exterior with a core of Hitachi Blue Aogami, more on this in a sec) and 11.6" overall.
It's available on Amazon for $63.
Unfortunately I haven't really used it that much yet but it was sharp out of the box with a functional edge, which it held for a while (my girlfriend left it out with some stuff on the blade, which caused me to resharpen) before I reworked it with my Spyderco Sharpmaker starting with the diamond stones.
It took a very impressive edge. I like the profile a lot and would guess that while it's a bit more acute than the 30 degrees of the sharpmaker, as thin as it is, the micro-bevel I ground should work well for a while.
Downsides - not really a downside but the Blue steel will take a patina/discolor easily, and needs to be kept with a light coat of oil. The handle is simple (not crude, just simple - it's not art, it's a functional knife), because you get what you pay for. Kanetsune has a full line with all kinds of fancy handles but this one works for me.
Current impression - perfect size, perfect balance (for me), excellent feel in the hand, should really be a great performer and versatile. For the price what's not to like?
Anyway I finally got a knife from Kanetsune, the Kc124. It's got San Mai construction (sandwiched steel - a stainless 410 exterior with a core of Hitachi Blue Aogami, more on this in a sec) and 11.6" overall.
It's available on Amazon for $63.
Unfortunately I haven't really used it that much yet but it was sharp out of the box with a functional edge, which it held for a while (my girlfriend left it out with some stuff on the blade, which caused me to resharpen) before I reworked it with my Spyderco Sharpmaker starting with the diamond stones.
It took a very impressive edge. I like the profile a lot and would guess that while it's a bit more acute than the 30 degrees of the sharpmaker, as thin as it is, the micro-bevel I ground should work well for a while.
Downsides - not really a downside but the Blue steel will take a patina/discolor easily, and needs to be kept with a light coat of oil. The handle is simple (not crude, just simple - it's not art, it's a functional knife), because you get what you pay for. Kanetsune has a full line with all kinds of fancy handles but this one works for me.
Current impression - perfect size, perfect balance (for me), excellent feel in the hand, should really be a great performer and versatile. For the price what's not to like?