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Equipment & Gear: Knife Parts
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:46 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Your best knives should only require a few strokes over a steel before each use to stay razor sharp forever. Electric sharpeners ruin knives, and if you allow your best knives to get so bad that you need major sharpening, at the risk of sounding condescending, you shouldn't own them.
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steamingbiscuit
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:59 am    Post subject: Ginsu knives Reply with quote

Not an engineer - but - How would you imagine that the serration would be different betwixt a cheap Ginsu knife/ForeverSharp type and a better quality serrated knife __________________?
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Serrated knives will cut (I didn't say stay sharp) until the concave areas of the scallops or points on the serrations wear down. A serrated knife is good for general use on glass plates, such as when eating dinner, but will never be a pleasure to use as they tend to tear food, rather than smoothly cut through it. On a serrated or scalloped knife, the part of the blade that actually cuts, never touches the plate. I have about 25 Henckels 4 Star and Professional and Wusthoff Classic knives in my collection, but NONE of their steak knives because I just don't want to sharpen them after each steak dinner. To me, there is no place in this world for fine, smooth bladed $60 steak knives that will be used on glass plates. Glass plates ruin knives, and even if I were to set a table with very fine steak knives, I know I would be the only one at the table using them like the fine instruments that they are. For steaks and the like, I use good quality scalloped, not serrated "steakhouse" knives ($15-30 for a set of eight knives available at Costco or BJ's) and throw them away when they no longer work to my satisfaction.

I wouldn't imagine much of a difference between the serrations on a Ginsu and a Forever Sharp knife despite the fact that each manufacturer seems to have created their own pattern in the serrations.
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John
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 3:57 am    Post subject: Knife part and purpose Reply with quote

On some knives along the spline the blade has a beveled notch aproximately 3" in length. This is usually in the front half of the spline. What is the name of this notch and more importantly, what is the purpose?
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NCohen
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:31 pm    Post subject: Hammerstahl Knives Reply with quote

I cannot find any reviews on the Hammerstahl brand of knives. I recently saw them at a charity auction and they seemed to be an excellent knive. They are available on the www.hammerstahl.com site, but no place else. Is anyone familiar with them?
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Matt Ollila
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PostPosted: Mon Nov 12, 2007 3:54 pm    Post subject: finding that ideal knife Reply with quote

For any of you looking for a knife made to be the best possible in every way, I beg you to check out CUTCO Cutlery. Contact me at ollila@wisc.edu, go to cutco.com to get a representative or more information, or get the show from the History channel: Modern Marvels-the world's sharpest.
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FoxholeAtheist
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 08, 2008 7:25 pm    Post subject: Sharpening Knives Reply with quote

There are many different mechanisms for sharpening knives, but one of the easiest to use for maintaining an edge is the SharpMaker by Spyderco. All you have to do is to hold the knife blade vertical while running it on the pre-set 30° or 40° angled stones. It can be purchased for around $50-$60 from many online retailers.

If you want to remove more material (for example, if you want to make the edge angle more acute for better cutting), you need something coarser than the stones that the SharpMaker comes with. I use an EdgePro Apex for this task, which is an excellent system, but more spendy that many people want to go at around $250. You can, of course, use a variety of coarse sharpening stones (diamond stones, water stones, oil stones, etc) if you have the skill, but the Edge Pro takes much of that need out.

If you want to go for REALLY fast material removing, you can pick up a cheap 1x30 stationary belt sander from Harbor Freight for about $40 and get a selection of sharpening belts from Lee Valley. This will also give you a quick entry into the world of convex sharpening if you want to go that direction.

I would stay away from any of the dedicated electric "knife sharpening" devices as some of them use very rough carbide bits that tear the hell out of your edge.

Similarly, I would stay away from Cutco.. they are WAY overpriced for what you get, which is a cheap steel (440A, IIRC) coupled with an edge you can't sharpen yourself. For a European style knife, try Wusthof or Messermeister. I'm not familiar enough with the Japanese knives to recommend a brand, but for a nice fusion of Eastern and Western styles, I really like the Shun Classic series. If you want to go WAY fancy, check out the kitchen knives made by Bark River Knife and Tool, available from www.knivesshipfree.com, DLT Trading, or a few other stocking distributors.

Finally, for a great community with in-depth discussion of all aspects of knives, from manufacture to selection to use, visit www.bladeforums.com and/or www.knifeforums.com

Enjoy!
Fox
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finder
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PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 4:19 pm    Post subject: knife Reply with quote

Physics Question:

Why does a Knife cut
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Tue Nov 04, 2008 9:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

becuz the cuttee does not resist
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enginerd
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PostPosted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 7:34 am    Post subject: RE: why does a knife cut (for finder) Reply with quote

The knife-blade edge has a very small cross-sectional area, which amplifies the amount of pressure felt by the material the knife is cutting.

The principle that is responsible for the amplification is essentially a force balance on the knife in the vertical direction:

Pressure*Area of knife edge on material = total vertical force pressed downward by user

As you can see, the knife edge with a small area results in a larger pressure transferred to the material and correspondingly, results in the fracture or splitting of the material.

There are also important considerations of the horizontal forces that occur from the tapered edges of the knife that push away the cut material so that the knife can continue cutting (dependent on angle of the blade edge).

Hope this helps.
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bill roberts
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 23, 2009 2:20 pm    Post subject: rack Reply with quote

i am very satisfied with the knives, with one exception ; i need a rack or stand to keep them upright. i do not want knives this sharp laying loose in a drawer. can you please help me with location(s) , i may purchase one. thank you Sad Unsure
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:02 am    Post subject: I.C.W MEISTERBACH KNIFE SET Reply with quote

can anyone help me on info about a knife set i have been offered its a 9 piece set with a swiss mark on it the bag says i.c .w on it,the make of knife i think is meisterbach can find no info on them ,any help would be off great help.many thanks Disbelief
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

www.meisterbach.com

here's a 24 pc set priced at 85 Euros (123 USD)
http://www.internet-webshop.com/webshop/huis-en-inrichting/detail/79/zwitserse-meisterbach-messenset-24-delig-in-luxe-koffer.html

never heard of the brand / name -
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nooniec
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PostPosted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:23 am    Post subject: which knife??? Reply with quote

I'm just really confused when it comes down to knives my question is which knives would be. Appropriate. For an novice chef would start out with ..???
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Dilbert



Joined: 19 Oct 2007
Posts: 1304
Location: central PA

PostPosted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

if your question is about the style / size of knife - as a 'starter' bunch I would recommend
8 inch chef
7 inch santuko
10 inch slicer
4 inch paring
if you're into artisan bread - 10 inch serrated bread knife

as for brand name - all of the 'top names' are good stuff - but they do have different handle styles and it is very important the knife "fit" your hand. if possible get to a kitchen store and pick them up, handle them, see how they fit. if it is not comfortable in your hand, you likely will not "grow into it."

the Japanese style knives are typically thinner, lighter weight and are most appreciated by folks who like to spend a lot of time sharpening and honing their knives to razor blade edges. this is impractical for the average home cook. they can also get quite pricey.

get a "storage device" - block, tray, whatever - a $20 or a $400 knife that is just tossed in the junk drawer is not going to be worth a hoot in terms of staying sharp.
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