I have not tested a lot of natural stones, but natural stones are inconsistent compared to man-made ones. The best choice comes down to the person using it and finding a stone they like since they are not equal. Even the Arkansas in the video there are specific spots I prefer more. So it is not consistent for the entire surface but you will find a way to use certain areas in your favor.

@@chefpanko I bought kuromakus but my knife teacher recommended natural because of the slurry and lower need for water, so I'm going to find out if I made a mistake

@@morehn Kuromakus? From Shapton? they are good, there is no need for natural stones. man-made ones are more consistent, the Japanese-made ones are so far as I know better quality. But competition from others might have risen up. Those stones also can form a slurry. Sharpening is more about your individual knowledge and the application of that knowledge. You are basically never done learning by hand sharpening since you can improve your own skills and learn various techniques. Finding out your mistakes will be easy you learn from mistakes and add more knowledge in your journey.

@@chefpanko in terms of the sharpening material, my main goal is to have the smoothest edge on a microscopic level. I was wondering if ceramic or natural would do a better job at that.

@@morehn ceramic since natural is as the name says natural it is what nature provides ie; can't be entirely consistent.

Yeah, that was exactly what I was missing too while I have the knowledge and experience of hand sharpening on a whetstone. I did the review with the mind that I have 0 knowledge. Unfortunately, the included instructions were not adequate and in my opinion not correct. There were some extra tips and info on the Official Horl website, where the important missing part has been highlighted as ''tips''. But that is a crucial part to know. (a burr, metal being flipped over to the other side as an indication that you have done that side correctly and you can flip over, instead, they went for a ''time method'' on the instructions vs the ''passes'' method which you can count and be more precise on both sides). I will be emailing them shortly, maybe they can improve the instructions that they include.

@@chefpanko They should seriously link their customers to your video.

Yeah wish that the instructions were better, it is mostly foolproof but you still need a bit of basic knowledge of knife sharpening. The experience that you need is drastically reduced.

Thank you 😊

😘

haha yeah, the product is really for a specific audience, ie; those who don't know or simply can't, don't want to learn free-hand sharpening. And those who due to some medical conditions are not able to do free hand sharpening. The product itself works great and is made from quality materials and good QC. The disks are great especially the Kagami disk, as an enthusiast that disk is one of the best quality disks I have used. (very smooth and silent). And all with no water or any lubrication (soapy water will give better results but I wanted to test them as it was intended to be used without any lubrication). But in the end, it is the price for the base kit alone that is very steep without the add-ons. Other than that it is a solid system for the specific target audience.

@@chefpanko As you said, some people have a medical condition/disability and I am all for it for those people, but damn If you know I have plenty of stones/knives why are you ( the dealer ) trying to sell that stuff 😂😂😂😂 . I mean the guy was super cool but looked dumb in this situation

​@@dimmacommunication 😂😂 yeah no idea why either, if it was a customer who is looking for a new knife but doesn't know much about sharpening the Rolling sharpener will be a solid solution to pair it with (it is a pretty foolproof solution for maintaining the edge sharpness, but as said in the review it is not a tool to repair or to maintain a knife that already passes it's normal lifespan, ie; needs thinning or else the edge will get dull very fast). Not to forget most of those knife shops also offer live courses in teaching people to hand sharpen so there is still a need for that (for knife/sharpening enthusiasts it may look silly to pay for such a course, but they often forget their own journey of how long it took and how much they experimented with or destroyed some of their own knives to get to the level they are now).

@@chefpanko Gotta be honest I lack knowledge and experience on the thinning, that's probably for professionals that literally " eat " blades working/sharpening.

@@dimmacommunication if you want it to be like factory new then you need a lot of stones and powdered or sandpaper solution to get the factory look back. With Damascus, you need a biting solution. For practical thinning you just take the sides with you on each sharpening session, you will see low and high spots but don't worry about that that will go away over the years of taking the sides with you (practical thinning your knife won't get the factory look back unless you spend more time and tools for it which is less practical, you be better off by sending the knife to a pro for a real proper thinning session).

Personally I take the Xinzuo but that is purely due to its smaller size that fit my needs more (and the steel material fit my purpose more, I prefer longer edge retention). I will always choose a knife based on what fit my needs the most, ie; comfort, and fills the purpose of my daily cutting needs.

Victorinox used to be priced around $30/35 but nowadays I have seen the prices going up and up. They are becoming more of a lifestyle brand it seems like.

Thanks! 👍:)

Global have a wide collection, finding a knife that specifically fit your use case will be easier with Global due to it's wider collection of knives. In terms of it being the best, there is a lot of activity going on in the past decade where I feel like Global has been stagnating in innovation (but still a very solid brand! make sure you pick the correct series that suit your needs the best, they have the Classic, Ni, Ukon, Sai series with each of them fitting certain users). For Example Classic series the handle may be a bit too small for bigger hands where the Ukon/Ni series will fix that problem.

Tojiro is currently on sale for around $50 on Amazon that is a solid deal!

@@chefpanko Tojiro is the only Japanese knife that has a low price. It’s the only knife I recommend to people who are new to Japanese knife. I have a Shun, too. It’s French style blade (rocker). I’m more use to Chinese knife, nikiri and gyuto

I think I have the PM8 not sure which one as I'm currently finishing other series and brands but I think I had one send over. Can't say much about it until I have unboxed and tested it.

3 is pretty decent if you fix a few problems, you might even make it smoother with some ABEC 7 Bearings vs the standard ones. But when you do that you will probably spend around $30+ extra for a good branded bearing. I think one of the weakest points is the bearings being used besides the design flaws, like the main body touching the sides and moving around (there should be a spacer between it to prevent that from happening). Besides that, the abrasive disk wears out a lot faster than the Horl 2 but you are paying a lot of money for the Horl. Currently, the other Rolling Sharpener I can recommend is the one from Worksharp which is cheaper than the Horl but also on the expensive side. $189 standard Horl set with no add-ons vs $149 Worksharp (which only includes an extra coarse disk). But I think it is only a matter of time for competition to catch up and upping the standard which will lower the price of other rollers in general.

@@chefpanko Thank you!!!

I don't recommend bamboo in general.

It is a generic Chinese-made Damascus knife sold under various brand names on Ali.

@@chefpanko Thank you very much for the information!

I have not tried the Tumbler so I can't comment on that. I have tested the Worksharp one that one is good too full reviews of both the Horl and Worksharp rolling sharpener coming soon. With both with it's pros and cons.

The stones wear out fast on the imitations, they’ll work fine the first few times but they’re trash.

It depends on other factors too, such as how you prefer to slice, dice, etc. A chef's knife suits most tasks like slicing, dicing, and chopping. You can choose a rounder belly profile or one with a straighter profile, typically found in Japanese-made Gyutos. - A rounder profile is better for slicing in a rocking motion, while a straight profile is more suited for an up-and-forward slicing motion. - A Santoku is a shorter knife, making it lighter compared to a wider chef's knife. Its rounded tip and shorter blade make it easier for precise slicing. - If weight is a concern, such as when working in a restaurant where you don’t want to prep for an hour with a heavy knife, a Utility knife can be considered. For high-volume prep, many restaurants often opt for tools that can perform tasks faster. I hope this explains it a bit and helps you in making a decision to find a knife that suits your preferred cutting style and preferences.

Olive wood handle you meant the Lan series right? I found that knife handle on the Lan Series on the bigger side. I have told them that they now have a new series with the added improvements those are called the X01 series for the Hezhen brand. And they exactly did what I hoped a handle that will directly suit the majority of hand sizes. In terms of the 14Cr14MoVNb steel, I find them good and maintenance is great on a ceramic whetstone or diamond electro-coated plate. With the softer stones, you might struggle or find it difficult to grind the material away. Some told me that they would compare the steel to an S35VN instead of an R2/SG2. With similar edge retention as an R2/SG2 but is harder to grind than them. But in return, the steel is a bit tougher and less likely to chip.

@@chefpanko thank you chef. just before you respond this, I read another comment with the same question. My main concern was about the geometry of the blades but after seeing some revies on the Lan series with not a good impression on the wood from the handle after getting wet I decided to go for the elegant series for the g10 handle besides a flatter profile (and the k tip is just a plus)

@@GranMalote Yeah they have various knives some with a thicker geometry as they are mainly focused on the home kitchen market. They are implementing more and more to cater to both now but the prices increase too with that kind of grind (especially if it is a harder material).

Have not tried the newer knives from them nor have I kept track of the brands. Both Keemake and Sunnecko went in a direction in the past that I no longer recommend them. I have not followed their development on newer series so I don't know if they have improved.

A full review is coming soon, along with the pros and cons. And another rolling knife sharpener from Worksharp will follow shortly after.

Have you looked at the Bunka Styled knives? On Amazon, getting the ''Made in Japan'' brands and knives would be harder. But a Bunka would fit your description better as it has a Santoku profile and an added tip. (Depends on budget but: Shibata Koutetsu Bunka is a very thin knife), Hado knives are also great but both are not budget knives.

I respect your opinion, but I don't support the war. War knows no winners and brings suffering to everyone. Hatred only creates more conflict and pain. I don't hate the Russian people; they are also victims of Putin's dictatorship, being silenced and forced into actions many don't want. Those in Ukraine are suffering greatly due to the invasion, while many countries are gaining political favors due to the war.

@@chefpanko Stop using drugs, because of them you cannot think critically

There will be more improvements coming in future series, as I have met them in person at the Ambeinte event in Germany. I have spoken to the designer/co-founder too, and they will be discussing it with the R&D department. I also realized they are essentially still an OEM despite having their own brand they distribute knives under various designs and brand names across the world and they get feedback from those brands and retailers too as to what the retailer's own customer base wants. Geometry is being pushed to newer series on cheaper steels, glad to see that being implemented. Also when I was at the event where they did not have a name on some of the series. I told them that I liked a particular knife, especially in comfort. That series has a name now the Hezhen X1 series. To my surprise, they recently told me that the knife series I told the designer I wanted to see more of, actually won a London Gold Design award in 2024. (While it was a design award I told the designer that I wanted to see more of that due to the comfort, and unique handle that directly felt good in my hands despite not having the standard design on the handle). Other things I have discussed were the materials used, like the black buffalo horn and how it shrinks/cracks in environments with high humidity or temperature changes. They did some more testing and they decided to remove the metal ring dividers as that is one of the main causes along with the humidity levels. Since it is a natural material there will always be some shrinkage involved unless they replace it with a man-made one. (But those materials are very popular with the retailers they provide OEM services too). More steels are being experimented with and some are already out. Other concerns I had (review will still be published need to finish 3 more videos of other products/brands), they told me they entirely stopped production and will no longer sell them once it is sold. As they agree with my points on those series. While I told them I found the handle sizes on some of them a bit too big on the circumference size, I also realized after talking to them that they also get feedback from reputable retailers taking OEM services from them. One of them is that many home cooks like bigger handles as told by retailers, and those in a commercial environment prefer a lighter-handled knife. (also geographically dependable). looking forward to what Xinzuo has to bring, one thing for sure is that the prices will no longer be as low as they used to be since the brand has now been established compared to when I first discovered the brand. I will keep pushing them on the improvements that they can make!

@@chefpanko It's good to know they are developing. They are an honest brand and seem open minded while trying to get better. As for steel choice there is one hidden gem among Chinese steels most people don't know about. 6Cr13 and 7Cr13 have similar composition to AEB-L and 13C26. They are the Chinese steel with the highest edge stability. With optimized heat treatment it probably could be hardened to 62-63 HRC and still retain good toughness. It's a cheap steel with premium performance and would be an awesome choice for fine edges.

Glad to hear that you found one that works. As said in the video each of them will work how well they work is a different story. Just like the tolerance of the pressure that you can apply varies a lot. But there is certainly a place for the rolling sharpeners.

There are some slight limitations or cons but overall a good product for home usage. And it indeed removes the need to learn a skill. I also have heard that many with physical conditions are not able to use the whetstone method. Like skin problems, RSI, injury etc. Making this a good product for them. (I'm almost done finalizing the review but it also replaced the need of a honing rod)