Grandsharp Abalone Shell Chef Knife Review: AUS10 Steel - 8.5 inch 

it's been a while indeed! Everything going well now hopefully I can get back on track with the uploads :) testing new knives currently and a lot more interesting knives are being shipped to me.

Thank you, more reviews coming soon including some interesting knives.

Thank you :)

Thank you glad to be back! Overall a good knife, unfortunate for the slippery handle otherwise it would be a good knife that is aesthetically pleasing. Flat spots and inconsistent sharpening are human errors, the logo is rough sandpaper-like, and definitely can see some improvements in terms of logo printing. To my surprise, real Abalone shells are used too, as there are some abrupt stops showing that they used multiple shells. 2 on the logo side and 5 abalone shell pieces on the other side of the handle. Not sure how they can add more grip without adjusting the aesthetic of the handle.

@@chefpanko thank you for immediately answering ! I have been trying to find a descent knife under 50 bucks and I have seen your Twosun chef knife review. I love the knife but if has been out of stock for at least 8 months so I was wondering what would you buy with 50 bucks for all-rounder ? I believe that german brands are way too expencive because of the manual labour cost in Germany, I don't care if a knife is chinese, so perhaps something from Xinzuo ? Henzhen? Dongsun? Also the best knife with the "worst" steel would win because my wife uses the knife to cut-slide to the side at 90 degrees to push the food away so a hard steel would chip very fast indeed. Perhaps I am wrong.. Please give me a suggestion :) my best option at this point is perhaps the Xinzuo 440C Gyuto , follower by something with "better" steel from Findking.

@@krekmanski Yeah TwoSun knife was pretty solid not much on the aestatic side but overall a good-made knife. TwoSun was requested by many pocket knife enthusiasts since they delved into the kitchen knife section. But it seems like they stopped making kitchen knives and only concentrate on making pocket knives. As for the Twosun knife, it is more on par with a Western knife like Zwilling/Wusthof in terms of sturdiness, thickness, and overall feel. The Xinzuo 440C is also a solid knife with not much flair in terms of aesthetic, but overall performance is more leaning towards the Gyuto's. Xinzuo had an overall better fit and finish but was also a bit smaller. So around $50 I would say the Xinzuo brand has some solid performing knives with currently one of the most consistent fit&finish. In terms of information one of the honest brands compared to others. The Grandsharp knife has been all over the place in terms of information about their knives, but it can be due to the resellers/franchise stores some say 12 degrees per side some say 15 degrees per side, and on the video it is around 14/15. While the 440C Gyuto is different from the TwoSun knife in terms of anatomy it is a good knife. That being said there are a lot of new knives and improvements along the way with them from Xinzuo/Hezhen (they may be slightly over your budget but might get to your budget when there is a special discount). But more about them I can't say as I'm waiting for the newest version. (PS: the newer versions of around 12+ knives have been sent over by Xinzuo and I'm still waiting for them to arrive, but I did buy 2 knives from Xinzuo before they contacted me and I can say their 14CrV3MoNb powdered steel is something to look out for). So I can't give you a recommendation yet until I have tested them personally if you can wait then I can include the newer versions from Xinzuo too (will be more like a hands-on review vs a full review as it takes some time to fully test a knife). The versions that are being sent over (currently still in transit waiting for air cargo): Xinzuo series: Feng Series with imported Japanese SRS13 Steel (Chef’s knife and Nakiri) - Most likely out of your budget and won't see much of a price decrease as the imported Japanese SRS13 steel is not cheap to order. Lan Series Santoku (10cr15comov to compare it to the 14CrV3MoNb Powdered version since I have the 14Cr version already that I bought) - Their own 14Cr powdered steel equivalent to the SRS13 steel according to Xinzuo, and the reason it can be offered at a lower price since it is their own developed steel. F2 Series Nakiri (10cr15comov but a Damascus layer with acid bath treatment) - very curious to see how this turns out compared to the pictures. PM8 Series (Tall Nakiri) - I haven't seen many other brands outside Japan making a Tall Nakiri so this would be interesting. Hezhen Series: Master Series Chef’s knife (imported Sandvik 14C28N steel) - Curious about the Sandvik steel as this steel is also being used on the TwoSun knife I tested. Elegant Series Santoku white and wood color version + a Cleaver (14CrV3MoNb Powdered steel) - The handle is the reason for my request to test them. ZHEN Series Chef’s knife (ZDP189 steel imported and heat treated in Japan) - This one won't see much of a price decrease either as I was told it is in collaboration with a Japanese steel manufacturer that also did the heat treatment on the steel. F2 Series Chef knife (coreless 110 layers Damascus Steel) - Coreless, never tried a coreless knife (this will take extra time than normal to be tested so that I can get an overall feel of a coreless knife and the reason behind it). As with Findking mixed results but might have improved the manufacturing process, mainly QC problems which might have been solved. just like the Grandsharp in this video, the sharpening was inconsistent there were some parts grinded too much ''flat spot at the front'' and some parts were missed or did not get the same attention, therefore, the angle might shift on different parts of the blade profile. As for your wife the generic knives unbranded (some have some strange unknown brand on them) should do fine they are around $10. you might want to look at a Santoku knife style they tend to be favored a lot due to the straighter blade profile, and rounded tip, smaller size which adds extra control and is less daunting. If you want something nicer for your wife a 1.4116 steel from Xinzuo would do good at around $25/30 you essentially are paying for the brand and fit & finish. As for Dongsun, I did not try too many of their knives currently only tested 2 of their knives so far pretty good. However, there were some QC issues mentioned in the comments despite my versions being fine. They did tell me that they improved their QC, but at that time I had too many review samples and did not accept any new review samples from them. So both knives I have from them are bought with my own money. The interesting part was the included says on the first knife I bought not sure if they still include them as the price was really low and I think they were more of an introductory price to get their brand more known. If I'm correct the prices have been increased just like many others that have established a brand name. The first knife was good, but it was the design that surprised me which I liked more than I thought I would. I have the newest one from Dongsun called Kyokuto Santoku the blade itself is good the Damascus looks good too. The handle while good is overly big. I tried to like it but can't like the handle, how it feels, and how it affects the overall knife function and feel. The blade itself is good compared to the 1st version I reviewed with added improvements. Logo-wise, rough, less rough than the Grandsharp one but still rough compared to the Xinzuo logo which is completely smooth. While overall good QC it is a Santoku I probably can't recommend (Review will follow soon). I might find something to like about it but as of right now I can't, and I may not change my opinion. (also the welding on the blade with the handle is visible). It really is a shame that the quality is overall good but anatomically, how it feels in my hand I don't like it.

@@chefpanko wow..., when you answer it feels like a lecture from a professor to a bratty student... I really appreciate the time you give us and the amount of knowledge you've shared in your answer! Thank you!

Thank you :) I will try to add some finishing touches on the next review video.

That is a good idea, I have added it to my list but can't promise anything as I'm currently getting the backlog of reviews finished. Interesting to see that you find the Usuba better performing on hard veggies. In general, I would say the Usuba has more upkeep ie; harder to sharpen, need more care, usually heavier/thicker compared to the double-bevel Nakiri. Single bevel is sharper but has a more delicate edge the single bevel design will push the produce to one side vs straight. Terms of ease of use and maintenance the Nakiri is more recommended for average users. Usaba's are not really beginner friendly. What brand of the Usaba do you have and compared to what brand Nakiri? In my experience, single-bevel knives do better with softer produce. So it would be interesting to see if I can replicate it. Another thing that I think is that the ticker Usuba with the sharper edge and the push to the right side (if you have a right-handed Usuba) so a combination of pushing the produce for you and the sharp edge adds some splitting force giving you a better feel when you cut the harder veggies (in this theory it would also help when you add speed to your cuts giving you the smoother cutting feel). Definitely, an interesting topic to dive into! Great idea thanks have written it down on my video idea list!

It has been a long time since I uploaded! Nice to see you in the comments section :)

Surprisingly it is real Abalone shells on the Grandsharp knife, I had my doubts too at first but after having it in my hands I can see that they used different shells. the logo side had one big shell and a tiny one on the bolster area (visible at the beginning close to the first rivet near the bolster). The other side of the handle which I had filmed but did not fit in the edits has 5 different shells to complete the handle (not very visible on the video, I may be able to take a picture of the other side and update the article on my website that would show the shells better). But That being said it is very slippery just a tiny bit of water and it slips which is the downside of this handle as they want to abalone shells to be visible. As for the AUS10, they have proof of the import but overall I could not see any problems in it but I did notice the inconsistent sharpening and flat spot (both aspects are human errors). Very interesting to see the improvements as I had mixed results with Grandsharp. As for their claim of HRC 60-62, I would say that my version is more on the 60 side maybe 61 but definitely not 62. The logo is something they should improve it is very rough like sandpaper. Information from multiple Chinese OEMs: As for Damascus, they are real Damascus, they can make the knife less expensive due to material saving by welding the handle to the blade that is one of the reasons why the Chinese-made knives have an abrupt stop at the Damascus pattern near the bolster. Still, a lot of hands are involved but their modern machinery is taking out a lot of labor same for the hammered part as those are done by a pressing mold, they are now advancing to double/triple pressing to avoid repeating patterns. (surprisingly all OEMs I have spoken to also offer the fake lasered Damascus as an option). Most of them have the Damascus billets ordered from the steel manufacturers so that is one of the select few reasons why they can produce extremely similar-looking Damascus with patterns that would not be able to be reproduced if they do it the traditional way unless the craftsmen have a tremendous amount of experience. They can do the Japanese-style Damascus, but for that, they need an acid bath, but most of their clients do not order it as it increases the total price of the knives. I will probably write an article about the manufacturing process of Chinese-made knives, while many OEMs have the same machines not all are equal in Q&C. Also, the problem with some of the knives that I tested in the past has been revealed by some of the OEMs, like a sharp rivet, etc. While some handle protrusion is acceptable by the OEMs but that is mainly due to the natural material like wood. If their client orders a wooden handle they have options to choose the more premium wood that has less shrinkage or less expansion. Cheap wood will shrink or expand a lot more making the protrusion sharp to the touch. (The better OEMs simply don't offer the cheaper wood). The same with a bent blade, due to the storing process of the Raw core materials on the pallets that they order from the steel manufacturers the steel can bend over time. To fix this problem most of the better OEMs straighten the blade before packing this, however, are manual inspections (which increases the total price for their clients). Overproducing is also not good as steel can change when it is in a warehouse for a long period of time. Very interesting information and hopefully they can advance a lot more compared to the 5+ years I have seen a lot of advancements in the manufacturing process. Hopefully, I can do an unfiltered Q&A with an OEM, and be able to publish it on my website as not all are willing to reveal everything due to the competition.

Yeah I have an old Keemake cladded Aus-10 and it's been great; more of a Japanese flat blade and octo-handle. The Core steel is among my favourites as it has 98.5% the edge retention of a well hardened japanese VG-10, which is my other main knife. Something about Aus-10 steel grain [likely a lot smaller ] makes it so much less of a b!tch on the stone to get that perfect razor sharpness. It's a lot more work to get VG-10 to do a test cut through paper [which I only do to make sure I am done] silently like Aus-10.

@@chefpanko I would love to see that article, and I will share it around too. I think there's a lot of misinformation out there on Chinese OEM knives.

@@theredbar-cross8515 Hopefully I can arrange one with an OEM that is willing to reveal most of the production process. The better OEMs have an open factory tour for potential clients (with some closed-off sections to avoid competition so you essentially will see the same processes that all other OEMs offer since they close off the important sections). They have a showroom section and usually next to it they have their office to discuss the contract and possibilities.

@@chefpanko THAT would make for a great video. I think some transparency on the manufacturing process would greatly lend confidence to the end product.

It is, unfortunately, it is one of the slippiest handles I tried. While I don't have sweaty hands I can see a problem for those that naturally have sweaty hands no matter how cold it is and for those I can see a big problem as it is very smooth with no texture, the contouring won't help either. But when the hand is dry the handle is good, but than not everyone can keep their knife hand dry all the time. Nice looking handle with real Abalone Shells, but unfortunately the handle is very slippery when your hand is wet, and I don't know how they could improve it as they probably will have to sacrifice the aesthetic.

@@chefpanko Damn, thank you for your reply

Hi, Grandsharp was first after that the Xinzuo knife was on the planning. The next planning was the Xinzuo Santoku Lan Series with their own powdered steel. (14CrV3MoNb according to Xinzuo equivalent to the Japanese SRS13 powdered steel). But Xinzuo contacted me and asked if I wanted to test their newest collection. So I had to postpone the review of the 2 Xinzuo knives I bought myself and had to wait for the new Xinzuo knives since I requested the Santoku Lan Series with 10cr15comov to compare it to the powdered version (the exact same knife just a different core material and if I'm correct a different handle material). So due to some delay with the cargo shipment since there was no cargo flight from FedEx for a week, the package got stuck in transit near the airport for an entire week. Slight changes in the upload plan, the Dongsun knife that I bought on the 11.11 sales day will be first so that I can adjust the review of the Xinzuo Santoku Lan Series with their powdered steel to include the 10cr15comov. The good news is that the Xinzuo knives arrived, 12+ knives including their newest collection. The review will be unfiltered as with all my reviews, so all opinions are my own without any influence or contracts involved. A sneak peek of the knives that arrived yesterday: Xinzuo series: Feng Series with imported Japanese SRS13 Steel (Chef’s knife and Nakiri) Lan Series Santoku (10cr15comov as I requested to compare it to the 14CrV3MoNb Powdered version in this article) F2 Series Nakiri (10cr15comov but a Damascus layer with acid bath treatment) PM8 Series (Tall Nakiri) Hezhen Series: Master Series Chef’s knife (imported Sandvik 14C28N steel) Elegant Series Santoku white and wood color version + a Cleaver (14CrV3MoNb Powdered steel) ZHEN Series Chef’s knife (ZDP189 steel imported and heat treated in Japan, need to double check on these) YM3L (7-inch Chinese vegetable Cleaver 440C steel) F2 Series Chef knife (coreless 110 layers Damascus Steel) Unfortunately the Yanagiba coreless and the NAkiri with Bohler M390 Steel were out of stock I might get them at a later date. If you have any questions about this Xinzuo / Hezhen knife don't hesitate to ask. Or if you have some specific questions about Xinzuo/Hezhen I might be able to answer them or I can ask them directly now as I plan to do a Q&A with Xinzuo/Hezhen. Hope that this clears things up, reviews of them are coming :)

@@chefpanko Thank you for your amazing answer Chef! I started to use china made good steel knives with your videos and looking forward to buy new ones! As a home cook, I'm using utility knifes for the most of the time. And my friends told me the same thing. Maybe you can focus about utility knifes because chef knifes are too big for the house wifes. My mother always stays far away from the chef knife or the other big knifes I bought. You are making great content.I hope you get the number of subs you deserve as soon as possible. We are waiting for the new videos!

@@profiteroldoktor I will see what I can do have you tried the Santoku knife? Or a Nakiri? Those tend to do a lot better for those that don't like to use bigger knives. I will have a lot more Santoku reviews coming shortly.

@@chefpanko Yess! santoku profile is much more better for me. I gave most of my German chef's knifes to my friends but keeping the santoku knifes in my kitchen and those are my favorite for the slicing. Waiting the new santoku rewiwies keep up the good content Chef!

Yeah, I have had a lot of mixed results in the past. There probably are still a lot of bad knives around there but I might have improved in selecting knives or buying from China. But I probably should review the bad knives I have which I can literally throw in the garbage they were that bad but there is nothing much to say about them than ''throw them away'' don't waste your money. Will see if I can combine them all and make a video about them or just make a website article about them.

@@chefpanko yeah thats the weird thing its often either a good one or a really bad one. My kizer slt i have is very very good. I also have handled several blades from kizer and from we knives and they have been very good.

@@knifesharpeningnorway I think the kitchen knife manufacturers are slowly catching up with the pocket knife manufacturers. There are some improvements, but also questionable design elements. While I love the idea that they are experimenting with new fresh ideas, it needs to function correctly. Just like the idea of using abalone shells, looks great but if you have sweaty hands or can't get your knife hand dry it is very slippery. But I will be getting some newer knives from China which are the latest versions and the newest improvements and design elements. I really hope the design is accommodating the functionality and not aesthetics, hopefully it gets shipped to me soon (currently stuck in transit for 5 days near the airport). I really hope to see kitchen knife manufacturers catching up with pocket knives in terms of QC and the development of newer manufacturing processes.

@@chefpanko absoluttely. Also would love to see kitchen knife producers get some better steels and higher hardness.

@@knifesharpeningnorway Yeah, that is one of the reasons I'm excited to receive the new knives. It is from a brand that I have the best results with, and to my surprise they contacted me and asked if I wanted to test their knives and provide feedback good or bad (wish they contacted me sooner as I have bought 2 other knives from them already that is getting a review very soon). The brand is called Xinzuo and their sub-brand is Hezhen, I really hope that they can keep up the QC and are currently the most consistent in heat treatment vs other brands. Overall pricing is a bit higher than most competitors but also very interesting in terms of what they have to offer with the core steel and design. Imported Japanese SRS13 Imported Japanese ZDP189 Their own SRS13 Powdered equivalent called 14CrV3MoNb Sandvik 14C28N Coreless 110 layers Damascus Steel Damascus knife with Acid bath treatment (something I have not seen a Chinese manufacturer offer yet besides them). Imported M390 Powdered Steel (This was out of stock they try to deliver it at a later date)

Hi, I looked it up but the lack of information on these knives is concerning. It looks like Vikingsun is a big Swedish distributor for many brands across Sweden. the brand Satake is a Vikingsun brand that has multiple products like pots, pans, knives, etc. So they might have used multiple OEMs (Orginal Equipment Manufacturers) from various countries to produce their brand-named specific product like Satake Kuro and Ame. As they state on the website: In a forward-thinking spirit, Satake's design department in Stockholm works to develop new products, and inspiration is drawn from annual visits to Japan. One of the strengths is innovativeness and the courage to set trends and be at the forefront of development. So it is designed in Sweden with inspiration from Japan. But they failed to mention where they are made for most of the product lines. Without trying the knife I can't say much about them I just wish that they were a bit more transparent on all knife series as in where the knives are made. Some collections do mention where they are made but they don't on the Kuro and Ame series. The other knives that they do sell with the Satake brand are the ''Pro'' series which is a knife I could find on the official Sataka Cutlery in Japan. and on that series, they do mention that they are developed by ''Japanese'' Satake. So I can't say much about the Ame series as there are no good shots of the knife itself and it is extremely hard to judge a knife by its pictures or spec sheets.

@@chefpanko thank you for the info chef, was just thinking they look pretty by design. Can't wait for the next video whatever knife it might be.

Thank you for your thoughts I agree that they should be far more consistent in the information that they give even if the stores are from resellers they need a better consistent policy for resellers but everything starts with their own information. I asked them some questions and hopefully, they will be able to answer them. As for the cladding for this knife, it is 316L stainless steel. Will try to get some answers answered if they answer back. I also asked what they plan to do to improve in the Q&A: - What steps do you plan to take to address the roughness issue with your logo design? - How do you plan to improve the consistency of your sharpening process for future designs and batches? - What inspired Grandsharp to create a knife with an abalone shell handle? etc. If they answer back I can add some extra questions to address the contradicting information on multiple channels/resellers/official stores. As for the review, I can only judge on the knife that I bought or got delivered by the brands, if you have any suggestions I will try to implement them in future reviews :) (this was my first attempt at delivering information but not diving too deep in the knife enthusiast section so that everything stays understandable for the non-knife enthusiast too).

Depends on the brand and the people behind the brand. It's possible to import Japanese AU10 steel, and the OEMs can show you the data for each batch according to order from the steel manufacturers. Wich has multiple channels to obtain certain steel as some operate with sister companies or agencies. That being said I agree many Chinese-made knives with the claims are indeed dishonest and luckily most of those brands have been phased out (they pulled the plug on that branding, the sad news is they keep creating new brands). Japanese VG10 for example was banned for quality control which had some loopholes, now that the market has watched up they unbanned the import of Japanese VG10 however the market for it has been fading away. There are still a lot of bad Chinese-made knives, and I hope those who do honest marketing can compete as that is only good news for the consumer.