This may be one of your best videos yet. You did an excellent job at conveying the casual approachability of these knives as well as Knifewear in general. No shaming, no jokes, I feel like I could show this to my grandmother and she’d be excited to go buy a new knife. If this was the introduction everybody got to Japanese knives, there’d be a lot more people using them. Well done guys 🤙🏼
I use a water bath sharpening stone wheel, after that an ceramic honing rod and then leather strop for knife sharpening with polishing paste . done that for many years, works really well!
So I decided to start with a cheaper carbon knife to really get a feel for how to properly take care of it before I go and buy the 300 one I want. And this was definitely a big help for knowing how to take care of the knife! I do have a question though, how would you recommend going about getting a petina in your knife?
CAPTAIN NEEDED! I have a carbon steel knife with a copper guard and I observe corrosion where both metals meet (glued together with 2part-epoxy). Now, I know of the concept of galvanic corrosion, but I have not found an example of that happening to someone else with knifes having that combination. Is that inevitable or did I miss something when making the knife? PS: the corrosion occured even before the first usage in a kitchen
Excellent video. I run a side hustle sharpening business. The most trashed things i get in are chainsaw chains and kitchen knives. I see nice german knives so dull it is a crime. Unless they are a "knife person" kitchen knives are treated like trash. Ever since cheap stamped stainless knives came out home cooks have no respect for knives. But i will make it sharp for a dollar an inch.
Hah, people definitely trash both of those things! We get some pretty impressively full blades in for sharpening too, but it always makes their day to get it back razor sharp!
That is a demo knife we use for sharpening practice. It is the same shape as any Masakage Santoku: knifewear.com/pages/search-results?filters%5Bbrand%5D%5B0%5D=Masakage&filters%5Bmf_knifeStats_shape%5D%5B0%5D=Santoku&q=masakage%20santoku
Is there any difference in dragging the blade versus the cutting motion? I was taught with wet stones to drag the blade and assumed there was a reason. I’d love to know your thoughts.
i'm new to the kitchen knife world can someone recommend an all around knife that doesnt require much maintenance or any, and that can cut through chicken bones without chipping ? $500 budget here
Hey! Japanese knives generally aren't good for bone, but if you're okay with not cutting bone, we have some amazing stainless steel stuff knifewear.com/products/nigara-sg2-kurouchi-tsuchime-wa-gyuto-210mm?variant=38097399021742
He, some electric grinders are fine, but some remove a ton of steel very aggressively, which should be avoided. They can also heat the knife very quickly, and if the steel overheats, it can lose its hardness and get quite soft, so be very careful when using electric sharpeners.
Love the video great advice in every aspect of it considering myself semi professional knife, collector well done. Ceramic rods can be a little taboo with Japanese knives as well but your direction is exactly how are use mine too.
One of the best videos you folks have put together for new users. I particularly like the intro when you said that Japanese knives are not for special occaisions. Have sent it to someone in Winnipeg whom we gave a knife to in July.
Great comprehensive video!! I didn't expect the carbon steel to start oxidizing so quickly. Good to know for the future because I do have a tendency to let my knife sit out when I'm too lazy after cooking.
@@KnifewearKnives I actually just splurged on a MAC MTH-80 to upgrade from my Mercer knife I had since like high school. It looks like it doesn’t have a super high carbon content compared to other carbon steel knives so hopefully it won’t oxidize as quickly. With great power comes great responsibility.
Is that Mercer any good? I considered buying it but went for a more expensive wooden handle Japanese Santoku that I am very happy with but am wondering if the Mercer is more heavy duty and can be used at all times
@@matei-alexandrumocanu8150mercers are a budget brand and lower than Victorinox blades. They are sharper than other commercial kitchen stocked brands like omcan or Dexter but they get dull fast. Avoid the white handle version and their paring knives . They say stainless but I've seen Mercer rust in weeks when my Japanese global and miyabi blades I've not been careful with for a year now, left wet, have zero rust. It will likely be a disappointment to go to a lower quality. The best budget is their Genesis line but if u can afford it go with a good german like a wusthof pro or classic. I've heard great reviews on testing sites on the Material knife which is like 100 bucks on their site . And the Misen costs 70 bucks, dulls and rusts fast but is super sharp otb, so there's better low cost blades to get instead..
How would you recommend storing carbon knives for long term storage? I’ll be a nomad for a few months, and I want to keep them pristine. (Oil? VCI paper? Other?) some have boxes, some don’t
Great video! If I already have a leather strop, do you still recommend a ceramic honing rod? Are they substitutes for each other or meant to be used together?
It's personal preference! The strop is great for weekly maintenance and burr removal, but given it's finer texture, must be used more often. The rod is more rugged, so great if your knife needs extra love!
Touching up with a good White or black ceramic rod can keep you away from stones for months ..just be very Controlled I lay mine with the tip on the board horizontally and slowly draw it with almost zero pressure .. then a pass or two through a compressed wool Block ..and 2 or 3 passes on a strop with diamond paste
The Horl is definitely the best rolling sharpening! Rolling sharpeners are good for certain jobs, but not for more advanced sharpening. We did a side by side with the Tumblr and Whetstones last year! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DVRGPJ_eI6s.htmlsi=0wIyJdN6z1gHSFXq
These are incredibly well made, last a lifetime, and are better for the edge of your knife! knifewear.com/collections/larchwood-canada/products/larch-wood-end-grain-cutting-board
Please don't anyone laugh at me for asking this. I'm buying new knives soon and need help for how to store them so I don't ruin them. Are either mothods below safe for storing dcent knives? I've seen videos with some claiming it's safe and ok to store knives in a container filled with raw rice. Wouldn't the rubbing of the blade against the rice dull it? Question#2 What about store bought knife holders which seem to have plastic sticks in the container for the knife storage? I rent I can't put anything on the walls as it's all tile in the kitchen. Counter and drawer space is very limited.
Great question! I think both would be fine, but will probably cause some premature dulling. I think the rice would be suitable for high carbon steel, as it would keep the knife dry and prevent rust. If you want to avoid any dulling these options might cause, you could try something like this: knifewear.com/products/sticks-and-boards-knife-block
What exactly is the downside of using a belt sander to sharpen over a whetstone? The belt sander will produce a convex bevel, which is stronger than the flat bevels you get from stones. Also, belt sanders designed specifically for knives have angle guides. I get that heat might be a problem, but you can just run them on slower speed and have a tub of water nearby to cool the edge between passes.
It's totally personal preference! With a little practice and experience, a belt sander does a great job! If you have one you can operate and lower speed and wet the knife often, you should run into the steel overheating or removing excess steel. We find whetstones pretty easy to learn on, especially for basic, at-home sharpening. At our shops, we do use belt sanders for specific tasks!
I moved into a rented house with two other people recently and after watching them cook and watching videos like these, do I realize how much my mom (a previous chef) taught me right off the bat as just the way you do things. I loved this video though! It’s so well done and it’s so compact in knowledge without feeling overwhelming
Good question! Some electric grinders/ Sanders are okay, but with any knife they heat the steel up very quickly, so if you're not careful they can ruin the hardness of the steel. They can also remove a lot of metal very quickly, but if you're skilled, they're fine! Pull through sharpeners aren't great for most knives, is it's very hard to remove steel evenly so they often change the blade profile, or sharpen at a different angle than Japanese knives are meant to have. That said, these are generalizations, and there are always exceptions!
I don't see why not! Whetstones work great and a fixed angle is key. The gadgets can be pricey, but if you find a decent one I'd say go for it! This angle guide works great for Japanese Knives knifewear.com/products/tojiro-togi-grip-sharpening-clip-f-443
