UPDATE/RECOMMENDATION: I get a lot of messages asking what I recommend in place of the Serbian chef knife. My recommendation is the Daovua Kiri Cleaver. There is a V3 of it out made with 52100 steel. Head over to TokushuKnife.com and look for the Dao Vua Kiri Cleaver. You can also use my coupon code RAF10 to get 10% off your order. DISCLAIMER: I am not an affiliated with Tokushu Knife, nor do I get any percentage off sale if you use the coupon code. I work with them a lot, so they created a code exclusive for my subscribers/viewers. Cheers and thanks for your support of the channel!! 🙏😃
This is sold out, any secondary recommendation? Looking for an all in one knife to replace the whole kitchen set as the Promaja advertises. Or how about a fish filet knife recommendation?
Found this video after going down a rabbit hole chasing reviews for this knife, trying not to be so impulsive. This was the first honest review I encountered and it confirmed everything I knew in my heart to be true. Probably fun to use and looked cool, probably not worth the price. Subbed.
Thank you so much for the support! 😊🙏 glad my review is helpful. I feel that a lot of reviews are not transparent enough or that they try to be too nice. But it doesn't benefit the viewers.
Respect! Thank you for being transparent, real, and straight forward with us about your experience with Coolina. I have been looking at Coolina knives for a while and wanted to know more about this nice specifically. Thanks brother!
You are welcome and am glad my review helped! I have gotten several messages from people who bought their knives recently and said that they didn't have the same issues. Maybe they have corrected them but definitely want to share to be unbiased 😃 thanks for supporting the channel! 🙏🙏🙏
Thank you both! I have to clarify that this is for the coolina knife. I have yet to review the original almazan knife, so I don't want to condemn the whole style. I appreciate the support! 😊🙏🙏🙏
I appreciate you being honest about it. You just saved me a lot of money on a Chinese knife that I can get on Amazon for less than $40 bucks. Keep up the good work!
UPDATE ON QUALITY: There are several viewers that have messaged me and shared their experience. They purchased their Coolina knives and don't experience any of the fit and finish/warpage issue I have. I want to give you all an update to be fair to the product and company. It seems they might have worked to improve their quality control. Which is great news!
Can you do a review on this budget knife i found? It's Serbian as well and the deal seems too good to be true if you know what i mean www.amazon.com/Butcher-Handmade-Grandsharp-Vegetable-Chopping/dp/B08Q4GPQLJ
Here it is! The link to the new knife I recommend. Please Like & Subscribe. Thanks for watching! 😊🙏 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wZHTDPIRWuo.html
Thanks for saving me from buying this knife. I was really set on picking it up for Christmas and your review really helped. Thanks for the honest review!!!
@@BetweenTwoForks mostly veggies and fingers. kidding about the fingers. found some cheap ones here. www.lazada.com.ph//products/i1831250683-s7792670187.html?spm=a2o4l.cart.0.0.5f8b3e17zNE12p&urlFlag=true
@@BetweenTwoForks i find it interesting that you see street vendors (poor) who use knives every day and they do fine without the expensive fancy knives. how do they do it?
Is there an all-round chefs knife style you can recommend? I'd love to get something more "unusual" like a Santoku, Nakiri or such a serbian style knife. But I don't want to go for looks as much as for performance on everyday tasks of course.
I appreciate your honest review and observations of the test copy Promaja. When I came across your video I had already ordered one from Coolina as a 3-knife special. My anticipation of receiving these suddenly sank. I have to say that all three knives arrived in very good condition and do not exhibit any of the warping and fitment issues you describe. For the $216 I paid for three knives I can't say anything bad about them. They are very sharp, the steel is straight and true, and the scales show no gaps or sloppy finishing. On the issue of staining - I own quite a few carbon steel knives (some very expensive) and see no difference in the patina that is developing with the Coolina knives I have compared to others in my collection. I don't want to sound like I am trying to discredit your review, I'm just sharing my experience with the same product. Yes, these are knives that have utilitarian characteristics and not to be compared to the premium brand knives. I did also want to convey the order fulfillment problem I had with my order. Coolina took over 30 days to complete the order, and I didn't get any action from them until I filed an exception with PayPal. The two knives that they had not shipped went out the very next day. In all fairness this was during the holiday season and of course we are still in the middle of a pandemic. Maybe they are only guilty of a lack of customer consideration since they never updated me until I filed a complaint with PayPal.
Hey! I'm so glad that they dont have any of the issues that I experienced. And I don't feel like you are discrediting at all. I am glad other customers are chiming in. As I want to give them an accurate and fair review. I will pin a comment at the top to update to help let others know what other customers are experiencing. This is good news and sorry that it might have dampened your excitement a bit but glad they are able to fix the quality issue. Thanks again for the feedback! 😃🙏
My brother inlaw was sucked into the hype. He bought their set. I bought the same knife you showed for $26. Neither knew of the other's purchase until afterwards. He was snubbing me when I told him it's called a Sebian chef knife. I like carbon steel. I usually prefer it over stainless. I like your brutally honest review.
Saw the original video you got me hooked I got the knife but I do enjoy it but it’s a lot to maintain I got another cleaver type knife that I’m going to use on the daily. I’m probably gonna have my promaja as a show piece or rarely use it!!! Love the channel! And how honest and badass you are also I love all the aprons I’m currently collecting some aprons myself!
Hi! Thank you so much for such a kind comment and thank you so much for your support! Carbon steel knoves are definitely a bit higher maintainace compared to stainless. I am looking to get a few more aprons myself 😁
Good review. I'll stick with my vintage chef's knives. Herder's, Henckle's Four Star, Dexter's, some Sabatier's, and a few odd balls, like Gustav's. When I visited Korea, I was able to find something similar at the flea market for about $10.
Thank you! Those are all some great knives and I think you'd be happier with them. In Asia, cleavers like these go for dirt cheap. Almazan made it a novelty item 😊
Just subscribed solely after the first few minutes of this w the shady company trying to get you to pull an honest review. You have a new viewer here. Keep your integrity.
Thanks for watching! Just pinned an update comment. There are a few viewers who shared their experience with me after their Coolina knives arrived. They said they are not experiencing the same issues and warpage I have. So it seems like they have improved their quality control. I want to share to be fair to the product and company. Thanks! 😃🙏
As a bladesmith I like the style and have made a couple similar to it. Namely made the handle a little more ergonomic with good fit and finish and with a heat treat I know is correct. If you have to hone the knife in the middle of food prep, then the heat treat is off. Even at 57-58 RC you should have no issues with 1095 holding a good edge. It might be more to do with how it's sharpened and if it's got a wire edge, but I suspect a poor heat treat.
Totally agree with you here! I think that is a big part of what sets apart a good knife and a subpar knife is the proper heat treat. If the heat treat is bad, no amount of anything can fix it unless they are going to anneal and re heat treat. Which, most people don't have the equipment to re-heat treat 😀
@@BetweenTwoForks the 3 most expensive knives I own are: - buck c-sar folding knife, a small beast. - jeo-tec n45, a good gixed blade with a decent steel and AMAZING sheath. - a japanese kitchen knife handmade that the love of my life gifted me few years ago. Amazing edge, amazing balance, amazing handle, amazing finish. Then I have 40ish other knives that I like... But are far cheaper
Just got one today as a Christmas present. I didn’t see any care instructions so started looking on-line and came across your two reviews. Thanks for being honest and not compromising. It’s what all content creators need to do. Mine didn’t have the issues your’s did. I inspected the tang and saw no alignment issues or gaps. Blade seemed straight to me. Blade did have hammer indents but I believe the edge was straight as far as I can tell. 100% agree about the sharpness. Just sliced some radish for posole. It cut really clean and smooth as you described. Now let’s see if mine develops the pitting or discoloration like your’s did.
Maybe they have improved their quality? So glad to hear yours don't have any of the issues. Maybe mine was a one off? It definitely is enjoyable and gets sharp. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel! 😃🙏
Really hard to find honest reviews on anything. I had this knife in my shopping cart and decided to check out another review of it. Glad I did. Really glad to not support those kind of business practices.
@Bainsworth I'm definitely not in charge. People earn their money and people can spend it wherever they want, even coolina if they so please. I am simply here to do honest reviews and try to help people make informed decisions. As for aliexpress, that wait ain't no joke. I will agree with you there. Especially with the pandemic, its been bad.
Thanks for the honest review...I was looking at the Cooking Guild version of this knife....probably comes out of the same factory....looks like you saved a lot of people some cash...thanks again!
Great review channel . I'd like to confirm the fit and finish issues are not a problem with mine but If I had seen this b4 I bought I probably would go for another option . The price is still not good and I hope it holds up decently
Hey man could you review gekko knives, they are the same price as this, but they are real hand forged japanese knives using aogami blue and white no2 steel
@@Cpmnk thanks for the recommendation! I will most definitely have to look into them. At that price point and real Japanese steel is a good deal! Thanks for your support! 🙏😃
Thanks for the helpful review. This knife was appealing to me for the chef knife and cleaver knife function in one. Any other Serbian knives or different kind of knife that serves both functions?
@@emmalozano6999 hi! There are definitely other knives that serve a similar purpose. To name one is the Chinese chef knife/cleaver. CCK is one of the most reputable brands. If you want something a bit more rustic, the daovua kiri cleaver is in my opinion, a better choice. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel! 😃🙏
Hi, Great review thanks. Could you please have give a review of the knif in the link below? m.alibaba.com/product/1600110136071/Hot-selling-handmade-forged--kitchen.html?__sceneInfo=%7B%22cacheTime%22%3A%221800000%22%2C%22type%22%3A%22appDetailShare%22%7D
Thank you for being so honest! I thought these looked a bit too rough! I didn’t catch the name of that other similar knife at 5:40. Can you please let me know what that one is? Thank you!
Thank you so much! Glad that the review was helpful. I just posted the video of the knife I recommend. Here is the link. Thank you for your support! 🙏😊 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wZHTDPIRWuo.html
Hi! Yes, I am familiar with Cooking guilde but not familiar with Mercer making a Serbian style chef knife. There is very little difference between all the Serbian Chef Knives. Outside of the original from Almazan, I think most of the imitated ones Chinese made in similar ways. Hope this helps!
FYI. It’s the heat treatment. It is done correctly and probably not quality 1095. Esee Knives and Tops use 1095 and have an amazing edge retention. Chopping and batoning wood to build a fire an and will still shave your arm hair. Seriously, I’ve done this. It also takes an edge pretty easily. These Coolina knives are just not quality. They have a supposed high msrp so when the say, ooh $100 it seems like a good deal but in reality it is not. But Victorinox if you want quality for a decent price. Happy shopping. 👍🏾
Hey dude, thanks for the review, you saved me $90! What was the knife you recommended at 5mins 40? Are there any in the ‘Serbian chef style’ that you do recommend? Thanks legend.
You are too kind my man! I really appreciate that and thank you for your support! Here is the link to the knife I recommended: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wZHTDPIRWuo.html Recently, on their IG, they have been making batches of Serbian style knives as well. So you might be able to grab one direct from them. 🙂🙏
Just bought one from XITUO on Ali Express for $24!!! I think for that price it's worth it. If I'm going to spend a lot on a Serbian Style cleaver, I'd pick one up from @ppotty1. Search "Loz Harrop 3mm" here on RU-vid. I'd also consider the Dao Vua pipline steel cleaver.
For that price, it is definitely worth it! I think that is what I'm trying to tell people. It is not a bad knife but I just don't think it delivers the value that is worthy of a $90 price tag. The daovua knives I like a lot. Good people and CKTG is a very reputable company. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!! 😃🙏
Thanks for review, saw it in adds, just wanting a cool pearing knife or onion chopper. Thanks will check out the one you recomended. The steel is very thin.. first impressions it doesnt give "the fuzzys" at all.. lol
I'm really glad I found your review and follow up. I was going to purchase this knife and another one from Coolina, but I started searching for reviews on it. Watched yours and changed my mind. I would of been really pissed spending that much money and getting a substandard knife. Thank you!
You are very welcome! I am glad to help and be able to put out a review that helps other determine whether or not the knife firs what they are looking for 😊🙏 if ypu are looking for a good cleaver, I recommend the Daovua Kiri Cleaver. I have a video on that as well 😊
Hey! Thanks for watching and supporting the channel! I don't typically recommend sets of knives. Rather, I recommend people to pick up individual pieces. If you are looking for something affordable and similar to the serbian chef knife, there are a lot of choices on Amazon. But if you want something unique, head over to TokushuKnife.com and look up the Daovua Kiri Cleaver with 52100 steel. You can also use my coupon code Raf10 to get 10% off your entire order. I don't get any kick back from this, but I work with them a lot and they provided a discount code for my subscribers/viewers. Hope this helps!
Thank you for a substantive review. You addressed characteristics of knives important to me. Fit and finish, maintenance, holding an edge. This knife was geared towards men wanting that rustic look, cooking on open fire outdoors, prepping on a block of wood. You know, that mucho macho bullshit. Thanks again for your fact filled review and I'll look your other reviews.
You are welcome and thank you for such a complimentary feedback! I can see the appeal of the rugged, rustic, outdoorsy esthetic. But I can't overlook quality or fit and finish to say it is a justification of the "rustic charm". Thank you so much for supporting the channel! 😁🙏
You are very welcome! So glad the video came in handy. I think you will still like them for Christmas, but you can find it cheaper on Amazon or ebay. Thank you for your support! 🙂🙏
I have been doing research on serbian knifes for a few months,I ordered one from a company that had 75 5 star reviews with photos ,the shipping status bar did not move and I contacted them after 2 weeks ,they said sorry its been seized in customs yet they said the ship to the UK , luckily they gave me a full refund but that's then 3 weeks of my life wasted waiting for a knife ,I was then going to make my own, but after watching more videos I realised I needed a knife for the kitchen not camping and got into Chinese vegetable cleavers/knifes, so back on the Web to do research and finally ordered a German steel cleaver and low and behold it came back as currently unavailable ,I was then reading some RU-vid comments and one chap said " go to your local Chinese supermarket " found out there's 4 in my city ,I popped in and bought 2 different ones for £11 each ,1 real thin one and one slightly thicker ,boy they are sharp out of the box, used it for the first time today and just caught my finger nail ,that slowed me down lol but what a joy to use and easy to cut Julain cuts ,I have watched your videos a few times and your honesty shines
Hilarious! I actually forged my own using an old leaf spring - but I couldn't get the warpage out of the blade - I tried tempering it and hammering it out and shattered the blade...honestly not completely devastated because I was NOT about to just "call it good" with a warped blade - almost warped exactly the same as yours just to the right instead of left. Nicely-done honest review!
Thank you so much for the compliment and supporting the channel! I bet that was fun to forget your own knife. That's also the issue is the lack of quality control. I understand that lack of artisan pride, as these are likely mass produced by underpaid workers. But to let it slip past quality control is an issue. 😃
@@BetweenTwoForks well... quality control is my JOB! I'm a QC Chemist so I get pretty darn picky. I've got a Japanese Kuro-Uchi San-Mai Nakiri that I forged myself - It's my dedicated veggie knife and man it works! Yes, it's a ton of fun and massively rewarding to forge your own knife!
@@jensdavidsen4557 Hahaha, so your job is very attention heavy. So when you see mistakes like this, I bet it drives you a little bonkers lol. I cannot wait to start making my own knives!
@@BetweenTwoForks you're absolutely right - I find it very disturbing that a company would put their name on something that's so lacking in fit-and-finish quality...and man...they went all-out on advertising this thing on social media - I've seen it a bunch on facebook
@@jensdavidsen4557 man, they sure did! I don't think I can scroll through any social media without seeing their ad somewhere lol only way I can escape is if I go back to my MySpace account lol
Wow the fact that the company did that to OP just saved me from purchasing, really liked the products but cannot condone that behavior. Thumb up, great job at putting truth before commerce.
Thank you so much for the support! That is perfectly put. Truth before commerce. If it is a great product paired with great customer service. The product sells itself 🙂
I think that I will stick to hand forged Japanese carbon steel knives like Katsushige Anryu's (now retired) knives, Moritaka knives which are not much higher priced at $70+ depending on the knife or knives made by Shigeki Tanaka for example.
I was really lucky when I got into Japanese knives. I picked up an Anryu aogami 2 right before he retired. Really lucked out because once he announced his retirement the old Kanji prices went through the roof! Mine is staying in the collection for sure. I really understand why people say once you go Japanese, you go down a rabbit hole and never look back 😃🙏
Do you recommend any other manufacturer's of Serbian Chef Knives? Just as a clarification, constantly saying "Serbian Chef Knife" would be like saying for all your other reviews they are all the same "Chinese Cleaver Knife" or "Japanese cooking knife". While the base ethnic influence of the knife is Serbian or Chinese or Japanese etc, the quality is dependent on the manufacturers, not the ethnic background on it. Would be better to say, "Coolina Serbian Chef Knife".
Hey! I get what you are saying and thats a good point. But thats why I made it clear on my thumbnail and in the video. I don't speak for all the Serbian style knives but just this particular one from coolina.
3 года назад
That knife is "serbian" only in its name, I'd say it's clear that it's a rebranded chinese knife off of Aliexpress. Mind you, shipping to Serbia from Aliexpress is free. Getting it etched is dirt cheap. I'll leave you to do the math :) Cheers
Thank you so much for sharing the extra information! These are definitely knives that just gets mass produced at a factory. Without the shipping from Aliexpress, it'd be a $20 knife haha. Have a happy holidays and thanks for supporting the channel! 🙂🙏
Thanks for saving me money on this mess. Seen an ad since I’m looking for knives on Instagram and went to find some reviews and this is clutch. Nice channel as well, new sub
Playing devils advocate here... you say they asked you to withdraw your review. But we only have your side of the story - did you offer them a chance to rebut your claims with their own? If not, why not? It’s easy for folks to praise your honesty and integrity but without a statement from the company it’s a bit one sided... to actually be transparent a formal statement from them is prudent. Without it, personally I wouldn’t make a review simply because it is one-sided. I think your review is fine, it’s logical... the price isn’t that expensive though... even with its flaws which seem to be intentional for the allure of the knife. There are knife sets out there that are well over $1,000 that don’t have the character of this knife... plus you said it’s enjoyable to use... for the small amount of money I’m not sure what more one could ask for. Many of the reviews of people who purchased it were positive... what do you say to those folks?
Hey Tony! I appreciate you playing devils advocate. They can make a video in response to my claim if they want. I have screenshots of our conversation of them asking me to pull the negative review and in return they will send me a different knife. But they told me if I don't pull the review, they will not be able to continue our partnership. The review is of their Damascus altomino knife and not the promaja/serbian chef knife. I do find the Serbian chef knife to be enjoyable to use and I still stand by it. But in another light, as a reviewer and knife enthusiast, I also have to point out the flaws and quality control of a product. So, it can be both an enjoyable knife to use but it can use some improvement on fit and finish. People that say the lack of quality is part of the rustic charm, I get what they are saying but there are plenty of knives with rustic charm that does not have those quality issues. For example, there are rustic kurouchi Japanese knives for around the same price point that has much better fit and finish. Speaking of price point, $90 being a small amount of money is subjective. The truth is, $90 for a kitchen knife, which for the average person, is a big investment and they are likely to want to know these details prior to making a purchase. For knife enthusiasts, anything under $100 is considered a bargain but for the average person who usually use $20 Walmart knives, $90 is an investment. But I digress. As for my thoughts on those who give the knife a positive review. I respect their point of view and am happy that they satisfied with the product. That's the nice thing about reviews is because people have differing opinions and things they look for in a product. At the end of the day, regardless of what us reviewers have to say, we don't make the decision for people. People will make the decision for themselves and as long as the product makes them happy, it is money well spent. Thanks for watching! 🙂🙏
just use vinegar to remove rust and force a patina on it. i would say for the 30 bucks its a fun knife to get. And edge retention doesnt play a big role for the home cook. but if you pay 90 dollar for this you got ripped off
Totally agree that at $90 is definitely overpriced. I have been playing around with coffee etch and mustard patinas. The vinegar might be fun to add to the mix. Thanks!
@@BetweenTwoForks if you want to experiment with patinas then try a neko no shoben xD some guy over at the chefknifes subreddit actually did it www.reddit.com/r/chefknives/comments/gbi55f/secret_patina_technique_cracked/?
If it was true 58 Rockwell it could hold an edge for a good long time. If it's dulling within a half hour it's probably closer to 52. Might as well buy a Kiwi knife.
Original owners of this knife is AlmazanKitchen and if you want to get them you need t o go on their site. This knifes are just copies because the original owners did not protect the product.
Yup, they sure are the originator. Love their channel. They started pretty much the whole outdoor cooking trend. I have heard they were overcharging on their knives as well.
Between Two Forks if I buy it from Alliexpress is it Original? I would love to buy it for 40 Bucks as long as is the Original , let me know please Thanks .
Thank you so much for supporting the channel! I am honestly not sure. The original will be the one from Almazan Kitchen. All other ones including this coolina are replicas/copies of the knife. Hope this helps. If you have access to Amazon, the wait might be a lot less in comparison to Aliexpress. Especially since they are on rocky grounds.
It is suppose to stain, It is called Patina which a a type of rust that protects the knife. If you read the guide that came with it you would have known. You want this knife to Patina. I agree it is not for the everyday chef. But is great for BBQ. I have the Almasi Knife.
Hey! Thanks for chiming in. I am aware of patina as I have quite a few carbon steel knife. However, there is a difference between a patina and rust. This is not patina that I see but rust that needs to be removed before it further damages the steel. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel! 🙏😃
shotty workmanship. handle and warping is just bad work. good review I am a amateur blade smith and I personally would not send out that type of workmanship to anybody not even if the knife was $20
100% agree! As an artisan and craftsman, you understand the amount of pride that goes into your work. When companies and manufacturers are not willing to pay their factory workers a fair wage, that's kind of the quality we can expect, unfortunately.
I've got one for camp cooking. But I paid £24 for it, that's $34 dollars. That included shipping to me in UK. Its worth 34 bucks all day long. Great fun to prep food with to cook on a fire I chopped wood for with same knife lolol. But 90 dollars? Nope...... Good on you for your integrity mate.
Thank you so much! For that price, I agree that it is a good and fun knife. How did it hold up chopping wood? I've been curious about their claim on cutting wood. I appreciate your support!! 😃🙏
Esshh!! I totally fell for the Coolina advertising and bought 2 knives that just shipped a day or two ago. I wish I was smart enough to research and watch your reviews PRIOR to purchasing, because I definitely would have looked into a better company! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that, as you said in a recent comment, they improved their quality control and I don't feel ripped off! Thanks for sharing.
They are definitely good are shoveling their advertising down our throat lol. I will keep my fingers crossed that their quality meet your expectation. We plan on expanding on other kitchen gear, so if you are interested, stay tuned. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel! 😃🙏
But non of those two knifes you spoke are original. Another thing there is no such thing as an serbian chef knife. It is designed and trademarked by Almazan. It is only called serbian because Almazan is from Serbia. I dont know about those made of chinese steel, but the original one is prity easy to mantain. You just leave pork grease on it and that is it.
You are correct that both coolina and whatever else are knockoffs of Almazan. I love their channel and from what I hear, the originals are much higher quality. Also a resounding statement that there is nothing Serbian about the knife outside of Almazan making it a trademark 🙂 thanks for watching!
@@BetweenTwoForks thanks for reaction and answer, didn't expect it. Love your vids. Sorry for "loud" comment, engilsh is not my native and i didnt undestand at first that you are reviewing knockofs. Plus i know Bojan(Almazan first name) while he waa only, a painter 😅 ps. I wouldn't even call it an every day professional cheff knife. To be honest it is more like utilty camping knife. Keep up the good work.
You are very welcome and I really appreciate the comment! Your English is great and I completely understood 😃 that is really cool that you know them prior to their success on RU-vid! They seem like good guys too. Thank you for supporting the channel! 🙏🙏🙏
What sort of BBQ does he do? For most BBQ, I think a large slicer is real good. If you want a knife with a bit more character like the Serbian style knife. I really like the Daovua Kiri Cleaver instead. Or the Kitchen Knives ID are also really good choices. Something like a 240mm gyuto.
I think they are just drop shippers and all get their own brand stamped or etched on the same knives. Thanks for watching and supporting the channel! 🙏
I see what you are saying but to be fair, it will be difficult to compare the balance of a cleaver style with a western chef knife. Thanks for supporting the channel and watching!
