Photos 3 VERY STRANGE SANTOKUS

[Chefget]

The thing with Etsy Chefget is they don`t properly vet the vendors - it ranges from total scam merchants to genuine artisans that care about reputation, repeat custom and customer satisfaction.
It`s the Wild West and it`s the same on Amazon, Ebay, Onbuy, Alibaba and Aliexpress - buyer beware - always be vigilant.
I find word of mouth recommendation is brilliant especially if you know body language and reverse psychology and have a lot of experience with various languages in many Countries - I had no choice, I was an International sales rep.
If you do amateur dramatics and are a serious gambler like me (in China), that gives one a much more prescient insight that reduces the transaction risks significantly.
I`ve also had 2 companies at age 21 that didn`t ever go bankrupt and more than broke even in the first year.
If the seller communication is regular, instantaneous, informative and comprehensive that is a good sign.
In my experience the local and international low-volume artisanal bladesmiths show a shop with nothing to buy immediately and 1-2+ month lead times but quality is worth waiting for.
To make a handmade double-knotted kilim Turkish rug/carpet can take 2 years just to weave for example.
The bigger full room carpets can take 5-7 years to make.
I am waiting for a handmade Sheffield full tang/brass riveted 6" utility in O1 steel with forced patina and Yorkshire oak handle from Michael May and he kindly informed me of the knife order dispatch window after 6 weeks and he has a stirling reputation with Worldwide recognition.

Um, yeah that and a cup of coffee...

Point is it's hard to see someone shill for such junk; someone might think that they are decent, or even Japanese.

If your experience has taught you to prepare bread and wine for 700 with only a sharpened Campbell tomato soup can, fantastic! Someone might listen to your advice though and buy this crap, that's my only concern.

 

[Taz]

Many buyers don't vet the sellers properly. These are garbage blades; look at the grind. The knife is the full 1/8" thick down to where the hollow ground, low bevel is sloppily ground. When I see grinds on cheap knives like this, they are usually around 1/16" at the spine so it is thin enough to cut somewhat OK even with the low grind. These will wedge horribly in taller/harder foods.

If everything at that store is 75% off, there is a reason why! These guys make sites, vendor profiles etc and try to pose as a knife company when they are bringing in the same garbage blades and trying to make people think they are a decent knife. They hike up the price and then have it on a huge sale constantly to draw people in thinking they are getting a great deal. They will put any mark/stamp on them you want; they don't care. CusoCuts does this; import cheap blades, have them for crazy expensive prices, then mark them down and they are horrible products, soft steel, rust like crazy, etc. They sharpen up well (you can sharpen anything, even wood), but are very soft and won't hold an edge.

And suckers come along, buy and post these blades and show off how great they are, even though they don't look good at all. Some overseas knives can perform well, but looking at the pictures from that webstore, I would stay FAR away from these if you want a knife and not an axe. No way would I trust the steel or rockwell hardness that is claimed, either. I have a rockwell hardness tester in my shop with calibration blocks, so I can actually test stuff, not just going by years of experience and knowledge, or a marketers claims. The recipe may be the same as D2 (even that is doubtful), but the quality of the steel processes is fully unknown.

Unless you want something ugly to hang on the wall, don't waste your money on these!

 

[roaduck]

Um, yeah that and a cup of coffee...

Point is it's hard to see someone shill for such junk; someone might think that they are decent, or even Japanese.

If your experience has taught you to prepare bread and wine for 700 with only a sharpened Campbell tomato soup can, fantastic! Someone might listen to your advice though and buy this crap, that's my only concern.

I know that they`re not brilliant ; I`m not daft I just liked the look of `em.
They are above average and that`s fine with me.
I`ve showed Kieth Floyd a few things - no man`s an island.
I worked on a farm and made my own steel from iron sand in a forge with no electricity in China and made 1000`s of horse-shoes, knives and sickles as a teenager; I had no choice - dropped in the deep end.
There was two farriers for hundreds of horses in a fox-hunting, agrarian farmland and horse racetrack market town so I rolled my sleeves up and helped the blacksmith - I got kicked a few times at first but you get the hang of it eventually nailing shoes on, filing hooves - hard work but rewarding.

 

[kvaughn]

That top knife looks like a cross between a Serbian chef's knife and a Chinese/Japanese noodle cutting knife with the long heel extending under the handle so direct downward pressure can be applied to it.

With a little bit of ulu thrown in?

 

[Chefget]

I know that they`re not brilliant ; I`m not daft I just liked the look of `em.
They are above average and that`s fine with me.
I`ve showed Kieth Floyd a few things - no man`s an island.
I worked on a farm and made my own steel from iron sand in a forge with no electricity in China and made 1000`s of horse-shoes, knives and sickles as a teenager; I had no choice - dropped in the deep end.

Me also

[media]

 

[roaduck]

Philip K Dick is certainly no Asimov or H.G Wells but I liked the original film with Rutger Hauer.
The carpenter Harrison Ford, can`t act his way out of a paper bag.
Personally I prefer auteurs and European directors and actors that can speak in three languages in the same film; shows range and versatility.
I love actors that do live theatre and interpret difficult playwrights regularly - RSC or RADA trained are World class.
There are over 20 theatres in my city and I see at least 6 plays a year.

 

[roaduck]

Many buyers don't vet the sellers properly. These are garbage blades; look at the grind. The knife is the full 1/8" thick down to where the hollow ground, low bevel is sloppily ground. When I see grinds on cheap knives like this, they are usually around 1/16" at the spine so it is thin enough to cut somewhat OK even with the low grind. These will wedge horribly in taller/harder foods.

If everything at that store is 75% off, there is a reason why! These guys make sites, vendor profiles etc and try to pose as a knife company when they are bringing in the same garbage blades and trying to make people think they are a decent knife. They hike up the price and then have it on a huge sale constantly to draw people in thinking they are getting a great deal. They will put any mark/stamp on them you want; they don't care. CusoCuts does this; import cheap blades, have them for crazy expensive prices, then mark them down and they are horrible products, soft steel, rust like crazy, etc. They sharpen up well (you can sharpen anything, even wood), but are very soft and won't hold an edge.

And suckers come along, buy and post these blades and show off how great they are, even though they don't look good at all. Some overseas knives can perform well, but looking at the pictures from that webstore, I would stay FAR away from these if you want a knife and not an axe. No way would I trust the steel or rockwell hardness that is claimed, either. I have a rockwell hardness tester in my shop with calibration blocks, so I can actually test stuff, not just going by years of experience and knowledge, or a marketers claims. The recipe may be the same as D2 (even that is doubtful), but the quality of the steel processes is fully unknown.

Unless you want something ugly to hang on the wall, don't waste your money on these!

I totally agree with you Taz - dubious marketing gimmicks etc but they don`t bother me in the slightest - I`ve lived in the West Bank working for MSF so I can deal with crazy situations.
I can use any knife Taz and living in China for 15 years showed me real knife skills.
A lot of Chinese chefs just use a caidao; so did I , the Japanese use many knives - totally different viewpoint.
Using an 8" Wusthof chefs was like using a little paring knife in comparison.
It`s like when I had a 38 seat 1960`s Bedford bus and I got into a tiny 1 litre Datsun 120Y - it was like driving a go-cart haha !
Talking of axes I`ve cooked a few good meals using just a sharp hatchet !
What did people use years ago when they had nothing else ?
How did people shave 200 years ago ? they managed - they overcame the obstacles.
If all you`ve got is a cheap knife and you have lots of people to feed - you adapt - learn to do more with less.
Years ago I helped a friend out who couldn`t afford to get his van fixed so I took the back seats out of my BMW 318Ti 2 door coupe and used it as a big hatch back with a 3 foot high hot water extraction carpet cleaner in the back with all the water hoses, extension cables, buckets and dust sheets in it - no problem at all.
I used the 6 1/2 inch heavy green santoku tonight to medium dice 2 large onions - took me much less than a minute - easy.
If I wanted to thin them all I could do them in a afternoon with my Tormek - but I can manage them fine with no modifications.
Of course it helps if you`re used to big single bevel knives and are ambidextrous ( because of old injuries etc )

 

[Aardvark]

I think that it has more to do with having the ability to make a decent choice at a particular price point, than being able to adapt or make-do.
For the cost of the pictured santukos, one can buy a decent chef's knife. Chicago Cutlery, for instance. Probably the un-sexiest knife on the planet, but certainly adequate, with a solid reputation. Even though Ontario is out of business, their products are still available from various sources. Just an example. Lee Valley French cook's knife is another.

Adapting? I've prepared a meal with 16" khukuri. Worked a treat to dismember the chicken. NASA has informed me that one of the carrot slices is in a slowly decaying orbit around Triton.

None of this is a judgment of Roaduck's like of the santukos that he bought. I'm glad that he's satisfied, and also glad that the knives wound up in the hands of someone who can overcome their limitations, and not someone who throws them at the neighbor's cat, for yowling. Doesn't work; don't ask.

 

[roaduck]

Haha bless you Aardvark - I like a challenge - it makes me feel more useful, and helps me become bit more rounded , a bit more patient and more tolerant - tools for life - like knives haha !
I like unusual knives and green ones.I don`t need dear ones as you all know and I don`t care what profile it is or where it comes from.
I am not overly critical of people or objects because that is being unrealistic and is negative energy that wears me down so I try and be pragmatic.
I see a glass as half-full and can utilise old and recycled things to their full potential.
Obviously if I use a posh knife it is a joy to use and it`s like having decent paintbrushes to create a lovely painting.
I love geeky things that are a necessary evil but I prefer making custom aftershaves or perfumes or different styles of music etc.
I`m afraid that a bad workman blaming his tools is a truism and a luxury that a lot of poor people can`t dwell on - they do their best with whatever`s available at the time.
I grew up poor, kept the telly off, read lots of books and got my act together with cooking, smithing, DIY, mechanics, `puters etc so I saved money and became more independent and self reliant - but I love socialising - hence the dinner parties, busking with the sax and card schools.
My mum always said have a few strings to your bow in case things go pear-shaped haha !
Everything is a work in progress haha !