Robert Erickson, I'm sorry- I forgot to address your question up there. Thin, flat to convex grinds are not the BEST if food release is the primary concern- something more asymmetrical or even more convex, with a brake partway up the bevel makes food come off more. But, like everything with knives, chef knives being no exception, these have a compromise between desirable attributes. I like to cut and slice with very little drag, with a primary use knife- so these are ground thin, and then convexed as much as is practical to aid in food release. It also helps them that the steel is etched deeply. I've sent out AEB-L knives with the same profile and grinds that were met with specific positive feedback pertaining to food release, and those had a plain 400 grit hand sand. The surface on these is at least or more low-suction than those... hope that answers well enough.
Nine, I didn't use that one... you have sharp eyes, the damascus is a little lighter in the trademark area, due to some pesky shadowing on the mark itself that took careful additional finish sanding to remove! The edge profile is one I use a lot though, indeed not a lot of rocker, which I prefer mostly... of course everyone has their own style that works best for them with knife work. I need to remember to offer some curvier French-style edges now and then- I just can't bring myself to make German style profiles unless it's a custom order. These will mince stuff OK without digging a board up, although if I had to go through a lot of garlic or something I might switch off to a nakiri.
