A sharp knife is a safe knife.

Esav Benyamin

Esav Benyamin

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Apr 6, 2000
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We all know that. I certainly do ...

I just ducked into the kitchen to fix a small salad, picking up a VERY sharp knife. But when I hit a slightly soft tomato, I realized the edge wasn't quite as sharp as I like. So I cleaned it off, laid it aside, and picked up a knife I've been using lately -- and found it wasn't as sharp as it might be, either, so I -- ouch. It bit the tip of my thumb.

Third knife did the trick. Now all of them are going to get a few strokes of the Sharpmaker this evening. :D
 
I have cured all of my cutting soft tomato problems with my Takeda Gyuto, sharpened at 4 per side with a 6 per side microbevel at a .3 micron finish. It goes through it like it isn't there, you just start a slice and it falls through to the cutting board. And, I haven't bit myself with it yet. Another point to think about is that when you do get bit by a knife, a really sharp one will leave a much cleaner wound that heals faster and leaves less of a scar. When I split my thumb and forefinger in half on my freshly sharpened Native the doctor was amazed how clean the cut was, and within a couple months you couldn't even tell I lopped my fingers in half without looking close.
 
I don't use kitchen knives in the kitchen. I use regular folders, slipjoints, and fixed blades from tactical to field knives. More interesting. As long as I don't get lazy about touching them up, they work fine. The Bark Rivers are especially fun, relatively thick blades that cut like thinner ones.
 
Speaking of dull knives and Bark Rivers in the kitchen, I've got a Rogue I'd like to do that with. I noticed in a past thread you'd done the same, and it seemed like a good idea. The forward couple of inches of my knife are a bit dull. Are you just using a strop to maintain the edge, or have you used stones? I guess I'd like to maintain, or even enhance, the existing convex grind. Thanks.
 
I have 3 Murry Carter kitchen knives. 2 are Muteki line and one hand forged. I bought the 2 Mutekis from Kellam Knives and the hand forged 4.25 inch paring knife from Arizona Custom Knives. I deal with many dealers and these two are top notch. New Graham, Bayou Laforche, and Croc Blades are on my list of dealers I have not dealt with, but plan to. But back to the point, These Murry Carters cut through ripe heirloom (which are pretty soft) tomatoes like nobodies business. It is a pleasure to use them in the kitchen. I believe Julia hild had some of the higher end hand forged Carters.
 
A friend is looking to purchase a nice kitchen knife as a gift and is thinking about an Asian manufacturer. I assume the Muteki knives would be a good lead for her? She's not likely to go for the Rogue!
 
Murray Carter is fun to watch. He puts on some demonstration of shapening with water stones!

I've spoken to him at the NY knife shows. He always has a nice selection of his work, including Japanese style kitchen knives that look sharp enough to split air molecules. :)
 
Very cool. I'll collect some info on Murray and pass it on. My friend's husband–who I work with–would be very pleased, I'll bet, if she chose him one of Carter's knives. He's the chief cook in their family. He watched the Nova show on Samurai sword makers and he's convinced there could be nothing better than the Japanese style of manufacture.
Thanks!
 
my favourite kitchen knives are thin. that way its easy to make thin slices and cut things like watermelon.
 
"A sharp knife is a safe knife."

I've seen this saying around a lot, but I can't bring myself to agree with it. I'm not the knife expert that most people are here, but I do use knives everyday for everything from woodworking, to throwing to food prep. Number of times I've nipped or cut myself with a dull knife: 0...number of times with a sharp knife: I don't know, how many grains of sand in a beach?

Maybe I'm interpreting this saying wrong?
 
I run the butcher steel down the edges of my kitchen knives before slicing up tomatos or anything that needs a sharp knife, that means sharpen before each use. Dull knives are a pain to use, and its just easier to keep them maintained sharp than to let them dull down and then have to work the edges back up
 
dougk16 said:
"A sharp knife is a safe knife."

I've seen this saying around a lot, but I can't bring myself to agree with it. I'm not the knife expert that most people are here, but I do use knives everyday for everything from woodworking, to throwing to food prep. Number of times I've nipped or cut myself with a dull knife: 0...number of times with a sharp knife: I don't know, how many grains of sand in a beach?

Maybe I'm interpreting this saying wrong?
Click to expand...

Doug,
The reason the saying rings true for most of us is outlined in Esav's first post. Had the knife been sharp, it wouldn;t have glided on the skin of the tomato, but rather sliced through the skin and into the fruit.

On the other hand...... the duller a knife is, starting at a certain point, the safer it may be. For example, if you have a knife that's as dull as a sapling...well, that's pretty safe. My only response to this reasoning is (with all due respect), do you want a knife [knife: (noun) cutting instrument] to cut with or an unfinished piece of 1/4" steel bar stock?

I'm a woodworker too and I find that the sharper my chisels, irons, and knives are, the more precise are my cuts and the more safe are my fingers and hands. As a woodworker, you know that paring end grain with a dull chisel is an excersize in futility.....AND, you know what happens when the edge of that chisel slams into the bench, slipping instead of cutting, because it was dull.....

Even with a dull knife, most people don;t purposefully run the edge up and down their fingers or hands. They use the knife to cut something else. Now, if we don;t want to cut ourselves, but we do want to cut something else, then we don;t want a knife that will slip from the object intended to be cut and possibly into our own skin. Since a dull knife takes more pressure to cut through something, when it slips, well......you see the point.

Rather than "A sharp knife is a safe knife", perhaps it would be better put if it was said "A dull knife is a dangerous knife". Maybe it's just perception because of the way the phrase is worded......i.e.: (I did not kill that woman. I did not kill that woman. I did not kill that woman. I did not kill that woman)
 
Stretch, I should have said I can't bring myself to agree with it completely. Certainly there are situations where a sharp knife would be safer, compared of course to a dull knife that is still sharp enough to break skin, like with the subject of this post (and there's no argument about which I would rather have in hand in any situation).

Ah but maybe that's the point, that this saying goes more for comparing sharp and dull knives, but dull ones that are still sharp enough to do damage. Yea so this saying needs some further editing to yours Stretch:

"A dull knife that is nonetheless capable of breaking skin is more dangerous than a hair popper"...just rolls right off the tongue...;)
 
sffar said:
Speaking of dull knives and Bark Rivers in the kitchen, I've got a Rogue I'd like to do that with. I noticed in a past thread you'd done the same, and it seemed like a good idea. The forward couple of inches of my knife are a bit dull. Are you just using a strop to maintain the edge, or have you used stones? I guess I'd like to maintain, or even enhance, the existing convex grind. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Fine-grit sandpaper (up to 2000) on a leather background is what BRKT recommends to maintain the edge. I've always gotten on well with the same, and a strop.
 
A sharp knife in an experienced hand is a safer knife. A sharp knife in an idiots hand is a dangerous knife.

An experienced knife user will be more efficient and safer with a sharp knife. Does that mean you will not cut yourself? On the contrary, the expereinced hand carries the scars that came with the gaining of the experience.

A sharp knife handled carelessly by an idiot or an inexperienced user will be less safe than a dull knife. They are bound to get cut either way. With a sharp knife they will cut to the bone. With a sharp knife the cut may not be as bad.

Just my .02
 
A dull knife takes more force to push or slice through media. A dull knife, due to this extra force, is more likely to glance or slip off of the intended target and land on something like the hand stabilizing what was to be cut. Sharp knives also tend to make cleaner (read less ragged) cuts that tend to heal faster than those from a dull knife.

Handling dull knives also breeds lazyness and complacency. "I mean, what's the big deal, its just a dull knife... Ouch... Does anyone know the number for 911?"
 
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