Carbon steel kitchen knife?

I am a knife newb, but have been reading here alot :)

Louisianacook, I like the "looks" of that knife you posted, but a few questions..

Does that knife have a name? (or maybe unpronouncable by a westerner? :))
What is "super blue" steel?

And the one listed as high carbon steal for under $50.. any ideas what kind of steel/hardness that one is?

I really like the asian characters scrolled along the blade.

Thanks!
 
They call it a Hiromoto High Carbon. Super Blue steel is also called AS steel or Aogami Super, literally "Blue Steel Super", made in Japan by Hitachi. Awesome steel.

Not sure exactly what steel it is, the Japanese aren't so forthcoming in this regard, but you can be assured that it is most likely ~1% C, and hardness 60+RC. Be aware that the knife, should you get one, won't look like mine without forcing a patina on it.
 
In Germany the Herder kitchen knives in carbon steel (Windmuehlen Messer / Windmill Knives or the Series 1922) are almost legendary and have been used by several generations. Since 1872, Herder has come up with some interesting designs.

Have a look: http://www.roedter-messer.de/windmuehle.htm

I don't know where to get them in the US, though.
 
Jeff Clark said:
Lamson blades are way too soft for my taste, 52-55 RC. They are some of the softest blades of any major manufacturer. Look at their "features" webpage:
http://www.lamsonsharp.com/features.html
Click to expand...

Lamson must have changed recently. I have one that I bought (new) almost 10 years ago, and it is certainly not that low Rc. It is noticeably harder than my Wusthof or Henckels (granted, those brands are also not noted for being high Rc, but my Lamson is probably around 56-57).

I have a few Old Hickory knives, I like them. They may not be in the same class as some of the blue or white steel Japanese knives, they hold a decent edge and can take a beating.
 
Try here. Honwarikomi knife blades are made of a carbon steel plate that is encased front, top, and back in stain-resistant steel. As a result, the cutting edge of the blade is as sharp and durable as a carbon steel knife, while the stain-resistant steel outer layer makes this knife very easy to maintain. Tojiro's honwarikomi knives use high-quality Swedish carbon steel and 13% chromium stain-resistant steel in their construction.

http://www.japanese-knife.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=Knife&Category_Code=HFU-F
 
That is actually a stainless core knife now. The steel is similiar to VG10 They haven't updated their website. Good knives nontheless.
 
Bob W said:
AG Russell advertises the rockwell of KAI knives (damascus steel) at 65rc.
http://www.agrussell.com/knives/by_maker/e_through_k/kai_cutlery.html

Personally, I like the older USA-made Chicago Cutlery. High-carbon stainless steel, walnut handles. I doubt the hardness is anywhere near 60rc though, and the new ones are imported from China. Actually those old C.C. knives were made by another US company that's still in business, but the name escapes me at the moment.

-Bob
Click to expand...

The Company is lamson and goodnow. We used to make all of the Chicago cutlery knives and many knives for Russell.
 
lambertiana said:
Lamson must have changed recently. I have one that I bought (new) almost 10 years ago, and it is certainly not that low Rc. It is noticeably harder than my Wusthof or Henckels (granted, those brands are also not noted for being high Rc, but my Lamson is probably around 56-57).

I have a few Old Hickory knives, I like them. They may not be in the same class as some of the blue or white steel Japanese knives, they hold a decent edge and can take a beating.
Click to expand...

To my knowledge we have always had a rockwell of 52-55 on most if not all of our blades.
 
I just got Hirotomo Santoku - $50 in white steel and nice damascus pattern on a part of the blade. Highly recommended! It stands on par with my hand forged Murray Carter Wabocho ($95) - also in white steel. If you like nice patina on a blade - get HIROTOMO.
 
I have a set of old Case kitchen knives (carbon steel). The big butcher knife is still in the paper sleeve it came in. Use most of the other ones. Nice knives but they do rust if you aren't careful. They are very easy to sharpen.
 
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