I decided to give the Fallkniven K2 (Blue Whale) a try based on the good reviews it received here and after seeing one at a show. I purchased the knife from Murray at Pro Edge.
http://www.proedgeknives.com/
The K2 knife was put to good use with meats and vegetables over the holidays. The package made an excellent gift. It was very sharp out of the box, easily capable of shaving hair from my arms. The knife is thin (0.09) and lightweight. The black coating gave it a tactical appearance and scared my mother somewhat. The edge has a pronounced curve over its entire length. It does not have a straight section that would have been useful for chopping vegetables.
The handle is extremely comfortable. There are no sharp edges to abrade the hands after long use. The contours of the handle allowed a very secure grip if I tightened up on it. The handle has an index finger cut out for further grip security. The handle is increase in width towards the blade. It swells up near the butt. The handle is smooth so that it is very maneuverable and extremely secure if I tighten my grip. Everyone that used the knife liked the handle design.
For slicing up the roast and turkey the K2 is great. The thin and sharp edge and curve allowed me to slice our beef roast into very thin pieces. The slices were much thinner than I could do it with my thicker Grohman kitchen knife. The slightly thicker blade on the Grohman would cause the cut to deflect which made thin slices very difficult. The knife sliced the bone a few times but did not affect the blade. While the manufacture recommends against bone impacts this is an unavoidable part of slicing up many meets. The knife sliced up the 8 x6x6: roast without difficulty and its cutting ability was not noticeably degraded.
I tried the K2 out on vegetables and cheese. Usually I try to push cut through vegetable and cheese. This does not require a very sharp knife if thin slices are not required. I expected the K2 to require a rocking motion due to its curved edge. To my surprise the knife worked quite well. I simply pushed the knife diagonally through whatever I was cutting.
After about 3 days of use with my sister and mother the edge was noticeably duller. It would not shave or quite as well. For example I had to run the edge over a tomato a few times to get the blade started. I had to run the edge over the tomato once and the knife cut deeply when it was new. They had done nothing for maintaining the edge. Normally they would have used a grooved butchers steel. After carefully feeling the edge I could not feel that the edge had flopped over. I tried the steeling the K2 but did not improve the edge significantly. I suspect the degraded edge is mainly due to the plastic chopping boards that the knife was used on. (My mom used a Grohman paring knife for removing the fat and sinew from chicken, paring, and opening bags is still very sharp. The knife has not been used on the plastic cutting board). The K2 maintained its cutting ability better than the Grohman, this could be due to the thinner profile as much as harder steel. I am not sure which.
A few swipes with the fine ceramic sticks (white) of the Spyderco sharpener restored the blades original sharpness. I did 20 strokes on one side than the other. I could feel a burr after 20 strokes. I alternated from side to side for 10 more strokes to removing the burr. The K2 is very easy to sharpen.
After three weeks of use the knife is again relatively dull. I would have swiped it over the Sharpmaker a few times again but everyone else thought it was fine. I could feel a slight burr on the edge. The knife has been prepared numerous meals (I dont have any idea how many). On the Grohman there is a very pronounced burr. We are all right handed and cause a burr to form on the same side. The knife would not shave or scrape hair. While I felt it rather dull, the other users felt the knife was acceptable. Steeling improved the knifes cutting ability but did not return the razor sharp edge. The Grohman would scrape hair after steeling. I decided to leave the knife alone to see how long it will last till my mom or sister request I sharpen it. They also commented that they would want the edge straighter, like on the K1.
The K2 is a great utility kitchen knife. Handle ergonomics are excellent. The blade K1 with a straighter cutting would be better for all-purpose kitchen use. I would have like the knife about 20-30% heavier so that it would more of the work of cutting. However the both my mom and sister felt the knife weight was sufficient. The harder than typical steel did not overcome the poor chopping boards my family uses.
Will
http://www.proedgeknives.com/
The K2 knife was put to good use with meats and vegetables over the holidays. The package made an excellent gift. It was very sharp out of the box, easily capable of shaving hair from my arms. The knife is thin (0.09) and lightweight. The black coating gave it a tactical appearance and scared my mother somewhat. The edge has a pronounced curve over its entire length. It does not have a straight section that would have been useful for chopping vegetables.
The handle is extremely comfortable. There are no sharp edges to abrade the hands after long use. The contours of the handle allowed a very secure grip if I tightened up on it. The handle has an index finger cut out for further grip security. The handle is increase in width towards the blade. It swells up near the butt. The handle is smooth so that it is very maneuverable and extremely secure if I tighten my grip. Everyone that used the knife liked the handle design.
For slicing up the roast and turkey the K2 is great. The thin and sharp edge and curve allowed me to slice our beef roast into very thin pieces. The slices were much thinner than I could do it with my thicker Grohman kitchen knife. The slightly thicker blade on the Grohman would cause the cut to deflect which made thin slices very difficult. The knife sliced the bone a few times but did not affect the blade. While the manufacture recommends against bone impacts this is an unavoidable part of slicing up many meets. The knife sliced up the 8 x6x6: roast without difficulty and its cutting ability was not noticeably degraded.
I tried the K2 out on vegetables and cheese. Usually I try to push cut through vegetable and cheese. This does not require a very sharp knife if thin slices are not required. I expected the K2 to require a rocking motion due to its curved edge. To my surprise the knife worked quite well. I simply pushed the knife diagonally through whatever I was cutting.
After about 3 days of use with my sister and mother the edge was noticeably duller. It would not shave or quite as well. For example I had to run the edge over a tomato a few times to get the blade started. I had to run the edge over the tomato once and the knife cut deeply when it was new. They had done nothing for maintaining the edge. Normally they would have used a grooved butchers steel. After carefully feeling the edge I could not feel that the edge had flopped over. I tried the steeling the K2 but did not improve the edge significantly. I suspect the degraded edge is mainly due to the plastic chopping boards that the knife was used on. (My mom used a Grohman paring knife for removing the fat and sinew from chicken, paring, and opening bags is still very sharp. The knife has not been used on the plastic cutting board). The K2 maintained its cutting ability better than the Grohman, this could be due to the thinner profile as much as harder steel. I am not sure which.
A few swipes with the fine ceramic sticks (white) of the Spyderco sharpener restored the blades original sharpness. I did 20 strokes on one side than the other. I could feel a burr after 20 strokes. I alternated from side to side for 10 more strokes to removing the burr. The K2 is very easy to sharpen.
After three weeks of use the knife is again relatively dull. I would have swiped it over the Sharpmaker a few times again but everyone else thought it was fine. I could feel a slight burr on the edge. The knife has been prepared numerous meals (I dont have any idea how many). On the Grohman there is a very pronounced burr. We are all right handed and cause a burr to form on the same side. The knife would not shave or scrape hair. While I felt it rather dull, the other users felt the knife was acceptable. Steeling improved the knifes cutting ability but did not return the razor sharp edge. The Grohman would scrape hair after steeling. I decided to leave the knife alone to see how long it will last till my mom or sister request I sharpen it. They also commented that they would want the edge straighter, like on the K1.
The K2 is a great utility kitchen knife. Handle ergonomics are excellent. The blade K1 with a straighter cutting would be better for all-purpose kitchen use. I would have like the knife about 20-30% heavier so that it would more of the work of cutting. However the both my mom and sister felt the knife weight was sufficient. The harder than typical steel did not overcome the poor chopping boards my family uses.
Will
