I thought my kitchen set was complete...but then suddenly...

I've my eyes on this Artifex m390 right after Ken posted his belt-grinder video thinning this m390 knife. From the video, sound like he thins a few of them before. For knife owners, what's your take on the thickness behind the edge for this knife?
 
ken is a pro at doing stuff like that.

the artifex line imho are the kind that's are a bit of a fixer upper. you get a not so thick or not so thin knife that's pretty much a blank canvass and you get to do what you want with it since it's pretty much bang for the buck. you won't lose too much money if you mess with it and all that. but that's the artifex line in general.

the m390, i have no clue. all i know is that it's very wear resistant steel. i read that some guy has owned one and hasn't sharpened it in the 3 months he's owned it. i don't remember if he mentioned anything about thickness behind the edge, but since the m390 version is exactly like the aeb-l version, it would be pretty much the same overall.

if you want something that's ready to go and not mess around with, go with the m390 ultimatum if you really want m390. =D
 
bluntcut said:
I've my eyes on this Artifex m390 right after Ken posted his belt-grinder video thinning this m390 knife. From the video, sound like he thins a few of them before. For knife owners, what's your take on the thickness behind the edge for this knife?
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Ill double check tonight but I think it was .018 at the heel and .010 at the tip
 
Steel130 said:
I just chatted with Ken and this was his response on the Artifex.

"Anyhow I'm finding that the M390 Artifex handles acute edges just fine, going down to 10 degrees per side with ease, so I really don't hve a concern about a bad heat treat. Besides Mark (@ CKTG), is getting his heat treats by some of the best in the business, so I wouldn't have suspected any problems."

That should put any worries to rest as Ken is very knowledgeable on kitchen cutlery :).
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Steel thank you for doing that.
 
I recently picked up a Artifex in AEB-L and love it. The factor edge was so-so but with a little work it is very sharp. Once I have time I'm putting a new primary bevel with my Edge Pro but even just a little work on the factory edge has been good enough for a short time. The M390 should be a monster slicer!
 
I just received my Artifex in M390. I also took advantage of the free shipping and picked up a paring knife in 52100. Both of them were shaving sharp straight out of the box. I am not sure I love the handles, but I am going to have to give them a good workout before I decide for sure. If you are a professional, it would probably be worth the extra $80 for the wa handle.
 
My Artifex has seen quite a bit of work since it arrived. Even the AEB-L steel holds an edge for a long time. I am going to thin the edge behind the bevel since I'm sure it can be an even better slicer. Right now it's around 15 degrees per side and holding up very well. Mine is 210mm which seems a little short now since I have moved up to 240mm gyuto but it is good for working when my cutboard is full of chopped veggies.
 
I took my M390 Artifex to the grind last week. It was fatter than I thought (.025 at the shoulder ) and now it is .012. It took a bit of work as I took it to a flat grind then restored the convex grind. It is so thin now that the saya slides right off Thank god for Blaze belts!

First attempt but not thin enough

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Second attempt with a bit more steel removal.

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how is it now after your tweeking? just curious, if i were to get an m390 artifex, how much would you charge for your thinning service? =D
 
With the convex grind restored I have had zero problems with sticky potatoes, yams and celery. I do however have a bit of resistance with slicing as the 220grit finish is too coarse. I think norax belts would help level it out.

Shoot me a pm/email
 
It's definitely a very hard steel. One could totally use only stones for sharpening but I find doing the roughing on an Atoma 400 gets things done a little faster and then moving to the Choseras and the Shaptons. have fun!
 
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