- Joined
- Feb 28, 2009
- Messages
- 853
Hello everyone,
A short time ago I participated in a pass-around for a set of kitchen knives made by John of JK Handmade Knives. Life has been very hectic lately and I haven't had the time to write the review until now, so here we go!
The two knives in question are a utility knife and a paring knife, both designed by John's lovely and talented wife.
The utility knife:
This knife cut like a dream, and the handle was very comfortable. I purposely got the handle wet prior to trying it out to see how it felt and it was just as grippy as it was when it was dry, and it dried very quickly. The blade is thin and has some flex to it, and the edge came fairly sharp--I just stropped it to a nice smooth edge. It both peeled and cut canteloupe very nicely:
If I could have anything changed about this knife, it would be for the blade to be just a tad wider and the grind a bit higher, but overall it is a fantastic knife! I used it to slice a bit of 8oz horsehide leather (although I didn't take a picture of that) and it glided through it fairly easily, so it is plenty durable for use as a camp knife as well.
The paring knife:
This knife had a great, light feel to it, and I also wet its handle down before use and it worked out just as well as the utility knife did (both handles are micarta). This blade is also thin, and flexes quite a bit so I believe it would work very well for boning if it was a bit longer. It peels apples well (which I forgot to get pictures of) so I figured I would give it a workout and use nothing but the paring knife to process a pineapple:
After that, I took it to a piece of leather (note that I stabbed it through the leather before cutting instead of cutting from an edge so I could test its penetration ability):
And we weren't done there--I had a nice seasoned chunk of eucalyptus I'm saving for knife scales and I shaved an edge off with the paring knife:
The paring knife handled well, and if I were to change anything about it I would want a clipped point (easier for stabbing into things, like if you want to core an apple, for example) and a higher grind so that it slices a bit easier.
All-in-all this is a great pair of knives, and I'm sure that John is taking all of the notes from the people in the pass-around to improve them. If you get the chance to pick up either of these knives--or both--definitely don't hesitate!
A short time ago I participated in a pass-around for a set of kitchen knives made by John of JK Handmade Knives. Life has been very hectic lately and I haven't had the time to write the review until now, so here we go!
The two knives in question are a utility knife and a paring knife, both designed by John's lovely and talented wife.
The utility knife:
This knife cut like a dream, and the handle was very comfortable. I purposely got the handle wet prior to trying it out to see how it felt and it was just as grippy as it was when it was dry, and it dried very quickly. The blade is thin and has some flex to it, and the edge came fairly sharp--I just stropped it to a nice smooth edge. It both peeled and cut canteloupe very nicely:
If I could have anything changed about this knife, it would be for the blade to be just a tad wider and the grind a bit higher, but overall it is a fantastic knife! I used it to slice a bit of 8oz horsehide leather (although I didn't take a picture of that) and it glided through it fairly easily, so it is plenty durable for use as a camp knife as well.
The paring knife:
This knife had a great, light feel to it, and I also wet its handle down before use and it worked out just as well as the utility knife did (both handles are micarta). This blade is also thin, and flexes quite a bit so I believe it would work very well for boning if it was a bit longer. It peels apples well (which I forgot to get pictures of) so I figured I would give it a workout and use nothing but the paring knife to process a pineapple:
After that, I took it to a piece of leather (note that I stabbed it through the leather before cutting instead of cutting from an edge so I could test its penetration ability):
And we weren't done there--I had a nice seasoned chunk of eucalyptus I'm saving for knife scales and I shaved an edge off with the paring knife:
The paring knife handled well, and if I were to change anything about it I would want a clipped point (easier for stabbing into things, like if you want to core an apple, for example) and a higher grind so that it slices a bit easier.
All-in-all this is a great pair of knives, and I'm sure that John is taking all of the notes from the people in the pass-around to improve them. If you get the chance to pick up either of these knives--or both--definitely don't hesitate!
