Kitchen Cutlery (Pictures)

I am a long time santoku fan, who has recently become interested in bunka and kiritsuke knives. Are they improvements on the santoku and gyuto respectively?

Here is a Shibata K-tip utility knife. The clad SG2 blade is 150 mm. long. It weighs 80 grams. Rounded spine, lightweight Jarrah handle with a pakkawood ferrule, clean joint. Understated and very versatile. If you are grabbing one knife to take to that deserted tropical island, and you are not cooking for more than two,...

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Nice. I did opt for a kiritsuke over a gyuto, and am looking at aquiring a bunka. Probably more significant than the tip profile is the sharpened blade edge - flat, very curved or in between.
 
RPZIP said:
Nice. I did opt for a kiritsuke over a gyuto, and am looking at aquiring a bunka. Probably more significant than the tip profile is the sharpened blade edge - flat, very curved or in between.
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In-between for me, RPZIP. The more curved blades seem best for folks who work a lot faster than me! Straight edges have their place, but more in specialized blades for purposes that I don't encounter as much. Gently curved blades get great results for me, until we get down to pettys and paring knives.

The reason I am starting to favor the bunka over the santoku is just the K-tip, as the rest of the comparison is a wash. I am starting to think the kiritsuke might be a good choice over the gyuto because the wide blade can do things that the tapered gyuto doesn't do as well, while the all-important cutting edges are pretty much the same.
 
I don't yet have a bunka, but based on a kiritsuke I agree.
 
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Was out fishing on the Bay and caught this one. Not new but quite clean. Very dull but some quick work with a Sharpal gave it my ideal paring edge. Should be good for garlic, coring etc.

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And my Chicago Cutlery 3.5" parer along with a new old stock set, the set so far unused. Delighted that all are made in the USA.

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My wife was going to destroy my fine Japanese kitchen knives, so I assembled these brutes for her use. The Miyabi Koh's are AEB-L, and the Burgvogels are made of whatever tough stainless they were using prior to unification! Sharpened at 14 degrees per side to 3K. As I keep the knives screaming sharp, there is no need for a serrated bread knife. No need.

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The paring knives need to have full sized handles, and since they get so much use we need more than one. Miyabi, F. Dick, and a Japanese Iseya with Damascus VG-10 and micarta.
 
Four Chicago Cutlery USA made 3.5" parers now. Great knives and I can sharpen the hell out of them as needed - four of them should last me the rest of my life.

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Now if I can just find a few more of the #502s
 
RPZIP said:
Four Chicago Cutlery USA made 3.5" parers now. Great knives and I can sharpen the hell out of them as needed - four of them should last me the rest of my life.
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1000099064.jpgI agree on the ease of sharpening the Chicago blades. This 61S was in absolutely brutal shape when I got it. Handle totally caked with a layer of tacky congealed old food (I hope it was food) and dull as a brick. It took acetone and serious scouring with steel wool and sandpaper to get the wood on the handle anywhere near clean. Obviously there's still plenty of cleaning to do around the brass rivets. The edge however came back very readily and very quickly on some diamond plates. A quick turn on a 325 grit plate followed by a 1200 grit diamond rod brought the edge back most skosh. Whatever RC hardness they are running their stainless at, it makes for a very easy sharpening edge.
 
RokJok said:
View attachment 3111849I agree on the ease of sharpening the Chicago blades. This 61S was in absolutely brutal shape when I got it. Handle totally caked with a layer of tacky congealed old food (I hope it was food) and dull as a brick. It took acetone and serious scouring with steel wool and sandpaper to get the wood on the handle anywhere near clean. Obviously there's still plenty of cleaning to do around the brass rivets. The edge however came back very readily and very quickly on some diamond plates. A quick turn on a 325 grit plate followed by a 1200 grit diamond rod brought the edge back most skosh. Whatever RC hardness they are running their stainless at, it makes for a very easy sharpening edge.
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Cool! I have the same one with the composite handle. Vintage CC knives are all over the place on the Bay, some NOS.
 
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R2/SG2, with a convex grind. It balances right where the blade enters the bubinga handle. I sharpen it on waterstones up to 5K and then strop on 3 micron lapping film. The lapping film is AO or SC, it's not diamonds, but it really gets the edge screaming sharp. The blade is very thin so it only takes a few strokes to keep up the edge, the bevels are very narrow.
 
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The cow knife is Blue Paper #2, the petty is Super Blue. These steels really do take a curiously sharp edge. I thought we could get the high-carbide super steels as sharp as anything else by using diamond tools, but the Blue steel is really different. It takes a laser-like edge very quickly and easily.

If you are feeling discouraged with your sharpening skills, you should try Blue Paper. It will make you feel like you know what you are doing!
 
Being left-handed, I have to stick with double bevels! Left-handed single bevels are not common, and they are a lot more expensive than comparable right-handed models.

As a guy who likes to sharpen as much as he likes to cut things up, I really wanted to try white or blue steels, to see what all the fuss was about. Good Golly, these things really are different than sharpening stainless blades. Fun!
 
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Jack Sides said:
A set of Buck Kitchen knives given to us in 1974 as a wedding present. Well used "like me" 52 years later she still has both of usView attachment 3111278
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Excellent set sir! I was given this single
knife , by my father. IMG_0770.jpeg
Terrible picture, but it matches the middle knife in your picture (black micarta).

It took me 10-12 years to find a whole set, on BFs, of course. IMG_0768.jpegIMG_0769.jpeg
Reddish scales, well used by someone else. They still work just fine though.
 
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