Phil Hartsfield

:D I enjoyed this post and going to Phil's website. Its fun to look at knife pictures and listen to people talk about them. On one hand its just money and it would be spent any way...on the other hand some people rather like the money to be in THEIR pocket. It costs alot to live in Phil's neck of the woods. Could that have a bearing on his prices? Unless you make and sell very well and prolificaly (sic)I don't think its easy to get ahead with just knifemaking. The numbers just aren't there. I wonder if chisel edges would just be too "off" for me? Too unusual. I like the Kukri, Three Rivers and the Zahid special . The kukri looks so simple that it becomes appealing. It would suck $5500 later and its heavy and not good for right handers:)
 
Bladeandbarrel said:
I find the knives to be poorly designed and poorly made, especially for the money. They are sharp and have a nice story behind them. Sound familiar?:(
Click to expand...

Very.

"the sky or a body of water"???? Phil doesn't peddle this brand of BS himself, does he?

Roger
 
I think what Phill means is that he imparts a part of his spirit into his blades alot of japanese sword smiths believe the same. Any handcrafted item be it a piece of furniture or a violin that some one puts there heart and soul into making becomes a labor of love and I can see what he means. I don't here you guys making fun of any traditional japanese smiths. And yes I know Phil does not make traditional forged blades but he never claims to make a traditional blade. He makes his own style and what he believes the best tool or weapon he can. His finish is what it is and his edge's are also what they are and that is dam sharp. To give your opinion is one thing to make fun of or slander a very nice man and a very talented artisian is ignorant and shows bad taste. weather you guys like his work or not his work is instantly recognizeable he gets top dollar and he has a waiting list. so who's laughing



jp
 
Personally I love his blades. Will never ever be able to afford one, but I think his level of finish is perfect for the intended purpose. No need to make all mirror polished like or any of the above as it will just get scratched and then really be ugly!
 
jparanee,
Thanks for your response, well said. There's too many good things to be said about knives and their makers.
Lycosa
 
jp,

I think you are right, Philll is laughing.

Unfortunately it is the knife community that is the 'laughee'

I've had three Hartsfield, and none of them cut worth a crap. This includes a Hartsfield 'chef knife' that couldn't even dice an onion. :( Guess the soul had worn off by the time I got it... :rolleyes:

-Michael
 
Chefget said:
jp,

I think you are right, Philll is laughing.

Unfortunately it is the knife community that is the 'laughee'

I've had three Hartsfield, and none of them cut worth a crap. This includes a Hartsfield 'chef knife' that couldn't even dice an onion. :( Guess the soul had worn off by the time I got it... :rolleyes:

-Michael
Click to expand...

:D

The onion test is a killer. The BEST onion slicer I have is a Wusthof factory made knife. Thin blades rule in the kitchen.
 
I have a french curve chef knife I had to cojole Jim Rodebaugh into making for me. Straight high carbon with a desert ironwood handle made for my hand. The son of a b.... flat cuts. It slices, it dices, it breaks chicken bones. I can cut brunoise (1/8"x1/8"x1/8") all day long. For a guy that hates to make chef knives (a good many knife makers seem to hate making them), he sure made a great one for me. Getting the taper and balance right is tough, but absolutely critical. As a professional chef, I can say it is the finest kitchen knife I have ever held. I put more use on my knives in a week than most people put on in months, and this knife has held up.
 
Actually, this knife had a rather thin blade. The combination of the thin blade with the cord-wrapped handle gave this knife a distinctly cheap feel. It was chisel ground, (as are most Japanese kitchen knives), and was further hindered by no taper and pitiful balance.

hartsfield_chef.jpg


-Michael
 
duh....i should have guessed that.....on the subject of phil hartsfield i can't say much because i have never held or used one of his blades.....i do read alot of comments about how sharp they are.....a knife is only as sharp as one can get it....every knife dulls and the owner has to sharpen it himself.....i have a bunch of knives from murray carter.....his knives are like laserbeams but i still have to sharpen them......by looking at phil's knives they do seem priced a little steep but that's just me.....i hope to see one one day so i can see what all the fuss is about.....ryan
 
I don't get it. Cutting an onion isn't that hard. I did it the other day with my dull as hell Henckels (spelling error?) kitchen knife. Anything with half an edge is gonna cut an onion just fine. The tomato, well that's a different story :)

Chefget: If the Hartsfield kitchen knife looked cheap to you, why'd ya buy it? :D And is it me or that belt clip on that kitchen knife sheath hella crooked? Maybe just a bad photo?
 
Leu,

Got it in trade, same as the other two I had of his...was really curious because of the hype about the cutting ability....

Sold/traded all three, they just didn't cut that well...but as always YMMV

-Michael
 
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