Recommend Me a Maker?

Bigfatts

Bigfatts

Joined
Mar 12, 2012
Messages
2,453
My brother is a chef and he is looking for a custom kitchen knife. Santoku, with a 5.5-6.5" blade. As soon as he mentioned custom I suggested he look here on BF in the Maker's Market. I've bought several knives from makers here and am always impressed with the quality to value ratio I've received. But I am beyond my depth at recommending a maker for him, never having looked into custom kitchen cutlery myself and mostly ignorant of who does what. Can you guys recommend me a maker here that can make a nice workhorse without breaking the bank?

What he's looking for:

-5.5-6.5" Santoku blade
-Open to blade steels. He was thinking about damascus but absolutely cannot have anything that may affect the flavor of the food.
-Will be used for meat/vegetables, general purpose
-Don't have a set budget, but he isn't rich
-This knife will get lots of use, so a comfortable handle is a must (subjective I know, but nothing crazy or abstract)

Any suggestions are appreciated. And pics are also welcome!
 
What's your price range? "Breaking the bank" means different things to different people. There are a lot of good makers here across a range of prices.
Damascus that doesn't break the bank will not perform well.

- Chris
 
Yeah, I think he decided against damascus once I told him what it would likely cost. Right now I think he's looking in the $200 range. Nothing fancy, just a solid work horse.
 
This post is a few days old, from James Terrio, also an excellent knife-maker...

"Happy Birthday Lloyd "Butch" Harner
All the Best and many more
For those that don't know, Butch is one of the very-top-notch makers of kitchen cutlery and straight-razors alive today.

I've seen his work often in the KnifeMaker's section...beautiful...
 
With a $200 budget you could also go with a really solid production knife. I was looking to get a high end go-to knife for my work at home in that size range (I tend to alternate between a large paring knife and a 7" santoku, and I thought a large petty around 6" could be my "do almost everything" knife).

I ended up getting a fantabulous Fujiwara Nashiji 6" petty for $142 from a place that sells "chef knives", not for dine-in, they're "to go" (don't know if they're a paid reseller here).

It's a san mai type thing, stainless wrapped around a W#1 core, heat treated to very high hardness (some places list it at RC64-65). It's got just enough height to be viable for board work, and at the same time it's small and nimble enough that I don't have to reach for a smaller knife often if at all.

Anyway, I mention this because I recently was searching for something similar and for the $142 I paid, this thing is perfection.
 
I am making the knife, and the handle goes on today. I'll post some pics when it's done. John made smart choices and is a pleasure to work with.
 
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