Six times longer than steel

Steelhed

Steelhed

Joined
May 21, 2001
Messages
2,871
I just saw an ad in a mailorder catalogue touting a new titanim kitchen knife by Boker. The ad claims the knife's edge will last six times longer than conventional blades (steel?). Has anyone used or tested one of these knives? Is this total advertising bullhockey or what?
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Steelhed:
I just saw an ad in a mailorder catalogue touting a new titanim kitchen knife by Boker. The ad claims the knife's edge will last six times longer than conventional blades (steel?). Has anyone used or tested one of these knives? Is this total advertising bullhockey or what?</font>
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You did not see that in my catalog. Why not name the catalog? Of course, if you are talking about the typical super market knife then it does not take much to hold an edge six times longer. Some, not all of those advertized knives will hold a good edge, the crystal finish will not. A. G.
 
Probably the Magnum catalogue. Got mine a couple days ago. Can't believe how much 420 steel they use -- Boker, not Magnum. That's to be expected under $10. I think they even used 420 -- probably J2 -- for their new Smatchet. Can't imagine spending $150 or more for a knife made of 420J2.

Steelhed -- welcome to the forums. I'm no expert. Hopefully someone that is will give you a good answer. Believe that titanium edges are regarded as able to cut long after they have lost real sharpness, go "forever" with a "working edge" or something like that.

Am sure that if you check the search feature on this forum or the general forum that you'll find a lot to read about titanium blades.

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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
I have seen kitchen knives that claim exactly that however the edges were TiN coated, but they just called them Titanium, you will see the same thing with drill bits. Nitride coatings have a very high hardness and exceptional wear resistance, as long as you don't deform the edge, they should cut well for a much longer period of time than steel.

Buck uses such a coating on some of their folders and they claim something like 6-8 times the edge life of one of their noncoated blades. As for pure Titanuim, Mission makes similar claims about their blades. Can't comment in regards to personal experience as I have never used pure Ti blades, nor ones that had the edge partially formed by TiN coatings.

Back to kitchen knives, a simple 420HC will last for at least a month without sharpening of any kind unless it is used on something other than food. I did some edge retention work on a Henckels International line Chef's knife and paring blade and found no degredation after one month. I was judging its sharpness by its ability to slice light cord and fabric under a light load. I could have gone on longer.

The reason that kitchen knives do blunt is generally because they get impacted/deformed. A steel will handle all such problems. I steel mine generally every use and they go quite some time before needing a honing, basically every few months. Food is simply not abrasive enough to wear any amount of steel away.

-Cliff
 
I don't know why I didn't name the catalogue, but it was Russell's for men, I don't know if that catalogue is affiliated with A.G. Russell or not. Since I regularly receive the A.G. Russell catalogue, and have never seen these knives in there, I'm not sure. At any rate, these titanium knives are made by Boker, and they are not TiN coated, at least the add does not say they are, just titatnium alloy. They are not cheap, either. Various models range in price up to over 300 dollars.

I have read quite a bit about the Mission knives, but I don't own one. Since I like to cook, I was thinking a titanium knife might be nice to have.

Cliff- I have a Henkels, a Meisermiester (sp?), and another German kitchen knife, the name of which escapes me now. All seem to hold a similar edge much as you describe. They would go on cutting for months without honing if my wife would stop using them to cut meat and vegetables on ceramic plates. For some reason I cannot get her to understand that the plate is harder than the steel.
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Sorry to get off the topic, but have you considered a ceramic from Boker or Kyocera? I've been using one for several years on vegetables and really like it. They "slide" through food effortlessly. Of course, you would have to change your wife's cutting habits because they need to be used on a wood or soft plastic cutting board.

Isn't it funny how men always complain about how the women in their families misuse kitchen knives? Sort of like listening to a group of women complain about how men won't stop and ask directions! Unfair stereotypes aside, I was able to easily teach my very bright sister how to care for a ceramic and she's delighted with it.

DPD.
 
DPD- I have considered a ceramic for a variety of reasons, but just haven't bought one yet. Then I saw the titanium blade ad, and consumer confusion set in. I should get ceramic and do a side by side test with one of my German chef blades. Afterall, you can't have too many knives. Thanks.
 
I do 100% of my kitchen work with one of two knives: Spyderco Santoku and a Spyderco/Solo Titan, which has a titanium (not titanium coated) blade. Both knives are quite similar, although the Santoku has a flat grind and the Titan has a grind more typocal of Japanese sushi knives in that it is bevelled only on one side. It is not, however, a true chisel grind in that it is actually sharpened on both sides (like Running Dog's assymetrical chisel grind).

Anyway, the knives both have very thin edges. I can say that the titanium one actually does seem to keep a better edge. I don't know if it cuts any better, but it does seem to keep its edge longer. Both need pretty frequent resharpening, though. Using plastic cutting boards greatly reduces the amount of sharpening you need to do on kitchen knives, so if you are having edge-holding poblems and are using hardwood cutting boards, then you may want to make a switch. I don't think the titanium one stays sharper as many times longer as suggested here, though. It probably gets one sharpening for every 1.5-1.75 that I do on the Santoku, but I use the Santoku more, too.

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Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html


agocs_s@hotmail.com
 
Speaking of kitchen knives, have any of you guys seen those GLASS cutting boards? I couldn't believe those things, talk about deforming the edge.
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Errors have been made. Others will be blamed.
 
When I went to visit my elderly mother, I found one of those damn glass cutting boards and a drawer full of knives that would barely cut butter. I had to use a pretty abrasive diamond sharpener to rejuvenate some of them. I suggested that she use the "cutting board" to protect her table from warm dishes.

DPD.
 
Sorry that I didn't describe the glass "cutting board" thoroughly enough to anticipate your question. The thing has little rubber feet that hold it about a quarter to a half inch above table level. With the airspace between it and the table, it should be OK. What I would personally do with the thing would be proceeded by the word "PULL!"

DPD.
 
Gotcha. Do they usually have sort of a frosted/textured surface? If so then I know exactly what you're talking about. One thing I forget to mention about the Ti/steel debate...


The other thing that serves to dull kitchen knives is corrosion from water. The little bit of corrosion on the edge of the knife that forms from washing and use is enough to dull the edge a bit. Think about your razor you shave with. Steel is certainly tougher than your beard (although it doesn't always fell that way!) and you don't use a cutting board to shave (I would think), so the corrosion from water is enough to eventually dull a razor blade. Same effect in the kitchen, so titanium has an advantage in that its edge doesn't suffer the same effects of the corrosion as steel. That said, I still like my santoku better than the Titan because of weight, shape, ergonomics...the titan is a good knife, though, and I got it at a great price. I wonder if they have any left...

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Dr. Steve Agocs
http://www.geocities.com/Chiro75/frames.html


agocs_s@hotmail.com
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Steelhed:
They would go on cutting for months without honing if my wife would stop using them to cut meat and vegetables on ceramic plates. For some reason I cannot get her to understand that the plate is harder than the steel.
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Hah! I took a small, friendly Spyderco Jess Horn folder to Italy on my honeymoon trip. Got 'er hair popping sharp for the trip, only knife I took. Sitting at an outdoor cafe in Roma, I look over and my wife is sawing through pizza crust with my Horn ... on a CERAMIC PLATE! I grabbed the knife, too late... not even 1/2 way through the 2 week vacation and she'd made it dull. Who was the Bobo head ... her for sawing on the plate, or me for letting her use my only knife?
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<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by rdangerer:
... to Italy on my honeymoon trip. ... my wife is sawing through pizza crust with my Horn ... on a CERAMIC PLATE! I grabbed the knife, too late... not even 1/2 way through the 2 week vacation and she'd made it dull
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Honeymoon, Italy, dull knife, who cares??? I would have bought a little sharpening stone, ceramic rod or whatever and touched up the blade while, ah, recouperating.
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