Many of you have written in to jeer at the amount of money I drop on gear, no offence is ever taken because my off-line friends mock me even more savagely, but in my self image I see myself as something of a bargain hunter so for this post I'm reviewing something that's such great value for money that it actually challenges Mora of Sweden's crown as 'best bang-for-buck outfit on the planet', effusive praise I know, but deserved!
When my pal at Edenweshops told me he had a range of kitchen knives I must admit I was a little underwhelmed, everyone and his uncle are selling kitchen knives and most of them are terrible, then he said 'They're in VG10' now as regular readers will know that made me sit up and pay attention, VG10 is one of the super steels that hold an edge long after the competition has been rendered blunter than the cold-word from a plumber. Then he showed me the price list! In the parlance of todays young people OMG! WTF!!
Up until a year ago VG10 was always at a fairly hefty price premium - prices starting at $100/£100 a blade and rising very steeply from there. With kitchen knives inexplicably costing even more than survival knives and stalking knives, more like $150/£150 and very quickly reaching double that and beyond
Because Eden are a relatively new name in knife sales, and this is their first foray into manufacturing, they've priced the knives at the level known as 'no-brainer'. Yep finally you can have a whole set of chef's knives for what one of the better known brands would set you back for just one knife.
Edge Holding? VG10 steel takes care of that.
Blade geometry? Cuts like a lazer, really like an effing lazer.
Fit and finish? 95% of what you'd get for several times the price, and nothing that you couldn't smooth out with a few sheets of wet-and-dry in and hour or so.
Kitchen Brag factor? Way way cooler than Global Knives for a fraction of the price
I've got one of the posher Damast series knives in the 'Santoku' blade shape, the perfect all-rounder for kitchen duties, and with its oil-on-water damascus pattern blade very very sexy, but if you're just after function rather than entering the 'kitchen tools arms race' with the other foodies, you can forgo the damascus option and just have plain VG10 blades for even less money! Personally I'm saving up to take advantage of the Whole-Set-For-30%-Off offer they're running at the moment.
Good Stuff, from nice guys, at silly cheap prices.
Very soon McShug and your pal SBW will be field testing some of Eden's own label binoculars against one of the better known names in American glass
More soon
SBW
16 comments:
They're full width, full tang as well! The Moras seem flimsy to me. Do you have access to Ontario Knives' Old Hickory series? They're 1095 carbon steel & will rust at the drop of a hat, but they take a keen edge and are much more rugged than the Moras.
Mmmmmm... nice salami, now I have to go and eat something...
Mitch
Mora's are just one of those things like Bic lighters that you should have lying around.
Your not the first person to recommend Old Hickory to me but I've not tried one yet
SBW
Roestalker
You! hungry!! i'd have thought you'd always have some venison on hand.
SBW
Toss. Bloody typical. My brother is coming to visit me in Angola and because I am skint and all my top range drop forged Victorinox knives have been nicked bar one, I asked him to get me a full set of kitchen/chef´s knives and a professional knife sharpener. Even though they are inferior quality, it was still a 500 quid investment that I have to repay. I would love to have known about these knives a couple of months ago.
Gutting, skinning and butchering that last Bush Buck with cheap Chinese knives was an awful experience. What should have taken less than an hour took me all evening, all because of crap tools.
As an aside, I tried to buy my knives in UK on line but they would not post to Germany (where my brother lives)so I had to buy in Germany. If this guy will post to Germany, I will buy a couple and do a side by side comparison with the ones I have bought and Micky will bring out next month.
Micky says the knives I have bought and he has received are bloody sharp but he forgets that, like new employees, they are all pretty sharp out of the box but dull in no time.
Hippo
Yeah he's in holland so i'm sure he'll ship to Germany, and probably angola too.
If you can run to it, he also sells a really neat countertop 'sharpening cone' which I'd buy like a shot if I was working a set of kitchen knives. Not cheap but if you're really putting the knives to constant use, constantly touching up the blades will save you masses of time over the year. I worked with a chef once who had never had his set of Global's resharpened because
'I touch them to the hone every other time i use them, and once in between for good luck'
SBW
Ah, Dose crayshy Dutsh!
I have bought a professional electric knife sharpener with coarse and fine grinding wheels. My Victorinox knives where of such a hard steel that once they went off, it was an absolute bugger with a steel to get them honed again and I was always a bit cack handed with a steel anyway. Right now I use the concrete pathway to sharpen my Chinese knives so whatever my new knives and sharpener turn out to be like, I have to be looking at an improvement!
Hippo
I've always wanted to try one of those 'leccy sharpeners. they could be really good, let us know how you get on.
The hardness: interesting as you and I grew up in similar era's we both base our expectations on relatively soft tool steels like O1, that were very easy to sharpen, over the last few years I've gone almost exclusively VG10 and other modern stainless steels and while I totally 'ucked up the first few attempts once i got my head round the new material I've gotta say I'd never go back - bit like when you finally stop wasting your money on those cheap laptops and buy a Mac, or as recently when I gave up on the last of a long line of £5 and £10 phones and bought an iphone. SBW
These fashionable shun knives are the prime sellers, featuring classic styling with unique ergonomic handles. These knives are made out of layered Japanese VG-10 chrome steel, making certain a razor sharp, and arduous knife edge. Shun Knives and cutlery tools have experienced tremendous growth over the past 4 years and have many innovative style enhancements and distinctive options. the web site is one among the leading vendors for Shun cutlery and offer free shipping on all orders.
shun knives
Jacksmith
I love the Shun designs and the Eden webshops guys sell them - nice but they dont touch the Eden knives for Value For Money
SBW
Nice range of kitchen knives you've got!
Very very nice for the price, tempted but a new terrier has taken all my money!
Very nice knives for the price, love that Damascus finish. So tempted but a new terrier has taken all my money........
Boomer
I know that feeling, i need a kennel for my Parker Hale;-)
SBW
I always have a home for a Parker Hale, especially if it comes with a box full of puppies.
Now if only we can work out a way to get it here...
Hippo
HunterX has a sweet 'working' PH for sale as he's making space in the kennel
SBW
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