Petty, paring--or something in between

Petty naifu. Exactly. Like ice cream (Aisukurīmu). The “petty” should be obvious (sigh), but obviously isn’t.

1 Like

Hi damiano,

ATK did a project about the Petty knife–threw up their hands–and basically just lumped a bunch of knives and tested them. I’ve already made clear what I was looking for–I think.

I like that, and agree. Knuckleroom.

1 Like

As long as you know what it is and what you will be willing to pay for it, we may have reached our happy ending… Good luck with it.

Hi Vecchiouomo,

I’ve owned, and learned, my 6" Kai Shun knife over a period of five years. I’ve also purchased another 6" double bevel knife for comparison purposes. I’ve documented their profiles and appearances. I really can’t say much about any other knives.

The Kai Shun 6" fits in well with my batterie of other knives in use.

I don’t have any similar knives that I’ve handled. I spent a long time selecting the Kai Shun, and a longer time using it, but other users might not share my experiences or impressions.

These were strange statements indeed. I guess he meant other posters are newbies in fusion knife culture or fusion home cooking something along that line.

Let me just say I loves me some petties… and they are like puppies…they seem to follow me home.

2 Likes

Puppies are cute

1 Like

Oh, please, pretty please?

Seemingly?

My guess is that he wanted to make it sound like he’s not a newb.

Newb means different things to different folk. An older Japanese craftsperson who has worked a long life at their craft will still look at themselves as still being on a journey of growth and improvement.

But these old craftmen have not even think of fusion knife design yet, so they are newbies

1 Like

Yes, of course. When someone with mastery considers or holds themself out as having incomplete knowledge, that is to their great credit. The Hawai’ian word for someone like that is olohe.

The opposite–where someone who poses as having expertise when they don’t–does a disservice to everyone.

Both are on a path.

2 Likes

I think the reason is that someone considering these old knifesmiths spent too much time in their shops and not enough time understanding the real world and real kitchen, and then of course the whole lack of fusion argument.
Not saying i agree with this. Just stating that has been his argument

Give me age and cunning over youth and exuberance any day.

Why does everyone want a Cen Brothers wok, when you can buy a new one made in a factory for so much less?

Shosui Takeda is a wizard with Aogami Super steel. I’ll take ANY of his knives any day over something in faux damascus, D2, S30V, Hap40 or any other alphabet steel.

Those old sensei’s know what works best for them, and they use it. There is a reason why Takeda, Shibata, Konosuke and Ashi Hamono sell every knife they make.

I’m sorry Ray, but there are a lot of us out here who like thing’s old school. If you were a folding knife fan, you’d know that a 1998 Emerson Commander will cost you as much as a new custom made Emerson knife, and that custom Emerson CQC6 made in his garage with a “half moon” stamp on it, will cost you close to $10K. Some folks just prefer the classics.

3 Likes

Hi wabi,

I’m not a collector–I’m a home cook. If I were a collector, I’d choose a focus and collect. If I were a kitchen knife colletor, it might well be the artisan knives you love.

But I’m not a collector.

The closest I came to being a collector was when i had an artisan make a musical instrument for me.

It won a prize.

In Chiang Mai Thailand, I formed a company to buy rare weavings that were from Sip Song Pinna (across the Lao border in the Himalaya Mountains) and sold them to museums and museum stores here in SOCAL–but I didn’t collect them for myself.

My kitchen tools must perform specific tasks in my kitchen at a realistic price I can afford. As an enthusiast, I’m willing to pay a bit more than most home cooks, but way less than the cost of limited production handmade knives.

In Japanese homes where I was a guest, the most common kitchen knife used was a santoku or a nakiri–similar to the Kai Seki Magoroku I still have–costing very little.

4 hundred dollar knives - or one 400 dollar knife… :wink:

Imho it’s better to buy less knives, but each with a better quality.

2 Likes

Hi damiano,

If we set aside knives I buy for “technology”:

I never buy price–i buy task performance. My Chicago cutlery boning knife for great lakes area “pan fish” cost less than $10. My Shibazi cleaver cost $33. My Victorinox clone less than $5. My high carbon butcher knife, less than $20.

My birthday present knife (Shun Fuji) is a $500 knife–but I was able to finally get one for about half price. My Shun Kaji Santoku, a $300 knife, I was able to get on a bid of $130. My miyabi birchwood gyuto (I paid about $200) was an indulgence.

Every knife I buy must be as good as any “better” new one I could buy–or I’ll upgrade (sometimes to a knife that costs less!!)

Then you’d own all Kiwis. :slight_smile:

3 Likes