Knives - Soft VS Hard steel

Keltin

New member
Gold Site Supporter
In another thread on using a “steel” to maintain a useable knife edge, it was brought up that soft knife steel can have an edge that rolls, and using a "steel" can straighten that edge and make it more useable. But harder Japanese knife steel doesn't do this.

So what do the harder Japanese knives do? They don’t roll? Do they just stay sharp for months and then you just sharpen again? Is there any maintenance to them between sharpenings?

I might have to get a good Japanese chef’s knife to see the difference. I’ve been using Chicago Cutlery for years, and it serves me well. But all this talk of Japanese steel has me curious. Only problem is, I’m not a sharpening aficionado, so I’m not sure how I’d get it re-sharpened.
 

buzzard767

golfaknifeaholic
Gold Site Supporter
In another thread on using a “steel” to maintain a useable knife edge, it was brought up that soft knife steel can have an edge that rolls, and using a "steel" can straighten that edge and make it more useable. But harder Japanese knife steel doesn't do this.

So what do the harder Japanese knives do? They don’t roll? Do they just stay sharp for months and then you just sharpen again? Is there any maintenance to them between sharpenings?

I might have to get a good Japanese chef’s knife to see the difference. I’ve been using Chicago Cutlery for years, and it serves me well. But all this talk of Japanese steel has me curious. Only problem is, I’m not a sharpening aficionado, so I’m not sure how I’d get it re-sharpened.

Keltin - Sean hit the major difference. Hard steel chips, soft steel rolls. Japanese knives do stay sharp for a long time. Compared to forged German steel the longevity isn't even close, but that is just part of the story. J knives have much different geometry. They don't have the large rounded belly of the G's, they are thinner (thickness), and the edges are much more acute. The qualities of the steel from which they are made allow this. For example, a forged Wusthof will come with a blade sharpened at 22 - 25 degrees on each side, say 22 for a 44 degree included angle. The included angles on J knives will go from 32 (Shuns) to about 10. Safety razor blades have an included angle of 14 degrees. The carbides in most Japanese knives are very small compared to G forged and this gives the ability to polish the edge to a very fine point. G knives are not capable of this because the larger carbides literally fall out.

Day to day maintenance is about the same as any good knife. Wash and dry immediately after use. That's it.

Sharpening is another ballgame. German knives come with the bevels about equal, that is, 50/50. Most J knives are asymmetrical and it can easily be seen by the width of the bevels. German knives come with angles that more or less match those in a Chef's Choice electric sharpener. Shun makes a 16 degree sharpener that matches all Shun brand knives but no others. For the rest of the Japanese knives you're on you own. Free hand sharpening is not hard to learn. All it takes are a couple of stones, a little knowledge, and practice. You could send your knife out once a year to a real pro like Dave Martell and keep them up with a ceramic steel between sharpenings.
 
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