Western Gyuto - 52100 and Manzanita

I haven't been able to do much work lately, but I was able to get this new prototype more or less completed.
Let me know what you think of the style and materials if you have a mind to.
52100 at 63 hardness, with Manzanita burl scales. Nickel silver corby pins.

Thanks for looking.

 

No issues with the blade. Maybe a tad flat for my taste. I prefer a little more rise/run. The handle, while the materials work, I think the contours are going to be very polarizing. IMO, the advantage of a generically shaped handle it the variety of holds and grips it can accommodate. Its hard to tell without a reference point of how the handle will work out.

 

This blade is 200mm by 50mm tall, with a full convex grind. Very thin at the edge and tip. Full distal taper from 3mm at the spine above the heel down to 1.1mm 1 inch from tip.

 

I agree with you Matt, it is not a standard handle and so a bit of an unknown. It is however very comfortable in several grips, including a pinch grip. I will try to post some pics tomorrow in hand.
But I'm not trying to sell anyone on this. I am genuinely interested in what folks think of it. I've had some good comments so far. I appreciate yours as well.

 

Here is a new pic now that the finish has started to darken the Manzanita a bit. It has a bit more of the red you would expect from Manzanita.
Not the best picture. I'll post more when I get this sharpened up and completed. There isn't much sun today, and that would probably best show the handle colors.

 

Here is my first attempt at a video.

 

I don't know Mark. I like the blade, is there a function to the cutouts in the handle?

 

Would a pass-around be of value? I am happy to offer it up. Not that I am hanging my knife career on this handle at all, but it's pretty comfortable, and if you use a pinch grip I don't think the cutouts even come into play, except that the palm cutout on the lower side fits the fingers there.
Thoughts?

 

Are you guys just saying very politely that this is going to be my wife's new knife?
I have a hard time being objective with this one, I love manzanita wood.

 

I've stayed away from all the pass around's as my experience is lacking and my opinions would be of dubious value. I love that wood too. You've done a great job on the finish and except for the cut outs, it looks a champ to me.

 

Thanks Mike. I'm glad to hear your thoughts about for sure.

 

I like the looks of this knife. With my small hands those cut outs on the handle wouldn't affect my grip anyhow. The distal taper looks very impressive. I'll probably agree with Matt about profile being just a tiny bit too flat, but at the same time I have a knife with very similar profile and it's one of the most used knives in our kitchen.

 

Thank you Anton. I am getting that taper down working with this thick stock. It is quite challenging and a LOT of metal to remove, but I enjoy the results.
Blade a little too flat: Noted.

 

I am planning a few of these in 52100 at 240mm by 54ish. I am going to be changing the grind a bit based on some feedback on the passaround, and also will be working out the handle a bit to refine the shape.
For the grind, one change will be to extend the thinness of the tip back another inch or more. Feedback shows the tip was great for slicing, but could be a bit longer for deeper veggies.
I will also be modifying the convexivity a bit to get more thinness behind the edge, and up into the blade a bit more.
This one has a little more upsweep than the original.

Thoughts on this one? Interesting in a 240mm length?

 

These look good. I'm looking forward to the new and improved grind, height at the heel is great but I prefer a lower tip. Different strokes for different folks .

 

Thanks Carlos. I am still working on this. Below is a variation I worked up with I think a better handle design. I am still tweaking, but I think I like this handle better.
Now on the lower tip... Are you saying the blade should be lower at the tip in relation to the handle? Or just a flatter blade profile?
These are both 240mm by 54

 

Mark when I look at the first pattern it seems to me that I would have to lift my arm very high to get the tip to contact the board. This would be a bit uncomfortable for me with my old bones.
I like the second pattern much better but don't care for that spur on the top of the handle with the potential for discomfort .

I hope you find this helpful in some small way.

 

I like the handle without the notch at the top better at least from a visual perspective. In regards to the curve/flat I personally like flat or minimal curve. It's my personal impression that with a curved profile and a high tip (with respect to the handle) I have more difficulties doing tip as due to the angles I have to bring my hand higher to use the tip. To me it's a combination of the position of the tip and the angle, for the flatter profile (lower) the tip ends up closer to the board in normal cutting. I don't know if I make sense here, it would be good to hear what others have to say but sometimes this forum seems awfully quiet for some reason.

 

Well, Jim answered while I went to have breakfast, it seems we have the same impression.

 

Thanks for the comments guys. It is interesting that you both honed right in on the blade angle change.
I have been playing with the idea of balance and center this week.
What I did was move the blade up so that the center line from the handle extends right through the tip.
I've done a bit of comparing with blades from other makers, and some take this into account, and some do not.
It seems most of the modern western makers have a tip that is considerably lower than handle center.

I'm not stuck on the idea that this centered tip is preferable. It seems that it would be a more intuitive place for the knife tip, but perhaps only for limited types of cutting.
It certainly does change the angle the knife must be held at for most other cutting chores.
Any additional thoughts are appreciated.

The one other thing is that there are certainly two camps regarding edge profile. Some prefer a much flatter profile, while others like a profile that might be more inclined to rocking type cutting.
In this respect I think it makes a lot of sense to offer both profiles.