Modern western-style high carbon steel cutlery ???

Abter

I have been following the recent thread "Cutlery" started by PGHegger with great interest; there is a great discussion going on there.  I decided to start a new thread to help me find info on one of the topics touched upon in the Cutlery thread.

Do you have any recommendations for new high carbon steel (not stainless) knives with a western style (i.e. not Japanese style) shape and handle?

Like many others, my favorite kitchen knife is an old inexpensive high carbon steel knife I bought over 40 years ago.  It was a nothing fancy knife when I bought it; I was a broke college student just getting into adventurous cooking.  I probably bought it at a KMart like store for under $10.   The knife is pretty ugly now, with a heavy mottled patina, and a cheap dried out wooden handle that can't last too much longer.  But the blade has always been fantastic!  It is very easy to sharpen, and holds an edge very well.  I have used-and-loved this knife so much that the blade now is curved where it used to be straight from years of near daily use and sharpening.  I know many people speak glowingly about their beloved old high carbon knives.

I know that high carbon steel knives are no longer popular in the west, largely replaced in the west by stainless steel blades, especially German style.  The blades do hold an edge a lot longer, but they are so darn hard for an amateur to get sharp again   I have tried a few modern Japanese style knives, but don't care for the shape and handle

Are there any non-stainless high carbon steel knives on the market at a reasonable price?  I am finding it very difficult to track them down.  I find a many knives advertised as "high carbon steel" casually mention deep in their literature something about "...with chromium to help resist stains".  The one knife I keep running into in my search is the Bob Kramer 8" Carbon Steel Chef's Knife by Zwilling J.A. Henckels.  The $300 - $350 price is enough to put it out of my range, but it is also a Japanese-style knife.  Beautifully crafted with a supurb blade, but not what I am looking for. Another line of knives often recommended as high carbon steel are the Wusthof Classic knives. Perhaps these were once high carbon steel, but the manufacturer now says they "...are precision-forged from a single piece of an exclusive high-carbon stain-free steel".  Their Classic Icon series are the same.

Even articles extolling the wonders of non-stainless high carbon steel knives often end up suggesting high carbon stainless.   grrrrr.

HELP

fishlessman

dexter russel still sells them, i use their fillet knives

http://www.dexterrussellcutlery.com/dexter-traditional-10-cooks-knife-12381-63689-10pcp/

Eggscuses

Try ontario knife company. Old hickory.

https://ontarioknife.com/cutlery

Abter

great responses!  Both your got me researching knives once again online.  On the recommendation of a lot of by Chesapeake Bay fishing friends, my fillet knife has been a Dexter Russell (DR).  DRs are what the majority of the charter boat mates and commercial fishermen use on the Bay.  I have never been thrilled with the DR SaniSafe fillet knife;  wonderful handle, but IMHO not great blade.  Fishless gave me the key hint that DR still makes some non-stainless high carbon...but not in the SaniSafe line or most of their other knife series.   They don't make it easy to find, but SOME of the DR knives in the Traditional series are high carbon; others are stainless.  They have a proprietary stainless blade they call DexSteel, which is the mainstay of DR today. On a useful knife site someone described DexSteel as "...their standard stuff...sharpens easy and endures harsh dish washing and bad treatment as house knives in restaurants. It is way above cheap stainless, a bit below Victorinox, quite a bit below good German and a long way from good Japanese." In the Traditional line you can tell the type of steel by the color of the handle.  You can get most of the Traditional series knives with either a dark wooden handle (DexSteel) or a lighter color ("a classic high-carbon steel blade", which was described elsewhere as 420 steel hardened to 54 to 56 Rockwell).  You can get most of the Traditional knives in either blade/color.  More coming in following response.

Abter

I really appreciate Eggscuses suggestion about Ontario Knife Company.  I had not heard of them; this was exactly the type of lead I hoped to get.  Ontario has 2 lines: Agelight (with a Sandvik stainless blade steel) and Old Hickory (with a 1095 high carbon blade hardened to 53 to 58).  The Old Hickory line may be exactly what my old faithful college knife is (the 2 rivet handle sure looks the same).  I really like their 417 fillet knife; if I get it I will probably coat the handle with Plasti-Dip or similar stuff.  A slippery handled knife when filleting fish is never good, but is terrible when its cold, getting dark, and you are tired.   ...more

Abter

While checking knives out online, I came across 2 especially useful threads.
The first is from the forums at fishing website I follow:
http://www.stripersonline.com/surftalk/topic/563402-dexter-fillet-knife-issues/
The other was a thread " Okay knife nerds, what do you think of this Dexter?"  at ChowHound
http://www.chowhound.com/post/knife-nerds-dexter-1009867?page=3

both threads have a lot of good info relating to high carbon DR knives (and other alternatives"

I'm going to stop talking with myself here

gdenby

You might search ebay using "vintage cutlery" as the search term.  At this time, most of the older knives are almost in the "antique" price range. I suspect you can still find good quality that needs some reconditioning for under $50. I was looking at some old Sabatiers a few years ago. Evidently, they became collectible, and a large inventory seller doubled his prices to near what a new knife would cost.

AFAIK, Lamson & Goodnow use the same steel as DR, but w. a better heat treatment, bringing the steel to HRc 58. Not an immense difference, but noticable. Slightly nicer handle.

fishlessman

most of my carbon steel kitchen knives are lamson knives carbon steel. always some good ones on ebay, they take a really nice edge. if you can work a carbon on a stone, they really hard stainless ones are just as easy with this stone

8-in. DuoSharp® Bench Stone Extra-Fine / Fine Hardcoat™ Surface with Base

gdenby

Abter said:

... really like their 417 fillet knife; if I get it I will probably coat the handle with Plasti-Dip or similar stuff.  A slippery handled knife when filleting fish is never good, but is terrible when its cold, getting dark, and you are tired.   ...more

As a hobby, I make walking sticks from found branches and used Plasti-Dip to coat the irregular "foot" end. Recently saw that an auto parts store sold it in clear spray paint. Plan on finishing some sticks w. it, to show the wood grain. Might work for you, too.

rsterman

I read ,with great interest, the suggestion thatnthenppsterncheck the Ontario knife company.  I have a wonderful,selection of "real"  older Old Hickory knives.  They are wonderful, high carbon, and keep,their edge for a long time. Bought a new version 8" chef knife....Not the same quality steel and much more cheaply made.  I was disappointed.....

CtTOPGUN

 I have a 10" butcher knife from Onterio Knife(thanks to the BBQ Pit Boys Youtube vids). High carbon steel. It is a nice knife for a reasonable price. Blade sharpens easily. Must be taken care of to prevent rusting. Thinking of getting their larger 14" version this year.

    Jim

Eggscuses

CtTOPGUN said:

 I have a 10" butcher knife from Onterio Knife(thanks to the BBQ Pit Boys Youtube vids). High carbon steel. It is a nice knife for a reasonable price. Blade sharpens easily. Must be taken care of to prevent rusting. Thinking of getting their larger 14" version this year.

    Jim

I have the same one and thinking the same way as you. After every use I just put a light coat of oil on it, after washing. Only time it started to show signs of rusting was when I let it air dry on a towel.

E-ville Egg

Forschner and Icel Portugal are what most meat shops use these days. I have both and they perform equally well.