# Kamon production knives



## Danzo (Oct 17, 2019)

Anybody else get a chance to snag one of these? I’m super stoked. I was taking a crap at like 6am before heading to work and just happened to be on Instagram when he dropped this set. They sold out super fast, just like the notorious dalmans and comets. Fill you all in once it arrives.


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## Corradobrit1 (Oct 17, 2019)

Interesting grind


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## McMan (Oct 17, 2019)

Missed out on one of these. The price was right, that's for sure.
It's nice to see upper-tier makers offering runs of more affordable batches (Mert's HVB, Dalman, etc.).


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## Dendrobatez (Oct 17, 2019)

I saw this post immediately and thought they were interesting but there was something i just didn't like about them. That being said though I probably would have tried to get in on the buy if I didn't have one ordered through him already.


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## Eloh (Oct 17, 2019)

If it's similar performance wise to his higher tier knives - wich they probably are - its one of the best bang for buck knives out there. 

Also: mono steel > San mai imo


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## Danzo (Oct 17, 2019)

From what he says these knives perform the same as his custom lines. Just made stock removal, no dents from forging, and cheaper handle.


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## Eloh (Oct 17, 2019)

Yeah it's an pretty awesome concept for a budget knife. He only grinds the hollow pre heat treatment so the whole process takes the least amount of time for him.
FYI: the steel (1.2067) is roughly an 52100 equivalent.


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## thebradleycrew (Oct 17, 2019)

Absolutely love his knives. I've owned five or six and they are always among my top performers. Highly recommend his work for those that haven't had the chance to try it out.


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## cheflife15 (Oct 19, 2019)

I got one! Im super excited for it.


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## mack (Oct 19, 2019)

Ordered one as well. Will be my 4th. His knives are great performers and look gorgeous. I'm sure this knife won't dissapoint as well.

Mack.


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## Danzo (Oct 19, 2019)

Noice boys! We’re you guys dropping deuces in the wee hours of the morning too?


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## cheflife15 (Oct 28, 2019)

Any updates on these?


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## mack (Oct 28, 2019)

Met Benjamin on Saturday, he showed me his prototype, you will like the knife, that's for sure. Knives will be finished till Wednesday, then he'll send them.

Mack.


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## cheflife15 (Oct 28, 2019)

Nice im excited. Im in the states so i should get it by the end of next week i imagine. Can't wait, gunna turn it into my work workhorse


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## mack (Oct 28, 2019)

My experience is, that it takes at least 2 weeks to ship a knife from Austria to the states. And I don't know whether it will be checked by customs, which sometimes leads to a much longer shipping time (at least the other way round - from the States to Austria).

But the knives are nearly finished.

Mack.


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## Eloh (Oct 28, 2019)

@mack isnt this already the second batch?


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## mack (Oct 28, 2019)

No, the first batch. But Ben is trying to do a second one soon, maybe still this year.

Mack.


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## Eloh (Oct 29, 2019)

Thanks for that info


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## alterwisser (Oct 29, 2019)

mack said:


> My experience is, that it takes at least 2 weeks to ship a knife from Austria to the states. And I don't know whether it will be checked by customs, which sometimes leads to a much longer shipping time (at least the other way round - from the States to Austria).
> 
> But the knives are nearly finished.
> 
> Mack.



customs don’t care in the US....

no import fees, taxes, tariffs (YET!) haha.... buying knives from overseas in the US was a pleasure .... ah those Dalmans sans 20something% VAT.... that was quite the sticker shock when I moved back to the EU...


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## cheflife15 (Nov 7, 2019)

Anyone know if these shipped yet?


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## IsoJ (Nov 7, 2019)

I believe these are mailed, I got a notice earlier this week.


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## mack (Nov 8, 2019)

I did already receive my knife, but I live in Austria, same as Benjamin. So, yes, they are already shipped.


Mack.


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## Barmoley (Nov 8, 2019)

Pictures or it didn’t happen . A review would be great too.


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## mack (Nov 8, 2019)

Barmoley said:


> Pictures or it didn’t happen . A review would be great too.



Ah, man, there is a lot of work at the moment. Can do some quick pictures tomorrow though, when I am back from work.

Mack.


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## alterwisser (Nov 8, 2019)

I have a tracking number ....

but it’s snail mail for a reason haha....

but I’m probably gonna sell it anyway


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## Danzo (Nov 8, 2019)

I got shipping confirmation a week or so ago. No knife yet, and the tracking website is in Austrian so I have no idea how to navigate the website. Patiently waiting...


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## Matus (Nov 8, 2019)

Guys, it will take around 2 weeks or longer for a package to arrive from Austria to US, sometimes longer. Just my experience with shipping from DE.


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 8, 2019)

Danzo said:


> I got shipping confirmation a week or so ago. No knife yet, and the tracking website is in Austrian so I have no idea how to navigate the website. Patiently waiting...


If you have a tracking number and are shipping to the US you can also check updates on USPS.com


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## Dendrobatez (Nov 8, 2019)

Foreign tracking numbers work on the USPS website


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## alterwisser (Nov 8, 2019)

Danzo said:


> I got shipping confirmation a week or so ago. No knife yet, and the tracking website is in Austrian so I have no idea how to navigate the website. Patiently waiting...


 
Austrian is definitely a weird language!!!


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## mack (Nov 8, 2019)

Don't say anything bad about Austria. Otherwise I'll send you terminator...

As promised, a few pics, I'm sorry, there is no daylight, when I am at home at the moment.










































The last 2 pics are showing the "budget-line" next to my 2 customs, one is a 265mm 7-layer-san mai, stainless clad and the other one (the santoku-ish knife of my wife) is a 5-layer-san-mai with carbon steel cladding.

Didn't find time to test the knife, but I am pretty sure it will perform well.

Mack.


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## Barmoley (Nov 8, 2019)

Thank you for the pics, looks very good. I also feel inadequate now since I only have 1 Kamon.


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 8, 2019)

Nice. How does the handle feel in hand? I like that he's done away with those recessed nut holes in the new line handles.


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## Danzo (Nov 8, 2019)

holy smokes i cant wait til i get mine


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## M1k3 (Nov 8, 2019)

alterwisser said:


> I have a tracking number ....
> 
> but it’s snail mail for a reason haha....
> 
> but I’m probably gonna sell it anyway



GLWS


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 8, 2019)

M1k3 said:


> GLWS


Coming to a thread near you......GLWS
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/flipper-alert.36865/


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## Viggetorr (Nov 9, 2019)

Managed to get one too, (im)patiently waiting for it to arrive!


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## ipq7 (Nov 9, 2019)

Congrats Mack


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## Viggetorr (Nov 9, 2019)

Mack, any chance for a spince comparison between the new and the customs?


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## mack (Nov 9, 2019)

Viggetorr said:


> Mack, any chance for a spince comparison between the new and the customs?



Spince? Or spine? English is not my mother tongue, I'm sorry.

Mack.


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## alterwisser (Nov 9, 2019)

Corradobrit1 said:


> Coming to a thread near you......GLWS
> https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/flipper-alert.36865/


 
Special price for you: $1500


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 9, 2019)

alterwisser said:


> Special price for you: $1500



ooooh tempting. Shame I just picked up a Tsourkan WH gyuto


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## Viggetorr (Nov 9, 2019)

mack said:


> Spince? Or spine? English is not my mother tongue, I'm sorry.
> 
> Mack.



Yeah, it was supposed to say spine.


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## alterwisser (Nov 10, 2019)

Corradobrit1 said:


> ooooh tempting. Shame I just picked up a Tsourkan WH gyuto



to flip it?


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## k7598 (Nov 10, 2019)

Looks pretty cool. I'm interested in the first reviews.


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## ipq7 (Nov 10, 2019)

k7598 said:


> Looks pretty cool. I'm interested in the first reviews.



here would be one, enjoy 

http://kochmalscharf.freeforums.net/thread/4959/kamons-black-budget-gyuto-ersteindruck

Cheers


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## k7598 (Nov 10, 2019)

ipq7 said:


> here would be one, enjoy
> 
> http://kochmalscharf.freeforums.net/thread/4959/kamons-black-budget-gyuto-ersteindruck
> 
> Cheers


Thanks!


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## mack (Nov 13, 2019)

Viggetorr said:


> Yeah, it was supposed to say spine.



I am truly sorry for the late answer, had a lot of work. The main difference is, that Ben's coustoms are forged, whereas the production line knives are made stock removal. This leads to the fact, that the customs are imho perfectly tapered, whereas the production line isn't. I talked to Benjamin, he said that tapering the production knife would increase the price of the knife. As you can see on the pictures below the tips are very thin on both knives, but the production knife stays at 3,7mm for almost 4/5 of the blade.

But: The taper on the spine is one thing. To me more important is the taper inside the blade (let's say 1cm or 2cm above the edge). The hollow grind is the reason why there is no big difference in food release.

So as a conclusion (imho): If you have a hollow grind, a tapered blade is of course nice to have, but not that necessary than a blade with conventional grind (means no hollow grind).

Here are the pics:














Mack.


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## Matus (Nov 13, 2019)

Well, 3.7mm spine thickness over 4/5 of the length of the knife does not sound like intuitive choice. But maybe the milled depression mitigates the possible issue with weight & balance.


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## mack (Nov 13, 2019)

Matus, as I already mentioned, to me taper along the spine isn't that important, even less if there is a hollow grind. You are in Germany, I am in Austria, if you want, I'll send you the knife and you can generate your own opinion. Just send me a short PM if you want to try it.

Mack.

p.s. the 4/5 of the blade were spoken from my memory, in fact the 3,7mm area lasts 18cm (of 27 in total), so it is 2/3 of the blade, sorry for my inaccurate statement above.


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## Matus (Nov 13, 2019)

Mack, I apologize, I did not want to attack Ben’s work, I should have chosen my words more carefully. I would of course love to have a chance to test one of his knives, but I would not want to bully my way to get my hands on one.


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## mack (Nov 13, 2019)

Matus, no worries and no need for an excuse. We should communicate in German, would be easier maybe LOL.

I'll pm you.

Mack.


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## cheflife15 (Nov 14, 2019)

Curious for more reviews. I haven't received mine yet


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## Danzo (Nov 16, 2019)

Yeah still waiting for mine. It’s been in the post for a while, still can’t really tell where in the world it currently is. I’m curious about how wide the spine is throughout.


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## cheflife15 (Nov 20, 2019)

Any americans get theres yet?


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## Viggetorr (Nov 20, 2019)

Got mine last weekend. Really liking it so far. Spine is thick all the way throughout, and then thins down to almost nothing pretyy close to the tip. Food release is sensational, as expected. Sharpness OOTB was quite underwhelming though, but I guess you're meant to put your own edge to it. Also liking the handle considerably more than I anticipated.


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## cheflife15 (Nov 20, 2019)

Viggetorr said:


> Got mine last weekend. Really liking it so far. Spine is thick all the way throughout, and then thins down to almost nothing pretyy close to the tip. Food release is sensational, as expected. Sharpness OOTB was quite underwhelming though, but I guess you're meant to put your own edge to it. Also liking the handle considerably more than I anticipated.



Are you a pro cook by any chance? Curious how it handles fileting a fish and other general restaurant tasks.


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## cheflife15 (Nov 20, 2019)

Mines been in customs since the 16th. Not sure how long that generally lasts. Haven't had any knives come internationally before this.


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 20, 2019)

Was it shipped Express or reg international. Makes a huge difference. I get knives from Japan in 3-4 days door-to-door when shipped EMS


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## cheflife15 (Nov 20, 2019)

Corradobrit1 said:


> Was it shipped Express or reg international. Makes a huge difference. I get knives from Japan in 3-4 days door-to-door when shipped EMS


Shipped nov 5th so im assuming regular mail.


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 20, 2019)

Raleighcook15 said:


> Shipped nov 5th so im assuming regular mail.


In which case you'll see delays at every phase. Can take up to 21 business days.


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## cheflife15 (Nov 20, 2019)

Corradobrit1 said:


> In which case you'll see delays at every phase. Can take up to 21 business days.


Dislike.


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## KAMON Knives (Nov 21, 2019)

Hey guys. 

I'm sorry for the shipping issues. It is regular shipping insured and with tracking. It's not always slow though. One of those knives was in Australia, which usually takes longest, in about 10 days. Also I have barely had major problems with knives getting lost or such. 

Also I quickly calculated the difference for EMS shipping compared to the shipping I offer now and it would add ~25% of total costs. Don't know if that's really worth to any of you. But anyone can always feel free to approach me an ask what EMS shipping would cost for his knife. It's no problem for me to do EMS shipping as long as the customer wants it and has no problem to pay the higher price. 

Regards 

Benjamin


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## cheflife15 (Nov 21, 2019)

KAMON Knives said:


> Hey guys.
> 
> I'm sorry for the shipping issues. It is regular shipping insured and with tracking. It's not always slow though. One of those knives was in Australia, which usually takes longest, in about 10 days. Also I have barely had major problems with knives getting lost or such.
> 
> ...


The time frame isnt an issue exactly. We're just impatient and I dont trust the usps lol


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## Viggetorr (Nov 21, 2019)

Raleighcook15 said:


> Are you a pro cook by any chance? Curious how it handles fileting a fish and other general restaurant tasks.



Can't say unfortunately, but I imagine it'd breeze through a prep session.


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## cheflife15 (Nov 23, 2019)

Received mine today. Looks like a fun knife. Can't wait to put it through its paces. Ive never worked with this steel. How high of a grit should i take this?


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## Barmoley (Nov 23, 2019)

Should be similar, same class as 52100.


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## Matus (Nov 23, 2019)

Just received mack’s Kamon gyuto and will put it through it’s paces tomorrow. Thank you @mack for this opportunity.


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## Corradobrit1 (Nov 23, 2019)

Waspish. I like the DOB marked on the blade.


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## mack (Nov 24, 2019)

Curious what you are thinking about the knife and its performance, @Matus 

Mack.


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## Matus (Nov 29, 2019)

I guess it is time to say a few words. I originally commented on the distal taper and after using the knife I really can not say that it is an issue. In the photo above the spine has a constant thickness up to the point where the grind (shiny part) start and then it goes towards brutally thin tip. I am actually not sure whether I have held a knife with a thinner tip in my life. It is so thin that one must be careful sharpening last 2 centimetres so that one does not apply too much pressure. I did not measure it, but would guess the spine thickness 10 mm from the tip to be round 0.5 mm.

The knife has a flatter profile than what I am used to, but it does cut great. The point of this balde geometry was to minimise sticking and that does work. It was bordering funny to observe how cucumber pieces were jumping off the blade. The only time I got a bit of a sticking was cutting carrots lengthwise as the primary bevel is flat. But that will automatically go to gentle convex over time anyhow.

I was surprised how short the handle is, someone with large hands might get to feel the end of it depending on a grip, but I did not have issue with that. I really liked the shape of the handle though - it is made from rounded stock and then facets are applied towards the front. I found that very comfortable.

The steel of the blade is 1.2067 which is composition-wise nearly identical to 52100, but to my understanding is made with different process. It was fairly easy to harden, even though I think it would handle higher hardness easily (that is my general impression of 52100 so far - can be pushed past 64 without becoming chippy). I can not comment on edge holding really. The knife can be described as workhorse (225g) - my impression is that it will withstand some heavy use (though one should be careful about the tip).

@mack thank you again for kindly offering me to try the knife out - I will send it back to you in the coming days.


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## mack (Nov 30, 2019)

Thanks for sharing your impressions. They seem to be quite similar than mine.

And we have to keep in mind, that this knife is under 300€, therefore it is really stunning.

Mack.


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## Kippington (Nov 30, 2019)

Matus said:


> ...it goes towards brutally thin tip. I am actually not sure whether I have held a knife with a thinner tip in my life. _It is so thin that* one must be careful sharpening last 2 centimetres so that one does not apply too much pressure*_...


Super important for the other owners.
Cool write-up, thanks for sharing.


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