# Pass Around: Cris Anderson 245mm gyuto, Nitro-V



## thebradleycrew

Pass Around: Cris Anderson 245mm gyuto, Nitro-V

As a tribute to my four year old, who loves being passed around getting hugs before bedtime, I'm going to do a pass around here on my Cris Anderson gyuto. Cris' knives are expensive and can be elusive, but they are excellent blades and everyone that wants to try one should have the chance to do so. In addition, it's stainless (Nitro-V) which a lot of folks haven't tried.

I'm going to follow in the (successful) footsteps of Ashy and ask for $25 PP F&F from each user so there's some motivation to not beat the **** out of it. Everyone is expected to play by big boys and girls rules - you break it, you buy it. At the end of the pass around, I'll put it up for sale for $1,100 price minus the pass around funds received - significantly below my cost. I'm going to limit this to 15 people, assuming there are 15 participants who want to try it out. At $25 each, that would be about $725 sale price.

To keep it fair, I'm going to post the knife back up for sale once I receive it back. I'll post it at a higher price for those that did not participate in the pass around and at the net price, less $25 fees, to those that did. That should be fair to everyone. I'll ask that folks keep the knife for up to 7 days from day of receipt to keep it moving. Feel free to sharpen it as you like. Please post comments and feedback on this page after you use the knife. It will be fun for folks to see. 

Below is a link to the posting (that I've withdrawn) for the knife with photos and specs. Any feedback is appreciated. PM me if you're interested with your name, handle, e-mail, phone number, and address so I can keep track. Thanks in advance!

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/cris-anderson-245mm-gyuto.45792/


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## milkbaby

What the heck, I don't have much stainless in my kitchen, so why not... I'll send you a PM in a bit. Thanks for doing this!


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## captaincaed

I had my finger on the trigger a while ago. I'd love to have the chance to be pushed over the edge. Sign me up.

I bought one of Cris's natural stones he likes and recommends, so I can do.a little A/B test between his stone and an Aizu.


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## thebradleycrew

captaincaed said:


> I had my finger on the trigger a while ago. I'd love to have the chance to be pushed over the edge. Sign me up.
> 
> I bought one of Cris's natural stones he likes and recommends, so I can do.a little A/B test between his stone and an Aizu.


Sounds good. I'll add you to the list and PM you for details.


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## Acidwash

I am game! Interested to try an Anderson. Looks like a knife the predator would use to prep dinner.


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## thebradleycrew

Getting ready to ship this bad boy out. I'm happy to keep adding folks to the pass around - just let me know if interested.


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## thebradleycrew

Update on the pass around. Just wanted to lay out thoughts on some details:

Shipping risk between parties is on the shipper; I'm not forcing anyone to insure the knife, but if it gets lost or damaged, the risk falls on the shipper; we are all big boys and girls and let's abide by that rule; risk tolerance should determine your path on insurance
Ship whatever carrier is easiest - it matters not IMO; I typically use USPS but I recognize some people are closer to UPS/FedEx stores
Cris finishes his blades with 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper; if the finish needs it feel free to touch it up; it makes for really easy clean up if you get too low on the edge sharpening
Feel free to oil the handle as needed
I included a padded case in the package; you can put the knife in that between transit as you are using it
Please reach out to the next person on the pass around list (which I'll update on this thread) to get information when you are ready to send it off; shoot for 5-10 days with it and feel free to use the crap out of it
Current list, in order of shipping is:
@milkbaby
@McMan
@captaincaed
@Acidwash
@mise_en_place


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## captaincaed

Sounds like a plan. Thanks for the thorough guide


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## milkbaby

Awesome! What insurance value should we put on it if we want to insure for full value?


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## Johnny.B.Good

What wood did Cris use on that handle - Koa? Gidgee? Not sure how I feel about the shape, but love the material.


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## milkbaby

Just got the knife but only have time today to unbox and examine in hand.

Really beautiful work, very high fit and finish. Good satin working finish on the blade, excellent distal taper, the handle shape is badass.

Saw the edge reflecting light in a few little spots, but I'll try it as is first then see if stropping on newspaper improves before trying stropping on stones. The edge looks thin enough this should work, and I'm one of those people who prefer to do the least amount of metal removal possible to get to nice working edge.


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## thebradleycrew

Take it to the stones @milkbaby ! It's good for your magic touch. Serious, folks. It's a tall knife, take off what you need to 1. learn the steel and how it feels and 2. put your preferred edge on it. That's how you'll be able to compare it the best.

@Johnny.B.Good - handle is a dyed maple, actually. The shape (from certain angles) looks weird I agree, but from others it looks more "normal" and it is very comfortable in the hand despite any weird looks. It's fun to use. Feel free to hope into the pass around if it is of interest to try out.


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## milkbaby

Just had time to try CJA to make a salad for myself so far. No time to touch the stones yet.

The edge definitely feels thin in how it contacts the cutting board. If you know, you know... I didn't cut any tall stuff, the tallest stuff being regular sized yellow squash which of course the knife lasered through admirably. Sliced some greenleaf lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, and a red bell pepper too. Slicing and push cuts go right thru everything. I love carrots and they are probably the things I cut the most, and the knife performed admirably. The blade is large but relatively light, and while I used to like a light whippy blade, I've come round full circle to liking a little more heft to it. Chopping some old bell peppers skin up was a bit of work with the blade lighter than I prefer, edge probably could use a touch up.

I compared it to my favorite own kept knife and a "medium" Takeda gyuto (something like 250 x 66 mm blade). The CJA has a light feeling blade similar to the Takeda with somewhat similar balance point just a finger or so towards the tip beyond where my pinch grip is. Technically both blades would be blade heavy, but they're so light for the size they don't feel like that to me. The CJA is similarly tall to the Takeda, but it feels weird to me due to the angle between the edge at the heel and the handle. The handle is angled up a little more than on the Takeda, so it felt like I was abruptly banging the heel down when chopping in comparison. Might work better for me if I was taller or the board was lower.

The handle is faceted and a western version of the diamond shape that Cris had started doing a while back. It's really beautiful and feels great in hand for me personally. The heel of the knife is radiused away so there's no wasted edge underneath where my pointer finger is in a pinch grip, so the blade is effectively quite long due to this (or other blades not designed this way are effectively shorter).

I'm digging it, will probably try a little stropping on newspaper over King 6k and see what the edge does, then perhaps 1k/6k King touch up.

Here's a pic of the knives I used together. I feel that I get more info when using a knife A/B side-by-side for comparison. I'll try to use it more before I send it out. I got some sweet potatoes and onions begging to be cut just sitting in the pantry.


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## thebradleycrew

milkbaby said:


> Just had time to try CJA to make a salad for myself so far. No time to touch the stones yet.
> 
> The edge definitely feels thin in how it contacts the cutting board. If you know, you know... I didn't cut any tall stuff, the tallest stuff being regular sized yellow squash which of course the knife lasered through admirably. Sliced some greenleaf lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, and a red bell pepper too. Slicing and push cuts go right thru everything. I love carrots and they are probably the things I cut the most, and the knife performed admirably. The blade is large but relatively light, and while I used to like a light whippy blade, I've come round full circle to liking a little more heft to it. Chopping some old bell peppers skin up was a bit of work with the blade lighter than I prefer, edge probably could use a touch up.
> 
> I compared it to my favorite own kept knife and a "medium" Takeda gyuto (something like 250 x 66 mm blade). The CJA has a light feeling blade similar to the Takeda with somewhat similar balance point just a finger or so towards the tip beyond where my pinch grip is. Technically both blades would be blade heavy, but they're so light for the size they don't feel like that to me. The CJA is similarly tall to the Takeda, but it feels weird to me due to the angle between the edge at the heel and the handle. The handle is angled up a little more than on the Takeda, so it felt like I was abruptly banging the heel down when chopping in comparison. Might work better for me if I was taller or the board was lower.
> 
> The handle is faceted and a western version of the diamond shape that Cris had started doing a while back. It's really beautiful and feels great in hand for me personally. The heel of the knife is radiused away so there's no wasted edge underneath where my pointer finger is in a pinch grip, so the blade is effectively quite long due to this (or other blades not designed this way are effectively shorter).
> 
> I'm digging it, will probably try a little stropping on newspaper over King 6k and see what the edge does, then perhaps 1k/6k King touch up.
> 
> Here's a pic of the knives I used together. I feel that I get more info when using a knife A/B side-by-side for comparison. I'll try to use it more before I send it out. I got some sweet potatoes and onions begging to be cut just sitting in the pantry.


Love the feedback. Thanks for sharing.

Cris' taller knives, and knives from others with a similar profile, take some adjustment on the angle. I'm not tall and use a thick cutting board, and I find if I adjust the angle of my elbow (up) that helps change the motion to match the geometry and in turn cutting is in line. Give it a try!


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## milkbaby

I tried to just dry strop on the 6k side of a King combo stone but wasn't happy with the result. So I soaked the 1k side and sharpened just enough to feel the burr, flipped it on the other side, did my usual burr removal on the 1k, then went to the 6k. I didn't go crazy, I prefer to remove less metal than try to get the ultimate sharpness, but this knife was super easy to sharpen a nice edge on which is also toothy. I spent more time soaking the stone than I did sharpening, LOL! Just did the standard tomato on the board horizontal slice, no time for real cutting until later.

I think I'll get more time to use it by the end of the week and then send it out Friday or Saturday.


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## mise_en_place

Can't wait to use this knife. Plenty of knife work to do in this time at home.

I can't remember if I've used/sharpened Nitro-V before. @MontezumaBoy let me use his Mario once and I can't remember if that was XHP or Nitro-V.


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## milkbaby

I have more thoughts to post after using the knife on more stuff to make a curry yesterday, but too busy dealing with the world today LOL

Sent out to @McMan and put in the USPS email notification system to give you and @thebradleycrew updates on delivery. Expected arrival Monday, hope you enjoy trying it out as much as I did! Kudos for putting on this passaround of such a beautiful knife!


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## McMan

milkbaby said:


> I have more thoughts to post after using the knife on more stuff to make a curry yesterday, but too busy dealing with the world today LOL
> 
> Sent out to @McMan and put in the USPS email notification system to give you and @thebradleycrew updates on delivery. Expected arrival Monday, hope you enjoy trying it out as much as I did! Kudos for putting on this passaround of such a beautiful knife!


I'm next on the list for the 240 Kato Pass Around too.
There is a very real possibility I will be trying a CJA and a Kato AT THE SAME TIME.
KKF is a nice place, right?!


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## thebradleycrew

Awesome! Thanks @milkbaby - appreciate your thoughtful feedback and comments and would love to hear about how the curry went. 
@McMan - have fun with it!


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## thebradleycrew

Quick update: adding one more to the pass around (and happy to add others as there is interest) 
@milkbaby (complete)
@McMan (next up)
@captaincaed
@Acidwash
@mise_en_place 
@Barashka


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## McMan

Okay, the CJA landed.
Whoever get's this next is going to get a kick out of the packaging. I'll leave it at that 
I spent some time with the knife tonight and hope to get this to @captaincaed before the end of the week. Kudos to @milkbaby for sending this with a nice crispy edge! I haven't used it enough to be anywhere close to needing to refresh the edge. So, @captaincaed you'll get it with a crispy edge too.
(Still putting my thoughts together in terms of a review.)


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## McMan

Just the facts, ma’am:
245mm edge length
65mm tall
3.25mm at the handle and above the heel
1.25mm midway and till 20mm from tip
216g

This is a unique knife... It’s performance tuned. It flies in the face of convention. There’s logic behind the decisions.
What struck me as unique features were the amount of flat-spot (which is quite significant), the upswept handle, and the angled heel.

I came to the conclusion that the features of this knife were over my head—in a good way  (I'm a home cook now, ex-pro but it's been a looooong time since I did that for a living.) The features could be serious benefits for someone that uses knives for hours daily. It’d be an absolute beast for bulk prep in a pro kitchen. The long flat spot would make for accurate push cuts with no accordion across many, many rows of product. For my use, it was a bit too much flat spot (blasphemy, I know!); but I can see how this would be a strength in a pro context. The lack of strong distal taper would also be a benefit; because most of the blade thickness is consistent—performance doesn’t differ drastically from heel to tip. The upswept handle I think would come in handy after using this knife for a long time. The angled heel is also a comfort feature probably best suited to long use.

Fit and finish is excellent, which is what I expected from having seen pics of CJA’s work. The handle is craaaaaazy. Spend some time looking at it. There are facets that are exactly at the spacer, plus the spacer is at a diagonal. The amount of precision (and patience!) in this handle impressive. Plus, it’s comfy.


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## McMan

With the UPS guy and on the way to @captaincaed


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## captaincaed

Is anyone opposed to a video, or do we prefer to have reviews in text?


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## M1k3

captaincaed said:


> Is anyone opposed to a video, or do we prefer to have reviews in text?



Yes?


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## captaincaed

M1k3 said:


> Yes?


Wait, to which?


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## thebradleycrew

@captaincaed - video is great - do as you like. I think the more information, the better. It's a fun knife and I want everyone to learn as much as possible about its puts and takes. In my opinion, video away!


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## captaincaed

thebradleycrew said:


> @captaincaed - video is great - do as you like. I think the more information, the better. It's a fun knife and I want everyone to learn as much as possible about its puts and takes. In my opinion, video away!


Sounds like a plan. I try not to editorialize much these days, just cut.


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## M1k3

Text, video, text+video.


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## thebradleycrew

Update on the passaround: @Acidwash wants to bow out, so the adjusted group is below!

@milkbaby (complete)
@McMan (complete)
@captaincaed (taking video!!!)
@mise_en_place
@Barashka


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## milkbaby

For other knife steel nerds, here's an article from Larrin Thomas (Hoss' or Devin Thomas' son) with info and testing of Nitro-V steel which is the stainless steel used in this knife. It's a steel based on modification of AEB-L by adding a pinch of nitrogen and vanadium.

Larrin's article here:
https://knifesteelnerds.com/2019/09/23/nitro-v-its-properties-and-how-to-heat-treat-it/

One of the advantages of AEB-L is it's higher toughness than other stainless steels and the fine microstructure that makes it easy to sharpen. It seems Nitro-V still has the same properties as AEB-L with a possible increase in corrosion resistance.

As I mentioned previously, it was extremely easy to sharpen this knife. I did do only the minimum that I felt was needed to give a decent working edge which resulted in what I felt was a pretty toothy edge.

I didn't use it long enough after sharpening to judge edge retention but I did enjoy using it to make a large curry. The blade is really tall as is in vogue nowadays. For me the height and angle of the handle isn't optimal for my normal use, though as @thebradleycrew mentioned, it only took a minor adjustment for me to enjoy it more.

The knife cubed hard sweet potato nicely. I compared it with my similar sized Takeda gyuto and the CJA makes the large cuts thru intact sweet potatoes easier than the Takeda. However, similar to the Takeda, the blade is light for the size and I prefer more overall weight.

Slicing and push cutting bell peppers, squash, and mushrooms was great. Maybe a little sticking of wet pieces of squash on the blade moreso than the Takeda but not suctioned on (fell off with a flick).

Carrot cut test was very easy. This knife is ground thin behind the edge. The edge is thin enough to deflect on my fingernail, and I'm sure it would pass the old knifemakers' brass rod test. This is when you roll the edge along a brass rod and see the edge deflect without chipping showing your heat treat and temper came out "nice"; geometry of this CJA is also important because the grind needed to be thin enough to deflect on my fingernail to the point it was visible. It's not scientific, but I feel this knife is a nice balance of thin behind the edge with toughness to back it up without being chippy.






As I mentioned, the grind seems to be a "diamond grind" where the blade not only tapers from the "shinogi" to the cutting edge but also thins out a little from "shinogi" to the spine. My guess is this is designed to push or encourage pieces to fall off as it reaches the ridge in the middle of the blade and be an advantage to reduce sticktion when going through tall hard foods. However, out of all the stuff I cut (veggies and tofu) it didn't seem to make a difference, but I'm guessing the grind probably will help discourage sticktion through tall hard foods that I didn't try it on. This could be an important performance tweak for tall blades like this one.

If the extra tall profile and handle angle works for you, it's a beautiful knife. And life is too short to use an ugly knife!

Thanks to @thebradleycrew for putting on this passaround. It was very fun to use this knife!


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## captaincaed

The CJA arrived safe and sound. I'll put together a couple short vids.


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## captaincaed

Link to a series of videos. You'll need the link, let me know if this works/doesn't.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_heBR-9AJ-ELGGBzj9yoVZdkvOw685YR


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## captaincaed

The knife should be off in the mail to the next person soon


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## M1k3

Link working for me.


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## thebradleycrew

Works for me! Thanks @captaincaed.


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## captaincaed

I'll write some thoughts a bit later, pile of HW


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## thebradleycrew

captaincaed said:


> I'll write some thoughts a bit later, pile of HW


Sounds good - also, post about what knives you used in the comparison video, will you? Should provide a good reference point. I think one was a Yoshikane SLD, and the other might be a Mazaki? Just curious.


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## Corradobrit1

thebradleycrew said:


> Sounds good - also, post about what knives you used in the comparison video, will you? Should provide a good reference point. I think one was a Yoshikane SLD, and the other might be a Mazaki? Just curious.


Thats what they looked like to me.


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## captaincaed

One Yoshi SLD, one Kochi and one Ikeda honyaki. The onion vid has my Mac beater as well.
Tried to pick things in the same weight class, size and cost wise.


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## thebradleycrew

Update on the pass around! Adding @pleue as the last stop!

@milkbaby (complete)
@McMan (complete)
@captaincaed (Complete, with video!!!)
@mise_en_place (knife inbound)
@Barashka 
@pleue


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## mise_en_place

I picked up the knife from UPS today. It's in good shape and I look forward to using it shortly.


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## mise_en_place

So far so good...






Really like the knife so far. I will give much more complete feedback in a couple of days.


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## thebradleycrew

Hey folks, adding one more (final) person to the pass around: please see below for updates:
@milkbaby (complete)
@McMan (complete)
@captaincaed (Complete, with video!!!)
@mise_en_place (Knife in hand, unsure if sent out to next person yet?)
@Barashka
@pleue 
@Bcfromhi


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## Barashka

@mise_en_place and I are not that far from each other, I'll drive over to get it shortly. I'll update when I have it.


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## mise_en_place

@Barashka picked up the knife this evening. I'll do a write-up in the next couple of days. 

Thanks for doing this @thebradleycrew ! Great opportunity to try a knife that are hard to get and to many, cost prohibitive.


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## Barashka

Just picked this beauty up. Great condition, some scuffs from, I think, sharpening. Silly sharp .. shaving sharp.


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## mise_en_place

Here are some of my thoughts:

As everyone could already tell from the photos, fit and finish are phenomenal. This knife is a looker. Handle is very comfortable and I didn't really feel the angle of the heel to get in the way except the first time I pull cut. It was an easy correction to make.

I was surprised at how light it felt once I picked it up. I'll be honest, I thought I wouldn't actually be into the knife but then I started using it. In no way did it feel dainty or inadequate. Cris Anderson made a really nice performer here. Tip work is easy and I enjoyed push cutting back by the heel the most. It kind of reminded me of why I like Chinese cleavers. Thin behind the edge, but has weight back by the heel.

The grind was interesting aesthetically, for sure. Food release was decent. I did notice larger pieces of irregularly shaped produce (like broccoli) would slide off as I lifted the knife more frequently than when using traditional grinds. Overall, the knife is ground well and it looks cool. 

I touched the knife up on a JKI synthetic natural. Steel felt smooth. A lot like my experience with Devin and Robin's AEB-L. 

The only real negative thing I have to say about the knife is when doing lots of fine cuts like brunoise, the ingredients continually climbed up the face of the blade and that got irritating. Because the blade is so tall, there were even more clinging to the bladeface. A minor complaint. 

Overall, I really enjoyed using the knife. It's a highly functional piece of art. I would be proud to own such a fine tool. Thanks to @thebradleycrew again for doing this. Worth the price of admission and then some!


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## thebradleycrew

mise_en_place said:


> Here are some of my thoughts:
> 
> As everyone could already tell from the photos, fit and finish are phenomenal. This knife is a looker. Handle is very comfortable and I didn't really feel the angle of the heel to get in the way except the first time I pull cut. It was an easy correction to make.
> 
> I was surprised at how light it felt once I picked it up. I'll be honest, I thought I wouldn't actually be into the knife but then I started using it. In no way did it feel dainty or inadequate. Cris Anderson made a really nice performer here. Tip work is easy and I enjoyed push cutting back by the heel the most. It kind of reminded me of why I like Chinese cleavers. Thin behind the edge, but has weight back by the heel.
> 
> The grind was interesting aesthetically, for sure. Food release was decent. I did notice larger pieces of irregularly shaped produce (like broccoli) would slide off as I lifted the knife more frequently than when using traditional grinds. Overall, the knife is ground well and it looks cool.
> 
> I touched the knife up on a JKI synthetic natural. Steel felt smooth. A lot like my experience with Devin and Robin's AEB-L.
> 
> The only real negative thing I have to say about the knife is when doing lots of fine cuts like brunoise, the ingredients continually climbed up the face of the blade and that got irritating. Because the blade is so tall, there were even more clinging to the bladeface. A minor complaint.
> 
> Overall, I really enjoyed using the knife. It's a highly functional piece of art. I would be proud to own such a fine tool. Thanks to @thebradleycrew again for doing this. Worth the price of admission and then some!


MY pleasure. Thank you for the great write up - glad you had a chance to use and enjoy it!


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## Barashka

The knife is on the way to the next destination as of this morning.

Here are some thoughts, though take it with a grain of salt as I expected to really like it .. and I did.
I'm also coming from relatively budget side of knife world, previous 'best cutters" being Shibata Kotetsu 180 and Dalman 275.

Knife

F&F is exceptional, handle install is excellent, properly rounded spine and choil, also seems slightly darker color?
Handle smaller than I’d like, but normal size, comfy in any grip. Looks better wet.
Heal not too fat, nearly no wedging. Heal authority is of a middle-weight knife, added to the hight feels pretty awesome.
Tip is thin and extra light. The whole knife is light so tip has no authority. 
Lighter than I thought, with a strong bias in balance towards the center (since the tip is too light).
Some flex in the upper part of the blade, none about half way down.
Medium-to-laserish overall for my feel.
Tip somehow didn't fly though stuff as easily as Shibata
Silly sharp edge .. best yet I've used, thank you previous people. 
Height is good, surprisingly. I thought it might be too much. Maybe 60mm would be a touch comfier for my wrist angle (given my height and counter height).
The profile seems pretty perfect for me, a great flat spot, and just a slight belly, but I don't rock.
Fingerprint magnet finish.
Feels smooth sliding into the knife block, smoother than my other high polish knives.
For a pretty thin knife, the food separation at heel is great on tall hard stuff. Not great for smaller things, especially wet, rides all the way up. Tip isn't tall enough for much to stick to it, though smaller things like green onions do stick there.
Beautiful smooth tip draws though fish and meat. Seems almost better with pull cuts then push cuts.
Forward swept choil makes for a longer overall knife, but for aggressive pinch grip, it’s great as it doesn’t waste the first few inches of the knife.
Looks dope .. and life is too short to use an ugly knife.
.. so yeh, I really like it. Best knife I used yet for my tastes. Though I wouldn't be giving up my Dalman or even Shibata quite yet.

The competition (aligned to handle)
Dalman 275 on left and Shinko 270 on right.


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## Barashka

The usps tracking says arrived! Enjoy!


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## thebradleycrew

Awesome. @pleue - can you confirm receipt? Also, you'll be the last stop on the pass around, because @Bcfromhi is bowing out having bought his own Cris Anderson! So, when you are done, let's connect via DM.


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## pleue

Hey! Yep it’s at my house. Been super fun to use though the weather has me in the garden more than the kitchen. I’ll post my thoughts in a bit.


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