# Zwilling Kramer Essential



## deanb (May 31, 2014)

Got the 10" chef's knife and 4" parer a couple days ago. The chef's knife came with a very small burr but was easily sharpened. Took a very nice edge. We'll see how long it lasts. F&F is flawless. The chef's knife weighs in at 285 grams so it's a little lighter than the ZK 52100 at 302 grams.





For comparison, from top to bottom: Bob Kramer 9" chef's, ZK Damascus 10" chef's, ZK 52100 10" chef's, and ZK Essential 10" chefs.


----------



## Pensacola Tiger (May 31, 2014)

Is the tip on the Essential as thin as the tip of the 52100?


----------



## deanb (May 31, 2014)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> Is the tip on the Essential as thin as the tip of the 52100?



Not quite although the distal taper on the tang is more pronounced on the Essential. Both are great cutters.


----------



## daddy yo yo (May 31, 2014)

I'll take the top one!


----------



## Benuser (May 31, 2014)

Like the profile.


----------



## deanb (Jun 2, 2014)

I forgot to mention that the chef's knife came with bevels set at slightly less than 10 degrees per side.


----------



## jer (Jun 2, 2014)

what is the grind like on the zk and is it generally the same across the line?


----------



## wisew (Jun 2, 2014)

I must admit I'm intrigued. How does it perform so far?


----------



## deanb (Jun 3, 2014)

jer said:


> what is the grind like on the zk and is it generally the same across the line?



The chef's grind is slightly convex near the spine and edge and fairly flat in between. Don't know about the whole line.


----------



## deanb (Jun 3, 2014)

wisew said:


> I must admit I'm intrigued. How does it perform so far?



I've only had it for a few days but I'm impressed. At this price point ($250) I think it's a steal. It performs as well or better than any other knife I own.


----------



## 29palms (Jun 5, 2014)

I like Salty's Kramer it looks more Sab like.


----------



## gic (Jun 6, 2014)

I'd be real curious if someone who owns both the 52100 Zilling Kramer and the essential coudl do a comparison...


----------



## ramenlegend (Jun 6, 2014)

I went to check out the essential line today and they had a clearance on the carbon steel line (they are discontinuing it in stores and only selling it online, with a higher price tag) . I ended up buying the 8 inch carbon chef for $150, couldn't pass up the deal. I did think for a while though and compared the 2 blades. The essential line is the same profile, but is a much thinner thine and grind. As expected, the essential is quite a bit lighter. The choil looked really really good, and I could just tell that it was a great cutter. BUT I chose the more robust workhorse of the two. I figured I could always go back and get the essential in the future


----------



## bear1889 (Jun 8, 2014)

Thanks guys just what I need, another knife, :biggrin: went to that store and bought the Kramer Z 10" chef 52100 F and F average but my gosh brought it home cleaned it up 10k diamond stone and then on the strop with red polish :Ooooh: thing is very very very sharp now, waved it over a green pepper and the pepper fell apart in a uniform chop.

Yes I got it on clearance, wow!


----------



## marc4pt0 (Jun 8, 2014)

If you don't mind my asking, what was the clearance price?


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Jun 8, 2014)

Marc, they were half off the original sale price. I'm waiting for the Santoku and an 8" chefs knife. I'm fond of the profile as I already have a 6" WS Shun SG2 Meiji. 

Got both knifes for $300. Good deal right?


----------



## Dardeau (Jun 8, 2014)

Holy ****. That's a smoking deal! In store only?


----------



## marc4pt0 (Jun 8, 2014)

That's insane. Looks like I'm headed to Sur!


----------



## bear1889 (Jun 8, 2014)

$175


----------



## Lefty (Jun 8, 2014)

Wow. Amazing deal....


----------



## Dardeau (Jun 8, 2014)

Definitely in store only. Damm


----------



## gic (Jun 8, 2014)

So what I did was I started systematically calling Sur La Tables until I found one that had what I wanted that they were discontinuing, they took my credit card and will ship them to me. Your mileage may vary but I think it may be worth calling a couple of them: 1/2 price is pretty awesome


----------



## Bikeman (Jun 10, 2014)

I called around various Sur La Tab stores in the Northeast. Found one and I bought the 8" 52100 for $149. Shipped free. Could not resist trying a zk Kramer for that price! Could not find a 10" and I called a bunch of stores. They are selling their display knives for the discounted price. Apparently the rest of the stock knives will be sold on their website only and at full price.


----------



## lancep (Jun 11, 2014)

I called only two stores, both had some ZK knives left. I ended up ordering a paring, utility, and 10" gyuto. Looking forward to trying them out and comparing them to my Shig, Devin ITK, and Takagi knives.

For anyone interested, the Providence Place (RI) store has a 6" gyuto and a 9" slicer (sujikiki?) in stock.


----------



## Lefty (Jun 11, 2014)

If anyone can track one down for me, let me know....


----------



## marc4pt0 (Jun 11, 2014)

That slicer is pretty badass, just saying


----------



## kiefer (Jun 11, 2014)

I stopped by one of the local SLTs on the way home from work. They had one 10 inch carbon gyuto left. 
It had a small overgrind at the heel, which the manager saw as well. He gave me an additional 20 percent off.
$139 later, I'm walking out with the knife.


----------



## deanb (Jun 11, 2014)

kiefer said:


> I stopped by one of the local SLTs on the way home from work. They had one 10 inch carbon gyuto left.
> It had a small overgrind at the heel, which the manager saw as well. He gave me an additional 20 percent off.
> $139 later, I'm walking out with the knife.



Overgrind on the heel is better than undergrind. What a deal!


----------



## gic (Jun 11, 2014)

send it back to zwilling, they will replace it i believe...


----------



## Anton (Jun 11, 2014)

Just went to my local store and they said is no longer on sale... !


----------



## daveb (Jun 11, 2014)

The SLT in Sarasota, FL has 6" Chef for 125 and a 7" Santoku for 122. I did not ask about shipping.


----------



## JoeSchmoe (Jun 12, 2014)

Thank you guys for bringing this to my attention. I have wanted a carbon knife for a few months now, and this should do nicely. I was able to get the 8".


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Jun 12, 2014)

I picked up the 7" santaku and 8" chef. Some observations:

1.) Both knives have very tall heels, I think the 8" chef is over 60mm
2.) The 8" chef does have a very usable flat spot. The santaku belly as big as a bear in salmon season.
3.) F/F on both knives varied. The Santaku has a smooth handle while the 8" had rivets and tang sticking out due to scale shrinkage.
4.) The 52100 steel is the real deal. Touched it up on the Takenono and leather strop. Very quiet through phonebook paper.
5.) The distal taper on the 8" is unreal. It goes from about 3.5mm at handle to 0.5mm 1/2 inch from tip. 
6.) The grind on both knives are decent. The edge on the 8" isn't completely even.

My conclusion: I'm returning the Santaku and sending the 8" to Dave Martel to smooth the bumps in the handle, widen the sweet spot a bit and thin behind the edge. for $150 I feel like its an excellent knife value but needs tweaking. Hopefully Dave will do a WIP so you can see the changes.


----------



## Lucretia (Jun 13, 2014)

Sur La Table at the Bravern in Bellevue, WA had a santoku and a bread knife, and at Lake View Village in Lake Oswego, Oregon, had 6" and 8" chefs when I talked to them. Free shipping for items over $59 right now, too. I picked up a second utility, because it's just such a useful little knife and hubby is getting his own knife drawer set up, and a paring knife because I've heard so many good things about them. Was sore tempted by the santoku at half price, but I really don't need another knife in that size range.


----------



## deanb (Jun 28, 2014)

Update: I've had the ZK Essential for a month or so now. It's had pretty heavy use (for a home cook) and the edge has held up amazingly well. An occasional stropping and the edge stays very sharp. I look at the edge under a 750X glass and don't see any chipping at all. Can't ask for more and the knife is really fun to use.


----------



## MAS4T0 (Jun 29, 2014)

deanb said:


> Update: I've had the ZK Essential for a month or so now. It's had pretty heavy use (for a home cook) and the edge has held up amazingly well. An occasional stropping and the edge stays very sharp. I look at the edge under a 750X glass and don't see any chipping at all. Can't ask for more and the knife is really fun to use.



Thank you for sharing your experiences with these.
I know that they're quite different knives in terms of weight and spine thickness, but which of the stainless versions do you prefer?


----------



## deanb (Jun 30, 2014)

MAS4T0 said:


> Thank you for sharing your experiences with these.
> I know that they're quite different knives in terms of weight and spine thickness, but which of the stainless versions do you prefer?



If you're asking about the ZK Essential 10" Chef's vs the 4"parer then I'd have to call it a draw. Both came with 10 degree bevels and are easy to keep very sharp. F&F are flawless on both and I love their profiles. They are also both very fun to use. 

If you're asking about ZK Essential vs ZK Damascus (both stainless) then I prefer the Essential. It's lighter, I like the handle better, and it came with 10 degree bevels. The Damascus came with 15 degree bevels and it was a chore to get to 10 degrees. They both look good but people seem to be way more impressed with the Damascus.


----------



## MAS4T0 (Jun 30, 2014)

Thank you for the reply Dean. 

I apologize for my lack of clarity, I was indeed wondering about how the Essential compared to the Damascus. I already have both a ZK 52100 chef's knife and a ZK SG2 parer which are great. It looks like I'll soon be ordering an Essential chef's knife top accompany them.


----------



## deanb (Jul 2, 2014)

MAS4T0 said:


> Thank you for the reply Dean.
> 
> I apologize for my lack of clarity, I was indeed wondering about how the Essential compared to the Damascus. I already have both a ZK 52100 chef's knife and a ZK SG2 parer which are great. It looks like I'll soon be ordering an Essential chef's knife top accompany them.



I think you'll be happy. What is the length of your ZK 52100 chef's and what size of Essential are you thinking of getting. Just curious. I'm also curious about the cost in England.


----------



## MAS4T0 (Jul 3, 2014)

deanb said:


> I think you'll be happy. What is the length of your ZK 52100 chef's and what size of Essential are you thinking of getting. Just curious. I'm also curious about the cost in England.



Thanks again for the advise, it's a great help.

I've got the 8" chef's knife in 52100 and I'm thinking of getting the Essential in the same size. I prefer a little longer (around 225mm) with a gyuto, but I tend to find that Kramer's profile allows me to work with a slightly smaller knife. I generally use it for smaller jobs where I don't want to pull out a full size board.

Unfortunately (as far as I can tell) they don't actually sell any of the ZK knives in England, so I'm ordering then from the US; as a result it works out to the US price + 20% (import tax) + around $30 postage.


----------



## deanb (Jul 6, 2014)

I hope you haven't pulled the trigger on the 8" yet. I would very much recommend the 10" instead. The 10" will do everything the 8" will do and more. This is a long term investment so a little increase in cost is nothing.


----------



## MAS4T0 (Jul 7, 2014)

Having thought about it, it would be a shame not to try the 10". I'm going to take your advise and get the 10".


----------



## bkdc (Jul 28, 2014)

I seriously wish they would make a 9-inch version of this. 8 is too short. 10 is too long. LOL. At SLT, I kept getting the heavy 'thud' as the heel end of the 8-inch knife is essentially perfectly flat. It was annoyingly flat, but it would be perfect for rapid chopping without accordioning. It's an issue with home use and cutting board space. Otherwise, I'd be all over the 10er.


----------



## vai777 (Jul 28, 2014)

I know I shouldn't be, but I'm so tempted to pick one of these up....


----------



## Lizzardborn (Jul 28, 2014)

vai777 said:


> I know I shouldn't be, but I'm so tempted to pick one of these up....



Go on. And post a performance review


----------



## deanb (Jul 29, 2014)

bkdc said:


> I seriously wish they would make a 9-inch version of this. 8 is too short. 10 is too long. LOL. At SLT, I kept getting the heavy 'thud' as the heel end of the 8-inch knife is essentially perfectly flat. It was annoyingly flat, but it would be perfect for rapid chopping without accordioning. It's an issue with home use and cutting board space. Otherwise, I'd be all over the 10er.



I wish they would make a 12" version. I suppose there wouldn't be a big demand for a 12" and I imagine there are problems with fabricating a chef's knife of that length. Still, I would buy a 12" ZK Chef's in a heartbeat.


----------



## TimothyMcK (Jan 4, 2015)

After reading this thread and doing a ton of research I purchased a ZK essential chefs knife. I have one question for those who own one or have an opinion regarding honing one. Anyone have a recommended hone for the ZK essential line? I noticed they have a ZK ceramic and a double cut steel version. Would one of those two be the best option? If so which? Any other recommendations appreciated!


----------



## memorael (Jan 5, 2015)

So, I was hesitant about this review but I got the 10 inch version, and I wasn't impressed. The main reason is the steel wasn't up to par on sharpness as I like. Anyone else have the same problem?


----------



## gic (Jan 5, 2015)

I'm surprised, yes the steel isn't quite as nice as the stell in a Kramer 52100 or in Devin's version of AEB-L - which I believe is what they are using in the essentials - but I foudn it sharpens pretty well and holds an edge well.

What issue did you have with it?


----------



## marc4pt0 (Jan 5, 2015)

It's a bit of a disservice to compare this version of aeb-l to DT's version as Devin just has this magic he works into his heat treatment that you're not going to find in a production knife. 

I have the 10"version in this line and find that it takes a pretty solid edge and holds it for a decent time. Is it equal/ better than the 52100 version? I think that becomes more of a preference than fact. 


And while i don't hone it, I would recommend the Mac Black ceramic rod that can be found for around $50 on amazon. I do have one and keep it in my bag at work for an impromptu swipe on the rare occasion. It does the job well enough to make a difference/improvement. The Kramer ceramic is very abrasive which I am shocked by and do not recommend.


----------



## gic (Jan 5, 2015)

+1 Absolutely agree my devin itk in aeb-l is just about my favorite knife :- )


----------



## marc4pt0 (Jan 5, 2015)

Every time I pick up my itk I'm just amazed at how much of a solid performer it is. I've seen it referred to as the "perfect" knife and while that's certainly a personal preference, i can't argue it.


----------



## memorael (Jan 5, 2015)

Basically I didn't like the knife because of the shape, I find it clumsy compared to all my other knives. Also the steel wouldn't cut some things as well as I like my knives to do. It is basically a steel problem or heat treat problem. I couldn't do a lot of different things with it, kinda like a one or two trick pony. The edge didn't last long in a medium to high service restaurant and basically I think its a dud. For those wondering what I used to sharpen it here is the list of different stones used:

Naniwa choseras, naniwa SS, gesshin stones, and king 6k plus chrome ox to strop on leather and plain leather. The knife got really sharp but some steels just don't do well when it comes to multi tasking. For those wondering which steels do well in my experience heres another list:
A type, DTs AEBL, most blue supers, carbon knives, suisin honyaki stainless and tadatsunas, also the stainless gesshin knife which translates to dream I think. Misonos are pretty good too the ux line.


----------



## gic (Jan 5, 2015)

I believe sur la table as an absolute guarantee just bring it back and they will refund you money I think


----------



## marc4pt0 (Jan 5, 2015)

Not every knife out every profile works for everybody. For me, Kramer's profile works like a champ. I was utterly put off by it at first glance but once I have it a go, it totally grew on me. Is it my favorite profile? I don't have a favorite, but I do have favoriteS. And this one falls in that category. Especially with its super thin distal taper.
But that's just me and that's all that counts


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Jan 5, 2015)

I had the ZKramer 8" and Santaku in 52100 when SLT had that big sale a few months ago. I made three cuts with the Santaku and ten with the 8" chef and I couldn't wash and put them down fast enough. Not for me, the huge heel and skinny tip just feel wonky to me. The profile is certainly different overall. 

I thought I'd love them as I have the WS Meiji 6" and it's one of my favorite knives. 

Knives remind me of women more and more. You will never know if you'll fall in love only by looking.


----------



## chinacats (Jan 5, 2015)

I remember the Kramer 10" that got passed around. It stands out in my mind because it cut so much better than it looked like it should. It also felt great in use, just in my mind "too ugly" (profile-wise) to own


----------



## Mucho Bocho (Jan 5, 2015)

China, Zwiefel brought that knife over along with the Masamoto KS from that passaround. I didn't have long to spend with it, we chefed one meal but both agreed, not for us. It did have nice balance, but felt more like an Arabian sword. I could see how a Pro could use that length, height, weight to their advantage. I'm just a home cooker, ya know, one onion, four potatoes, two cloves of garlic...kind of cooking. 

Totally cool if ya'll dig it, different strokes for different folks. I also didn't think the Yusuki extra thick flat Swedish 240 was for me either (sorry MPukas). Wasn't into the Heiji gyuto DaveB sent me, (even after the weight loss I gave it), nor the custom Forgecraft (Mike Henry?) Mrmnms sent me.


----------



## Livlif (Jan 6, 2015)

I really like the profile of the Kramer knives. I don't love them though. I need to take more time with them though. I have bothe the 8" and 10" in 52100. They do cut extremely well. I am just a home cook with too many knives. lol I need to take more time to familiarize myself with them. They really are nice.


----------



## memorael (Jan 8, 2015)

someone around here once said it pretty clearly. Different strokes for different folks.


----------



## Matus (Feb 13, 2015)

May I ask how heavy is the one with 20cm blade and where is the balance point? I would give the knife a try if it is not too butt heavy.


----------



## Knifefan (Feb 14, 2015)

Balance point is just on the bolster. Definitely not butt heavy.


----------



## Matus (Feb 14, 2015)

Thanks!


----------

