# my little family



## crockerculinary

hey folks. new here. just thought i would post up my current customs collection.
http://imgur.com/mhoymYy

from top to bottom-
Voight Knives / 9" chefs / 52100 / black buckeye and black ash

Wheeler Knifeworks / 9" kiritsuke style chefs / aeb-l / amboyna and maple burl

Pugach Provisions u/tossik / 7.25" k-tip / aeb-l / ebony and rosewood, purpleheart saya

Nora knives #800 / 8.5" gyuto / aeb-l / spalted maple

Nora knives #958 / 8.5" chefs / aeb-l / walnut, spalted maple, buckeye burl

Nora knives #945 / 8.5" chefs / aeb-l / spalted maple

Nora knives #975 / 7.5" santoku w/ laser etched snake / aeb-l / black c-tek, maple, & white G10

Josh Opel Custom knives / 3 piece set- 9" chefs, 7.5" santoku, 5" utility / aeb-l / dyed blue curly maple and white oak

Josh Opel Custom knives / 3 piece set- 9" chefs, 7.5" santoku, 5.5" utility /aeb-l / spalted maple

DCB Customs / 3.75" paring / aeb-l / black c-tek


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## crockerculinary

IMG_6051-3 by gabriel crocker, on Flickr


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## TheCaptain

Very nice! Which is your favorit?


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## crockerculinary

tough, tough, tough. they all have their unique qualities. if i had a gun to my head and could only pick one, it would have to be the justin voight on the far left. it moves me.


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## ecchef

Very unique collection! Nice to see some variety.


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## Nemo

TheCaptain said:


> Very nice! Which is your favorit?



Isn't that like asking which is his favourite child?

Nice looking collection. I hadn't known of a lot of those makers. Can you describe some of the blades?


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## crockerculinary

oops, sorry didnt see anyone posted in here.
ecchef- thank you sir, i like em unique. 
nemo- anything you are particularly interested in? they are all aeb-l, except the voight on the far left. all full flat grinds, some thin, some not.=] the two josh opel sets on the right are ground very thin, making the chefs in the sets really good slicers. the 7" santoku (really more of a hybrid santoku shaped gyuto i think) and the 5.25" petty on the spalted maple set are my main prep knives at the moment. i have some more in depth shots of individual knives on my instagram and on reddit under the same username if youre interested.


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## Nemo

crockerculinary said:


> oops, sorry didnt see anyone posted in here.
> ecchef- thank you sir, i like em unique.
> nemo- anything you are particularly interested in? they are all aeb-l, except the voight on the far left. all full flat grinds, some thin, some not.=] the two josh opel sets on the right are ground very thin, making the chefs in the sets really good slicers. the 7" santoku (really more of a hybrid santoku shaped gyuto i think) and the 5.25" petty on the spalted maple set are my main prep knives at the moment. i have some more in depth shots of individual knives on my instagram and on reddit under the same username if youre interested.



Yeah, that was the sort of thing I was interested in.


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## 42537703

crockerculinary said:


> tough, tough, tough. they all have their unique qualities. if i had a gun to my head and could only pick one, it would have to be the justin voight on the far left. it moves me.



How do these Nora perform? Have you tried their m4 steel?


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## crockerculinary

i love the noras. whatever they are doing with their grind geometry is working. ive been meaning to get some calipers to take some measurements, but havent yet. they are definitely good cutters. 
here are some more pics of the wa handled one- https://www.instagram.com/p/BWLii5yAdR5/?taken-by=crockerculinary&hl=en
and a cutting video- https://www.instagram.com/p/BRMBpqvAViY/?taken-by=crockerculinary&hl=en

have not gotten the m4. yet.


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## crockerculinary

a few galleries of individual knives-

Wheeler Knifeworks 9" kiritsuke
http://imgur.com/a/doA39
damn if this knife isnt photogenic. seeing Phils knives for the first time was the start of my obsession with handmades, and i hear he is hanging up his full time knifemaker hat to go to med school, so i am very happy i was able to acquire some of his work before he did. seriously one of the smoothest, cleanest, most beautifully finished knives ive laid my eyes and hands on. He still has a handful of pieces available on his site, so check him out.
Metal: AEB-L Stainless, 600 grit satin
Blade Length: 9.25"
Blade Height: 2"
Total Length: 14.5"
Handle Material(s): stabilized mboyna and Maple burl, Brass, Black G10, Mosaic pin
Rockwell Hardness: 61
Grind Type: Full Flat
Saya: Curly maple and red mesquite friction



Voight Knives 9" Chefs
http://imgur.com/a/JV5Bi
Really fond of this one. It looks like it should be hanging from Gimlis belt in Lord of the Rings, "forged in the depths of Lonely Mountain..."
Here is a vid of it killing a tomato- https://www.instagram.com/p/BTgWyX7AF7I/?taken-by=crockerculinary&hl=e
Metal: 52100 w a forced patina, i believe he's a mustard man
Blade Length: 9"
Blade Height: 2"
Total Length: 14.25"
Handle Material(s): buckeye, black ash, and copper
Grind Type: Full Flat
Saya: Blackened curly maple


Nora Knives 8" Wa handled Gyuto
http://imgur.com/a/hRwPz
This knife seemed to generate the most interest from my family portrait, so i thought i would post a closer look for those interested. 
heres a quick cutting video- https://www.instagram.com/p/BRMBpqvAViY/?taken-by=crockerculinary&hl=en
Nora knives #800 wa gyuto
Metal: AEB-L Stainless Steel
Blade Length: 8.5 inches
Total Length: 15.25 inches
Handle Material(s): Stabilized spalted Maple, Black G10
Rockwell Hardness: 62
Grind Type: Full Flat


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## parbaked

Nora's packaging is so classy...especially the towel!


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## crockerculinary

parbaked said:


> Nora's packaging is so classy...especially the towel!


i know, right? they definitely have the branding game together.


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## crockerculinary

just received this custom ordered set from David Beaver at https://www.dcbcustoms.com. I have to say i am very impressed with his level of work. Super smooth and super clean fit and finish, consistent shaping, very nice grinds, super sharp on arrival, and very well priced. Highly recommend checking him out! 
8.5"chefs, 6.75" santoku, 5.25" petty in aeb-l stainless. Handled in spalted maple, black micarta, and stainless steel.

heres the gallery - http://imgur.com/a/sSQDT
and some paper killing- https://www.instagram.com/p/BWtcuaigwvs/?taken-by=crockerculinary&hl=en


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## milkbaby

I really dig the Voight, I randomly stumbled upon his knives on instagram and have been following. Really nice aesthetics that really grab my eye!

Also, your DCB set is really nice! I zipped over to his website and was impressed. I can't believe how he can sell those knives at such a low cost either, what a good deal!


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## crockerculinary

..


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## crockerculinary

milkbaby said:


> I really dig the Voight, I randomly stumbled upon his knives on instagram and have been following. Really nice aesthetics that really grab my eye!
> 
> Also, your DCB set is really nice! I zipped over to his website and was impressed. I can't believe how he can sell those knives at such a low cost either, what a good deal!



the voight is an eye catcher for sure. his stuff is a bit of a departure for me, but i find myself really drawn to his stuff. 

regarding dcb, his bio says he was a cabinetmaker and scenic fabricator for 10 years before getting into knives, i think hes just bringing an already elevated skill set (so less time/fewer mistakes), but hes still new enough to not be pricing himself too high. thats all purely conjecture on my part, but i will gladly take advantage of it if its true.


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## crockerculinary

the family has grown a bit. here are a few-




Hazenberg Knives



Griffin Bladeworks



Nicolaides Knives



Nora Knives



Rose City Knifeworks



Snake River Forge



DCB Customs


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## Dendrobatez

How's that griffinbladeworks? I've been watching his stuff a lot lately, love the Osage.


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## 42537703

Really like that handle on the Griffin Bladeworks.


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## crockerculinary

Dendrobatez said:


> How's that griffinbladeworks? I've been watching his stuff a lot lately, love the Osage.


His stuff is killer, and i think a good value. Aesthetically a little on the “rustic” side, but undoubtedly high performance. If youre an instagram user i just posted a video of it a few days ago, and there are more photos and videos further down. On his page there is a video of him edge testing this blade by hacking on a 2x4.


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## Dendrobatez

I thought that may be the same knife, very cool.


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## pete84

I like the Yant design on the NORA


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## crockerculinary

pete84 said:


> I like the Yant design on the NORA


 it is pretty amazing. heres a gallery if you’d like to see more-
https://www.instagram.com/p/BhffnWSAu-_/


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## ivnj

Impressive lineup


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## mfishsauce

Very nice collection. Thank you for sharing!


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## McMan

What're your thoughts on the DCB?


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## crockerculinary

ivnj said:


> Impressive lineup





mfishsauce said:


> Very nice collection. Thank you for sharing!



thanks folks! heres a few more for ya- 

*Charlie Ellis/ Eagle Crest Forge aka @charleslionheart*
petit chef 





little kwaiken edc-





*Michael Taylor aka "Crispy" *
crazy cool 250mm-




after forced patina-




santoku in Australian sheoak-





*Dan Prendergast*
330mm "mighty beast"









*Nick Anger*
damascus santoku


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## crockerculinary

McMan said:


> What're your thoughts on the DCB?



DCB is great. I wouldn't hesitate for a second to recommend his work. Overall very impressed with his quality of work. Super smooth and super clean fit and finish, consistent shaping, very nice grinds, super sharp on arrival, and very well priced. im surprised his pricing hasnt risen. I dont know all the details, but i believe he worked in cabinet making and scene fabrication or something for years before making knives so he brought a lot of existing skills to knifemaking.

here are links to my personal "reviews", pics, and cutting videos of all of the knives i have gotten from him-

first knife- i found his work online and wanted to see the quality of his work, so i bought a paring knife he had available. -https://www.instagram.com/p/BTf1_-cAiJo/?hl=en&taken-by=crockerculinary

i was impressed with that so i contacted him about a custom order of 6 knives in 2 sets, meant for eventual resale or gifting-

photo gallery of set 1- https://www.instagram.com/p/BWtbV5zA13_/ paper cutting video of set 1- https://www.instagram.com/p/BWtcuaigwvs/ crazy sharp!

gallery of set 2- https://www.instagram.com/p/BXQomy4g6u4/ cutting video of set 2-https://www.instagram.com/p/BZMcJsWAFzt/ i love this set so much i broke it up so i could keep the santoku as part of my personal kit and i love love love it. i flattened the profile a bit, but for someone who likes or is used to Germans its perfect. (he makes many more styles now so plenty with flatter profiles)

8th knife- https://www.instagram.com/p/BZcc7LJAwLk/ this knife sealed my fanboy status with david.


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## McMan

crockerculinary said:


> he makes many more styles now so plenty with flatter profiles.


Cool--thanks for the details!
I'd be interested to see what some of his flatter profiles look like.


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## crockerculinary

McMan said:


> Cool--thanks for the details!
> I'd be interested to see what some of his flatter profiles look like.


heres one he posted a few days ago-






best place is to check out his instagram.


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## minibatataman

Goddamn that's one hell of a collection! 
If you decide to sell that Wheeler make sure to give me a heads up


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## crockerculinary

minibatataman said:


> Goddamn that's one hell of a collection!
> If you decide to sell that Wheeler make sure to give me a heads up



you have good taste, that one is a favorite for sure.


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## minibatataman

crockerculinary said:


> you have good taste, that one is a favorite for sure.


That profile is just awesome lol


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