# CJA EDGED ART/SCORPION FORGE 250 HONYAKI XH GYUTO



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

I haven't received this one yet, but It Is Officially On Its Way.

In the mean time I thought I'd post more pics and vids here, showcasing the knife through its inception...

One of the great things about working with Cris (and by working I mean he's doing _all_ the work), is that he takes you on the journey with him. Seriously, you get develop this intimate attachment with what he's making for you. You also get a peak at his workshop, inadvertently, and you get to hear/see his surroundings. It gives you an overwhelming since of where this guy is coming from, and ultimately where your knife is coming from. You even get to meet one of his friends, Oreo.

[video=youtube;PVr7ozMz8WA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVr7ozMz8WA[/video]

[video=youtube;17yXA5rH7nI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17yXA5rH7nI[/video]

[video=youtube;oZcDeCZ4oaM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZcDeCZ4oaM[/video]



This is the wood I picked up for this knife. I had a bit of a hard time deciding what to go with, but ultimately thought that the crazy sap wood patter plus the black lines of this piece would compliment the wild Hamon of Cris's work. The larger piece will be a saya, which Cris was kind enough to split for me.





A couple of pics of the knife in progress


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

[video=youtube;8zWD71aMcYg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zWD71aMcYg[/video]


[video=youtube;Io3XwzPR0Co]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Io3XwzPR0Co[/video]


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

Lots of pics of the handle build out:


----------



## ThEoRy (Dec 17, 2015)

Wow congratulations!


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

And next to the passaround some of got to play with:





And another video showcasing the handle:

[video=youtube;n3LCA_GQStA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3LCA_GQStA[/video]


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

Thanks Rick!


----------



## mikedtran (Dec 17, 2015)

Amazing amazing amazing! I've got about 6 months on my Cris Anderson blade and I'm going to enjoy every minute of the journey.

Can't wait to see that Saya!


----------



## turbochef422 (Dec 17, 2015)

Congratulations. His knives are so badass. Just sick


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

[video=youtube;nnPVeHd4oVs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnPVeHd4oVs[/video]

[video=youtube;4fJ5DyjaQas]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fJ5DyjaQas[/video]


----------



## aboynamedsuita (Dec 17, 2015)

Beautiful, and just in time for xmas too. I remember the first time I ever saw one of Cris' knives was in Mikey's handle gallery and have admired them ever since.


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 17, 2015)

It's very enjoyable to share this gentleman's passion with you guys. Cris goes through pretty good lengths to share his work with you, and if anybody here is like me (duh), you'll enjoy nerding out over this stuff just as much as I am.

I consider myself pretty fortunate to be able to see and use as many "tools" as I have since I've joined this shiny and sharp world. I've had the opportunity to use a lot of great/ talented knife maker's labor, some of which I've kept and some I've moved along. 
Obviously not every knife maker is going to be so forthcoming with this many pics and videos, and I certainly don't expect them to be. That's what makes this little journey more _special_, as it's a little peak into a craft I will know very little about. 

I was speaking to another knife maker when I mentioned a line from a (not so great) movie "Days of Thunder". Tom Cruise plays a very believable stock car racer and at one point he admits to knowing nothing about the mechanics of cars, but he knows how to _drive_ them. I kind of feel the same way when it comes to knives, and I'm totally find in my ignorance. Yes, I enjoy learning more, but if a knife maker tells me this is the steel and style he works with, I'm not going to change it. There's a trust there, and I have to call it "trust" because I'm paying a lot of money for something that's pretty much sight un-seen. There are many makers here on this forum, and _many_ more outside of it as well. It's been a goal of mine to try as many wares by as many makers as I can. This can obviously become cost prohibitive, and the fact that one has to simply trust the makers without ever _meeting_ him or her makes this a little challenging.


So, back to the story at hand. I reached out to Cris when he first joined this forum about 2 years ago. We started to talking and I became a fan. We spoke about what type of knife I would like, size, thickness, how tall, handle style etc. I decided to put my name on his books to reserve a spot. When it became my time to start the project, I was a little tapped out on knife funds. So we put it on hold. Fast fwd a bit, I reached out to Cris about picking up where we left off. At this point several other people were catching on to how badass his knives were, and the demand was climbing. As all successful knife makers have done, his pricing began to reflect the demand/ increase in costs on his making them. The original price he had quoted me was now just a fraction of his current pricing at the moment (then). Yet to my surprise, Cris was more than insistent on sticking with the original pricing. I was more than surprised. His response? "A deal is a deal".

I can't argue.


----------



## mkriggen (Dec 17, 2015)

Can't agree more, Cris is quality people. I'm just glad I got in fairly early, I'm pretty sure a 310 suji would cost me a little more now.

Be well,
Mikey


----------



## chinacats (Dec 18, 2015)

That is one of the hottest looking knives I've seen in some time...and to my specs


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 18, 2015)




----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 18, 2015)

marc4pt0 said:


> [video=youtube;8zWD71aMcYg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zWD71aMcYg[/video]



Just as a side note, this cutting video is of the knife with _ no_ edge and way prior to any geometry being finalized.


----------



## MontezumaBoy (Dec 18, 2015)

Would love to know where the balance of the knife is when you get it - just curious! Stunningly beautiful!! 

Hoping to see some 'Salty-ish' or 'Theory-ish' cutting vids as soon as you can please !!!!

Tom


----------



## bob_loblaw (Dec 18, 2015)

That's a good looking knife! I second that, Cris is definitely great to work with. I'm sure you'll make plenty of use of this one.


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 18, 2015)

MontezumaBoy said:


> Would love to know where the balance of the knife is when you get it - just curious! Stunningly beautiful!!
> 
> Hoping to see some 'Salty-ish' or 'Theory-ish' cutting vids as soon as you can please !!!!
> 
> Tom



I believe the knife balances about an 1/8 of an inch in front of the heel. Hoping to see for myself come early next week!
My wife and I have commandeered her family's Xmas Eve tradition of Fondue and wine. So this bad boy will be doing a lot of chopping if it hits home in time!!


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 18, 2015)

Anticipation levels very high!!


----------



## alterwisser (Dec 18, 2015)

marc4pt0 said:


> Anticipation levels very high!!



How giddy are you?????


----------



## XooMG (Dec 18, 2015)

twenty bucks says USPS loses it.

Congrats on getting your knife finished, Marc. I haven't done my part to help promote Cris's work yet, so hopefully this knife gives you some good things to say.


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 18, 2015)

XooMG said:


> twenty bucks says USPS loses it.
> 
> Congrats on getting your knife finished, Marc. I haven't done my part to help promote Cris's work yet, so hopefully this knife gives you some good things to say.



Yow!! Don't jinx it.

Can't wait to hear how it lives up to your expectations Marc. Guess I'll have to get on the list for yet another knife. That handle is smokin'.


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 18, 2015)

alterwisser said:


> How giddy are you?????



Giddy like a little school girl on Xmas eve



XooMG said:


> twenty bucks says USPS loses it.



Shush!


----------



## skiajl6297 (Dec 18, 2015)

Love the pic next to the pass around. I must say your editorial adjustments after using that knife look exactly spot on for the type of blade I dig. I suspect there will be quite a few commissions asking to repeat this knife!

Great job to the both of you. Gorgeous.


----------



## V1P (Dec 20, 2015)

Marc, you know Oreo made all the knives, right?


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 20, 2015)

Thought that was a secret. 
Guess the "cats out of the bag" now...
I'd say you owe Cris a big apology


----------



## 420layersofdank (Dec 20, 2015)

Whoa whoa whoa whoa!!!!!!! INSANE!!!! CRIS IS AMAZING


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 22, 2015)

Somebody owes us $20...


----------



## Smurfmacaw (Dec 22, 2015)

Wow, a new use for dryer lint! Wait, let me guess....you just picked it up at the post office and you couldn't wait to get home before you opened it! I've opened several knives in the post office parking lot lol.


----------



## XooMG (Dec 22, 2015)

Cris's packaging is always kind of funny, but it seems to work well.

Congrats on receiving the knife intact.


----------



## JLaz (Dec 22, 2015)

Congrats on the new knife!

I'm excited to hear about your thoughts on the performance of this knife.


----------



## marc4pt0 (Dec 29, 2015)

I've had several members ask me what I thought of this Anderson gyuto so far. Below is what I sent to one gentleman who asked me to compare it to 2 other specific knives. As a rule I generally try not to compare maker's work with one another as I believe it's generally not fair to anyone. What I might think about said knife and how it compares to another's is simply no more than personal opinion. My personal opinion to be exact. 
I'll also say this again, I consider myself fortunate to be able to collect and use so many fantastic tools made by just as many fantastic makers. Not one knife I have sits on a shelf or in a pretty case for me to _just_ admire. They all get used, they all meet the rigors of daily prep in a restaurant kitchen. I'd love to build a large display case though, one big enough to display all my knives. And I'd like to reach in there and grab what knives I'd be using on any given day. That would be kind of Bat Cave Cool. 

So, with that said, I did make some comparisons to both a Billipp and a Kato gyuto. I find that both of these knives are among the best of what I have/used, and they were what this gentleman asked me to use in comparison as he is also fortunate in having knives from both these makers. 


He asked me what I thought about Cris's taller, heavier style knife compared to his lighter (original) style knives. He also was curious how it compared to 2 other "heavier" style knives- Billipp and Kato Workhorse (older version).


"As for the Cris Anderson gyuto, I highly recommend the extra heavy version. I was rapping with Cris about how his knife compared to my older version Kato Workhorse and Billipp's most recent knife. His knife can definitely hold its own up against those two. The Anderson carries a lot of the positive traits that the Billipp and Kato have, just not all...

Vs Billipp & Kato: Both the Kato and Billipp have a little more ease in cutting carrots, but the Billipp suffers a tiny touch of wedging on onions. It's hardly noticeable, but when compared to the Anderson it becomes a little amplified. The Anderson also falls through carrots extremely easy, and on its own you'd think it couldn't get much better. But when comparing it to the Kato and Billipp, you notice a hint of extra effort needed when cutting large (6cm diameter) carrots. That has nothing to do with Cris's grind or his knife being inferior in any way, it's just that his knife possess an extreme distal taper, and his profile is much more pointed. Both of these elements makes the Anderson lack the forward weight that both the Billipp and Kato have. That's not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. This fwd weight will make the Billipp and Kato cut carrots easier, but the Anderson profile makes his knife a little more versatile. I could travel to any kitchen with just my Anderson and perform almost any task with it. Would I break down sub primals with it? Not a chance. But I could definitely butcher seafood with it, along with an array of sashimi cuts and other slicing needs. This on top of the already outstanding regular gyuto chopping and dicing tasks, plus it's ability to tackle delicate, intricate knife work makes the Anderson a fantastic all-arounder.

Comparing the XH XT Anderson with his regular style, I'm a bigger fan of his bigger blade. I've used two other gyutos from him, one being the passaround, and though they are both fantastic cutters I prefer the extra weight and height.
His lighter versions are great for speed cutting/prepping. Very nimble and easy to steer without concern of being all over the place. But they do require some extra umph of your muscle behind them when cutting the denser veggies. Whereas his heavier gyuto doesn't require extra energy to cut more dense veggies, but it's not quite as fast as his lighter versions. Don't get me wrong, his XH gyuto is fast, very fast, when you need it to be. I'd say it's akin to a Ferrari with all wheel drive.

Hope this little bit helps you decide. I must add that I've only used the Anderson a little bit. Haven't really had the chance to use it at work on a heavy prep day, so my thoughts are just based off of dinner prep at home for the holiday. So please keep that in mind..."


----------



## mikedtran (Feb 2, 2016)

I was just reading this and realized that you cut 6cm diameter carrots (~2.4 inches). Those are some seriously huge carrots!


----------

