# Review: Andy Billipp damascus gyuto 255mm - Part I.



## Matus

Disclaimer - this will be a long one, so let me start with a photo 





I have just received from Andy Billipp my brand new damascus gyuto. I am completely overwhelmed with the first impressions. It was clear that sooner than later I would make a review, but I have decided to divide it in two parts. The first part will be basically my first impressions and photos of brand new, yet to be used, knife. Second part will come later after I have some hands-on experience and will also include some thoughts on how does it compare to other knives that I have at hand at the moment.

*Introduction*:
I have learned about Andy's work via KKF and got immediately attracted by the way Andy finishes his knives - combination of rustic look and amazing handle together with very interesting blade profiles. It took me a few months to get there, but eventually I got on Andy's waiting list by the mid summer 2014. Quoted waiting time was about 6 months, what turned to be 7 months - so rather on spot. While the waiting list at the time was short, Andy became a father sometimes in August and together with high farming season it was not until late Autumn that the project could get started. Until that time I was so 'worked up' that I decided to go with the damascus version.

*About Andy*:
I asked Andy he got to making kitchen knives and was surprised by the answer. While he did have life-long interest in knives, it was finally his wife (who studied Scandinavian woodworking and has her own shop) to go ahead and give it a try. The really interesting part is that he did not apprentice with anyone (though he admitted that that's would have been the way to go), but just used the information available online and use the trial-and-error method (lot't of error according to Andy, even today). The choice of kitchen knives was made base on what kind of knives he uses most (Andy calls his homelife 'food centred').

*Knife design*:
Contrary to other makers, Andy does not really like to deviate from what he considers works well and what he has experience with when it comes to blade material, heat-treat, blade geometry or grind. The reason is simple - he got to certain design and process that he finds working well (though he is open to new/custom projects - our first discussion was about honesuki knives - something he has not done yet). I new that beforehand and indeed I did not have intentions to dictate Andy how the blade should be ground, how thick it should be at the spine and so on. I have basically specified (roughy) the blade length and width and I have him my preferences on the blade profile. Concerning the handle he had some materials to choose from. I also had option to provide my own wood, but he had some really lovely blocks, so I picked one of those.





*Materials and dimensions*:
As mentioned the core cutting steel is 52100. Andy hardens the steel to about HRC61. The interesting part is the damascus cladding. It is made from 1084 and 15n20 what means that it also hardens during the heat treatment as these steels react somewhat similarly as the core steel, what according to Andy gives less probability of warping or delimitation. To avoid the knife being too hard and potentially fragile - the spine and bolster area are softened to 'spring hardness'. The result is still a rather stiff knife.

This knife dimensions are the following:

weight: 268g (yep!)
heel-to-tip: 255 mm
height at the heel: 51 mm
spine at the bolster: 9.0 mm
spine at the heel: 7.0 mm
spine at the "B": 3.0 mm
spine 1/2 towards the tip: 2.2 mm
spine 1cm from the tip: 0.7mm
handle length: 130 mm

So as you can see - this knife is definitely on the workhorse side and with weight of nearly 270g it is very comparable to a Kato Workhorse. Prior receiving the knife I was a bit worried that because of the thick neck and ironwood handle the knife could feel butt-heavy, but that is not the case. The centre of mass is about 1 cm from the heel towards the tip - or where you put your index finger with a pinch grip. This makes the knife feel very nimble. Compared to Kato which has centre of mass 2-3 cm further towards the tip (which makes it a great chopper and accounts for that 'separate that food' feel. The position of the centre of mass makes the knife feel lighter that it is (Kato does feel heavier in hand)

*Blade finish*:
Hard to miss this point, really The blade has really rustic-looking hand forged finish. The random damascus pattern is very lively and blends wonderfully with that 3D forged finish.









*Profile and geometry*:
In spite of being rather beefy, the blade is ground very thin behind the edge - a quick thumbnail test confirms that. The knife arrived shaving sharp so I have no reason to take it to stone right away. That will be, after all, part of the next review.





If you look at the choil shot you can see not only the knife being thin behind the edge, but also how it gets thicker towards the spine. Given the thick neck of the knife (which only tapers to 'normal' spine at around the letter 'B' the first 1cm or so from the heel the knife gets thicker getting away from the edge a lilt faster than the rest of the blade, so that choil shot should not be 'over-interpreted', so to speak.





I was very surprised when I measured the blade length for the first time - for some reason I would have guessed less than 240mm - maybe because of rather long handle. The knife just does not feel this large/long in your hand.

When you look at the blade profile you can see, that the knife has rather long flat spot - about 10cm. At the same time - the handle (and spine) are not parallel to this flat part, but have a slight angle relative to it. This allows for the blade to slowly decrease the blade height towards the tip without too much belly or without the the blade being a 'drop point'. I am not going to claim any superiority of that design (not before actually getting the knife a proper workout), but I do like the the way it looks. The blade seems to have second flat spot (though not completely flat) towards the tip.





For comparison - profile of a Kato Workhorse





*Handle*:
The handle is lovely - fit & finish is perfect and I would not hesitate to compare it to the level of that of the rosewood handle Dave did for us recently (which is magnificent). In particular the fit of the brass bolster to the hand forged neck of the knife is perfect what just magnifies the difference between the perfectly finished handle and the hand forged finish of the blade. It sits very well in hand and feels best with pinch grip. It is also long enough - I can hardly imagine that someone could find it too small or short.









*Choil, spine & bolster*:
The choil (as well as the spine) are semi-rounded and very comfortable. The rounding was mostly made with hammer, so you do not get shiny polished area that would not fit so nicely with the finish of the blade. 













Not to forget the sheath - it is a simple, but elegant one made from a very thick leather. The knife fits snugly and actually some force is needed to push the last 1-2 cm of the draw, so the sheath sits securely on the blade and does not require any additional attachment system.





OK - that is it for now. In the mean time the knife has made it first cuts, but that is to be reported in the second part.


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## riba

STUNNING!!!


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## TheDispossessed

Dude, this guy is my hero. Skateboarding new england farmer knife-making dad. Literally that's my dream life right there plus a drum set.


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## Don Nguyen

This is probably my favorite that I've seen from Andy. Great lines and everything goes together so well.


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## CutFingers

The million dollar question, what did it cost? It looks like a french/japanese hybrid monster of a knife. The handle is gorgeous. I like that it only has a single dot and no mosiac pins that people seem to over embellish these days.


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## Matus

That question is easy to answer - just check the Order a Knife section on Andy's webpage


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## marc4pt0

Gorgeous wood, and as always, another masterpiece from Mr Billipp. Matus, welcome to the club.


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## malexthekid

Love this knife.

I must say I think my next knife purchase will either be an Andy Billipp or a Bloodroot Blades (though decision between the two though).


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## Matus

malexthekid said:


> Love this knife.
> 
> I must say I think my next knife purchase will either be an Andy Billipp or a Bloodroot Blades (though decision between the two though).



Just days ago I got myself on the waiting list of Bloodroot Blades - great minds think alike


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## CB1968

Nice review Matus


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## TheDispossessed

I like the rustic thing Andy is doing. I'm not super into the high level of F&F that many American makers go for. Don't get me wrong I respect it, just not my aesthetic.


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## Lefty

Amazing. It's my best all-arounder, hands down.


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## Matus

Lefty said:


> Amazing. It's my best all-arounder, hands down.



So far my impressions are very positive too. I am curios how long will the edge last.


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## Lefty

In my experience, it's on par with Marko's edge. So, good to very good. Mind you, I'm a home cook. However, it "strops up" very easily and nicely, and the thing is a breeze on the stones.


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## Matus

What do you use to strop the edge? That could be an interesting solution and something I have not done yet.


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## Lefty

I generally use a dry 6k Suehiro, but have used compound on felt, and it was great, as well. The stone is easier, just because I have it closer to my knives. 

I actually really like the dry stone, though. It leaves it a bitore aggressive, which I like in a knife.


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## JohnnyChance

TheDispossessed said:


> I like the rustic thing Andy is doing. I'm not super into the high level of F&F that many American makers go for. Don't get me wrong I respect it, just not my aesthetic.



His F&F is immaculate, just a different aesthetic.


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## Lefty

Can I point out that John lead me to Andy and his work? I still love him forever, as a result. :*


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## marc4pt0

It was both of you Gents that got me into Billip's work. If we were in the same bar I'd buy you guys a round and insist on a group hug.


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## TheDispossessed

JohnnyChance said:


> His F&F is immaculate, just a different aesthetic.


Yes, this i can surely see in the photos. I did not mean to imply by any means AB had a low level of F&F in his work. 
To be more clear I like his lack of flash and polish i guess. Looks like a knife that coulda been made on a farm


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## Matus

And ALL of you are responsible that I got mine  It would definitely be cool to get together, even though that would be an expensive trip


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## Lefty

Group hugs for everyone!


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## vai777

crazy cool knife...


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## TheDispossessed

I plan on doing an in depth two part review for the bottle opener I bought from Andy.


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## Matus

TheDispossessed said:


> I plan on doing an in depth two part review for the bottle opener I bought from Andy.



We would not expect any less :cool2: :wink:


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## chinacats

Matus, 

Has this knife made its way into a rotation or are you using it exclusively? Curious how the edge retention is?

Cheers


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## Matus

I am using it pretty much exclusively - only the smaller (size and/or volume) are taken care of my the Carter Funayuki 167mm. The edge holding seems better than the Carter white#1 but not quite as good as super blue on my Masakage. But being a home cook it is not easy to quantify edge holding. 

I have not sharpened the knife yet, but do notice difference agains OOB edge (which was excellent and had no micro-bevel) in some parts. Still very usable edge (goes effortlessly through onions an chops paprika) and would probably respond well to some stropping at this stage. I plan on sharpening session soon though - I am very curios how the knife will feel on stones. But that will be reported on in the second part of the review


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## Ruso

Stunning knife.


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## rick_english

What's the "thumbnail test" for thin behind the edge?


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## Matus

rick_english said:


> What's the "thumbnail test" for thin behind the edge?



You push tangentially the blade against your thumbnail and look (at the reflection of light on the blade) how the blade deforms at the edge. The thinner the blade behind the edge the less pressure you need to see the edge deforming. This test will only become meaningful with some experience as one needs to make the connection between the performance of the blade and the stiffness of the edge on given knife as different steels/knives will behave differently. I am sure there are youtube videos on this test that describe it better.


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## Dave Martell

I love the raw forged look paired with the refined bevel grind against the excellently finished handle. If I forged this is what I'd be doing.


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## stereo.pete

I was really hoping to see an Andy Billipp gyuto at the Midwest gathering, but unfortunately you cannot have your prime rib and eat it too.


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## drawman623

Thanks Matus for this thread and the close look at Andy's work. Like others, I was blown away by his aesthetic. Yesterday was sunny and Andy was kind enough to open his shop for me to visit. Wow what a great day.

I'm now on the list for a Gyuto. Andy had a blade nearly complete including a maple burl handle that was out of this world. I don't possess the experience of a chef or hard core collector, but the thinness behind the blade was clear to me. The edge was very sharp and the damascus pattern showed a graceful transition from rustic to refined. The balance I observed was well described by the OP.

What impressed me most was the character of Andy. He wants to build a knife that exceeds the expectations of a discerning customer. Every step is carefully considered, processes remain labor intensive because Andy will not compromise the end product just to improve production efficiency. High standards folks...a strong work ethic and an eye for detail.

I was very impressed.


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## malexthekid

How long is Andy's wait?


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## toddnmd

malexthekid said:


> How long is Andy's wait?



I was recently told about 10 months.


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## Matus

toddnmd said:


> I was recently told about 10 months.



Sounds about as much as Andy quoted to me 2 months ago 

drawman623 - you are a lucky person - I would love to visit Andy's shop, but I am not sure my wife will let me to travel to US for that


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## drawman623

Matus said:


> Sounds about as much as Andy quoted to me 2 months ago
> 
> drawman623 - you are a lucky person - I would love to visit Andy's shop, but I am not sure my wife will let me to travel to US for that



Andy quoted me just over 1 year. Maybe I'll have an update in July when I visit again. His farm stand will be open by then and I will be there for produce. I wonder if he sells any vegetables pre sliced:scratchhead:

Matus
If you manage to arrange a knife trip in America, know you are welcome to stay at my place while touring the American Northeast.

I dream of a vacation to Affalterbach to visit the AMG factory and drive the Nurburgring... but then my sweetheart reminds me how many Shigs that will cost :sad0: Truly you are right; I'm lucky to be so close to Mr. Billipp


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## brainsausage

I just received a confirmation email from Andy this morning. He said the wait is roughly a year out. Something to look forward to...


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## drawman623

A brief update:

Andy is doing well and the fair weather business he and wife Haley run (Eddy Farm) is thriving. I made the drive to Newington, Connecticut with my sweetheart and we had a wonderful day. 





Produce at the farm stand was plentiful and varied. Andy was just delivering another 4 sacks of sweet corn when we arrived. His customers were literally lined up to share the farm's bounty.





He and Haley are expecting their 2nd child and the beauty of the life they are building together couldn't have been more evident. Andy and I spoke of knife building quite briefly. Demands on his time are significant and even though he admitted his order list was going to be quite challenging to manage, it was clear that he loves what he does. We talked about handle wood and how blown away I was with his choices...the burls and striations (see his web page gallery!). Andy has some new handle material that he is very enthusiastic to use. It is being applied to current projects. Though I didn't visit the shop on this trip, I located a photo of Andy in the shop with a couple knives in the making from my last visit.


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## drawman623

Matus-

I shared your greetings with Andy and brought home an Eddy Farm shirt. PM your address and I'll send it off to Germany!


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## Matus

drawman623 said:


> Matus-
> 
> I shared your greetings with Andy and brought home an Eddy Farm shirt. PM your address and I'll send it off to Germany!



That is very kind of you. PM is on the way 

I would love to meet Andy in person one day.


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## Matus

Update: My second part of the review is nearly ready - I just need to take a few photos for before-after comparison  I hope to post it next week.


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## cheflife15

looks like it has quite the distal taper. Do all his knives have such a thick blade coming out of the handle? Curious about the weight distribution of these. Theyre stunning blades.


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## Matus

Yes, the distal taper is pronounced. From the photos I have seen the relatively thick neck of the knife that is how Andy makes all his knives - it looks fantastic in first person. This one has pretty neutral balance when used with a pinch grip. The tip has very little weight on it.


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## BeepBeepImAJeep

Unbelievable knife... Thanks for sharing.


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