# Milan Gravier Gyuto Passaround



## soigne_west

I recently purchased a Gyuto from this lesser known French smith. In speaking with him, we had quite a good back and forth about knife trends, steels other blacksmiths. He is really a super nice guy and a pleasure to talk to. He has also been a blacksmith for over 10 years and i think he's got some serious skill.

I had originally thought and talked to him about doing a passaround he thought it was a really cool idea. I had planed to get a more "standard" size gyuto for it but thought why not just do one with the knife i just aquired.

I know people think its probably a terrible time for a passaround but I think its actually a great time. A lot of us are at home, moneys tight, and USPS seems to be somewhat keeping their act together and could also use our support.

I was thinking a group of 10-15 people, US only, active well known or senior members. Use the knife for a week, send it to the next person and add some feedback that will be shared with Milan.

Let me know who's interested.






Instagram







www.instagram.com





groundrules:
-Use the knife, sharpen it, polish it if that’s your thing, but be a little careful in dense foods. This thing is THIN behind the edge.
-Please insure for $400
-Please make sure the knife is protected in case of longer than expected delivery times (mineral oil, etc)
-Enjoy it, but treat it like your own.
-leave a little review.

List so far

@crockerculinary
@Malcolm Johnson
@M1k3
@Neville Lin —knife is here
@dafox
@tgfencer
@SolidSnake03
@ian
@ExistentialHero
@mise_en_place
@GorillaGrunt
@Matt Zilliox
@thebradleycrew


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## soigne_west

Specs are 220x58 200g

hereare some photos.


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## M1k3

Me! LOL I like passarounds. Waiting on the Michi one still. Oh and the Paella lady.


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## dafox

I'm interested, please sign me up.


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## tgfencer

Im in


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## soigne_west

Sounds good. You guys are in!


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## soigne_west

Updated original thread with a few ground rules


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## ian

Interested.


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## ExistentialHero

I'd be game if my posting record qualifies as "active well known".


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## soigne_west

Your both in!


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## dafox

What steel is it made out of?


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## soigne_west

C130


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## Neville Lin

I’d like to be part of this one too!


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## soigne_west

Sure Neville.


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## soigne_west

List so far

@M1k3 
@dafox 
@tgfencer 
@ian 
@ExistentialHero 
@Neville Lin


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## crockerculinary

Yo! Happy to contribute. Looks nice.


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## soigne_west

If @crockerculinary cool with it, we can start this tomorrow. He lives here in sac and can just hand it off. I suppose it doesn't really matter if it bounces back and forth across the country but i think for the most part well start on the west coast. Order above. If others have interest to join i have no problem with that. Let me know if anyone has and questions or tips or anything like that.


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## crockerculinary

Wow, what a pleasant weekend surprise. I’ll get in touch to arrange the pass off. Thanks for doing this Graham.


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## Malcolm Johnson

I’ll join


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## M1k3

^^^^
Should be before or after me.


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## labor of love

Hey, what do you think of the steel? Never heard of it. What’s it like?


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## soigne_west

Sure Malcolm.

@labor of love it was literally explained to me as carbon 1.3. It’s a French steel. I think just very pure. Feels like shirogami.


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## M1k3

soigne_west said:


> Sure Malcolm.
> 
> @labor of love it was literally explained to me as carbon 1.3. It’s a French steel. I think just very pure. Feels like shirogami.


Probably xc130.


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## Barmoley

It is like SC 125 with half the manganese or like 135cr3 without the chromium.

Should be very similar to white 1









C130 / 1.2002


For knife blades, C130 is a well-known carbon steel, very low-alloy and high carbon content. Perfect for obtaining beautiful hamons.




www.eurotechni.com


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## labor of love

@soigne_west thanks for doing this passaround! 
I’m not going to partake but I look forward to reading everyone’s thoughts. Especially with regards to steel and cutting ability


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## slickmamba

Thanks for setting this up! I'll also sit out but interested in reading the reviews


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## mise_en_place

I'm in if that's cool.


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## dafox

What is the cladding?


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## soigne_west

Very mild .1% carbon


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## Matt Zilliox

soigne_west said:


> I recently purchased a Gyuto from this lesser known French smith. In speaking with him, we had quite a good back and forth about knife trends, steels other blacksmiths. He is really a super nice guy and a pleasure to talk to. He has also been a blacksmith for over 10 years and i think he's got some serious skill.
> 
> I had originally thought and talked to him about doing a passaround he thought it was a really cool idea. I had planed to get a more "standard" size gyuto for it but thought why not just do one with the knife i just aquired.
> 
> I know people think its probably a terrible time for a passaround but I think its actually a great time. A lot of us are at home, moneys tight, and USPS seems to be somewhat keeping their act together and could also use our support.
> 
> I was thinking a group of 10-15 people, US only, active well known or senior members. Use the knife for a week, send it to the next person and add some feedback that will be shared with Milan.
> 
> Let me know who's interested.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Instagram
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.instagram.com
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> groundrules:
> -Use the knife, sharpen it, polish it if that’s your thing, but be a little careful in dense foods. This thing is THIN behind the edge.
> -Please insure for $400
> -Please make sure the knife is protected in case of longer than expected delivery times (mineral oil, etc)
> -Enjoy it, but treat it like your own.
> -leave a little review.
> 
> List so far
> 
> @crockerculinary
> @Malcolm Johnson
> @M1k3
> @Neville Lin
> @dafox
> @tgfencer
> @ian
> @ExistentialHero
> @mise_en_place


Seeing as i nearly bought it, im in


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## GorillaGrunt

Count me in if still possible!


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## thebradleycrew

I'd be in if there is room/time. Either way, excited to hear about what folks think of it!


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## soigne_west

of course! 

Closing this up. I think we got a good group.

will update list soon. Knife is currently with @crockerculinary


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## soigne_west

OK guys here's the updated list. I know where most of you are generally located. Tried to make the order reflect location.

@crockerculinary <- Knife is here
@Malcolm Johnson 
@M1k3
@Neville Lin
@dafox
@tgfencer
@SolidSnake03
@ian
@ExistentialHero
@mise_en_place
@GorillaGrunt
@Matt Zilliox
@thebradleycrew


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## SolidSnake03

Super excited to be a part of this! Was looking closely at this marker recently so this will be interesting for sure


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## Chang

Damn, didn't see this until now. It's a good size, imo, too! Subbing to see the reviews.


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## Malcolm Johnson

Not to be a pest... but could I join in? I’m in Southern California if that helps figure out details


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## soigne_west

Whoops, I amended the list.


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## Horsemover

Very cool...not sure how I missed this. I have been following him and talking to him a fair amount on IG. Came very close to pulling the trigger on a few of his recent ones. Can’t wait to hear what people think. Just FYI he has a couple available on his website. Been eyeing up the one petty.


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## crockerculinary

Posted a few pics and a couple quick cuts to my Instagram if anyone is interested. Knife is dope, for sure. I’ll write down my thoughts here when finished with it too. More to come of course.

Pics-


Cutting-


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## crockerculinary

Oh cool I didn’t know IG posts embedded here.


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## daveb

@soigne_west

Not sure I like your new avatar - the one with my picture on it.....


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## soigne_west

Your my spirit animal??? Dad?


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## daveb

Better than Grandpa

And it's "You're". I taught you to spell years ago......


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## AT5760

I’m excited to hear what people have to say. I really like the profile and dimensions on this one.


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## crockerculinary

A couple more-


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## soigne_west

Awesome @crockerculinary


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## M1k3

I received the knife today. Looks nice and we'll executed. Pretty light. Fit and finish is pretty good.

Took it to work....

I was a bit disappointed.

I started with slicing onions. The bolster/spacer to spine arrangement rubs my hand with a corner. It was uncomfortable. But I continued. Cut some more of my prep. No real complaints. Cladding is reactive, stopped discoloring stuff after the second onion.

You know that scene in the movie Dude, Where's My Car? where there at the drive thru?

"Aaannnddddd ttthhheeenn"

















Stiction AND poor food release meet. Promptly cleaned the blade off and put it away. Continued the night with my Gengetsu.

Seems it would be good with a little massaging of the bolster/spacer and not cutting dense, stiff product. Stick to lettuce and leafy herbs.

Thank you for letting me use the knife @soigne_west.


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## soigne_west

Interesting. Thanks for the review. I didn’t notice that much of a problem with potatoes or food release. Then again I think I used it for once or twice in a home kitchen then sent it out. Appreciate your input!


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## M1k3

soigne_west said:


> Interesting. Thanks for the review. I didn’t notice that much of a problem with potatoes or food release. Then again I think I used it for once or twice in a home kitchen then sent it out. Appreciate your input!


In the knifes defense, the potatoes were cold water soaked ones. The worst..


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## soigne_west

Knife is on its way to @Neville Lin. Malcolm had to back out. Thanks @M1k3 and @crockerculinary for your guys feedback!


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## M1k3

I just want to add a few thoughts. It's a well put together knife and performed great on onions, jalapeno peppers, dicing Shallott, etc. It only faltered, for me, with cold water soaked potatoes. Which not money people will encounter. It did take a nice patina, that I forgot to take pictures of..... Basically hard, tall produce it'll struggle with, hard squash and similar. Everything else it'll be fine. Thanks again @soigne_west for the opportunity.


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## soigne_west

@M1k3, being as I didn’t really use the knife much, let alone in a pro kitchen for hours long prep sesh, did you find it hurt your hand?


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## M1k3

soigne_west said:


> @M1k3, being as I didn’t really use the knife much, let alone in a pro kitchen for hours long prep sesh, did you find it hurt your hand?


Not really hurt it. Uncomfortable. If the bolster part was a wee bit smaller or tapered a bit more the last few 4-7mm or so, it would improve the comfortably. Granted I used it for about 3 hours of prep, not non-stop cutting though.


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## Neville Lin

Just received the knife today, I'll post my thoughts in a day or two.


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## Neville Lin

Sorry for taking so long.

Here’s that photo of the patina, since @M1k3 missed it.






Personally, I think the knife and handle look really nice, but I did notice the discomfort in the handle @M1k3 mentioned. For long periods of time, I can see it being an issue and I would probably prefer a traditional handle. For a home cook like me, it probably wouldn’t matter.

The knife felt very light and nimble, a little surprising given the height. It’s very thin, and I’d be hesitant to try to put it through super dense veg, but it handled most of the produce I put it through well. The densest product I cut were lotus roots, which it struggled with a bit, but not much more than my other knives. Unfortunately, I was able to recreate the wet potato incident pretty consistently, though I don’t think it’ll be an issue for non-professionals as, again, we just don’t cut enough stuff for it to matter.

I only ran it very lightly across some stones, but the comparison to shiro seems accurate to me. Just a couple strokes were enough to start feeling a burr.

All in all, I think anyone cooking at home would be very happy with the knife, though I can’t speak to it’s utility in a pro kitchen.


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## soigne_west

Thanks for the input Neville.


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## dafox

I recieved the knife today, safe and sound, Colorado.


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## dafox

Thank you for the opportunity to use this knife, pass-arounds are a great idea and fun.
To be honest, this is not my style of knife. I found it to be too tall and I'm not a fan of wide bevels, preferring convexed grinds.
I used the knife to make a couple of vegy stir frys and some salsa fresca.
It did really well at rocking/guillotine and glide on finely slicing/dicing ginger, serano, and onions, but I wish it had a narrower more spear pointed tip for dismembering broccoli florets and for deveining serano peppers. 
And in general wished it felt more nimble, I do like the balance. 
I also found the handle to be uncomfortable, the angular shapped metal part on the side of the handle near the blade poked into my thumb.
When I received it it didn't cut tomatoes well so I put a Chosera 800 grit edge on it. The steel sharpened very easily and cut paper very smoothly. The edge then cut tomatoes easily with just the right amount of toothyness but lost some of that toothyness and bite after dicing a couple of tomatoes. 
Thanks again!


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## dafox

On it's way to @tgfencer.


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## soigne_west

Thanks Dafox


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## Carl Kotte

M1k3 said:


> Not really hurt it. Uncomfortable. If the bolster part was a wee bit smaller or tapered a bit more the last few 4-7mm or so, it would improve the comfortably. Granted I used it for about 3 hours of prep, not non-stop cutting though.


A bit of hot dog bun bolster would have made the trick!


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## Matt Zilliox

Interesting feedback all


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## tgfencer

Received safe and sound on Friday. More to follow.


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## SolidSnake03

Sounds good! Looking forward to it since I think im next as well


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## tgfencer

Alright, knife is on it's way to @SolidSnake03.

First off, I have yet to have coffee this morning so I hope this sounds coherent. 

I liked the knife, but didn't love it. It cut well, geometry was good, although a bit too thin for my tastes. I thought the knife was slightly light for the size and would have preferred a bit more thickness on the spine to offset the thinness of the grind and add a touch extra weight to aid in cutting. I did like the stiffness of the blade though. All in all, it's a fine knife, just not my cup of tea (and fairly different from Yanick Puig's work, in case anybody was wondering about that comparison). In the $450-600 range, there are several other custom makers I would choose ahead of this one (Dalman, Catcheside, Raquin etc) but I wouldn't necessarily be against buying one second-hand if the fit was right or ordering a custom if I felt confident he could change up his style a bit to match what I was looking for.

As for the handle, I have a bias against hexagonal handles. Never liked them. If handles aren't going to be octagonal (or western) then they really just want to be D-shaped or oval. I think hexagonal is just not as ergonomic a shape as the other standards. That said, the handle was well made, and it's thinness kept the shape from being too annoying. I agree the bolster was slightly raised and would have been a nuisance in a pro-environment.


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## soigne_west

Thanks a lot too all you guys for so far offering your input! I really appreciate the you guys taking the time to give your thoughts and honest opinion on the blade.


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## SolidSnake03

Knife has been received safe and sound! Wonderful saya that was with it too  

I'll post some thoughts and impressions later this week once I can put it through some food. Also, whoever is next in line mind pm'ing me to get addresses set up? Thanks!


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## SolidSnake03

Hey all! 

Knife was shipped out to next in line this morning. I'll post a write up most likely tomorrow/Friday. Overall it was a fun time and am thankful for the chance to try it out


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## SolidSnake03

Hey Everyone!

Fit and Finish, Comfort and Esthetics
Okay so wanted to provide my impressions and thoughts on it now that I have sent it off to the next person in the pass around. I'll be really brief on the fit and finish and comfort thing since I think others have covered it plenty. The knife looks well finished and well made and it is, everything was tight, handle is sealed up well at the ferrule etc... The finish on the blade is nice in texture and feel in hand. Like others I found the handle to be fairly meh in comfort bordering on uncomfortable because of the hard edges/angles and the overall shape design. If it were me I would just get a plain old D handle that was smoothly finished and be done with it. The handle provided enough grip but over a long session in the kitchen it definitely didn't feel too good in my hand given the reasons mentioned before. Overall I liked the look and style quite a bit but it seemed to be a case of form coming before function which is a bit of a bummer.

Knife Performance
This was an interesting area for me because like others have posted I have had problems with things like carrot slices and bits of potato straight gluing themselves to the wide bevel of this knife. I haven't quite experienced something like this before/this strongly. I've had stuff stick before, don't get me wrong, but this was proper "wave the knife around and that piece isn't coming off" glued on there. It didn't happen every single time or every single food item but it happened enough to be a distraction and a let down. The knife moved through food both soft and dense fairly well when this didn't happen but the times it did it completely stopped my cutting and forced me to clean the blade and reset. When I was cooking full time this would have been entirely unacceptable, as a home cook now that has more time and is in less of a rush it's an annoyance. It's not my knife so it's hard to say whats a deal breaker and what isn't but for just home use and fun around the kitchen, it's a neat knife that looks the part. For a pro environment where speed and efficiency really matter? Not going to cut it in my book. Now that said, could you attempt to convex the bevel a bit maybe and try to improve that situation? Possibly, but I wanted to talk about the knife and review it as I got it, not what it could be. 

That all said, I enjoyed my time with it and am extremely thankful to the community and it's members for making this possible. It's a great opportunity to try a newer makers work and there is definitely a quality knife here that can be improved upon. Thank you especially to *soigne_west*


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## soigne_west

Thank you all for your honest reviews.


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## ian

Knife received in good condition. Review to come later on.


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## ian

I used the knife a couple times this week. It's nice looking, and the profile's pretty good, although usually I go for things with a bit lower tips. I did a very brief edge touchup on a Gesshin 4k. Felt ok to sharpen. Not as nice as some of my other high end simple carbons. (I forget what the steel here is.) I wasn't able to get it as sharp as I usually like in 30 seconds, but stopped there anyway since I didn't want to take off more steel.

Like many others, I really didn't like the handle. Hexagonal is a bad shape imo, since the edges on the sides just end up digging into your hands. And the sharp corners of the metal cap at the top were not welcome. It does look nice, though, and tbh it didn't bother me a ton in use. But I think it's less comfortable than any other handle I've tried in the past year.

It felt fine in use. I don't think it's a real standout in terms of either food separation or food release, at least at the $400 price point. Separation probably woulda been better with a bit better edge, though, so I should give it the benefit of the doubt. I didn't have any superglued potatoes like @M1k3 had, but then again I didn't cut any potatoes. Zucchini seemed like it was sticking to the blade more than it sticks to some of my other knives, though. It did seem like the grind was pretty flat above the bevel.

I'll send the knife off to @ExistentialHero tomorrow. Thanks for the chance to use it, @soigne_west! It was fun to try something by a new maker.


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## ExistentialHero

The knife arrived today in great condition! I'm looking forward to trying it out this week.


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## ExistentialHero

This was fun--thanks @soigne_west for putting it together! I'm not sure how much I can add to what's already been said.

I really like the finish on this blade, and the profile feels nice for a shorter knife (I usually go for 270mm+ monsters). I didn't need to sharpen this as @ian had done a fantastic job with it before sending it down, but it definitely took a great edge. The grind felt a little thick behind the edge to me when working with carrots, but it may just need some thinning after so many sharpenings on the passaround  No particular issues with stiction, but I didn't have any potatoes handy.

I also found the handle really uncomfortable, probably because it's so tall and narrow. I was able to adjust to it easily enough, but I'd definitely push for rounder handles in the future.


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## soigne_west

Thanks @ExistentialHero. Milan actually reached out to me this morning.


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## ExistentialHero

soigne_west said:


> Thanks @ExistentialHero. Milan actually reached out to me this morning.
> 
> View attachment 90007



+1, some convexity would really shine here! And, to be clear, this is a very good knife, with a well-executed finish and profile and what seems to be a solid HT--we're talking about the elements that take a knife from "very good" to "amazing" here. Mr Gravier is doing fine work and I look forward to seeing what comes next!


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## soigne_west

Looks like major improvements on the handle.


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## Malcolm Johnson

soigne_west said:


> Looks like major improvements on the handle.



It even looks like there’s a touch of forged s grind on this one which would help with the sticking. That knife is my favorite from him so far... in appearance anyways


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## SolidSnake03

Yeah that handle looks 100% better to me. That is a significant improvement in my book over the current passaround one for sure. Really nice to see a maker learning and taking feedback and growing/changing from it. Kudos to that.


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## ExistentialHero

Looks like @mise_en_place is up next, so this'll ship out to them tomorrow. Thanks again for the chance to try it out, @soigne_west!


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## Alder26

This thread has been super interesting to read! I got a gyuto from Milan around the same time but it seems I got something of an outlier. Mine is about 237g which makes it around an ounce-ish heavier than many of his other gyutos in the same size. I haven't had nearly the same experience with food sticking, but it seems mine may be somewhat atypical. very cool that he's watching the feedback!


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## M1k3

Alder26 said:


> This thread has been super interesting to read! I got a gyuto from Milan around the same time but it seems I got something of an outlier. Mine is about 237g which makes it around an ounce-ish heavier than many of his other gyutos in the same size. I haven't had nearly the same experience with food sticking, but it seems mine may be somewhat atypical. very cool that he's watching the feedback!


Does yours have flat bevels? Slightly convex? Concave?


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## Alder26

M1k3 said:


> Does yours have flat bevels? Slightly convex? Concave?


Mine has pretty much flat bevels, just the convexity added from stone sharpening. I think that there's just enough of shoulder that it prevents things from getting too stuck.


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## soigne_west

If anyone wants to try and add some better geometry feel free.


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## M1k3

soigne_west said:


> If anyone wants to try and add some better geometry feel free.


I'll give it a go whenever.


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## mise_en_place

Knife's at my place. Looks in good shape. Back end is definitely sharper than the front, so I'll give it a sharpening before use and post my thoughts in a bit.


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## ian

M1k3 said:


> I'll give it a go whenever.



You thinking of just convexing the bevel more? Not sure how you’re gonna be able to fix the superglued-potato-geometry without f’ing up the finish above the bevel royally.


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## M1k3

ian said:


> You thinking of just convexing the bevel more? Not sure how you’re gonna be able to fix the superglued-potato-geometry without f’ing up the finish above the bevel royally.


Flap disc grinder  

Realistically, either sandpaper on a mouse pad or stones. Just enough to break up/convex the flatness of the wide bevel.


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## mise_en_place

F&F: Everyone’s been in agreement that the F&F (aside from the hexagonal bolster) is pretty good. The knife is nicely finished, as is the handle. This is an attractive knife up close. Like others mentioned, the bolster wasn’t the most comfortable for me either. I noticed it digging in a little bit on the inside of my ring finger. If you used the knife a lot, I’d expect a new callus. I did not think the handle was uncomfortable in and of itself. 

Steel: I sharpened this on a Gesshin 1200 and Gesshin Synth Natural. I can’t really comment on edge holding—seems to be about on par with white steels I’ve used— but I didn’t really have the knife that long or cut that many acidic ingredients. 

As for sharpenability, it wasn’t bad at all. Not as easy as White steel to raise a burr, but it certainly didn’t take long. 

Feel: While the knife is not the thinnest I’ve come across, I’m pretty sure it’s the thinnest clad knife I’ve ever used. Despite its thinness, it didn’t feel dainty. I actually think it’s a pretty tough blade. Only time I noticed that I might have to be a bit careful is when using the face of the knife to make a garlic paste on the cutting board. I didn’t try the knife on any hard squash, though. It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for items like that, but I wouldn’t say it’s undoable or reckless.

I like the length, but would like the tip to be a little lower for detailed work. Maybe that height of the tip is best for guillotine and glide, I’m not sure. Definitely didn’t feel like a pull cutter, but I did enjoy push cutting a lot with this. I could really get going on an onion and reminded me of a Chinese cleaver a bit. I believe the height gave it that nice feeling for the rapid push cuts. 

Food release was OK. Not the best, not the worst. Certainly an improvement on any flat-ground knife, but nothing special. I don’t cut waterlogged potatoes, but did put it through a decent variety of foods. 

Final Thoughts: This is a nice knife that performs well. If Milan is forging these billets himself, I get the price. As we all know, custom makers run the gamut on price. They’ve got to make a living, and that means he might charge $400 for a knife that doesn’t necessarily tick all the boxes of the KKF enthusiast, or quite stand up to some other makers in that price point, Bottom line is if somebody told me they had a Milan Gravier, I’d know they had a very nice knife that was well-made. If the bolster weren’t an issue, I think most commenters would say they liked the knife despite the fact that food release was “meh.”

Thanks to @soigne_west for letting me try the knife out. I reached out to the next member in line and the knife should be on its way in the next couple of days.


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## ian

mise_en_place said:


> F&F: Everyone’s been in agreement that the F&F (aside from the hexagonal bolster) is pretty good. The knife is nicely finished, as is the handle. This is an attractive knife up close. Like others mentioned, the bolster wasn’t the most comfortable for me either. I noticed it digging in a little bit on the inside of my ring finger. If you used the knife a lot, I’d expect a new callus. I did not think the handle was uncomfortable in and of itself.
> 
> Steel: I sharpened this on a Gesshin 1200 and Gesshin Synth Natural. I can’t really comment on edge holding—seems to be about on par with white steels I’ve used— but I didn’t really have the knife that long or cut that many acidic ingredients.
> 
> As for sharpenability, it wasn’t bad at all. Not as easy as White steel to raise a burr, but it certainly didn’t take long.
> 
> Feel: While the knife is not the thinnest I’ve come across, I’m pretty sure it’s the thinnest clad knife I’ve ever used. Despite its thinness, it didn’t feel dainty. I actually think it’s a pretty tough blade. Only time I noticed that I might have to be a bit careful is when using the face of the knife to make a garlic paste on the cutting board. I didn’t try the knife on any hard squash, though. It certainly wouldn’t be my first choice for items like that, but I wouldn’t say it’s undoable or reckless.
> 
> I like the length, but would like the tip to be a little lower for detailed work. Maybe that height of the tip is best for guillotine and glide, I’m not sure. Definitely didn’t feel like a pull cutter, but I did enjoy push cutting a lot with this. I could really get going on an onion and reminded me of a Chinese cleaver a bit. I believe the height gave it that nice feeling for the rapid push cuts.
> 
> Food release was OK. Not the best, not the worst. Certainly an improvement on any flat-ground knife, but nothing special. I don’t cut waterlogged potatoes, but did put it through a decent variety of foods.
> 
> Final Thoughts: This is a nice knife that performs well. If Milan is forging these billets himself, I get the price. As we all know, custom makers run the gamut on price. They’ve got to make a living, and that means he might charge $400 for a knife that doesn’t necessarily tick all the boxes of the KKF enthusiast, or quite stand up to some other makers in that price point, Bottom line is if somebody told me they had a Milan Gravier, I’d know they had a very nice knife that was well-made. If the bolster weren’t an issue, I think most commenters would say they liked the knife despite the fact that food release was “meh.”
> 
> Thanks to @soigne_west for letting me try the knife out. I reached out to the next member in line and the knife should be on its way in the next couple of days.



Good review, good writing. This review is written by an adult, mine by a tweenager.


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## juice

mise_en_place said:


> Final Thoughts


Nice review. Me likey.


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## GorillaGrunt

Gave it a whirl at work this weekend. It’s an excellent knife, although in the $400-500 price range being discussed there is some serious competition. There does appear to be, whether by design or not, a very slight forged s geometry — take this with a grain of salt as I’m not 100% confident in the objects I use as reference straights and flats. The feel and look of it remind me quite a bit of a thin Heiji; it won‘t perform as well at the tasks in which a Heiji excels but conversely the Gravier is more suited to general purpose use. I cut onions, chives, beef for tartare, tomatoes, etc. and echo the “pretty damn good but not stellar” sentiment above. I do really like the shape of it, both in terms of its height and thinnness and of its edge profile: having a curve near the tip and a nice flat handleward section (very Heiji like again) gives it a good balance of performance in Western and Japanese cutting techniques. Edge retention through a day of prep and service was in the top tier especially for carbon as far as I can tell from a single day. I’ll mess around with it at home tomorrow if I have the wherewithal to cook for myself...


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## GorillaGrunt

Well I didn't get a chance to do much else with it - a little, but not a full test suite such as it is. But my impression remains the same, that it‘s quite a good knife, though not perfect, and one I’d like to have. Sending it on its way tomorrow.


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## Matt Zilliox

looking forward to trying it out as i nearly bought it for myself. If all goes well, ill probably get on his list for a custom. Handles can be changed, good steel, grinds and profiles are what knives are about for me. looks like this one checks those boxes, but ill still be curious how it works for me as a busy home chef.


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## Barmoley

I haven't tried this particular knife, so I hope the following is relevant. I have another from Milan and he is definitely easy to work with and is open to feedback and requests. The handle on mine works well, it is tapered octagonal type. The grind on mine is also slightly different and food release is about average. Not on the level of the best food release knives, but not bad, about same as knives of this thickness and design are. The only negative for me on the one I have is that it is a bit too tall at the heel for me. It actually feels shorter than the heel height would indicate and works better for me than I thought it would given the height, but it would be better for me if it was a few mm shorter at the heel.


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## Malcolm Johnson

Barmoley said:


> I haven't tried this particular knife, so I hope the following is relevant. I have another from Milan and he is definitely easy to work with and is open to feedback and requests. The handle on mine works well, it is tapered octagonal type. The grind on mine is also slightly different and food release is about average. Not on the level of the best food release knives, but not bad, about same as knives of this thickness and design are. The only negative for me on the one I have is that it is a bit too tall at the heel for me. It actually feels shorter than the heel height would indicate and works better for me than I thought it would given the height, but it would be better for me if it was a few mm shorter at the heel.
> 
> View attachment 93070
> View attachment 93071
> View attachment 93072


Now that’s a classy blade. Love it.


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## Matt Zilliox

Knife just arrived. Ill give it some love a few days


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## GorillaGrunt

Man that took a while, I didn't even know about this postal service crap until I ordered something from you-know-where (less than an hour away from me in the same state) and it took a week instead of a day. Should have used UPS (or my personal favorite DHL).


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## Matt Zilliox

The entire I5 corridor is on fire, ill give em a pass this time. Plus theres an asshat in the oval office messing around playing games with the lives of normal humans. adds up to delays, but i live slowly, thats why i like knives


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## GorillaGrunt

Oh yeah I forgot you were out west, that'd explain it


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## Barmoley

Usps has been bad fedex ground works fine. Took 2 days less for knives to go from Los Angeles to Florida using FedEx than from LA to Stanford using usps. 1 day from LA to San Diego using FedEx ground vs a week and a half from LA to San Diego using usps, but that knife did stop by Florida on the way to San Diego


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## Horsemover

Received the knife today. Looking forward to trying this one out. Will keep you posted.


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## thebradleycrew

Hey folks, I was fortunate enough to have a chance to use this knife and wanted to post some feedback. Lots has already been said about the knife, but I'll post my thoughts pretending like this is a first review. Just easier that way for me!

*Specs* as I measured them:

200 grams spot on
220mm spot on blade length
56.5mm at the heel
376mm OAL

_*BLUF*_: 
This is a great all around knife, with the steel being excellent and the shape being a nice middle ground of all things; it did nothing poorly, but wasn't exquisite anywhere; it is a knife I'd have in my rotation but would not be my go-to favorite knife with the existing handle, though to be fair it would be competing for that space along with some top-notch makers and brands; with a new handle, I'd consider it a great piece to have on hand

*Pros*:

This knife was a blast to sharpen and took a great edge, which leads me to believe the HT is good; I used a progression starting at 1k JNS, 2k Chosera, Aizu from Carbon Knife Co for final edge, leather strop; it was smooth on the stones, seemed to burr and de-burr easily, and got sharp quickly even on the 1k. I had no issues with chipping or damage to the edge after a week of use
The knife took a great kasumi finish, courtesy of @Matt Zilliox; I can't take credit for his work, but was beautifully done and looked the part; pleasing to the eye
Great all around length/height a the heel for me; these are dimensions I liked a lot and I find useful for a large variety of tasks
As I would expect given the weight at 200 grams, this is a light mid-weight to me; it cut accordingly; limited cracking on harder items until they got larger, light in the hand and fast when needed, with good balance
I liked the profile! Great middle of the road for me; not too flat, not too much belly and can thus do a bit of everything
*Cons*:

The handle shape isn't my jam; it's not terrible, but it could be better. I actually like oval/rectangular shaped angular handles (think Konosuke) over square handles, but the location of the angles on this just felt off, almost distracting
I would want a bit more distal taper for a forged knife like this; for my preferences, I would want at least 1-2 mm or more thickness out of the handle and a fraction more taper towards the tip; call me spoiled by knives from other French and German makers in that regard, but I like the addition weight and stiffness it gives the knife
I think the taper (or lack of taper) at the tip makes it a little slower through things like onions compared to other knives I've used similar in design
*Unknown*:

Edge retention: I used this knife for a week for home chef duties and thus couldn't really test how the edge held up from prolonged use
*Photos*:


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## milangravier

Hello all !
I am very happy that one of my knives could do this passaround and be tested by so much people.
This post is very useful to me to upgrade my work and improve some of the specs of the knife your talking about : handle, taper, releasing geometry. Since the first reviews I have already improved those details. About the handle, I still want to improve the hexagonal shape for a while instead of throw it away. The new ones are a bit less flat, more square ; and I am now rounding all angles in particular all angles at the front. I have worked too on doing a better job on the forge part to get big taper and better geometry. Geometry was a bit flat and thin too quickly, ending with the bevel. Now, the geometry is worked all along the blade to get a convex geometry with large bevel to finish. As I am ending with the stones, this bevel is mostly flat ; but I am also working on that part to make it a bit more convex. I did try S grind geometry, and liked it. I will study on that too to see where it brings me.
Making good knives is a full life journey. Thoses last months I get more feeback (here and through my clients) than I did get the years before. So now I need to maturate all these so I can show you some badass blades in the future !
Thanks all for the reviews and would be happy to discuss here if you have any question about my work. Thanks to *soigne_west *for organizing this passaround.


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## soigne_west

Always good to see makers listening. Happy I could get you knife in the hands of some people.


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## juice

milangravier said:


> Thoses last months I get more feeback (here and through my clients) than I did get the years before. So now I need to maturate all these so I can show you some badass blades in the future !


Awesome. Great that these things help and you take the impressions on board.


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## HSC /// Knives

If could I intrude on this thread a little.
I had a chance to meet Milan at his shop last week in Milhars France.

I was traveling in the south with my girlfriend and visiting the city of Albi. we happened upon a knife shop and inside the very knowledgeable lady was explaining some knives to us and showing me magazine articles of loca makers and one of them was of Milan. 

Milan happened to be about 40 mins away and so we made a quick visit. Quick because I don’t like to torture my girlfriend too much visiting a maker plus it was a weekend and I think Milan was not working.

he showed me around the shop and we talked various things including equipment and styles of working and his experience

Milan has quite a bit of equipment investment and makes his own billets in charcoal. He has quite an inventory of steel. And his collection of natural stones is extensive I can tell you. I didn’t see any finished work and handles but I can tell you that his work is well crafted as he’s been doing this for some nine years. Our styles of blade geometry are quite different and his is more consistent with the French makers of which is not my style But he explained to me his rationale. 

it was a very pleasant visit and we both agreed that we would try to get together again in the future. I’m jealous of his equipment and the rustic style of his shop


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## M1k3

First test after a little massaging on the stones.


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## captaincaed

I just realized I really don't want to pick a fight with Harbeer. I'm glad he sounds nice on the phone.


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## stereo.pete

Just ordered this little knife Milan Gravier 250 mm ash gyuto by @milangravier , can't wait to try it out and report back. This will be my first French made kitchen knife.


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## Knivperson

Anybody tried Milans work since this pass around and can tell about how it evolved?


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## Brian Weekley

Show your newest knife buy


So, this beautiful knife has arrived, thanks to JNS. It's the Toyama 180 Nakiri Kasumi. Maksim, thanks for sorting me with one of my dream knives before Toyama retires and the prices skyrocket. It's pretty well finished all around and the handle and tang are sealed with some sort of wax, which...




www.kitchenknifeforums.com





The link will lead you to my ‘’New Knives” post. From my perspective as a home cook, I found this Milan a delight to use. It may not be so for commercial chefs and others. Knives are subjective items at best.


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## Knivperson

Looks a lot more convex than described above here, @Brian Weekley


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## JayS20

I have also read the passaround with interest.
I was in talks with Milan about his knives and he took the criticism to heart and improved upon it. You could also see his knives evolving, if you follow him on IG, in regards to geometry as well as comfort with his handles.
Really nice guy who cares about his customers and feedback. He also attempts to test as many of his knives as possible.
Really good customer experience and the knife I received from him was better than expected. Also one of the cleanest edges I received.
Would definitely recommend him. Also used it in a commercial setting, at least when I had time. Should have done bell peppers after a more thorough patina was achieved but no problems. Cladding is quite reactive but manageable. Happy with it.


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## captaincaed

He's incredibly generous sharing his sharpening and polishing methods with in depth videos. Seems like a lovely person.


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## pomalo

soigne_west said:


> Specs are 220x58 200g
> 
> hereare some photos.View attachment 80548
> View attachment 80549
> View attachment 80550
> View attachment 80551


Definitely not comfortable handling a pass around quite yet, but while I'm here I just wanted to say, what a beautiful knife!! Look forward to participating in the pass arounds in the future


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