# So I'm thinking about passing around my Dragon slayers.



## sachem allison

:viking:So, I was thinking about passing around the set that Randy made for me. I love them and I know that alot of you guys are into Randy's stuff, but haven't had the chance to use them. I am thinking about a dozen guys. You can each use them for about a week and pass it on to the next guy. All that I ask is that you insure them, don't remove any patina or modify the knife in any way. You can sharpen them, only if you know what you are doing. 50 posts or a pm gets you in. I will choose the 12 .:bigeek::knife:


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## Eamon Burke

Oh my GOD I'd love to use these! Even my wife knows all about them.


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## sachem allison

your in


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## Pabloz

I'd love to be counted in on this one!!!


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## sachem allison

your in too!


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## Andrew H

I'd love to join.


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## tk59

I'm interested, as well.


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## mr drinky

This is tempting. But I am gone so often I don't trust that they won't sit for a week or two. I would love to get in on it though.

k.


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## Chef Niloc

I'm in
Love the butcher belt


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## sachem allison

Andrew H said:


> I'd love to join.



in


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## sachem allison

tk59 said:


> I'm interested, as well.



only if you put a good edge on it!


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## sachem allison

mr drinky said:


> This is tempting. But I am gone so often I don't trust that they won't sit for a week or two. I would love to get in on it though.
> 
> k.



Your in, we'll make you last that way if your not there no one misses out.lol


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## sachem allison

Chef Niloc said:


> I'm in
> Love the butcher belt



Yeah, i wonder who made that. in!

By the way we all love and use them. thanks, Colin

May have to commission more in the future.


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## sachem allison

Hey, this is not going to be a cheap set to insure, keep that in mind. I will be sending three of the four knives as two of the paring knives are essentially the same minus about a 1/2 inch and the butcher bandoleer. insured for $2500.00


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## mr drinky

That's a good point. It will probably be $40+. I'm still in though. I consider that knife rent 

k.


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## sachem allison

mr drinky said:


> That's a good point. It will probably be $40+. I'm still in though. I consider that knife rent
> 
> k.


your in Justin too


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## Justin0505

sachem allison said:


> your in Justin too



Awesome! I promise to share nice with Karing. 

Thanks for doing this!


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## sachem allison

my pleasure guys!


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## Pensacola Tiger

If there's still room, I'd love to be included.


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## kalaeb

Very cool of you, Randy is definately on my hot list. Unfortunately, like Karring I am out alot the next quarter, but would love to hear comments on these knives.


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## sachem allison

Pensacola Tiger said:


> If there's still room, I'd love to be included.



your in! be gentle, i heard about you!


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## sachem allison

kalaeb said:


> Very cool of you, Randy is definately on my hot list. Unfortunately, like Karring I am out alot the next quarter, but would love to hear comments on these knives.



we can work something out if you want.


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## Mike Davis

Very awesome!!! I can say that i have already had the pleasure of checking these out


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## Pensacola Tiger

sachem allison said:


> your in! be gentle, i heard about you!



Thanks!


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## WildBoar

This is a very cool thing to offer! I'm interested to read some of the feedback/ reviews and see if the performance is on the same level as the aesthetics. Randy makes some really beautiful knives!


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## bcrano

This is a great and generous offer, but I have to abstain. Knowing myself as I do and knowing the limits on my credit cards. I can't play with Randy's knives until I can afford to! But damn can't wait to see what people think!


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## Eamon Burke

sachem allison said:


> your in! be gentle, i heard about you!



What's the word? I gotta know!


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## Pensacola Tiger

Me, too.



johndoughy said:


> What's the word? I gotta know!
> 
> 
> sachem allison said:
> 
> 
> 
> your in! be gentle, i heard about you!
Click to expand...


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## SpikeC

So tempting...........


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## eto

I would love to try them if there's still room, Im just shy 4 posts to hit the big 50. I am however local in nyc so im easy to find.


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## sachem allison

SpikeC said:


> So tempting...........



your in if you want.i owe you that for waiting so patiently for me to get my sh$t together.


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## sachem allison

Pensacola Tiger said:


> Me, too.



i'M sorry, I meant pesky!


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## SpikeC

Oh, what the he(ck). Sign me up.


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## sachem allison

that;s it we are full guys. everyone send me your info, so that I can get everyone sorted out and I will send out the knives by next tuesday. I think I will start out on the west coast and end back here.


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## sachem allison

eto said:


> I would love to try them if there's still room, Im just shy 4 posts to hit the big 50. I am however local in nyc so im easy to find.



your in


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## RRLOVER

Beautiful Blades,very cool of you to pass them around. Lucky for me I got to fondle them already.


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## Chef Niloc

johndoughy said:


> What's the word? I gotta know!



:lol2::whistling::bliss::spankarse:unish:

Burrrrr it's cold down here


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## Pensacola Tiger

sachem allison said:


> i'M sorry, I meant pesky!



Not to worry, I'll be gentle.


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## Eamon Burke

Chef Niloc said:


> :lol2::whistling::bliss::spankarse:unish:
> 
> Burrrrr it's cold down here



:gunner:


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## eto

sachem allison said:


> your in



PM Sent
Cheers


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## HHH Knives

Son this is awesome.. Im excited about it and I dont even get to play with the knives again! lol  Man that sheath is SLICK nice job on it Chef. 


I couldnt of picked out a better bunch of knife nuts myself to test em. Cant wait to hear an see what you guys think and do with the knives!!


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## sachem allison

Okay guy's here is the list. I have openings for two more guys, as two have pulled out. we will go with this list and adjust accordingly if i get two more.

tinh
spike
pablo
eamon
heath
karring
justin
pensacola tiger
colin
eto
Andrew? we'll talk later
Johnny Chance get a hold of me if you want in


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## mr drinky

Thank you sir.

k.


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## ptolemy

These are gorgeous. I'd like some closeup pictures.


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## chuck239

This is really cool. Congrats to everyone who gets to enjoy them. It's nice to get to try new makers knives and see what you think of them.

-Chuck


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## HHH Knives

ptolemy said:


> These are gorgeous. I'd like some closeup pictures.



I cant wait to see the again, and see how they have patina'd 


Im not trying to steal this thread.. But there are pics of this set over in my makers forum. I think he thread is titles 4 piece set. or something like that.


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## Pensacola Tiger

HHH Knives said:


> I cant wait to see the again, and see how they have patina'd
> 
> 
> Im not trying to steal this thread.. But there are pics of this set over in my makers forum. I think he thread is titles 4 piece set. or something like that.



Link:

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/2950-Custom-Damascus-Chef-knife-set


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## sachem allison

Thanks guys. Randy I can always send them to you to fondle.


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## HHH Knives

sachem allison said:


> Thanks guys. Randy I can always send them to you to fondle.



LOL  Son, You know I would love to see em again, But I can live vicariously through these 12 guys!! 

On a side note, If theres anything you want adjusted of modified on the set.. I would be happy to do so at any time.. Just ask.


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## sachem allison

I really like them the way they are, Depending on how these guys sharpen them I may have you thin the paring knives a little. I can't get them sharp enough, I'm pretty sure it is my technique not your knives though. :lol2: arthritis is a *****!:sad0:


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## SpikeC

Wow! This is the first time that I have not been at the bottom of the list! Thanks, Son!


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## sachem allison

sachem allison said:


> Okay guy's here is the list. I have openings for two more guys, as two have pulled out. we will go with this list and adjust accordingly if i get two more.
> 
> tinh
> spike
> pablo
> eamon
> heath
> karring
> justin
> pensacola tiger
> colin
> eto
> Andrew? we'll talk later
> Johnny Chance get a hold of me if you want in


 forgot Vertigo, sorry where do I stick you in the list?


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## Vertigo

RIGHT AT THE TOP!

But seriously, wherever is most convenient for shipping, lol.


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## sachem allison

new list

tinh
spike
pablo
eamon
heath
vertigo
karring
justin
pensacola tiger
colin
eto
Andrew? we'll talk later
Johnny Chance get a hold of me if you want in


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## Eamon Burke

:bliss:


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## sachem allison

it's on its way to Tinh right now


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## sachem allison

sachem allison said:


> new list
> 
> tinh
> spike
> pablo
> eamon
> heath
> vertigo
> karring
> justin
> pensacola tiger
> colin
> eto
> Andrew? we'll talk later
> Johnny Chance get a hold of me if you want in




Johnnychance is out, who wants in?


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## Chef Niloc

sachem allison said:


> Thanks guys. Randy I can always send them to you to fondle.



Dave turned me on to this a few years back so it's what I'm going to use 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B000GHWXKC/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=284507&s=kitchen


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## WildBoar

So those are the magic fingers he fantasizes about? :biggrin:


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## tk59

These knives are off to SpikeC, as of a couple of hours ago. I'll post some comments, as soon as I get a chance to organize them. Thank you, Son.


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## tk59

HHH Dragonslayers (overall conclusions are in bold at the bottom)
Aesthetics A
The blade is dark, and very deeply etched. The wood is very nice and dark, very nice quality material, imo. The look was very consistent across the matching set. The signature HHH look is very dramatic but classy-looking in my opinion.
Fit and finish B
There were a few issues that I think are easily corrected for the most part but fair to mention. The choil felt a bit uncomfortable and I wouldn&#8217;t want to fix it myself an ruin the etched finish. There were gaps between the copper liners and the tang on every blade. One in particular was quite large where a credit card could easily slide into the gap. I was surprised all of the gaps arrived clean and corrosion free, actually. The grind is fairly even judging by bevel width across the blade. As with most knifemakers, one side is ground more consistently, in this case that was the right side. Small handles were very smooth with no voids or checks and silky smooth, natural feeling.
Cutting C
As soon as the knives arrived I checked for sharpness (they shaved arm hair) and tried cutting an onion and a potato. My overwhelming feeling was that the knife really struggled to cut compared to the other bladed I&#8217;d been testing lately. Upon closer inspection, I found the bevels had been cut at 25+ deg on a side by my estimation. With Son&#8217;s permission, I reground the bevels to about 15 deg per side with a slight right hand asymmetry. Cutting was MUCH better. Lateral cuts on an onion were nice but vertical or radial cuts required more force than I would have liked. Food release was reasonable but not great with butternut squash posing a bit of an inconvenience. Power cutting was very good. Cleaving the onion in two was surprisingly pleasant and easy. On hard veggies like carrots, the knife felt a bit clumsy and the very flat profile led to some accordion cuts when I was handling large amounts of leafy veggies. The edge felt nice and aggressive but seemed to roll more than I expected but the steel responded well to my glass rod. Reactivity was not bad. Onions stank a bit and mangos discolored before patina really set in. I did feel the damascus drag, as usual.
Sharpening B
The steel was easy to grind but the burr was more fragmented and a bit more tenacious than expected. At first, I thought I might not have finished grinding the bevels in but this observations was reproducible. My guess is that one of the steels in the damascus mix was more of a burr lover than the other. Regardless, I produced the edge with my now standard Gesshin 1k, 5k, Kit8k and a little clean-up stropping on leather w/ 1 mcn diamond and passed the tomato test reasonably well. The plunge line is a little annoying and would catch here and there on my stones.
Other design points B
I thought the knuckle clearance was good on the gyuto and might be an issue on slicer and paring depending on how you like using them. The sheath has a nice, heavy and compact construction. Looks like a modified first draft with some odd stitching holes here and there and the slicer tip sticks out the bottom when completely inserted into the sheath. Cool &#8220;ferrule&#8221; shape, while aesthically pleasing is not fit for dropping into a knifeblock. I also noticed some tiny voids in the damascus, which I&#8217;ve seen in some other damascus knives and I don&#8217;t know that they are really a problem.
*Overall B-/C+
I think these knives represent a very good, early effort by HHH.:thumbsup: These knives are decent cutters, esp if you like flat profiles. They have a distinctive look, as do all HHH pieces, in general. A few grind tweaks and fixing the gap issues would take these from decent to excellent, in my opinion. For what it&#8217;s worth, I&#8217;ve checked out some of HHH&#8217;s more recent work and the cutting ability has significantly improved. If these were my knives, I would be strongly inclined to take Randy up on his offer to modify the set a touch since I know he&#8217;s capable. I&#8217;m sure both knifemaker and customer would be happier, in the long run. :my2cents:*


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## tk59

Someone mentioned the overall grade doesn't seem to match the average of the other grades. I don't think all of the categories have the same importance. Also, the bang for the buck factor might be clouding my judgement.:scratchhead: Either way, the main point is these knives are a few tweaks away from being quite nice to use and I know he can do it based on another knife he's made.


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## sachem allison

Who has the Dragon Slayers?


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## mr drinky

tk59 said:


> Someone mentioned the overall grade doesn't seem to match the average of the other grades.



I think it all depends upon how a user weights each category -- but a good point to raise.

k.


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## SpikeC

They are on the way to Pablo, should get there on Tuesday. I forgot to send him the tracking number yesterday, I will get that done today.


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## sachem allison

thanks, Spike


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## Salty dog

tk59 said:


> HHH Dragonslayers (overall conclusions are in bold at the bottom)
> Aesthetics A
> The blade is dark, and very deeply etched. The wood is very nice and dark, very nice quality material, imo. The look was very consistent across the matching set. The signature HHH look is very dramatic but classy-looking in my opinion.
> Fit and finish B
> There were a few issues that I think are easily corrected for the most part but fair to mention. The choil felt a bit uncomfortable and I wouldn&#8217;t want to fix it myself an ruin the etched finish. There were gaps between the copper liners and the tang on every blade. One in particular was quite large where a credit card could easily slide into the gap. I was surprised all of the gaps arrived clean and corrosion free, actually. The grind is fairly even judging by bevel width across the blade. As with most knifemakers, one side is ground more consistently, in this case that was the right side. Small handles were very smooth with no voids or checks and silky smooth, natural feeling.
> Cutting C
> As soon as the knives arrived I checked for sharpness (they shaved arm hair) and tried cutting an onion and a potato. My overwhelming feeling was that the knife really struggled to cut compared to the other bladed I&#8217;d been testing lately. Upon closer inspection, I found the bevels had been cut at 25+ deg on a side by my estimation. With Son&#8217;s permission, I reground the bevels to about 15 deg per side with a slight right hand asymmetry. Cutting was MUCH better. Lateral cuts on an onion were nice but vertical or radial cuts required more force than I would have liked. Food release was reasonable but not great with butternut squash posing a bit of an inconvenience. Power cutting was very good. Cleaving the onion in two was surprisingly pleasant and easy. On hard veggies like carrots, the knife felt a bit clumsy and the very flat profile led to some accordion cuts when I was handling large amounts of leafy veggies. The edge felt nice and aggressive but seemed to roll more than I expected but the steel responded well to my glass rod. Reactivity was not bad. Onions stank a bit and mangos discolored before patina really set in. I did feel the damascus drag, as usual.
> Sharpening B
> The steel was easy to grind but the burr was more fragmented and a bit more tenacious than expected. At first, I thought I might not have finished grinding the bevels in but this observations was reproducible. My guess is that one of the steels in the damascus mix was more of a burr lover than the other. Regardless, I produced the edge with my now standard Gesshin 1k, 5k, Kit8k and a little clean-up stropping on leather w/ 1 mcn diamond and passed the tomato test reasonably well. The plunge line is a little annoying and would catch here and there on my stones.
> Other design points B
> I thought the knuckle clearance was good on the gyuto and might be an issue on slicer and paring depending on how you like using them. The sheath has a nice, heavy and compact construction. Looks like a modified first draft with some odd stitching holes here and there and the slicer tip sticks out the bottom when completely inserted into the sheath. Cool &#8220;ferrule&#8221; shape, while aesthically pleasing is not fit for dropping into a knifeblock. I also noticed some tiny voids in the damascus, which I&#8217;ve seen in some other damascus knives and I don&#8217;t know that they are really a problem.
> *Overall B-/C+
> I think these knives represent a very good, early effort by HHH.:thumbsup: These knives are decent cutters, esp if you like flat profiles. They have a distinctive look, as do all HHH pieces, in general. A few grind tweaks and fixing the gap issues would take these from decent to excellent, in my opinion. For what it&#8217;s worth, I&#8217;ve checked out some of HHH&#8217;s more recent work and the cutting ability has significantly improved. If these were my knives, I would be strongly inclined to take Randy up on his offer to modify the set a touch since I know he&#8217;s capable. I&#8217;m sure both knifemaker and customer would be happier, in the long run. :my2cents:*



In short: Have Randy make you a set once he knows what he's doing.


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## mr drinky

Salty dog said:


> In short: Have Randy make you a set once he knows what he's doing.



I would agree with holding off on an elaborate set early on for any knifemaker just going into kitchen knives, but there is also something fun about trying new stuff out (if you have the means). I loved Salty's posts that showed the progression of Fowler, and I probably bought a Fowler knife because of it. 

k.


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## Randy Jr

[video=youtube;RHZ3j0251B0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHZ3j0251B0&feature=youtu.be[/video]:biggrin:


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## sachem allison

Randy Jr said:


> http://youtu.be/RHZ3j0251B0 :biggrin:



can't open it


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## stevenStefano

mr drinky said:


> I would agree with holding off on an elaborate set early on for any knifemaker just going into kitchen knives, but there is also something fun about trying new stuff out (if you have the means). I loved Salty's posts that showed the progression of Fowler, and I probably bought a Fowler knife because of it.
> 
> k.



There is also getting in while a maker isn't so well known and they don't have a massive waiting list and their prices aren't that high


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## mr drinky

stevenStefano said:


> There is also getting in while a maker isn't so well known and they don't have a massive waiting list and their prices aren't that high



100% agree. I was in on Dave's first Hiro handle buy and his first batch of knives. I also got in on Marko's first list and a fairly early pre-buy with Del. I just had an Adam Marr finished and also ordered a knife from Randy. Two Fowlers are also in my collection. Though not all of the knives have been perfect, I've enjoyed using them all and they are amazing knives. Getting in early is fun and you get to play with some interesting knives. 

I can't wait for my knife from Randy. Any good maker learns and wants to learn to make better knives, and Randy is no different. 

k.


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## Pabloz

SpikeC said:


> They are on the way to Pablo, should get there on Tuesday. I forgot to send him the tracking number yesterday, I will get that done today.




Spike,
Got it, AND I am anxiously awaiting their arrival.

PZ


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## Pabloz

Hey All,
They arrived a few hours ago. Went back to re-read TK's assessment which is exteremly accurate. There are very few things that I can add and this posting is just first impression stuff. The only thing I have cut with them is bacon, and jack cheese for refried beans.




Gaps TK mentioned.



Right hand bias still there. I will touch up on 5K Choseras and strop.



Ricassos look like they get in the way of sharpening. Dinged scale on the left and scratch marks on the right were probably caused by sharpening.


Pins a little off but that may be intentional due to thong holes......do chef knives need thongs?????? If so, WHY??


Little nic in slicer blade. This could be due to brass ring in sheath if blade was inserted backwards. Will try to clean up when I sharpen and strop.


Scratches from sharpening. The pattern welded steel hides them really well.

More to follow. This is just straight out of the box as they arrived.

PZ


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## El Pescador

Good eyes!


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## tk59

Nice pics and measurement, Pabloz. Some of the sharpening scuffs were probably me. I do remember getting caught here and there while resetting the bevels. The slight right-hand bias was me, as well. I thought it would help with the cutting performance a bit without adversely affecting the edge-holding. The scratches were there when they got to me and the thong-holes are something that is specific to Son.


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## sachem allison

actually those lanyard holes are so I don't drop them, had heart surgery awhile back and they cut some nerves in my wrists when they took some arteries out to put in my ticker. sometimes I loose feeling. I definitely don't want to drop these.lol too purdy! scuffs and scratches are fine, it is a working set and I expected a few knicks and dings on this pass around. I can always have Randy do some spa treatment at the end.lol I don't mind a right hand bias as Most of my knives are.


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## Pabloz

tk59 said:


> Nice pics and measurement, Pabloz. Some of the sharpening scuffs were probably me. I do remember getting caught here and there while resetting the bevels. The slight right-hand bias was me, as well. I thought it would help with the cutting performance a bit without adversely affecting the edge-holding. The scratches were there when they got to me and the thong-holes are something that is specific to Son.



TK,
Now I see why you are considered the sharpening master. If you can do that precise a bias by eye...WOW. 
PZ

They have started to take on a really BITCHEN patina that I will try to get some shots of in natural light. The bright electric blue is just dazzling. This pattern is SOOOOOO COOOL I almost get lost in my thoughts just looking at it a while and it hides the small scatches really well. I hope I can get down to Joe Cordova, my mentor, and show him...if that's OK with you Son.

I'll give them a 5k touch up today and get some cut tests done. I'm thinking cabbage and carrots for slaw, parsnips and baby yukons for that baked recipe someone posted...that was great.

If there are any questions about em that y'all might have please post them.


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## sachem allison

Pabloz said:


> TK,
> Now I see why you are considered the sharpening master. If you can do that precise a bias by eye...WOW.
> PZ
> 
> They have started to take on a really BITCHEN patina that I will try to get some shots of in natural light. The bright electric blue is just dazzling. This pattern is SOOOOOO COOOL I almost get lost in my thoughts just looking at it a while and it hides the small scatches really well. I hope I can get down to Joe Cordova, my mentor, and show him...if that's OK with you Son.
> 
> I'll give them a 5k touch up today and get some cut tests done. I'm thinking cabbage and carrots for slaw, parsnips and baby yukons for that baked recipe someone posted...that was great.
> 
> If there are any questions about em that y'all might have please post them.



fine with me, do what you gotta do


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## tk59

Pabloz said:


> TK,
> Now I see why you are considered the sharpening master. If you can do that precise a bias by eye...WOW.
> PZ


Master? Uh, no... Still, thanks for the feedback. Also SpikeC might have been responsible for some of that. I don't know if he sharpened it.


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## Pabloz

tk59 said:


> Master? Uh, no... Still, thanks for the feedback. Also SpikeC might have been responsible for some of that. I don't know if he sharpened it.




In a PM Spike said he left the angles and just stropped them with some .5 micron spray and that they were fun to play with. I'll leave the angles for Eamon and just lightly touch them up. I'm sure he'll want to see them. I would absolutely love to be next after Jon did a sharpen job on a knife. The one Skype lesson I was in on was great....can only imagine a face to face session.


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## SpikeC

I did work the edge on the parer. The bigger knives had nice edges on them, but the parer felt dullish so I worked it a bit on an Ozuku until it passed the 3 finger test. I left the other edges as Tinh set them to let the edge durability be evaluated by more usage. I was a little surprised by a loss of edge acuity after shredding 3 potatoes and thinly slicing 2 more. I was whacking away on my Boardsmith, butt still felt that the edge could have held up better. The stropping did bring it back pretty well, though. The slicer had a spot on the blade that I could not seem to get sharp. It was as if there was a not complete weld there, the next people will have to determine if it an issue, or just an anomaly. 
I have written 3 reviews so far and my 'puter has eaten all of them, so this my be it!


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## tk59

SpikeC said:


> ...I was a little surprised by a loss of edge acuity after shredding 3 potatoes and thinly slicing 2 more. I was whacking away on my Boardsmith, butt still felt that the edge could have held up better. The stropping did bring it back pretty well, though...


I felt the same way, in general.


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## Pabloz

If it's ok with everyone, Spike can send the Sigma stones to Eamon and I'll send Eamon the Dragon Slayers at the same time that way he can have another Christmas party. Then Eamon can send the stones to me and I'll get em back to Marko and the D/Srs can go next on the list. Will that work for everyone?


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## Eamon Burke

It'll work for me, lol. :knife:


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## sachem allison

sounds fine to me also.lol


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## sachem allison

Hey, Eamon can you send the knives to Justin when your done as Karring well be out of town? justin0505


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## Eamon Burke

No, I'll be keeping them.


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## sachem allison

BurkeCutlery said:


> No, I'll be keeping them.


well if you really want them they are yours, I take little girls and their pretty mommies for payment.


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## Eamon Burke

OH! You've found my kryptonite!

....I will send them on to Justin.


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## sachem allison

isn't kryptonite a wonderful thing, sometime though?


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## DeepCSweede

BurkeCutlery said:


> OH! You've found my kryptonite!
> 
> ....I will send them on to Justin.



The girls and Mommy or the knives?:doublethumbsup:


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## Eamon Burke

After I do get these, is anyone adverse to me bumping Colin up on these? It would only affect:

heath
karring
justin
pensacola tiger

If not, I understand. I've just got a score to settle. :zipper:


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## Pensacola Tiger

Eamon,

No problem here.

Rick


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## Rottman

BurkeCutlery said:


> I've just got a score to settle. :zipper:


Not many people will get traumatized by a wire edge:biggrin:


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## mr drinky

BurkeCutlery said:


> After I do get these, is anyone adverse to me bumping Colin up on these? It would only affect:
> 
> heath
> karring
> justin
> pensacola tiger
> 
> If not, I understand. I've just got a score to settle. :zipper:



No problem from my end. I am out of town for most of the next three weeks anyhow, so I need a bit of delay. 

k.


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## Chef Niloc

BurkeCutlery said:


> After I do get these, is anyone adverse to me bumping Colin up on these? It would only affect:
> 
> heath
> karring
> justin
> pensacola tiger
> 
> If not, I understand. I've just got a score to settle. :zipper:



But you got to use the sig's and no power tools!


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## tk59

Awesome. A showdown.:gunner:


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## Justin0505

No problem for me either, just gimme a heads-up before sending them my way.


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## Pabloz

They are on the way to Eamon as of today. He should get them on Monday...Tuesday at the latest.

PZ


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## SpikeC

I guess I better get the stones out! Do I have Eamons addy?


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## Eamon Burke

Heh! Now I have a P.O. Box! I can leave it everywhere!

Burke Cutlery
P.O. Box 1405
Hurst, TX
76053

Ok maybe not everywhere, but I had to throw it out there at least once. What's the worst that could happen? Someone sends me a knife as a threat? I'll just sharpen it and send it back with a receipt!


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## Pabloz

Hey Eamon,
How about an update. What did you think of the edge I left on em. To sushi/sashimi guy was it worth a bean? And how 'bout them stones????


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## Eamon Burke

Oh I got them late last week! Managed to get a few days at work with them. I have talked to Randy a bit about them. I'll post my thoughts after sharpening them and using them a little more.


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## Eamon Burke

Got an address for me to send these too, Colin?


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## Chef Niloc

BurkeCutlery said:


> Got an address for me to send these too, Colin?



You got it...it's getting warm here in NY now so do you go sending a chill with that berrrrrr


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## Andrew H

Chef Niloc said:


> You got it...it's getting warm here in NY now so do you go sending a chill with that berrrrrr



:rofl2:


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## Chef Niloc

They hit me today. I'll get to give them a good work out this weekend, just wanted to test out the edge Eamon sent me today. I gave it a light stropping and would you look at the size if the burr that came off!
By the way I like the mods you made to the sheath Son, cool


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## Chef Niloc

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For anyone new out there the burr was is a joke, and a dam funny one if I do say so myself.:clown::laughat::whistling::laugh:


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## El Pescador

funny Colin!


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## Eamon Burke

But that was the secret to push cutting tp! :clown:

I just realized that I haven't written on these yet!


And holy crapoly, those took their sweet time getting there.


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## Pabloz

ROFLMFAO......you are such a dip shythe Colin !!!!!!!!! That looks more like a pub hair from the guard robot that Son bought.

Just send em back to me....I'll save em.....OOOOHHHHH better yet....touch em to one of your new STROPS. Gottta have one of those when they are done.


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## eto

So what's the status on these bad boys who's got them and who's next.

Thanks
Jason


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## mr drinky

The Minnesotans should be coming up pretty soon.

k.


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## eto

Thanks Drinky, can't wait for my turn.


mr drinky said:


> The Minnesotans should be coming up pretty soon.
> 
> k.


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## Chef Niloc

eto said:


> Thanks Drinky, can't wait for my turn.



I think that time has come, shoot me your addy in a PM so I can send them to you.


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## eto

Chef Niloc said:


> I think that time has come, shoot me your addy in a PM so I can send them to you.




PM sent Chef


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## eto

Chef Niloc said:


> I think that time has come, shoot me your addy in a PM so I can send them to you.



Just got the knives today. Thanks Chef Niloc.

I will mess with them for about a week, so who ever is next please shoot me a PM with your address info to mail it out.

Has anyone sharpened them yet?


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## tk59

eto said:


> ...Has anyone sharpened them yet?


I sharpened them and so did Eamon, I assume. Why?


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## SpikeC

I had to touch them up.


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## Chef Niloc

I didn't sharpen them, wanted to pass Eamon's edge along, bur free!


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## Eamon Burke

Ok here's my quick review(I'm tired of remembering I haven't given my thoughts on these). I put off making comments for too long, and now I've likely forgotten things, but here's what stood the test of time.

Aesthetics:
They are SA-WEET looking. These things have that antiquated, heirloom look to them. Nice enough to hang on the wall. We've all seen them. Yes, the scales drifted and have gaps on them. I could tell that really bothered Randy, they didn't leave his shop like that, and I'm sure he'd do what it takes to fix them if Son wants.

Performance:
The profile of the chef's is very flat--a bit too flat for me. It cuts well, and the balance point is far forward enough for me. You can tell this is a knife for Sabatier enthusiasts. I didn't get to use the slicer much, but it's more like a boning knife since it's not longer than the chef's anyways. The belt holster was great to have around at work, if I still worked there, I'd at least buy a canvas one. It's just too handy to have a knife right there, especially the paring knife. The paring knife was really handy, btw. A bit long for my style on a parer, but comfortable nonetheless.

The blades stuck pretty good, making cutting some things seem a bit more laborious than needed. The grind is pretty flat and the damascus is grippy grippy. Low reactivity.

The tip on the gyuto is thin, and has all the things that come along with that(more nimble, but flexy).

The bolster area is pretty thin, and necessitates a strong pinch grip. Also, being such a small amount of metal, the chef's knife was prone to flexing a lot at that spot.

The Edge:
They sharpened up easily enough(it is carbon steel), but they just wouldn't go past a certain point. I couldn't get that insane, piss-ripper edge off of them. They sort of took a nicely cleaned up toothy edge and stopped dead right there. I took them to a sigma select II 10k, then on strops of 3 microns, 1, .5 and .5. I like to do this basically to see what happens. The answer: nothing really. Anything beyond a stropped 5-6k edge on these will make little to no difference, and won't improve cutting ability. Not sure what that's about, maybe it's the damascus. It's not required that a knife shave like a comfortable straight razor, but I just wish I knew why this was.

Overall:
I liked them. I liked looking at them, and wearing a set of knives on my person at work. Cutting performance didn't really stand out to me, but they honed up well on my Idahone, low reactivity, and very cool look to them.

Basically if you like things to look like timeless antiques and love Sabatiers, you'd probably love these.


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## eto

tk59 said:


> I sharpened them and so did Eamon, I assume. Why?



No reason. Just cut with them and they are sharp. nice sharpening job guys. I will use them for a few days and send them to mr drinky who I think got skipped in line.

Thanks,
Jason


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## eto

Slayers are on there way to mr drinky.


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## mr drinky

Who is next on the list or who hasn't gotten to try these out? Justin is passing on trying them out as he is too busy.

k.


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## Pensacola Tiger

K.,

I think I'm next on the list. PM sent with my addy.

Rick


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## Pensacola Tiger

Just my luck. My wife had the day off so we went to lunch and the Brown Truck of Joy that usually comes at dinnertime came while we were gone. I have to wait until tomorrow.


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## Pensacola Tiger

Got them today. Thanks again for doing this pass around, Son. 

Rick


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## sachem allison

have fun.


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## sachem allison

who on the list hasn't gotten a chance to use these? We are going on 6 months and nobody has communicated with me, we need to know where to send them next.


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## Eamon Burke

SOMEONE ELSE REVIEW THESE!!!!!!


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## Pensacola Tiger

BurkeCutlery said:


> SOMEONE ELSE REVIEW THESE!!!!!!



I'm working on it.


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## sachem allison

someone stick crothcipt in there please.


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## Pensacola Tiger

OK, who on the list hasn't gotten the knives yet? 

Rick


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## mr drinky

BurkeCutlery said:


> SOMEONE ELSE REVIEW THESE!!!!!!



I will fully admit I have been a slacker on reviewing these knives and posting to the forum in general. The knives came at a super crazy time and I didn't get to work them out nearly as much as I had hoped, and I didn't even sharpen them for Rick before I passed them on. Sorry Rick.

Anyhow, even though it isn't a proper review, here are some of my impressions. 

* I'll reiterate the handle thing that Eamon mentioned. The gaps from the wood pulling away was noticeable and made me a bit cautious with them as I didn't want too much moisture to get in on my watch. Son said he is going to send them back to Randy to get them reworked after everyone is done, so I imagine all will be fixed in due time and they will be looking super sexy.
* Along that line, the look of the knives is amazing and I loved the damascus pattern and its low reactivity. They were stunning blades IMO, and handling them only made me more eager to get my custom knife from Randy. 
* I did think the chef's knife a bit sticky for my taste and sometimes reached for other knives for certain cutting tasks. With that said, I'm not a huge stickler on this issue, and I believe there is more to a knife than just pure cutting utility. 
* As for the slicer, I really liked the knife. I thought it was a nice size and very nimble, and it was a great utility knife for my cooking style. In the future I would like to get something similar in size and shape. 
* The parer, however, was too small for me. The western handle in such a small size felt awkward to me.
* The belt/holster was very cool and everyone who saw it was complimentary. With that said, as I was packaging the knives up to send off, I slid the slicer in and the tip was able to poke out the bottom and punctured my finger. A parting gift of some blood 
* And as I said before, I didn't have time to sharpen them, so I didn't get a proper read on how the sharpened up, and usually I like to compare to a similar knife in my arsenal too, but that too didn't happen.

Thanks again Son for the pass around. 

k.


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## Pensacola Tiger

These will be on the way to Crothcipt in the morning.

Thanks, again, Son for generously allowing us to have a chance to see and use Randy's work. 

Rick


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## Pensacola Tiger

Here are my impressions of the Dragonslayers.







As I unpacked the three knives, I was struck by their understated yet elegant appearance, in comparison to the photos that Randy had posted in his WIP thread. The months of patina formation had muted the flash of the damascus and the ironwood handles and copper rivets had acquired an antIque appearance that was very attractive.

On first use, I found that the edges needed attention, so out came the Gesshin 6000. I was able to touch up the edge on the gyuto and slicer, but I needed to drop back to a Gesshin 2000 on the parer.

I diced celery with the gyuto and found that I had to power through it, rather than have it slice the celery easily as with some of my other gyutos. If it was my knife, I would want to thin it behind the edge to improve performance. 

The slicer, on the other hand, was a good performer, probably because it was thinner and not as tall as the gyuto. It was my most liked knife, and made me appreciate the utility of a thin blade of this length for a lot of tasks. It made the job of following the contour of the seed when cutting the flesh of a mango away from the it very easy. It shone at trimming steaks and slicing a roast chicken. The best knife of the trio, in my opinion.
Oddly, the parer is thicker than the slicer, and this negatively affected its performance. Everything from peeling an apple or peach to hulling and slicing strawberries was affected. 

In the week or so that I had them, I used them exclusively in my kitchen, and found them to be very pleasing to use. WIth a little tweaking, they will be great.

Thanks again to Son for letting us use Randys creations.

Rick


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## Crothcipt

I got them on Thrs. but have yet to do much with them. It's our busiest week out of the year, and I got a second job washing dishes (hey easy money is all I can say) at a Thai/Sushi restaurant on mon. This also means more funds for knives. Any who I am loving the satchel, am thinking of having a friend who does tack work make me one. The box was very well packed, and was a flash back to christmas as a kid.


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## Crothcipt

Well first I have to say that I dropped the slicer one day. I have no idea what happened but I turned my back and heard the thunk of it hitting the ground. It hit right under the lanyard hole and created a "chip" in the scale. The lanyard moved and created a crack in the second scale. 





the crack on the other side.





and a total shot of the handle.





I have already contacted Son about this. 

They are on the way to Heath Besch.

I will do a review in a few days, after I put my thoughts in order.


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## SpikeC

Ouch! Bummer, dude!


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## Crothcipt

When I first started posting on kkf Chef Son put these up for the passaround. I being a new member was a little afraid to ask, but I wanted to try out Randy's work. At that time the Zombiebuschef knife was happening. Which got my curiosity on how well his work is. Fast forward a few months. I asked Son if I could get in at the end of the passaround, really wanting to try out Randy's work. Ty so much Son for letting me in on this, it was well worth the wait.

That being said my first reaction when I was unwrapping each knife from the bubble wrap was a complete awe. The wood matched the blade in many areas that you just don't see when looking at pictures. The scabbard is rustic and "worn" looking that is matches the blades very much.



I had a hard time trying to use the scabbard, but I think that it was just me not being used to it. I couldn't figure out how it was supposed to fit. But I am still wanting to have a friend make one for work.

The small pairing knife was almost to small for me to use. It didn't seem sharp to me but it worked well enough it didn't need sharpening. When I get the video done you can see what I mean. I liked it very much and wished it was a little bigger.

The slicer was the best one out of the bunch. It took a mean edge and would do anything you needed it to. Right length and very comfortable in the hand. 

The Kiritsuke tipped gyuto was cool looking and mean. It sharpened up very nicely, exp when the "dead spot" showed up at the end of the video. I loved the tip for work with it. It just worked well. In compairason with Butches it is very similar (reflecting back not side by side) in shape but that is about it. I think for this Randy's to be more functional the height at the heel needed to be a little higher. But I am not writing this with it in hand and with memory of each so I won't break that down. Don't get me wrong I loved using this when I got used to how it worked.

In all total I miss these still. I found many ways these could be used and often. I took great pride in just holding each blade and looking at the scabbard, to the feeling of it being American made. Hopefully I will have the video edited and downloaded tonight or early tomorrow.


The bowl of salsa in the back ground is a commercial to the video.


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## Crothcipt

well after some editing and editor software problems I finally got it done and posted this morning. It is a more in action than anything.

[video=youtube;G4X-Mkobh9M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4X-Mkobh9M[/video]


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