Topic: As JW might say, this is truly AWESOME!!

[tim]

For a decade, I was hooked on Global knives. Fashionable. At great expense. One, in particular, I used every day. Not a very good grip if wet & doesn't hold an edge.

Then I couldn't resist an offer of 5 knives for £10 & fell for the middle one. Great size & shape, light & good grip, but sharpen every day.

Now we're in Wayne country with my new Nogent weapon. Termed a carving knife, it is clearly not a chef's knife because it has no heel to the blade, but I got it largely for slicing. My Wife has some  difficulty in this & this thing really has to be the sharpest that I have ever tried.
Believe it when proven but, like 2 other brands, it 'never needs sharpening'. Likely story!

Roullier White is pleased to announce the arrival of the NOGENT Trois Etoiles Expert Range of Chefs’ Knives, which never need sharpening! With 4 serrations per mm, the teeth are practically invisible to the naked eye. It is this technology that means they never have to be sharpened as they never wear down.
 The knives are incredibly sharp, very comfortable to use, you don’t feel the serration when cutting, and the knife really cuts, and doesn’t tear the food.

And 'will slice a ripe tomato under its own weight'. Must try an Aubergine!

I think that it may be relegated because of its shape.

[katynewbie]

Useful info Tim. I have an old Prestige chef's knife, bought it in 1982 and it still does the job really well because I sharpen it. Trouble is, it's looking a bit thin now!

I have a set of "Sabatier" knives, not sure if they are the real thing because they were a present, but they are taking ages to get really sharp!

Nogent looks just the thing!

[tim]

SO SORRY - Saturday was a long day!!

Here's the rest...........

[Tora]

Great stuff, tim. :) I have been using two steel knives (small & big) that I bought about 15 years ago. They are not stainless steel so gets rusty if left wet but I love them! I have to sharpen them regularly though, which I admit can be a pain!

[tim]

On the other hand - very good with squidgy things, like fingers!! - but with Carrots the £2 one was easier!

Sharpening a pain? Four strokes in a Chantry! But I do like to try things.

Haven't tried it for carving yet. Probably not bendy enough.

[shirley B]

very ignorant! didn't know what a chantry was, googled it and got the history of catholicism (hope iv'e spelt that right) please explain chantry as knife sharpener.
 gnan

[tim]

Will this do??

http://www.premiercutlery.co.uk/ind_cat.php?cat=sharpeners&sub_cat=chantry&gclid=CJasjffG6IwCFQ3alAodSwaEGQ

[Tora]

I didn't know what chantry was either. :D

I use a slab of sharpening stone which I purchased with the knives. Chantry thingy make my sharpening tool look very primitive. :-[ I have to soak the stone in water before using it, which is the biggest pain!

[tim]

A 'stone' is great but, first, you have to very adept at holding a 22 deg angle. Second, it wears away the blade.

The Chantry sets its own angle & does not wear away the blade.

BUT - it will not re-grind a badly blunted blade. It just hones.

[grawrc]

Yes I have one of those but didn't know it was called a chantry. Unfortunately my father in law took it upon himself to sharpen our Sabatier knives on his electric grinding stone a few years back causing the blades to "flake". Although Peter had honed them down to get rid of the damage they have never been as good as when first purchased. A birthday present for Peter many years ago. I like big heavy knives for food preparation.

[asbean]

We have Sabatier knives left over from when my son trained as a chef.  We send them away to be sharpened by a firm that sharpens printers' guillotines.  They come back like new razor blades.

[tim]

Speaking of knives - how often do you sharpen your table knives? At least once a month?

If you can see the edge, you might just as well be using a kids ruler!

[asbean]

Our table knives have serrated tips.

[tim]

So long as you're happy - that's the main thing. But the tips still go dull & become visible, & unless the serrations are very fine, I still use a Chantry.

[grawrc]

Oh I thought you weren't supposed to sharpen serrated knives? Doh

[tim]

More grist to the mill?


"Never-need-sharpening knives are serrated, like a saw blade. A serrated knife does get dull because the teeth become bent and misaligned. A serrated knife functions like a saw, which will continue to cut, after a fashion, even when relatively dull. However, when dull, it will shred or tear rather than slice cleanly. There are several types of "never-need-sharpening" knives. Most serrated edges are created by mechanically grinding or laser-cutting the blade. Today there are sharpeners that quickly and easily revitalize serrated edges restoring their ability to cut smoothly. However, some "never-need-sharpening" knives have blades sprayed with a hard metallic coating such as tungsten carbide. A tungsten carbide edge is very brittle and in a relatively short time (less than a few months in most home kitchens) pieces break off and the edge becomes jagged, cutting in somewhat the same fashion as a serrated edge. These blades cannot be satisfactorily sharpened by home sharpeners and must be returned to the factory for refurbishing.
 
17.   When serrated knives get dull you have to sharpen not only the tips of the serrated teeth, but also the scallops in between.
 Sharpening and realigning the prominent teeth will resharpen a serrated knife. It is not necessary to sharpen the scallops between the teeth. Like a saw, the tips of the teeth do most of the cutting."
 

[grawrc]

So what would you recommend Tim? I haven't a clue where or how I would get all my knives sharpened. :-[ :-[

[tim]

Didn't mean to be the voice of doom, Anne!  Just interested in the subject. But given the number of 'ultimate' knives on the market, it's really beyond me to comprehend.

My thoughts:

1. A knife is a very personal thing - my Wife doesn't like the ones I like. Her hand is different.
2. Metal handles, however sexy, slip when greasy.
3. I don't like my new one for general purpose work - I need a heel for that. Haven't tried it as a carver (its purpose) yet. It does go through a tomato with its own weight, but is not so easy with hard, dense things.
4. If there was an everlasting blade, a butcher would'nt steel his knives all through the working day?
5. If knives are honed regularly, they need grinding less often.
6. Serrated knives hold their main edge well - it's just the tips that dull. Scalloped edges like the 2 outside ones, are easy to hone on the Chantry. Saw edges like the middle one are not.
7. Saw edges start to tear as they lose their edge. Even when sharp, they tend to drag.
8. For grinding, I use a guide designed for Global knives. (Pic)
9. As said above, if you can see your edge - or tips - you're wasting effort.
10. If you really want to be depressed, try this - http://users.ameritech.net/knives/Juranitch1977Feb.htm
11. Tungsten edges start very sharp but cannot be re-sharpened.

Have fun!! Surprised Derek hasn't joined in - where is he?

[grawrc]

Wow! Thanks for all that. I can see I shall need to research carefully before buying any new ones. I don't know where Derek is. He hasn't been posting much recently I think although he is sometimes in the chat room.

It makes such a difference having a good sharp knife when you're preparing things.

[Curryandchips]

I don't know where Derek is. He hasn't been posting much recently I think although he is sometimes in the chat room.

I am still about but just lurking, in and out of the chatroom. I don't have much idea of what is happening on A4A much these days.