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| W2 Western Gyuto Passaround; Thank You | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 4 2011, 02:54 PM (655 Views) | |
| Bryan G. | Oct 4 2011, 02:54 PM Post #1 |
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Dish Washer
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So it's about time I gave some time to Mr Fowler. Upon his request I am posting it here. He was nice enough to give a passaround on the KF among others. I got on the list for the Western 240 (perhaps a little longer?) made from W2 carbon steel. These are my thoughts from what I can remember of the knife. First off let me say the handle was awesome. Comfortable, pretty, sleek, nice length. A pleasure to hold Mr Fowler. Now ... the design/profile is different from his WA counterparts if I am not mistaken. I would believe this to be intentional, as Japanese [many which are WA] have a flatter edge, geared towards more push and pull (slice) techniques. Where many western cooks/chefs use much more of a "rock-n-chop" technique. So the western chef knife I tested seemed to have a bit more belly on it geared toward this type of technique, thus I would imagine geared towards the more mainstream western school of thought. I will note that I received it after a number of users and it had been sharpened a bit and could tell the geometry was not the exact same as it would be out of the box. But I thought it was definitely more "western" than traditional Japanese. I did not spend time to reset the bevel since (I believe many of you here have taught me enough) I was aware of what was done by testers to the edge and what was manufacturers design. So my review is based solely on Stephan's work. With that said ... I loved the profile. Perhaps not to my personal taste ... but can definitely see how it would appeal to a LARGE market of cooks. I have been cooking since I was 16 and I am now 31. I worked with a wide range of cooks and chefs and can say that most of the guys (and girls) you find on these boards and the like are not from the mass school of thought in kitchens across the states. So in general I think this profile and design on this knife will have great mass appeal with perhaps very minor tweaks added. It still push and pull cuts wonderful. I like the curve going up to the tip. I found it easy to choke up a bit and do detailed work with ease. It excelled in "rock-chop". The blade was thick enough behind the edge towards the heel to do heavy prep. I experienced NO chipping with a heavy week of use in a pro kitchen. I cut everything with it from hard carrots (not a laser but went through rather nicely) to slicing Tuna. The edge it takes is fantastic. Very steep, keen edge, and sharpens extremely easily. The edge is durable (no chipping) and seemed to last rather well with some stropping in between use. BUT ... here's what I liked MOST about the blade Stephan made ... this thing is hard, tough and long lasting (the knife!) ... but the flex in this thing was amazing. Some like a stiffer knife ... but a sujihiki is probably my favorite knife style for this reason. It has flex and being more narrow I find it more versatile. Well, Stephan's design of this "Chef" knife excels here for me ... it is taller like a gyuto, but thankfully not "Takeda" tall in this case, but has extraordinary flex. Whether it is fileting fish or meat, or taking the insides out of a pepper, this baby will get down like a filet knife and bounce right back for hard core chopping of carrots. It made it extremely fun for me to use. As for the patina ... well it had a good one built up by the time I received it ... and by the time I was done it had about every tone on it you can think of since I cut so many different items with it. When I first brought it to work I showed it to the other Sous Chef's and some of my guys with passion for knives. They were all impressed, our Sushi chef even asked for Stephan's info as he prefers western handles and knives (go figure). He was interested in buying one after checking it out. But the one Sous says, "Wow ... not the prettiest thing, but nice weight, profile ... feels great." Or something to that extent. Me, the carbon /patina lover I am, thought "WHAT! ARE YOU CRAZY! THIS THING IS BEAUTIFUL!" As this steel takes a great and strong patina. I am responsible for doing more than just cooking/prepping, in fact on a normal week that takes up the least of my time... so to say his knife didn't sit on my prep table for 30 minutes with some moisture on it would be a lie. Yet, like with all my carbon suji, I saw no rusting or pitting while I had it. It has been a couple weeks since I had the pleasure of using it, so the details are not as crisp in my head as they were. But I will say I enjoyed it enough to consider one of Stephan's knives (with Hamon my top choice!) without a second thought. My personal preference would lead me to one of his WA handled/styled knives ... but if you are looking for a western/American Chef knife that will perform like a high end Japanese knife ... look no further than the state right above me ... and to a very talented guy, and genuinely nice human being. Thank you again Mr. Fowler ... and your trademark Fowler stamp on your knife is beautiful and fitting in my opinion ... keep up the good work. I see a bright future in American knife making and believe you to be at the forefront with the other talented makers who grace these (and the like) boards. It was truly a pleasure to test this for you, and if you or anyone would like to know anything further that I may have left out or was vague on, please feel free to contact me. Kind Regards Bryan |
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| stephanfowler | Oct 5 2011, 11:20 AM Post #2 |
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Prep Cook
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Awesome Thank you so much for the feedback Stephan |
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| Bryan G. | Oct 5 2011, 02:22 PM Post #3 |
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Dish Washer
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Thank you Stephan. It was and will always be my pleasure. Next time I will do my best to get some video, I really wanted to do it this last time. Regards Bryan |
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| sdtw | Jul 27 2014, 09:28 PM Post #4 |
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Dish Washer
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