Comparison SAMURA Harakiri SHR-0086AW vs Tramontina Profissional Master 24609/086

The name of the steel grade from which the knife blade is made.

Its working properties directly depend on the type of steel — hardness, brittleness, tendency to corrosion, ability to keep sharpening, etc. Accordingly, this parameter largely determines the features of the knife as a whole. Many different grades of steel are used in modern kitchen knives; knowing the name of a particular brand, you can find detailed information about it (physical characteristics, reviews, user reviews) and evaluate the quality and overall level of the tool.

The number of layers of steel that make up the blade. This parameter is relevant primarily for knives made of Damascus steel (see “Blade material”), however, it can also be indicated for other cases: for example, some knives from traditional Japanese steel grades “shirogami” or “aogami” are made two-layer. However, such models are relatively rare.

As for Damascus, in kitchen knives the number of layers in it can vary from 10 – 13 to 160 – 170. At the same time, there is an opinion that the more layers, the higher the quality of the knife. This is partly true: increasing the "layering" allows you to achieve good strength combined with elasticity, as well as other advanced characteristics. However, note that the actual quality of the blade strongly depends not only on this indicator, but also on many other indicators: the composition of the steels used, the overall quality of processing, technology features, etc. As a result, the number of layers in fact is almost not related to the quality of the blade ; it often happens that in an expensive and advanced model there are fewer layers than in a more affordable analogue. So when choosing, you should first of all focus on the price category of the knife and real reviews about it.

The type of plastic used in a knife handle.

See "Handle Material" for general features of this material. The specific types of plastic found in modern kitchen knives are very diverse in price and quality. In low-cost models, the following options are mainly used:

— ABS plastic. One of the most inexpensive varieties of plastic; relatively fragile and brittle material that does not tolerate heat, temperature extremes and exposure to the sun. However, with proper quality and careful handling, such a handle can last quite a long time.
— Polycarbonate. More advanced than ABS, and at the same time quite affordable kind of plastic. It is thanks to this combination of affordability and practicality that polycarbonate is popular in the market.
— Polypropylene. Polypropylene is notable primarily for its light weight and high hardness, making it highly resistant to abrasion and scratches. This material is sensitive to sunlight and oxygen, but these shortcomings are often compensated by the use of special additives. Also, polypropylene can be supplemented with elastomer — a soft and elastic material that makes the handle more pleasant to the touch.
— Bakelite. One of the first plastics in history that still has not lost its relevance. One of the interesting features of bakelite is heat resistance: even on an open fire, such material is charred, but does not melt or burn.

In turn, premium knives can be used, in particular, the followin...g types of plastics:

— G10. One of the varieties of fibreglass is glass fibre with a plastic filler. G10 is characterized by excellent strength and durability, this material perfectly tolerates moisture and temperature changes, and it is quite difficult to scratch it. Fibreglass weighs much more than carbon fibre; on the other hand, its price is much lower.

— Carbon fibre (carbon fibre, Carbon Fibre, etc.). Composite material in the form of carbon fibre threads filled with plastic filler. This combination provides low weight and at the same time extremely high strength — even relatively simple grades of carbon fibre are not inferior to steel in this respect. However and these handles are not cheap. In addition, this material is sensitive to specific loads, namely point impacts — this may cause cracks on it. However, for such a "trouble", most likely, a very unfortunate set of circumstances will be required.

— Mikarta. Composite material, a kind of textolite, consisting of layers of fibrous material filled with polymer. The composition of the base and the filler may be different, sometimes it is displayed directly in the title — for example, Canvas Micarta uses fabric as the base (canvas — canvas). At the same time, regardless of the varieties, the manufacturing technology of such a handle involves high-pressure sintering. Due to this, a very strong, reliable and durable material is obtained, insensitive to moisture, high temperatures and sunlight, pleasant in appearance and to the touch. With all this, micarta is inexpensive, it is suitable even for low-cost kitchen knives.

— Packawood. Material based on laminated wood combined with synthetic resins. For such handles, different types of wood can be used, which allows you to get different patterns on the surface; and the possibility of using coloring additives further expands the variety of design of such knives. Externally, such handles are indistinguishable from wooden ones, but they are much harder, stronger and more resistant to moisture.

The length of a blade is usually measured from the point to the neck (the bulge between the blade and the handle). The value of this parameter is determined primarily by the type of knife. For example, in models for cleaning, it rarely exceeds 12 cm — otherwise it would be inconvenient to work with small round products). Among bread, on the contrary, blades shorter than 20 cm are rarely found — loaves of bread can be quite thick, which requires an appropriate knife, etc. However, knives of the same type can also vary significantly in length. In most cases, you can use this principle: a longer knife allows you to work with larger pieces of food, but it is less “agile”, and the length of the blade can affect the price.

The hardness of the metal used in the knife blade. Indicated in standard HRC units (according to Rockwell); the higher the value, the harder the blade. This parameter in knives has a double meaning. On the one hand, the blade must be hard enough so as not to dull prematurely, not form burrs and not deform when bent; on the other hand, it must remain soft in order to sharpen normally, not crack or break (brittleness also increases with increasing hardness). In most kitchen knives, the hardness is in the range of 52 - 62 HRC - it is believed that this range provides the optimal ratio of strength, reliability and ease of sharpening. In general, ceteris paribus, a knife made of softer steel will have to be sharpened or adjusted more often with musat, however, such procedures themselves will take a little time and effort. Conversely, a hard blade will hold sharpening for a long time, however, you will have to try to restore it.

Knives for operations and work, in which there are increased loads on the blade and handle. The shank of the blade in their design continues until the end of the handle, usually it has the same thickness as the blade. The handle itself usually consists of two pads, planted on rivets or hidden pins. But there are other versions: with a solid metal or cast polymer handle. In such cases Full tang knives can be identified by several distinguishing features – a protruding shank at the end, a lanyard hole through which a metal shank is visible, etc.

The presence of teeth on the cutting edge except for the knife — the so-called serrated (or semi-serrated, if the teeth do not occupy the entire cutting edge) sharpening. One of the main advantages of serrated edges over smooth ones is the ability to cut even after the knife becomes noticeably dull — the very shape of the teeth allows you to “bite” into the product due to back and forth movements. In addition, serrated knives are indispensable for delicate products, especially those with a crust, such as fresh bread or soft vegetables (which is why specialized models for bread and tomatoes are most often referred to as serrated knives). On the other hand, sharpening a blunt serrator is a serious problem. In the best case — if the teeth are large — for this you will have to use a special tool that sharpens each tooth separately; if the teeth are small, then the only option is to completely resharpen the blade, turning it into an ordinary smooth one. In addition, serrated sharpening is less versatile, because. for some types of work it is not suitable in principle — therefore, it is worth buying such a knife only if the household already has one or more smooth ones.

Country of origin of the brand under which the kitchen knife is presented on the market. As a rule, it is indicated by the “homeland” of the manufacturing company or by the location of its headquarters.

There are many stereotypes associated with the “nationality” of brands and products, but most of them have no basis in our time. First, the actual place of production is often different from the brand's country of origin. Secondly, the quality of a product depends not so much on geography, but on the policy of a particular company and how carefully it controls this very quality. Therefore, you should pay attention to the brand’s country of origin only if you fundamentally want or (do not want) to support a manufacturer from a certain country. Quality is best assessed by the reputation of a particular brand and the general price category. However, Japanese kitchen knives clearly differ from other manufacturers in their quality. Belgian and Swiss are famous for their reputation thanks to the brands BergHoff, Vinzer and Victorinox. But Brazilian knives also have a place in the home kitchen due to the good price-quality ratio of the Tramontina brand.