Comparison SAMURA Harakiri SHR-0021B vs Supra KOUGOU SK-DK13P

- Steel. In this case, we mean steel blades made by stamping. It is believed that this method itself does not provide as high quality as forging; in addition, the blade and tang in this case can be made separately and then welded together, which further reduces the durability of the knife and increases the risk of breaking it under great force. However, stamped blades are easy to produce, inexpensive, and usually sufficiently durable for most tasks, both everyday and professional. This ensured their high popularity.

— Steel ( non-stick coating). Steel blades with a special polymer coating applied to them. It not only prevents the sticking of products, but also protects the blade from corrosion, makes it easy to clean, and also gives the tool an original and bright appearance - because the coating can be given any color. The tendency to abrasion reduces many of the advantages of such a blade to nothing.

— Forged steel. Blades made of steel by forging. Such knives are considered much stronger and more durable than stamped ones, in particular because the shank and blade are initially one piece, which reduces the risk of breaking the knife. On the other hand, the process itself is quite expensive and troublesome, and therefore is used mainly in premium knives.

— Damascus steel. In modern knives, Damascus steel...refers to steel consisting of many layers with different carbon contents. Such layers vary in color, which gives the blade a characteristic beautiful pattern, while Damascus blades combine high strength, flexibility and durability. However, the complexity of production significantly affects the price - such knives can cost many times more than even similar forged ones.

— Three-layer steel. The name “laminated” is also found. As the name suggests, such blades consist of three layers of steel (this is one of the main differences from the multi-layer Damascus described above). These layers differ in composition and, accordingly, properties: the core is made of hard high-carbon steel, and the lining is made of soft “stainless steel”. This combination allows you to combine the advantages of both types: the core provides the blade with the necessary hardness, and the linings compensate for the fragility of high-carbon steel. Another advantage of three-ply blades is the ease of sharpening, since relatively little hard material has to be removed during the process. Their disadvantage is, first of all, their high price. In addition, the fragile core does not bear shock loads well, which is why such knives are unsuitable for chopping.

- Ceramics. Ceramic, usually zirconium based, is considered a very advanced material. It allows you to create very sharp blades that do not dull for a long time, do not oxidize, are easy to clean, are not susceptible to scratches, and also weigh much less than steel. On the other hand, ceramic blades are very fragile and have absolutely no flexibility, making them prone to chipping and very sensitive to shocks and falls. In addition, due to the high hardness of the material, such blades cannot be sharpened using traditional methods, and special ones are quite expensive - despite the fact that the cost of the knives themselves is also very high.

— Titan. Titanium-based alloys are premium materials. They are characterized by a solid appearance; titanium blades are also distinguished by their low weight combined with high strength properties. The blades of titanium knives do not enter into chemical reactions when in contact with food, which means they ensure proper hygiene in the food preparation process. Anodizing titanium allows you to get fantastically beautiful and rich colors of the blade. The main disadvantage, traditionally for such materials, is the high cost.

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.

— Plastic. Plastic is often considered a cheap and low-quality material, but this is not entirely true for kitchen knives. The fact is that the term "plastic" in this case can mean various types of polymers, often with very advanced specifications. Most often, the quality of the plastic handle directly depends on the price category of the knife. With all this, the plastic handles are strong enough to use the knife for its intended purpose for at least several months, are easy to clean, and are also resistant to water and kitchen chemicals.

— Wood. The wood is pleasing to the eye and touch, can withstand hits and falls without any problems, and its durable varieties are not necessarily expensive. At the same time, this material is sensitive to water — it “absorbs” water, loses its presentation, resistance to cracks, chips and scratches (which is not very high anyway) and can even “bloom”, which is generally unacceptable for a kitchen appliance. Wooden handles are not used too widely — either in the cheapest knives, where durability is not important, or vice versa, in premium-class models, where wood plays the role of an stylish material.

— Steel. This material is considered one of the most hygienic: it is easy to clean, and the design of the knife has virtually no gaps in which dirt can accumulate. In addition, steel handles look very solid, durable and...hard, withstand hits and falls without any problems, and are also scratch resistant. On the other hand, a steel handle is more likely to slip out of your hand than a wooden or plastic one.

— Steel with an insert. A variant designed to eliminate the main disadvantage of all-steel handles (see above) — an increased likelihood of slipping. This is what inserts are used for: they are made of rubber, plastic or other similar material that increases the "grip" of the palm with the knife handle. The presence of inserts is the only difference between handles of this type and all-steel; the rest of the features are completely identical.

— Silicone. A material that looks and feels similar to the plastic described above, but has its own specifics. The main practical difference is that silicone is much softer, some of its varieties are similar to rubber. This provides a more comfortable and secure hold in the hands; in addition, the silicone surface is often made slightly rough, which improves grip and further reduces the likelihood of slipping. On the other hand, this material is more expensive than plastic, and the advantages described are not decisive; therefore, silicone handles are not common, mainly among premium knives (although there are exceptions).

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 type of wood used in the knife handle. For wood in general, see "Handle Material". And a specific breed is most often indicated in premium knives, where appropriate materials are used — rosewood, ebony, etc. At the same time, different types of wood can differ not only in appearance, but also in performance. However, in most cases, these differences are not critical, and when choosing, you can focus primarily on personal tastes (or even not pay attention to the breed at all — anyway, such a handle will be quite high-quality and reliable).

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.