New 'Standard' line from Brian Hanson Knives!
I've really enjoyed having Brian Hanson's meticulously crafted custom Damascus kitchen knives available in the shop. Brian is an ex line cook who's worked in some of the Seattle area's top kitchens, and he turned to knife making a few year ago. His experience as a pro cook comes through very clearly in his knives, which is not always the case with custom kitchen knife makers, who often come from a hunting/outdoors/woodshop background. (We often see incredibly beautiful custom kitchen knives that have convoluted ergonomics and chunky grinds, a clear sign that the maker is NOT an experienced chef...)
Brian just dropped us off a new line of knives with professional chefs in mind (they would be awesome for most home cooks as well). He's using pre forge welded steels from Takefu Special Steel in Japan, one of the most revered makers of cutlery steel in the world. This cuts down on time spent at the forge, and he can forge in larger batches, allowing these knives to be at a lower price point than his one at a time custom pieces. The outer layers are tough, rust resistant stainless steel, and the core cutting edge is V-Toku, an excellent workhorse steel with great edge life and sharpenablilty. The blades ground in the Japanese style with large wide bevels on each side, and he leaves some of the hammermarks and scales from the forging process. A final acid wash gives the core steel a distinct patina and offers contrast to the finish knife. These knives are substantially heavier than the custom damascus pieces we've had from him, but they are still ground very thin behind the edge, and seem like they would excel cutting large amounts of veggies very thin for a long time.
This new line from Brian Hanson are an awesome affordable entry point for anyone interested in high quality American made handmade kitchen knives. Don't miss out!
