For non straight razor guys, Gold Dollar razors are VERY cheap Chinese brand straight razors. The care in manufacturing them is practically zero, but the steel is pretty good so, if you can be bothered, you can turn them into decent shavers. Some guys even go so far as to use them as a blank canvas for modifications, and truly create art from them.
I think I may have found the kitchen equivalent.
I live in a share house, so my nice hand made Japanese knife does not live in the kitchen. I will bring it out if I am getting serious, but usually it lives safely hidden in its box so no one ruins it by using it to cut up a frozen whole chicken and then throwing it in the dishwasher. This could happen.
So I wanted a decent sized carbon knife that was a bit more "expendable", and would be ready at hand for quick jobs. I found Ontario's butcher knife on ebay, and for about $20 posted from the States, it seemed to fit the bill.
Well, it arrived today and my first impression is "you get what you pay for". The edge grind on this thing looked like it was done by someone who was fired from the Gold Dollar factory for a lack of attention to detail. It is 1095 steel though, and if that stuff is tempered properly it usually takes a good edge.
After about half an hour on the hones I decided I needed to stop messing about, and went and got out the Dremmel. I completely changed (fixed) the edge geometry, and then knocked all the sharp corners off the handle while I was about it. I sanded the handle up, gave it a nicer bees wax finish, and honed the blade to 6k, then CrOx. It now tree tops hairs, and I think it should hold the edge pretty well, as the steel seemed quite hard.
So, there you have it. For you guys who are a bit handy, and want a knife which will outlast you for minimal cost, check these things out. They are great value, if you have the energy to do some work yourself. I want a couple more now.
I think I may have found the kitchen equivalent.
I live in a share house, so my nice hand made Japanese knife does not live in the kitchen. I will bring it out if I am getting serious, but usually it lives safely hidden in its box so no one ruins it by using it to cut up a frozen whole chicken and then throwing it in the dishwasher. This could happen.
So I wanted a decent sized carbon knife that was a bit more "expendable", and would be ready at hand for quick jobs. I found Ontario's butcher knife on ebay, and for about $20 posted from the States, it seemed to fit the bill.
Well, it arrived today and my first impression is "you get what you pay for". The edge grind on this thing looked like it was done by someone who was fired from the Gold Dollar factory for a lack of attention to detail. It is 1095 steel though, and if that stuff is tempered properly it usually takes a good edge.
After about half an hour on the hones I decided I needed to stop messing about, and went and got out the Dremmel. I completely changed (fixed) the edge geometry, and then knocked all the sharp corners off the handle while I was about it. I sanded the handle up, gave it a nicer bees wax finish, and honed the blade to 6k, then CrOx. It now tree tops hairs, and I think it should hold the edge pretty well, as the steel seemed quite hard.
So, there you have it. For you guys who are a bit handy, and want a knife which will outlast you for minimal cost, check these things out. They are great value, if you have the energy to do some work yourself. I want a couple more now.
