Cut Brooklyn knives

[Fat Guy]

There's a story in the New York Times today by Florence Fabricant about Cut Brooklyn, a knifemaking shop.

Does anybody have any experience with this place?

[paulraphael]

I've handled the knives and don't like them at all. The craftsmanship and the metallurgy seem good, but the designs are gimmicky, and don't reflect any knowledge serious cutting techniques (either European or Japanese).

The edge geometry is also really thick and heavy, which makes a knife durable but compromises performance. A thick, handmade knife makes as much sense to me as a Ferrari pickup truck.

I played with a few of them at Brooklyn Kitchen. That store has a knowledgable knife buyer, who has stocked the shelves with some much better (and cheaper) choices, including a couple of Japanese brands I'd never heard of.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I haven't tried them recently, but a couple of years ago before the first big article about him, I handled a couple of them briefly at Brooklyn Kitchen. They are beautifully finished, but didn't particularly suit me either. Brooklyn Kitchen can't keep them in stock for long, because they sell very quickly.

[FoodMuse]

Hello everyone,

I interviewed Joel last year, and in full disclosure later became friends. He hand makes every knife himself, which is time consuming, which is why the price is high. He is a craftsman.

I've used his knives and I think they are excellent. I'm a little confused by Paulraphael's comment about the edge geometry. It is anything but thick and heavy. You see that on the photos over at his site here.

I told Joel about this thread and here's what he said.

"Thin edges are kind of the hallmark of my work. I grind my knives to between 0.006" and 0.008" (between 6 and 8 thousandths) at the edge before sharpening. Very few go that thin and grinding by hand is the only way you can do it without heat damage and warping."

I've seen him work through the process and it is really exciting to see.

Grace

No, Joel did not ask me to post. I asked his permission if I could. I just happened to stumble on this posting in my eGullut wanderings.

Edited February 15, 2011 by heidih
Fix link (log)

[Mano]

When choosing a new knife late last year I seriously considered making the trip from Philly and buying a Cut Brooklyn. I watched the videos, spoke with my sister, who sat with Joel and a friend who was having several custom knives made and then contacted him myself. There's no doubt he's a wonderful guy who takes pride in his knives. One of the Top Chef winners or finalists loves his Cut Brooklyn.

After doing a lot of research and getting input from chefs, knife and sharpening experts, including Paul, I decided a moderately priced Gyuto would be a more practical and satisfying knife.

Williams-Sonoma here sells them and I read somewhere the demand is so high Joel is partnering with someone to make Cut Brooklyn semi-production knives at a lower cost.

I'd love too hear from a pro chef and knife maven who owns a Cut Brooklyn and can compare it to top notch Japanese knives.

Edited February 15, 2011 by Mano (log)