Sal had these things to say about it:
We made a "sashimi knife" years ago out of a modified AUS8 that had large tungsten carbides and the "bite" was quite unusual.
sal
And this, which kind of got my attention:
sal
Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Golden, Colorado USA
Posts: 3,553
Thanx for the Edge-u-cation Java. I can provide some history on the model.
One time several years ago while I was on on business trip to Seki, one of my friends there told me of a knife made by one of their makers that was so sharp that you could put a folded piece of rice paper on the edge help upwards, blow on the paper and by the time the paper hit the tip, it would be cut. Naturally I said Bullsh*t.
Several weeks later, I received a flat ground Yanagi Sashimi model with a folded piece of rice paper and some hand drawn instructions on how to place the paper and which direction to blow on it.
I did and it actually did. The steel was AUS8W. A tungsten added AUS8. I tested the knife for about 6 months and it became one of my favorites in the kitchen. The AUS8W doesn't stay as sharp as long as even AUS8, but the edge is VERY sharp. I decided that a test run would be fun, but the standard length of the Yanagi was too long for the average American kitchen, so we custom made a short one, about 7" blade. We only made several hundered as I asumed a small number of ELUs would appreciatge this knife as I do. The 7" Sashimi (really too short to be called a sashimi knife), is now my favortie using in the kitcfhen model. We probably won't make any more after this run, because the market is too small. But I recommend that anyone that enjoys using knives in the kitchen, try this model.
hope that helps.
sal
I'm not going to be running any battery of tests, or reprofiling or grinding it down to darksider territory as it is what it is. Those of you who know me know that I have a fondness for tungsten containing steels. The sharpness, the "bite", and wear resistance ( Tungsten carbides are second only to Vanadium in hardness) while retaining an ease of sharpening, compared to the vanadium monsters from cruicible , which I also like most of ( love S90V)
I'd love to try VG10(W)! It is one I'd bet more than lunch on it being a great steel. The problem is, sal explained, that Spyderco would have to special order it, wait, and purchase the whole melt. Not really an economical way of doing business.
Thanks for making some Da#n fine knives Sal, and teaching those of us that listen while you're at it about stuff like this.. :) Joe
