A high quality carbon steel chef knife is a beautiful thing and what is needed to cook the best of meals. I won’t bore you with the merits of high carbon steel again; suffice it to say, it’s good stuff. It’s better stuff than what you’re used to if, like most people, you’ve lived your life under the assumption that store-bought stainless steel cutlery is the “cutting edge” of knife technology. It isn’t. This type of knife will leave stainless steel in its dust every time.
But as articles keep cropping up in trendy places about the virtues of chef knives made of high quality carbon steel, one might begin to wonder how much of it is hype. After all, it is 2021, and anyone who is paying attention knows that marketing these days is often 90% fluff, 9% flash, and 1% substance. So, is a high carbon steel chef knife worth the hype?
No, of course it isn’t. Unless you are the kind of person who wants to experience the very best.
Let’s take a look at the truth and the hype with these knife types.
The unvarnished truth is that for most people, a $10 grocery store chef knife will get the job done. It may not cut like a laser, but you’ll be able to cook with it, and if it doesn’t last your whole lifetime…well, you can just go and buy another $10 knife. In fact, it would take quite a few $10 knives to add up to the cost of one custom made high carbon chef knife. But if you seek to go above and beyond, if you seek the finer things in life, then I am happy to tell you there is a whole world of delight to be found here.
A $100 store bought knife will do the job better than your $10 option, but a handmade carbon chef knife of high quality is in another league altogether. In such a knife you will find a level of sharpness that you didn’t even know existed. The knife will absolutely sail through food items—no more sawing back and forth just to ultimately smush the tomato into two ragged pieces. No more thwacking your blade into a potato and then hammering the thing against a cutting board just to cut it in half. The difference is probably even more pronounced than you can imagine.
So is it worth the hype? That’s up to you. If a knife is a purely utilitarian means to an end, then the answer is probably not. You have probably already realized that a knife can be more than a means to an end. Your knife can be a part of the experience of preparing food, in addition to enjoying the food. If that sounds good to you, then a high carbon steel chef knife—whether damascus or not—may be right up your alley.
To see examples, check out Jonas Blade’s collection of high carbon chef knives!
About The Author
Zack Jonas was born and raised in Massachusetts in the 1980’s and is still a New Englander today. With his growing love for art over the years, he took an introductory bladesmithing class at MASSart. It was there that he learned one of his most valuable lessons, which is that everyone has some insight worth learning. Today, he is a full-time bladesmith and feels incredibly fortunate to have found his calling.