|
|
|
| |
| LinkType |
linkName |
LinkLOGO |
Link Information |
Webmaster |
Operate |
|
LOGOLinks |
fallkniven |
|
We are a true family firm, with our roots deep in the soil of Norrbotten, Sweden. We have been hunters and fishermen for decades and we know from personal experience how a knife should be. The firm started operations in 1984 and today is acknowledged as one of Sweden's foremost knife specialists. We began to develop our own knives in 1987 and today this is our principal activity at Fällkniven AB.PeterAnnSofieMaria Eric Julia JordanPurveyor to His Majesty The King of Sweden,We have gained great experience during the years through close contacts with both customers and manufacturers. This knowledge, we now use to make the world's leading specialized knife. Because of this, we´re today Perveyor to His Majesty the King of Sweden. To be on the safe side we quality test our knives at Lulea University of Technology so that we know how our knives hold up. The knowledge allows us to dare say that our knives are the strongest, serial manufactured, stainless steel knives in the world! |
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
furitechnics |
|
Füritechnics is an Australian-based engineering development company with a mission to produce unique solutions for professional (and serious amateur) cooks. The company was founded by mechanical engineer Mark Henry in Brisbane in July 1996 upon his vision to offer chefs new solutions to old problems, by developing innovative products of unbeatable performance and value, for worldwide distribution.</P><P> This value has been achieved with a precise and unbeatable combination of quality, price, and innovative design. Most of our engineering developments are world-first: we hold a number of patents, with many more pending, for important advances in this industry:</P><P> Füri handle shape: unique ‘reverse wedge’ handle shape developed to resist hand slip toward the blade. This innovation greatly reduces hand fatigue for working chefs, because less slip means less squeezing is required to do the same work. <BR> |
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
outdooredge |
|
Our goal at Outdoor Edge
is to combine functional design with the sharpest, best edge holding steels, state of the art production processes and hand craftsmanship to create the finest quality knives and hand tools for the big game hunter. I personally develop and field test each product on a variety of game to ensure the highest performance and stand behind everything we make with a Lifetime Warranty. We appreciate your interest in Outdoor Edge products and thank you for visiting Outdoor Edge Online.
|
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
Mundial Inc |
|
Mundial Inc. is the North American marketing, sales and distribution arm for the world's highest quality
scissors, knives and related kitchen accessories and personal care implements produced by
Mundial S.A. in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The group and the Mundial trademark were established in Germany in 1931.
Mundial products are sold worldwide. |
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
taidea |
|
Lamson & Goodnow, maker of LamsonSharp™ cutlery, is the oldest cutlery manufacturer in the United States. Lamson & Goodnow was established in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts in 1837, and rapidly became the premier cutler in the United States.But as the American passion for home and hearth grew, so did Lamson & Goodnow.In 1999, Lamson & Goodnow purchased TreeSpirit™, a company that handcrafts professionalquality hardwood cutting boards, bowls, kitchen utensils, and kitchen care products.HotSpot™ silicone for the home was added to the Lamson & Goodnow family of brands in 2002. Unusual at the time, silicone is now regarded as a staple of the modern kitchen for its high heat resistance, superior flexibility, and nonstick properties.Many regular visitors to Shelburne Falls are already familiar with the wonderful Lamson & Goodnow Factory Outlet Store, the ONLY place where you can buy Lamson & Goodnow cutlery seconds at drastically reduced prices. Now, more and more people are discovering the flagship store Lamson & Goodnow opened in Northampton, Massachusetts in April 2006. Located at 34 Bridge Street in the city dubbed "Paradise City" by the Swedish Nightingale, Jenny Lind, the 4,000 square foot Lamson & Goodnow Cutlery and Kitchen Tools offers the most extensive selection of gourmet cookware in New England. The store features the complete Lamson & Goodnow family of brands, including the finest cutlery made in the United States. Next time you come to New England, be sure to visit one or both of our fine stores. |
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
taidea |
|
Kyocera Corporation, the headquarters and parent company of the global Kyocera group, was founded in 1959 in Kyoto, Japan as a startup venture by Dr. Kazuo Inamori and seven colleagues. Kyocera's founders shared a vision of creating a company dedicated to the successful manufacture and sale of innovative, high,quality products based on advanced materials and components. Over the past four decades, this vision has resulted in a highly successful and widely diversified global enterprise.Kyocera's North American operations have contributed strongly to the company's overall success. We established our first North American sales company in 1969, a twoperson operation serving Silicon Valley's burgeoning semiconductor industry and other hightech markets throughout the United States. Our North American operations have since expanded to more than 5,000 employees engaged in the manufacture and sale of a broad range of state-of-the art, hightechnology products in the United States, Canada and Mexico.Today, Kyocera is the world's largest and highest quality manufacturer of advanced ceramic knives, kitchen tools and stationery products. |
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
taidea |
|
ZT Continuing a Tradition of Excellence,Since 1974, Kai USA has brought you what you have come to expect,the very highest quality and most innovative designs available in the knife market today. With our new line of Zero Tolerance Combat Knives, the legacy continues. We have teamed up with Ken Onion and Strider Knives to bring you a new series of professional.grade combat knives built to survive the harsh, real,world situations that confront you every day.We call it ZT, Zero Tolerance. And that is our ultimate goal,Zero Tolerance in design, Zero Tolerance in function and Zero Tolerance in performance.Whether youre in the Military, Law Enforcement, Fire and Rescue, on a Response Team, or are an EMS professional, if you demand only the best from your equipment, you will quickly recognize the many benefits that ZT has to offer. Because when you’ve got a life-and-death job, you need tools that can give you an edge. Zero Tolerance Knives are those tools.In Proud Partnership with the Paralyzed Veterans of America.We are proud to partner with the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) as we introduce Zero Tolerance (ZT) Combat Knives.A portion of the proceeds from every sale of these high-quality, combat,ready knives will be donated to the PVA Heritage Fund, which advocates on behalf of the veterans who have given so much in service to their country.The PVA advocates for veteran's healthcare, research and education on spinal cord injuries, and works to assist its members to maximize their independence. In 2002 the PVA Outdoor Recreation Heritage Fund was established to permanently endow PVA’s many outdoor sports programs. These activities are designed to promote a lifetime of health and fitness. These programs encompass a wide variety of activities from local to national levels and facilitate full individual participation We are honored to join in their efforts to assist America’s paralyzed veterans.Vistit the PVA at http://www.pvaheritagefund.org |
tony |
modify delete
|
|
LOGOLinks |
taidea |
|
Over the last Three and a half years, we have added much to the Shun line. Not just in new product, but also in technology. I have looked over the articles I have written, and thought it would be a good idea to consolidate and improve these for you. So what I would like to accomplish, is to talk about each of the lines and what makes them special. The logical place to start would be Shun Classic. To start with, the reason we call it Shun Classic is because it utilizes classic European shapes, and it has a double bevel edge. As you all know most traditional Japanese cutlery uses a single bevel edge like our Shun Pro lines. The first question we usually get about Shun Classic is, "how do we get that beautiful pattern across the blade"? The process is absolutely amazing. To best understand it I think it is important to first describe the German process so that you can compare it with ours.You have all heard the term "hot dropped forged". In the old days, this denoted the highest quality of German knife making. Steel was heated to almost molten hot, and then a 3000 pound hammer with a mold attached would slam into it, forming the bolster and would also realign the molecular structure of the steel. As demand grew and technology improved, the Germans decided that this process was no longer efficient or profitable.These days, the steel they use starts out as a one by one by one-foot ingot. They then pound it down until it is about 3/16ths of an inch thick. As you might imagine at this point, the molecular structure of the steel is pretty much aligned. This means that the only thing you are accomplishing by slamming a 3000 pound hammer into it is forming the bolster. The problem is that over time, the mold starts to warp, which means that you have to shut down the line and retool. This is very costly and is the main reason that the Germans don't do it anymore.Henkels and Wusthof now use what is called compression forging. This is where they take a piece of roll stock called a blank, and using electricity, heat up the middle till it is molten hot and then using what looks like a vice, compress the blank creating a bulge in the molten steel. A mold for the bolster is then compressed very slowly on to the bulge forming the bolster. The advantage is that it still is a one-piece knife using forged steel.So now let's talk about what we do. Remember, I said that the Germans pound out their roll stock to about 3/16ths of an inch. We pound out ours to 3/1000ths. I hope you can imagine how perfect our molecular structure is at this point. We then take 32 layers of this steel, and put 16 on each side of a layer of VG-10 making a kind of VG-10 sandwich. Then using heat and pressure we clad these 33 layers together making our roll stock. The next step is to place the sheet of roll stock into a press that kind of looks like two beds of thick blunt nails facing each other. The roll stock is then compressed, causing a series of dents or impressions across both sides of the sheet. This creates a kind of ripple effect in the sheet, like throwing several pebbles in a still pond. If you look at our Chinese cleaver, you can actually see where the dents were made. These would be the circular pattern across the length of the cleaver. This process was inspired by a famous knife making style known in Japan as Kasumi style. It is the same process used to make Samurai swords. The Japanese learned 700 years ago that there is no such thing as the perfect steel. Hard cutting steels with more carbon in them were highly reactive to corrosion and rust, and could also be brittle. The Japanese would surround these steels with softer less reactive steels to protect and support them. This process would create a pattern in the steel that many people today confuse as Damascus.To dispel this confusion, let me tell you what Damascus really is. There are two types of Damascus, Wootz Damascus and Pattern Damascus. Woots Damascus was actually first. It was invented in the city of Damascus where they discovered a special mine that had iron oar with traces of tungsten and vanadium in it. Of course at the time, they didn't know this particular fact, they did notice however, that the steel from this mine was very different and special. These trace elements were drastically changing the steel making it extremely hard and flexible. Imagine if you will, putting a pinch of salt into a glass of soda pop. The salt acts as a catalyst causing the CO2 molecules to split faster from the H2O molecules which makes the pop go flat quicker. In the case of Wootz, the tungsten and vanadium had the effect of aligning the carbides in the steel. I will explain what these are later. The steel had after forging, a "watered" look to the blade, which means there was a pattern. This pattern was caused by bands of extremely high carbon steel (being dark in color) contrasting against considerably lower carbon steel (which is lighter in color). The bands added strength, flexibility and toughness to the steel, which is a must for a great sword. These special qualities made the swords extremely tough and resilient in combat situations while maintaining a razor sharp edge. The Persians used these superior steel blades against the Christians in the crusades, and we all know how that ended, twice. In time the mine that had the special iron oar, ran out, and the art of Wootz Damascus was thought to be lost until it was rediscovered in the mid 90's by Al Pendray. Mr. Pendray is a Ferrier by trade, and through trial and error discovered that by adding the trace elements of tungsten into his metal mix, he could reproduce the Woots Damascus steel.After Woots Damascus steel was no longer available, the art of Pattern Damascus was invented in Europe. Instead of cladding the high carbon steel in the protective steel like the Japanese, the Euopeans would fold different metals together. The patterns would appear, because some of the metals used in the folding process like the carbon steel were highly reactive while the other metals like nickel weren't and would stay bright. The pattern is brought out by rubbing the blade with acid causing the reactive steels to darken. The end results were what is now considered modern Damascus. Althoug the blades made by this process are very beautiful, they don't have the strength or ability to really hold an edge. This is why now the Damascus patterns are clad onto harder cutting steels. Much like the Japanese Kasumi style, today Damascus is folded into large sheets, using a variety of different reactive and non-reactive metals. These sheets are then clad onto various cutting steels. So as you can see, although there are similarities between Pattern Damascus and Shun, they are really quite different.The shun knife shapes are then cut out of the finished roll stock, and the hand grinding process begins. You are all aware that a knife is thick in the back and tapers to its edge. As we grind the knives into this "V" shape, which is called flat grinding, the pattern emerges. We then make it visible by using a bead blaster. Imagine an air brush but instead of using paint, it uses teeny tiny glass beads. The bead blasting is what also creates the stick resistant properties of the knife. It does this by creating thousands of little indentions on the blade that in turn create thousands of little air pockets which of course reduces the percentage of the surface area of the blade touching the food which results in reduced sticking.Two other factors to keep in mind when talking about Shun Classic, are the edge and the handle. First you need to remember that the edge on a Shun knife is ground at 16 degrees per side verses the Germans which are at 22 degrees per side. The Germans are certainly capable of grinding at a thinner angle, but they choose not to based on the type of steel they use. Grinding at such a thin angle greatly reduces the strength of the edge and its ability to stay sharp. So why and how do we do it? The answer is simple, better steel. The Shun Classic line uses VG-10, which is a new type of stainless steel that has a higher density. This allows the steel to be tempered to a higher Rockwell, in this case 61, and still have the flexibility and strength to take and keep a perfect edge. It is also important to note that our edge is also highly polished along its bevel. This greatly reduces drag as you are cutting making it seem like the blade is going through like magic.The other factor is the handle. Ours is made of Pakka wood. Pakka wood starts out as thin layers of white birch that is then dyed, in our case black. These sheets are then layered between sheets of plastic resin then fused together under tremendous heat and pressure. The net result is a handle that looks and feels like wood, but is dishwasher safe. The other unique feature of our handle is our design. We call it the "D"shape, but in reality, it looks more like a tear drop. It has a distinct ridge that goes down the side of the handle that fits perfectly in the hand, as well stabilizes the blade and preventing it from turning and twisting.The next line to look at under the Shun umbrella, is the Alton Angle pieces. These knives have all of the same features as the regular Shun Classic line, except that they sport a 10 degree angle at the bolster. This added feature really improves the performance of smaller knives. It gives your fingers clearance so that you can get the knife in the middle of the board instead of being stuck on the edge. The angle also gives you better leverage on the blade creating a more efficient slicing action in stead of chopping which can result in chipped edges.From there we move on to Ken Onion. Here is a simple fact. Ken is the number one and most successful knife designer in the world. He has won more knife awards for design than any other single designer, and with our help and support he has done more to change the pocket knife industry than any other single individual.As Ken began to consider how to design a chefs knife for use in the kitchen, he realized that he had no real chef's experience. This ultimately turned out to be an advantage, because he addressed the problem from a totally fresh perspective without any preconceived notions. The first thing he did was to subscribe to Food Network and start studying the chefs. At the time, the two shows that had the most knife skills shown were Bobby Flay's show and Sara Moulton's show. Ken also picked these two because of their different heights and the fact that Bobby is right handed and Sara is left handed. The goal was to create a knife that could be used by both tall and short people and be ambidextrous. Ken would video these shows then freeze them and using a grease pencil and protractor, measure the angles at which they were cutting, and how they were holding their knives.The next step was to start working with the chef's and students at the Culinary Academy of the Pacific. He discovered that the first thing that students were taught was to hold the knife pinching the blade between the thumb and index finger. Although this gave the students the best control of the knife both vertically and horizontally, it also caused a lot of other problems. First of all, this type of grip places the index finger directly over the spine of the blade. When you are cutting for several hours per day, this created a terrible callous on the index finger, that would often crack and get infected. The other problem this grip caused was tension in the forearm, which could result in carpal tunnel syndrome.So in designing his knife, Ken came up with his own definition of the word ergonomic. For most people, this word means that the product feels nice in the hand. For Ken, it means how does your big toe feel after six hours of use? Ken realized that tension in the forearm also created tension in the shoulder, and back moving all the way down your legs to your big toe. When combined with standing on a concrete floor all day the result was huge physical discomfort.Ken realized that for his knife to be ergonomic, the bolster and the handle had to work with the hand to release the tension in the forearm while at the same time giving perfect control. He achieved this by first angling the bolster and extending it over the spine of the knife. Now when you pinch gripped the knife, your index finger was over the smooth and rounded bolster not the rough spine of the blade. He also created an inner curve on each side of the bolster, which formed perfect thumb and index finger rests. There was now no need to pinch the knife causing unnecessary tension in the forearm.The other thing Ken noticed in a regular cooks knife handle, is that there is always a gap between the palm of the hand and the handle. So the next thing he did was to curve the handle downward, to more closely match the shape of the hand, then add his control bump located on the inside of the handle. By naturally wrapping you fingers around it, it presses the downward curved handle into the palm of your hand eliminating the gap. This resulted in much more control and comfort for the knife. The end result is that even people with small hands now feel that they have complete control over a larger knife.The shape of the blade is also unique. As I said earlier, Ken came up with the curve of the blade by measuring the angles at which Sara and Bobby were using the knife. He wanted to maximize the glide of the blade across the cutting board, for someone who was any height. He also blunted the nose of the blade like a santoku, so that you could scoop chopped ingredients easier off of the board.Next, we need to briefly look at Shun Steel. This line, feature for feature, and price for price is exactly like Shun Classic. The only difference is that the piece of Pakka Wood in the handle, has been removed and replaced with a piece of stainless steel. A lot of people have asked how we were able to keep the price the same as Shun classic, as opposed to the Germans whose steel handled knives are up to 30% higher. The answer is simpler than you might believe. Most of the finish work done on the German knives, is done by robots to help keep cost down. However, the steel in the handle is different from the steel in the bolster, and the robot isn't able to tell the difference. This results in the brushing not being even. The only way to achieve an even look is to do the finis | | |
