# What does this knife do?



## kuan (Jun 11, 2001)




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## cacook (Jan 18, 2006)

Kills medieval warriors.


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## cwshields (Jan 21, 2007)

Possibly for skinning


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

It looks like a mutated ulu. Can't say I see any function in that design. 

Sal Glesser of Spyderco did something in that vein by description. I never saw a pic of it. But it was for a handicapped person to chop with in a bowled chopping board. 

So maybe some limited use.

Phil


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## cacook (Jan 18, 2006)

I guess it's for mincing too? According to this site anyway:

¡Ú³ÚÅ·»Ô¾ì¡ÛÏÂÊ¿¥Õ¥ì¥¤¥º¡¡SHA RA KU MONO¥ß¥ó¥Á¥Ê¥¤¥Õ¡ÊMINCING KNIFE¡Ë¡§mr.cookman

Knife brand is sha ra ku mano.


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## expertsharpener (Mar 31, 2007)

Hi kuan

This is a knife designed by Komin Yamada for Fujitora (mainly known in the west as Tojiro). Yamada san was the designer responsible for Global knives. 

This particular model is used in conjuction with a wooden board with a circular hollow and works exactly the same as a traditional mezzaluna but only needs one hand!

Is he brilliant or what - this whole new range is outstanding - its sharper, more ergonomic, far more enduring egdes and way easier to resharpen.

Its called Sha Ru Ku Mono (~shiyarukomono roughly a harmonising of East & West). He has loked at how the western hand cuts - more rolling than pulling and so subtely changed the profile of the blade to suit this.

Let me know if you want more info


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## expertsharpener (Mar 31, 2007)

Thats Sha Ra Ku mono


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## expertsharpener (Mar 31, 2007)

By the way I started a thread on these knives just yesterday - the one just before yours. What a coincidence!


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## hotchef (Jul 25, 2006)

the guy just improved on it and of course the price also with it...
when i was a chefs apprentice,years back in AUSTRA, we used to get whole carcasses of veal and pork ( for us apprentices to learn) and we used a knife like that to skin the animals.
also out local village shoemaker had a knife like that, to cut leather....:roll:


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## expertsharpener (Mar 31, 2007)

Hotchef I agree with you - its not fundamentally new - but then I am sure you appreciate that even the most minute improvement on a elemental design is a huge step forward - I mean the knife in its basic design has been with man for almost 2.5 million years!! Its like trying to improve the wheel - you cant!!! All you can do is change from crossply to radial and then low profile or whatever to improve functionality and I believe Yamadasan has done that - twice now.

As for the price its actually cheaper than the Globals and certainly competitive with any other blade of this quality and as to what you use it for ..... well the Chinese using a great big cleaver for everything - thats not the point everyone has to use whatever shape and style they want for whatever they want. In the west we use a flexible blade for fish filleting whilst the Japanese who you cannot argue prepare more fish then anyone else use a rigid blade


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## hotchef (Jul 25, 2006)

you are right and wrong,
indeed the chinese use a cleaver but it only LOOKS like a big cleaver, the metal is very thin and sharp and that big cleaver is very LIGHT!
i got one as a present from our chinese executive chef when working in beijing.at first i also thought, what the **** will i do with it (chopping bones, that's what we do with cleavers...) untill i actually HELD that tool in my hands. and i learned very fast to like it and still use it. even if i have left china many years ago.and to the amazement of our russia nchefs who also can at first not understand how one can use such a cleaver so easily...


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

I know what that knife will do. 

It will sit in a store's display cabinet a long, long time.


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## expertsharpener (Mar 31, 2007)

hotchef of course you correct - but it does also depend on which chinese cleaver you are refering to - as rule the most commonly used one in my experience is the No 2which as you point out is thin and light but my point was not the weight it was about the shape and there is no denying that the Chinese cleavers are a broad blade - in western use and commonly everywwhere else reserved for vegetables or chopping - i mean its exact opposite of a western boning knife which is double curved, narrow and often flexible - yet the chinese chef will use the cleaver for 'magically' boning a duck into its component part in a few seconds - something even the most accomplished western trained chef would find hard to do!

With reference to weight - look at the masahiro (japanese) range of cleavers they do them in weights varying from 250g to 750g!


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## expertsharpener (Mar 31, 2007)

phatch - you hit the nail on the head - however, that particular blade is the one that was under discussion so thats what I refered to. As matter of fact I dont know a single chef that uses anything other than a conventional knife - whatever their favourite one happens to be to chop herbs. I only even seen a mezzaluna being used by very few Italian chefs.

But when you introduce a range it is aimed not only at the professional but equally to a domestic market, where you will be surprised how many people want either buy a 'full set' or build a 'set' including knives that they are never going to use in a million years - e.g how many domestic cooks buy wet fish and prepare it at home and yet a lot will want a deba - i mean what for??? Ours is not to reason why.

o a complete range will always include some 'odd' or not popular shapes - but its got us talking hasn't it?


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## hotchef (Jul 25, 2006)

and that's how it is supposed to be. one does not have to AGREE and can disagree in a professional and courteous manner. that is professionalism.
i have a Chefknife collection built up over the years and it is worth 50 000 $ 
(replacement value for insurance purposes) some knives i still have from my apprentice days, some i got as presents and some are just nice ( 2or 3)...
it is of course different at home.
you need a knife for chopping herbs and one for cutting meat
a knife for slicing bread.
a potato peeler
and a good veggie cleaner.
(this is what i use at home)
the rest is indeed only to decorate the knife block or collecting dust in a drawer. but if the look NICE why not, it is SOOOOOO good to show of to visitors /friends/ relatives what you have...:smiles:


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