# iHomeer Damascus AUS-10 8" Chefs



## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

So I needed some stuff off Amazon, and while I was at it I just couldn't resist finally taking a look at this knife for $30. Pictures and more will follow but here is what I got at a glance:

Says 8" chef knife but actual blade length is 7 3/4", 1 5/8 at the heel so adequately but just barely passes knuckle clearance. F+F is on par with Shun Classic/Premier, and the best of Henckles and Wusthof 4116 stainless offerings, from butt of handle to tip of blade, nice faux damascus cladding and very nicely polished. Grind is much better, nice convexing for food release, and noticeably thinner at the edge with reasonable distal taper at the tip. No real flat spot but not so much belly as the others.

OTB edge is decent, no buffing/convexing here, and no wire edge, goes through paper towel pretty slick. Like the others mentioned it is rather heavy for a knife this size, 9+ ounces by my not so accurate scale. Not surprisingly balances about a half inch behind the heel. The handle works nice for both pinch and full grip, though partial bolster does force the pinch just a little bit forward of what I would consider ideal for this knife, much as I would expect of the Henckles Pro line it mimics in great part here. The simpler and accommodating bolster of the wusty Ikon is what theyt should have copied.

I'll be giving this a good sharpening and that will tell me something of the heat treat, as AUS-10 like it's twin 440C is somewhat abrasion resistant when tempered to some hardness. For those who don't know, this is a very good steel to start with, and more modern stainless steels like 19c27 and VG-10 (least of all) really have nothing much on it. Takes a sharp edge, and given a decent HT holds it well. So far it really looks very much well worth $30.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Not ready for videos yet,but some pics:


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https://flic.kr/p/40365685123


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https://flic.kr/p/33455028808


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https://flic.kr/p/40365686093


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https://flic.kr/p/33455029338

















You can see the Damascus pattern is attractive and well executed, and it is practically a carbon copy on the other side, indicating very precise grinding, CNC grinding and/or very skilled labor. Again, way way more than you'd expect for $30.

The Hagane is mirror polished while the Jigane/cladding has a very fine texture to it. I don't know how they accomplished that exactly, some combination of etching and electro-polish I'd say, maybe Jon from JKI will chime in.

Handle end is heavy, full tang, steel butt cap and all. Shape is nice (except overdone bolster as mentioned) and again nice finish, no seams, gaps or protruding rivets, plus the nice mosaic pin.

I couldn't get a good shot of the modest decal on the other side, limitations of my cell phone stand-in for broken camera, but it's actually a simple, tasteful stick-house representation with iHOMEER underneath. Very homey you could say.

I couldn't get a good choil shot either, but sighting from the heel end you can see the blade is nicely thin at the edge. There won't be much work getting this knife into tiptop shape.

Before doing any touch up though I intend to do a video of this going through onions, horizontal cuts and all, with factory edge and grind.

PS Don't use the image-insert function, it's apparently not working, can'teven delete the broken image links. Just copy url link for your image and paste directly in text window.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

Profile reminds me of the Shun Classic Chefs knife, but a whole lot cheaper.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Compared to the Shun the tip is just a little lower, and a very shallow curve behind the tip (which curves up ever so slight toward the heel), which amounts to 60% of the cutting edge.

It's rather versatile in what you might consider it for: a short chefs; tall large petty; it would make a decent butcher knife as well.

Yeh it's hella less expensive than the Shun, along with the other pluses, and I'm anxious to see how the AUS-10 here holds an edge. I've seen very good examples of the alloy coming from China on low-cost items. If the HT is on par with the F+F this will be one sweet little knife!


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Sounds like a good option for a guest / girlfriend knife. Interested in how it takes to stones.


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## jbroida (Nov 13, 2011)

rick alan said:


> The Hagane is mirror polished while the Jigane/cladding has a very fine texture to it. I don't know how they accomplished that exactly, some combination of etching and electro-polish I'd say, maybe Jon from JKI will chime in.


sandblasting/bead blasting for what its worth


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Thanks Jon, upon examination in good light I can see the tiny smooth pockmarks in the core steel that would indicate bead blasting.

Well out here in the wilds of NW CT where I'm currently working I have only my sometimes housemate to help with videos, since he's not been around I will be foregoing them. I was down all weekend with a bug I may have picked up at a local restaurant, but I did get to make some vertical cuts through a large and longish onion and the iHomeer did all right here, not surprising. Tomorrow I should be more in the mood for taking it to the stones.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

OK so I finally got around to the thinning and sharpening, after taking a week to recover from a particularly virulent intestinal bug been going around here and filling up the hospitals with cases. I stay away from hospitals as they are the primary breeding grounds for these virulent strains.

After 2 hours of thinning and then some sharpening I think I can say pretty confidently this steel is a good example of AUS-10, abrasion resistant on the stones, easy to deburr and takes a nice edge, good news. I'll produce some pics to show what expected proper knife maintenance does to faux Damascus. You could say it developed some character.


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## Transglutaminase (Jan 9, 2019)

Sounds wonderful..but alas, "unobtainium"..like most products... in our strictly controlled wastelands of kanada..sigh..
/end bitch


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

Canada has gone crazy with all sorts of regulations. Friend just moved there and he had to junk his Camry with 75K miles on it because he had the frame welded from very minor damage, caused by a car lift! A tiny puncture. Even though it was as sound as a new vehicle they won't pass cars with frame repairs. Oh and just try to get a CRN number for your piece of industrial equipment. What's a few thow here in the States is 50K in Canada.

I tell you I really like the Japanese version 440C. I haven't put it through much yet but it seems to take a keener edge. I'm not cooking much yet thanks to the gastro attack, but this knife doesn't need testing so I can wait.


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