Re:Show HN: Buttermilk Supply – knives from Japanese masters
by petewailes on Wednesday July 22, 2015 @09:39AM
(#9929544)
You'd be surprised. The profile (no pun intended) of these types of blades have gotten has gone up a lot, but the actual number of hand made items hasn't really increased much as a result. They're expensive, and if you're not cooking a lot, or a very serious hobbyist, then you're not going to want to take on the burden of care that a knife like this requires.
The flip side of that is that the production of this kind of knife is not something that's easily done at scale, while keeping the standard high. However, there are ways to get a similar aesthetic, without the same demands on the worker. That's where you get things like Global, Shun, Mac etc (and to a lesser extent, Tojiro and their ilk).
TL:DR - lots of this style of knife exist nowadays, but the number of handmade items is still small.
The flip side of that is that the production of this kind of knife is not something that's easily done at scale, while keeping the standard high. However, there are ways to get a similar aesthetic, without the same demands on the worker. That's where you get things like Global, Shun, Mac etc (and to a lesser extent, Tojiro and their ilk).
TL:DR - lots of this style of knife exist nowadays, but the number of handmade items is still small.