President's Choice Chef's Knife

This review of the President's Choice Chef's knife consists of :

Specifications

The President's Choice Chef's knife is a very inexpensive and basic offering. A few specifications :

A few quick checks

As a quick check, the knife was used to make 1000 slices into clear pine. There was no significant effect on the edge, no :

There was no reflection of light from the apex and the knife appeared as sharp as it was before the cutting. This is a very basic test of the steel and edge and only real will show if there was a significant problem with the steel, but more likely will show the effect if the edge was sharpened and left a burr which can crack off in such light use and leave it dull.

Some of these materials are questionable for a kitchen knife, depending on the style but this knife has a very high edge angle and would be expected to cut up such materials without concern which it does.

Regrind

Before the knife was used extensively the edge was recut to an angle of 8/9 degrees per side which left the edge thickness at 0.018" . Now this might provoke a bit of a harsh reaction as this is an extreme change in the angle, however for a bit of perspective,

This is supported, indirectly, by comments that D. Cook makes in what is commonly regarded as the bible for axe work, where he notes that the final angle on a felling axe is 15 degrees per side and that a heavier angle of 17/18 degrees per side is only needed on a swamping axe (which cuts limbs/roots). ¹

It is interesting to note that modern recommendations on angles are almost double the angles recommended by Lee and Cook and it raises the obvious question of was this just a kind of obvious mistake where people didn't realize the difference between talking about degrees per side vs degrees included? In any case, 25 degrees per side is quite heavy for a kitchen knife, even one which would be intended for bone work and so this knife had the edge angle lowered to a more sensible choice for kitchen work.

The steel is easily cut with the most basic of sharpening stones which isn't surprising as it is a low carbide steel and the hardness is not likely close to the maximum possible for this steel (62+ HRC). It was easily lowered using a basic no-name benchstone stone and only tookabout three minutes per side to cut back the initial very high edge angle. The benchstone

The benchstone was used with oil (light mineral oil) and it is periodically recut to ensure that the abrasive is fresh on the surface and it isn't glazed. As it is a very strong bond oil stone the abrasive will not release with grinding and just wears smooth. As this stone is generally used for rough shaping work it has to be keping in a fast cutting condition, hence recutting the surface with a little loose 36 grit silicon carbide on ceramic tile.

In the use that follows the knife was sharpened with a fifteen degree per side true micro-bevel set with a MXF (6-micron) DMT stone. The images on the right show the micro-bevel on the coarse edge bevel. Note that some of the larger irregularities left from the coarse finish are still there after the micro-bevel because of the very large grit jump. This gives a performance inbetween the two which works well for a Chef's knife that on occasion requires some slicing aggression and isn't a pure push cutting knife.

If it was going to be just pure push cutting then the edge bevel should be refined with at least a 1000 grit stone or something like a Naniwa Superstone 400 which generates a thick slurry and polishes finer than its grit size would indiate.

The DMT stone was used with water with a little HoneRite Gold added to prevent corrosion of the stone. The water was used to reduce friction and increase cutting ability and contain all grinding dust/debris to the stone which could then be rinsed and wiped clean.

In general the edge bevel was reset with the coarse stone each time the knife was sharpened and a new micro-bevel was applied. This is a bit of an aggressive pattern for sharpening, but since this is a inexpensive knife it tends to get used for more demanding work. If it was used strictly and carefully for fruits, vegetables and meats, then the edge could be reset with a much finer stone, a Naniwa Aotoshi 2000 for example, and the micro-bevel reapplied.

Granton edge/grind

This knife, and those like it, are commonly described as having a "granton edge" or grind, referring to the scallops in the blade flats. However as a bit of interesting history on this feature from the original designer/manufacturer :

The original granton grind by Granton Knives had the scallops going right down into the edge. In general, when used on other knives such as this one, they are in the primary grind well above the edge and thus serve a very different, though maybe overlapping, purpose.

In regards to this style of scalloping the blade, it is mainly promoted/argued to release food easier from the blade with vague arguments about air pockets preventing a vaccum or similar. In practice, performance commentary seems to be mixed :

As even if this did work it would be only one of a number of influences, it would be expected to see some variation in feedback. The main influences that food sticks to the blade are :

As a first check on the influence of the grantons on binding/sticking, the President's Choice knife was used alongside a heavily used Chef's knife from Martha Stewart and a Chutoh from Henckels :

Each knife was used to make 15 slices and initially the results were positive as the Presidents Choice knife has little to no sticking which seemed to indicate a positive result for the grantons. However the other two knives had the same results which is why it is critical to have reference points. This was a dry cheddar and simply would not stick to any blade, granton or otherwise.

Slicing up a potato there was some obvious differences, all knives but one sliced up five of the starchy vegetables making 1/16" slices.

The Chutoh is slightly thinner at the edge than the Presidents Choice, same edge angle, hence the lower force/work in the cut. The Endura Premium also doesn't stick but cuts very differently than the others, it readily pops the vegetables apart like a splitter due to the heavy grind which also doesn't make smooth contact with the surface of the potato.

The Henckels stuck so badly it was only used for a few cuts and then abandoned, it isn't practical for that type of work.

The problem however with this, before jumping to a strong conclusion is that the sticking is caused by a number of factors. On a basic level it is just a weak glue, nothing more, and like all glues it is effected by :

This it is possible, and not unlikely, that the same people can have different results due to even changing cutting techniques. As a very frank and real perspective :

In short, will such a granton grind really stop sticking? Well likely not 100% as it is still going to depend on cutting technique, the wet/starch content of the potato and the surface finish of the blade and the edge/primary grind transition.

General use

The classic tomato which rose to stardom as the standard for sharpness in kitchen knives due to the infamous Ginsu commercials which used serrated edged knives to cut fairly harsh materials and then slice a tomato to demonstrate it was sharp.

Aside from a measure of sharpness, cutting a tomato tells little, and because the skin is the only part which is difficult to cut, if even a little bit of the edge of knife is sharp, once the cut is started even a dull knife can complete the cut. While much is made about making "thin" slices, that is more of an illustration of the skill of the operator vs the knife, assuming it is sharp.

But even in light work such as that, the PC Chef's knife shows a fairly functional design as it is neutral in a pinch grip and all edges are rounded so it is comfortable in hand. Even the spine and heel are at least broken or lightly chamfered. It is also a very light knife so is efficient in that regard though there is a personal preference about weight/heft.

In regards to general cutting ability, as the knife has very thin stock, and initially had a relatively thin edge, once the edge angle was reduced to a sensible choice for a non-cleaver type knife, the cutting ability was relatively high. The knife easily sailed through regular fruits and vegetables and takes just a few pounds to make a cut.

The knife also has a very slight belly, less than 1/32" of an height difference (curvature) spans about four inches of edge length and thus it works well for dicing with just a little of a rocking motion. But it does need just a hint of that kind of rocking chop to ensure a clean cut as the edge isn't perfectly flat. There might be an issue with that for those that like a much flatter edge and prefer to chop in a very strict motion vs a rocking style cut.

The distal taper also reduces the thickness significantly through the tip which makes the initial horizontal cuts commonly used to finely dice up onions very easy. The knife is a little large for such work of course and for that style of work strictly, then a petty knife is simply easier to handle though it likely would not strictly offer any higher cutting ability.

In regards to edge durability, even though the edge was reset to 8/9 degrees per side, the knife still has the ability to handle more abusive type kitchen work, it isn't restricted to very soft fruits and vegetables. It can still cut :

However the reduced edge angle can't do very hard work like removing the knuckles of chicken or sloppy cuts on thighs/legs which cut through the edge joints.

Grip

Often times the focus on knives, especially in Internet discussions is on the steel, which while important isn't as critical as the size, weight and general comfort/utility in hand :

This knife is balanced so in a pinch grip, common in Western uses, it is very close to neutral in hand and the handle is nicely rounded and well swelled to provide a very comfortable hold. It also can work well in a a hammer or thumb forward grip, or the index finger/spine grip often found in Japanese style cutting - though it could use a fully rounded spine for ideal cutting there. The spine is edge broken so it is workable in palm on spine cuts for difficult to cut foods. The heel however is left fairly sharp and will benefit from a least a little sandpaper work to smooth out the rough edges.

Security : The grip material has no traction, especially when wet. Of course in general the very low dropped blade of a Chef's knife prevents any real security issues in regards to the hand sliding forward onto the blade and the large and prominent end hook prevents rear slippage. The rectangular grip also keeps it from rotating in hand even when greasy.

Durability : The handle appears to be a resin/polymer and is very resistant to abrasion and cuts. It also has moderate resistance to extreme heat. In immediate exposure to open flame (lighter) it takes approximately ten seconds to catch flame.

Cleanup : The handle cleans up very well even after being exposed to fish oils and does not tend to absorb such and is very easy to wash and then rinse.

Steel

The knife is labeled no stain X55 CR Mo V14 chrome vanadium German stainless steel ² . This classification means it has :

It is therefore a steel which would be similar to 12C27M with a larger secondary hardening response due to the molybdenum and likely grain refinement through the small amount of vanadium. Without the exact composition it isn't possible to know the exact isothermals but a quick check on the C/Cr isothermals (on the right) show that with an ideal heat treatment it is likel to have hardness in excess of 60 HRC and enough chromium in solution to make it dishwasher safe.

It is not likely that these practices are in place on an inexpensive knife and thus the practical expectations are that the hardness would be much lower, that there would be significant non-martensite phases and the corrosion resistance would be seriously impacted. In practice this is what is seen in use.

As a check on edge retention vs a few other similar steels, it was used to slice cardboard alongside chef's knives from : ³

In short, it has similar edge retention to other knives in its price range which use similar steels. The numbers show that it is slightly ahead of the 3Cr13 knives (420J2) however there is a lot of scatter in those results and it would be expected that it would be very difficult to see that kind of difference in actual use without very careful observation over a long time.

Looking at the more broad picture, this steel is significantly behind steels such as AEB-L/14C28B in the 60-62 HRC range on cardboard, however even then it takes a lot of trials to see a difference due to the random influence in cutting ⁴ .

In regards to sharpening, as noted in the commentary in the initial regrind, it is very easy to grind and in general there are no issues with sharpening, the apex form clean even with minimal burr minimization steps. As it is a low carbide steel it isn't prone to carbide tear out and this and the moderate sharpness means it can also be well maintained with a steel, just keeping in mind that the more the knife is steeled the more it will have to be steeled to keep it cutting ⁵ .

The corrosion resistance is low. The knife will spot with orange rust if simply left wet for an extended period of time. This is a bit surprising given the steel composition and likely indicates a less than ideal hardening. This can be caused by a combination of low austenization temperature/soak time or too slow a quench.

Overview

In short, aside from the initial high edge angle, this is a very solid example of a bolsterless chef's knife and includes some very strong features such as :

The only real issue is that the steel doesn't have the very high level of corrosion resistance which is possible with this steel and likely indicates a less than ideal hardening. The initial edge angle is also likely a little high unless it is going to be used for heavy / common bone contacts.

Last updated :	28/01/2015
Originally written:	11:29:2011

Chef's Knife President's Choice