Knife Maintenance
A very good question. Here's a short answer.
What not to do?
Don't put it in the dishwasher or leave it in a sink full of water as this can lead to corrosion. We also recommend against cutting on a glass chopping board as this is terrible for the blade (can lead to chipping).
What to do?
Our knives have a high carbon concentration meaning they are harder at the edge. This means less honing is needed (i.e. sharpening with your rod at home or in the kitchen).
With this type of steel you should have it sharpened by a sharpener (ideally on a whetstone to stop the steel heating). How often varies depending on usage however most people do it every 3-6 months.
To summarize, less honing and more stoning.
If you need help finding a sharpener near you give us a bell and we will do our best to assist.
Here' a little more detail from Shannon...
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
HANDLE
You have your new knife home and have cooked up your first feast for your family or friends. How do I clean it?
Easy, simply wipe the blade clean with your dishcloth in warm soapy water and dry with your tea towel.
The wood and wood fused with resin handles are quite delicate and don't like being left in really hot water. If left for too long this can start to remove the polish which is the wood and resins shield and gives a layer of protection. Don’t be alarmed if the handle gets wet and put into the sink at times as it will be fine but the more you can limit this the longer it will last without needing any work done to it. If over time, years it starts to lose the shiny look and looks a little dull you can give it a little polish yourself with furniture polish to reinvigorate it.
However if the intention is to ruin your beautiful Koi knife then put it through the dishwasher to clean after use and in no time it will be wrecked. If you decide to go down this path please do not show me the knife as I will most probably burst into tears.
BLADE
As I have mentioned for cleaning simply wipe down with warm soapy water. Try to limit the knife rubbing and scraping up against other steel cutlery in the sink or drying rack as this can sketch the AUS-10 damascus steel. The best thing to do is dry straight after you clean it and place it on a knife rack away from humidity. Job done.
The steel on Japanese style knives generally has a slightly higher carbon content than Western style knives, pairing this with the heat treating process gives Japanese style knives slightly harder steel than Western style knives. The measurement of the hardness of steel is called the Rockwell test with the higher the number the harder the steel. Japanese knives can range from 58-62 HRC whilst Western 54-58HRC.
What does this mean?
Japanese knives will hold a sharp edge for much longer than western knives but when they are dull (this might take 6 months or a few years pending on use) they will have to be sharpened properly on a whetstone or machined on a grinding wheel. Striking on a honing rod will heap hold the edge longer but once its dull a proper sharpen will be required. Another offshoot of the hardness, the steel will crack, chip or fracture easier if treated poorly as it is on the cusp of being brittle.
Western knives being softer, your knife does dull quicker but you can sharpen easier with a few quick strikes on a honing rod every week or so meaning you will not have to whetstone or machine sharpen quite as often. The other offshoot of western style and softer steel is if you treat your knife poorly you will more so dent and bend out of shape. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and everyone has their own preference.
If you are sensible your knife will be your companion for life, just treat it with a little love.
Our store is located at 330 Goodwood Road, Clarence Park, South Australia 5034
We are open from 9:00am to 4:30pm Weekdays and 9:30am to 1:30pm on Saturdays.
We are closed on Australian and South Australian public holidays.
Unfortunately we don't have a forge to make the blades ourselves.
All our knives are designed by Shannon here in Adelaide, and the knife blanks predominantly come from Aichi Japan.
There are a few knives in our collections that use Swedish and German steels.
We use a variety of materials and techniques for our handles.
We like to work with wood and resin that is mixed together just outside of Adelaide. This also means that no two handles are exactly the same - it all depends on the wood and how the resin and been poured.
We also use G10 for handles -G10 is a composite material made from layers of fiberglass cloth and resin pressed together under high pressure and temperature.
We do our handles in batches so it means that we might not always have the colour you are after available
If you come into the store on a Wednesday or a Friday you might see the guys cutting handles on our CnC machine (it can be pretty noisy)
Yes we sharpen nearly all types of kitchen knives - with the exception of ceramic blades.
We are unable to sharpen scissors, gardening tools, chainsaws, lawn mower blades, or swords.
We sharpen knives in the order that they arrive to us - sometimes there may be only 5 in the queue, sometimes 50.
We always ask that you allow two weeks just to be safe.
Our sharpener Joao will send you a text message when your knife/knives are ready to be collected.
Please note that single bevel knives and restorations can take longer due to the extra work involved.
We can provide you a knife to borrow while yours is being sharpened.
Prices vary depending on the condition of the blade.
Prices start at $20 per knife.
No appointments are necessary for knife sharpening.
Drop your knives off into our shop on Goodwood Road and we will give you a rough time frame of how long it will take.
We do all our sharpening by hand using whetstones (unless it's a restoration that requires more work).
We also offer classes on how to learn to use whetstones.
For any sharpening questions please give us a call or come into the shop and speak to our sharpener Joao (Tuesday - Saturday)
We offer a "test drive" service while your knife is being sharpened.
You have the option to borrow one of our Koi knives to use at home while you are without your own.
All we ask is that you treat it with the love and care you would if it were your own, don't put it through a dishwasher, and not to sharpen it yourself with a honing rod or pull through sharpener (they are already sharp).
We certainly do!
Please be aware that there may be additional taxes applied by customs in your country, it doesn't happen all the time but it can happen.
Unfortunately we can't tell you how much this would be as each country is different.
A handy guide to use is https://www.simplyduty.com/import-calculator/
We can gift wrap your order for you :)
Just add a note in the comments and we'll wrap it before we sent it out.
We offer an engraving service free of charge.
Usually we like to keep it short and sweet - when the message is too long it can look out of place on the blade.
Example: Happy 50th Dad would work well on a Gyuto but not on a Paring knife.
Engraving is done on the opposite side of the Koi or Big Red logo.
We ship orders on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Orders within Australia should arrive within a week.
International orders can take between 1-4 weeks to arrive.
Tracking information will be sent to you when your order has been sent.
Just add a note in with your order and we can upgrade you to express shipping for free.
*only for Australian orders
