{"id":33359,"date":"2015-04-14T14:24:45","date_gmt":"2015-04-14T18:24:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=33359"},"modified":"2015-04-14T14:24:45","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T12:59:19","slug":"the-most-under-appreciated-tool-you-should-invest-money-in-but-probably-havent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/the-most-under-appreciated-tool-you-should-invest-money-in-but-probably-havent\/","title":{"rendered":"The Most Under-Appreciated Tool You Should Invest Money In, But Probably Haven’t"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"My<\/a>

My combat knives. From top to bottom: Swamp Rat RMDeux LE, Nuclear Steel Heart Ergo, Fusion Battle Mistress LE. \u00a0If you know anything about Busse Combat knives,<\/a> you know that those aren’t cheap.<\/p><\/div>\n

I know what you’re going to say. This is GunsAmerica. Not KnivesAmerica. But we’ve been kicking around a big question lately. That question is hard to frame, but it goes something like this, are expensive guns worth what you pay for them? Or you could ask it’s transverse, why would anyone pay big money for a gun when cheap guns work just as well? Clearly the target you are shooting doesn’t care if your chunk of lead comes out of a Guncafter 1911 or HiPoint. And the same questions apply for optics and a lot of gear. The simple fact is that modern machining is leveling the playing field.<\/p>\n

So what’s the answer? I guess it depends on what you’re talking about. And today, I’m talking about a knife. This is a topic we’ve explored before from another angle, specifically “Cheap Damascus Knives For Christmas.<\/a>” But I’m looking at a knife that’s a bit more refined.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>

My Ban Tang Santoku. Helluva Blade!<\/p><\/div>\n

See, I had an epiphany over the summer. As mentioned, it had to do with my love of knives. I realized that as much as I enjoy collecting tactical and combat knives, I rarely used them. Living in and around city centers for the past decade (Los Angeles, Buffalo, Louisville) I almost never got an opportunity to take them out and put them through their paces, sadly. Aside from the occasional excursion to the countryside to visit friends or the infrequent trip to a wooded hiking trail on a weekend afternoon, my beloved knives sat in a dresser drawer and collected dust.<\/p>\n

I was beginning to think I had wasted money. Some of my combat knifes are worth serious cashola. Due to that eye-popping price tag and the proprietary steel they’re made\u00a0from, they are meant to be used and abused! And that’s exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to pack up some camping gear, grab my knives and head into the wild to chop down some dead trees, build a cool\u00a0fort, baton some fire wood, whittle some sticks, make a spear — you know, all the fun things that the kid-in-us wants to do with knives. I just never seemed to find the time.<\/p>\n

Continuing with that aha moment, I then recognized that although I didn’t use my combat knives all that often I did use one knife almost everyday. It was a $20 Oneida chef’s knife I bought at a Burlington Coat Factory some years back when I first started learning how to cook.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>

My $20 Oneida compared to my $300 Ban Tang santoku.<\/p><\/div>\n

I then asked myself, Why am I spending top dollar on combat knives I hardly use and virtually nothing on a tool that I handle on a daily basis? The next question was rather obvious, do I really need to spend more money on a kitchen knife or is my $20 Oneida perfectly suited for the tasks at hand?<\/p>\n

Quite honestly, I never had a major issue with my $20 Oneida. As a one-sized-kinda-fits all knife with a lifetime warranty, it performed well on pretty much everything I threw at it — I should note that I’m a novice cook and not a chef. I don’t do any advanced trickery in the kitchen. Just basic slicing, dicing, chopping, carving, etc. — The truth was I didn’t need a new chef’s knife. But after that inspiring cognition, I decided I would get one anyhow.<\/p>\n

When it comes to certain items I like to have the best of the best. I guess I’m a gear snob to some extent. I like to have stuff that (a) is top of the line (b) no one else has (c) is aesthetically pleasing. Let’s be honest, it’s fun to show up with something that makes a friend covetously inquire, “Where did you get that?!”<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The two knives I purchase. The santoku along with the titanium paring knife.<\/p><\/div>\n

So, I did some research into knife makers and kitchen cutlery. I came across a knife maker by the name of Ban Tang. He makes all sorts of cool knives, from large bowies to competitive choppers to a variety of awesome-looking EDC knives. And, of course, kitchen knives. The name of his operation is Ban Tang’s Stupid Sharp Knives.<\/a> As the name suggests, his blades come with a razor’s edge.<\/p>\n

After looking over his catalogue, I ordered two knives. A paring knife and a santoku. I’m going to feature the santoku knife in this article, even though the titanium paring knife he made me is badass. If you’re not familiar with the santoku, it’s Japan’s version of the chef’s knife. It’s an all-purpose cutlery instrument with a sheepsfoot blade that is carefully balanced and aptly suited for slicing, dicing and mincing. To the layperson (which I am admittedly — I am not an expert or a seasoned\u00a0knife reviewer), when compared to the chef’s knife the tip is less pointy and the vertical width of the blade is thicker.<\/p>\n

The santoku knife Ban made me had the following dimensions:<\/p>\n