Dragon FIRE by Yaxell BD1N Kitchen Knives Discussions | Drop

Jul 14, 2017

Hi everyone. I'm the owner of Apogee culinary designs, and I'm also the designer of all of the Dragon knives. Please new dragon fires are designed to be lighter and more maneuverable with straighter edges. The shapes are inspired by classic French and Japanese design. They still feature the superior bd1n nitrogen steel. If you have any questions please feel free to ask.

ALjB

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Jul 14, 2017

Deaomega1214I'll pay you $1000 USD to make a 20" mezzaluna with the same curve as the dragon fusion.

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Jul 14, 2017

ALjBIf you are serious, you can reach me through the apogeeculinary website

ALjB

100

Jul 14, 2017

Deaomega1214i googled it, the my shopify website? sent.

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Jul 14, 2017

ALjBApogeeculinary.com

ALjB

100

Jul 14, 2017

Deaomega1214I want the knife to be called Sasquatch.

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Shenanigans

175

Jul 14, 2017

Deaomega1214Hey Dennis! Thanks for stopping by. It's cool to see someone from the leadership level of a knife company interacting with the community and even entertaining some crazy ideas / requests. I had a chance to handle the regular Dragon line in a retail store, and while the idea of making a knife with German tank-like durability, American materials, and Japanese production makes great sense for the broader US market (for people who enjoy watching someone waste rope/a knifes edge and will do similarly abusive things with their knives at home or work) , the resulting knifes where not for me. They are knives that I see comparing very favorably to the likes of Henckels and Wusthof in terms of value and durability but their thickness behind the edge and level of finish make them compatible to brands like Shun and Miyabi only when seen briefly and from a great distance. But, I'm sure your warranty department will also get way fewer calls.
Still, the idea that the "fire" line is lighter and with more traditional French / Japanese edge profiles does make me interested. However, in the pictures I can see that the bevel on the edge is also pretty wide indicating these are still a bit pudgy behind the cutting edge. What's the stock thickness at the spine and angle of the edge bevel? Is the any distal taper? What's the weight on the 8" chefs? Lastly, I have some experience with regular BD1 and aside from value, found it solidly underwhelming: with no substantial real-world difference from vg-10 or 154cm . How drastically does the additional nitrogen in the BD1N change the steel vs regular BD1? I know that it should make it way more corrosion resistant and give higher hardness potential, but what hardness do you take it to for these knives? How does it hold-up to a more cutting performance focused edge angle / thickness? What other steel do you think it compares well to?

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Jul 14, 2017

ShenanigansWow! So many questions. Let's start with the steel. BD1, and BD1N. Are night and day. The nitrogen treatment. Brings the HRC from 56-63. Also BD1N has 19% chromium. This knife should crumble, however again the nitrogen process changes everything. So much so that Carpenter has commissioned new test to try and find out why. The net result is the hardest and toughest steel I've come across in 30 years. I agree we th your assessment of BD1, it isn't anything special. But BD1N is a game changer.
The stock is 2.5mm. The distal taper on the spine goes from 2.47-.0001mm from bolster to tip. I already gave the weights and measures to another person here, please refer there. As far as the grind, of course it is done by hand, but we shoot for 14 degrees convex style edge. Our knives have tested to be some of the sharpest in the world. But with the new steel, the seem to stay that way much longer. As far as warranty is concerne. It is lifetime. Thus far we have shipped over 10,000 pieces and never had a return.

Shenanigans

175

Jul 17, 2017

Deaomega1214Thanks for the thoughtful reply and info. Very interesting about the BD1N. 13deg / side is a pretty acute angle so that explains some of what Ive seen in person and in the pictures, but it doesn't look at all convex in the pictures. #7 in the images shows a primary bevel that doesn't look particularly convex or even. What's your policy on owners sharpening their own knives / does that effect the warranty?

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