An apex predator of a knife, the Big Red Knives’ Serrated Knife lashes at its prey with premium German steel teeth. Inspired by the notorious salties, this knife will efficiently slice through any tough crust in its way with its wide saw-toothlike edge. The greatest thing since sliced bread is slicing bread with Big Red Knives’ “The Croc” Knife.
Use:
Serrated knives are often thought of as simply used for cutting bread. Although their scalloped or toothlike edge does make them the most ideal for cutting through foods with a hard exterior and a soft interior, such as a loaf of crusty bread, they are however good for a whole range of other uses. They can also be used for cutting fruits and vegetables such as cucumber, lemons, limes, tomatoes and in particular, removing the tough skin of a pineapple. Cutting food with varying textures will be easy work with a serrated blade for example cutting a layer cake, ice cream sandwiches and other frozen desserts. Another advantage of the serrated knife is that they do not require sharpening often as their sharp points do the hard work while the indentations glide through the food. You’ll break the cardinal rule of “never smile at a crocodile” when you hold this knife!
The Australian Saltwater Crocodile:
The largest living reptile known to science, the saltie can grow to the length of up to 6.3m (21ft) and weigh 1000-1300kg (2200-2900Ib). They are an opportunistic hyper-carnivorous apex predator that is capable of prevailing over almost any animal that enters its territory. However, due to their skins, they were hunted to near extinction in the last century. This turned around in 1971 when they became a protected species in Australia and has since then instead, true to their mongrel spirit, exploded in numbers! These scaly dinosaurs can live up to 80 years old, terrorising the Top End and Bob Katter’s constituency well into their twilight years.
The saltie is a cunning hunter who stalks it prey under water, only its upturned nostrils can be seen from the surface as it glides through the wetlands. The Big Red Knives’ Serrated Knife was designed to model the shape of a crocodile with its long snout pointing up its nostrils to sniff out any sourdough, baguette or ciabatta loaf. Always ready to sink its razor-sharp teeth into it before pulling down the prey with the width of the blade. A truly unique and charismatic knife that will bring a bit of the jungle into your kitchen!
CROC FACT: The movie Crocodile Dundee (bless old Paul Hogan) actually had zero real crocodiles in it as it was set in the Aussie outback and therefore had no water, no croc!
Serrated Knife Blade:
5 out of 6 of the Big Red Knives are made with VG-10 Japanese hard steel, however the Serrated Knife is made out of high-carbon 1.4116 German steel due to the manufacturing process required for such serrations. 1.4116 German steel is martenistic, meaning it has added carbon formed in body-centred tetragonal steel crystalline structures. This type of steel is formed by rapid cooling in the tempering process which prevents carbon atoms from diffusing out of the iron crystal lattice. In other words, it’s very tough, corrosion-resistant and can hold its own within this set of otherwise Japanese steel knives!
Specs:
Collection: Big Red Knives
Manufacturer: Koi Knives
Made in Australia
Blade steel: 1.4116 German steel
Blade length: 230mm
Handle wood: All local but varies from wood of olive trees, Shiraz grapevines from McLaren Vale (wine region of South Australia) to specially sourced wood Australian deserts.
Handle length: 140mm
Aussie Knives by Aussies:
“That’s not a knife, THAT’S a knife” now we all know the memorable quote from Crocodile Dundee but his Bowie knife though good for hunting is not ideal for use in the kitchen. In fact, as far as Aussie knives made by Aussies go and in the words of our bladesmith Shannon “there’s nothing like it that exists.”
We are a local Australian company of two, Shannon and Ramon. Our story began in the dry Adelaide Hills with our parents, Shannon’s father was a blacksmith and Ramon has an affinity with Japanese culture as his parents met in Japan. Combined with our love for knives, cooking and making things from local materials, we came up with a unique idea of making traditional Japanese knives with an Australian twist. Since then our company Koi Knives have been making knives for several years we have made a range of 12 Japanese knives. However, many have asked us to make a range of Western knives. Initially, we were hesitant as Western knives are made with softer steel, they tend to be less sharp and also blunt quicker. Where’s our true Aussie early settlers’ pioneering spirit we thought? This is not a challenge! This is an opportunity! We decided to give the idea a fair suck of the bottled sauce and a fair crack of the whip. From there we began designing and eventually crafting this new range. Instead of western steels, we stuck with a Japanese hard high-carbon VG-10 steel as the core of the knife but designed with a Western-style grip.
Our knife shed as our HMS Endeavour, we hit the shores of our expedition with this new set of Aussie knives. The first and finest truly Australian knives are crafted here locally by your two local blokes. We sought to pay homage to our land and our native animals with this set. To create a truly unique and Australia product the shape and form of each knife was modelled after a specially chosen iconic native animal which we also emboss onto the steel at the end.
Blade:
The core of the blade is made entirely of VG-10 is a type of Japanese hard steel, it is cutlery-grade steel with a high carbon content containing 1% Carbon, 15% Chromium, 1% Molybdenum, 0.2% Vanadium, and 1.5% Cobalt. The ‘G’ in VG-10 stands for Gold, as an indicator of the premium standard of quality. This core is then sharpened to razor sharpness and then cladded with the same steel for protection and longevity. After this, we smelt three layers of sandblasted stainless steel on the top section of the blade for a gun-mental steel finish. The sandblasting also on a practical level provide micro air cavities which prevent vegetables from sticking to the blade while cutting. The final result is like the Australian landscape in a blade, from the scorching sands to shimmering shore: from the spine, the darker sandblasted steel tapers down from the grind line to reveal shiny stainless steel before a dancing line glints off the clad edge to the razor-sharp cutting edge.
Handle:
These Aussie knives are part of our Full Tang Clan. Full tang is when the steel of the blade runs all the way through the handle instead of Partial Tang where the steel might end partway through. Full tang allows for more force to be applied without a risk of the knife snapping at the bolster (the base where the blade transitions to the handle). Our knives are very sharp so less force would have to be applied in any case, however, we chose the full tang design in keeping with the aesthetics of Western knives and to set this collection apart from our Japanese Koi Knives. Functionality was designed into the handle with different grips in mind to fit ambidextrously and snugly in your hand. When using a "Handle In Hand Grip" the bevel contours seamlessly from fingers to palm. When using the "Pinch Grip" the smooth transition from handle to blade forms a great comfortable position to pinch the knife.
One of the elements we are most proud of is our signature resin-infused handles crafted with local woods. Each handle is one of a kind and cannot be replicated. All the wood is sourced locally, typically in South Australia’s wine region and varies from the wood from olive trees to Shiraz grapevines, however we have even gathered Gidgee wood from the Simpson Desert. These handles are made with resin in a range of different colours, we feel very strongly about pairing certain colours to the animal that inspired the knife.
Maintenance:
After each use:
Simply wipe down in warm soapy water, dry and place on a knife rack away from humidity. Job done!
Long term maintenance:
Big Red Knives are made with a VG-10 Japanese steel core and therefore has a higher carbon content than the average Western kitchen knives. This lends the knives their particular long lasting sharpness, however they also like to be kept dry when not in use and should not be exposed extensively to heat, hot water or ambient high humidity. They should most definitely never be put into the dishwasher or other such nonsense. Each knife was made with love, so please take care of them for us!
Sharpening:
Knives made with a VG-10 Japanese steel core are harder at the edge, this means less honing is needed but should instead be professionally sharpened and ideally with a whetstone. Depending on frequency of use, the knife may need to be sharpened by a professional every 3-6 months for most people. We have an extensive list of sharpeners we can recommend in every state if you’d like to contact us.
Handle:
Similarly, the handle was crafted with resin and coated with a polish that also should not be soaked in hot water. Extended exposure to hot water may damage the polish on the handle that is the protective shield for the wood and resin. Over the years, if the handle starts to look a bit dull a small amount of furniture polish may be used to buff back the shine.
