All posts by Gordon Buck

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Serbian Chef Knives

Serbian Chef Knives

A friend, knowing my interest in knives and growing interest in cooking,  introduced me to the large “Serbian Chef Knife” via the AlmazanKitchen cooking channel on YouTube.  Although the recipes and cooking were entertaining (it’s a popular channel), I was more intrigued by their very large chef’s knife which looks like a rounded off cleaver.  Thinking to purchase one, I discovered that it carried a very expensive list price but was deeply “discounted”.

After reading up a bit on the knife, I’ve found quite a few copies being sold at a much lower price.  Of course, some say the copies are no good and some say they are just as good.  I decided to find out for myself.  I first ordered an authentic Almazan Kitchen Original Knife; $147 without sheath.  It looks nice and feels good but was very dull.  Next I ordered the lowest priced look alike knife from Amazon:  XYJ Full Tang Serbian Knife 3CR13 Stainless Steel Butcher Chef Knife for $16.  It is slightly smaller and thinner than the Almazan Kitchen Original Knife but arrived quite sharp.  I also ordered a Promithi Full Tang Forged Handmade Professional Kitchen Chef Knife from Amazon for $36.  It has a slightly different shape from the Almazan Kitchen Original Knife but also arrived quite sharp.  Finally, I ordered the 3/32” thick Almazan Chef Style Kitchen Knife from Spain in the optional Damascus metal. 

Here are links to the knives I purchased:

  1. Almazan Kitchen Original Knife – $147 without sheath, $176 with sheath
  2. XYJ Full Tang Serbian Knife 3CR13 Stainless Steel Butcher Chef Knife – $16; no sheath
  3. Promithi Full Tang Forged Handmade Professional Kitchen Chef Knife – $36; no sheath
  4. Almazan Chef Style Kitchen Knife (3/32” and 5/32” thk) – $89; with sheath  (red handle)

The following knives look similar although some have a few more curves to the shape:

Almasi – $90; no sheath
VKY Knife- $58; with sheath
Ken Fuyuki Serbian Chef’s Knife – $70; no sheath
Promaja – $85; with sheath
Nakiri Knife – $48; no sheath
Jaka – $98; no sheath
Zeekka Serbian Meat Cleaver and Original Serbian Chef Knife – $130
Master Snazan Serbian Knife – $85; no sheath
Mr. Teuchi Serbian Knife – $90 no sheath.

DIY Knives

A number of knife makers have made their own variations of the “Serbian Chef Knife”.  Their starting point is often an old saw blade or leaf spring.  Here are a few links to various DIY Serbian Chef Knives:

Almazan bıçağı – Knife Making – Serbian Chef Knife (Almazan)
CUTELO SKULL
Making Almazan damascus kitchen knife.

You can even purchase a blade blank and make your own!

My Tests and Video

I conducted tests on my knives and made a video describing the knives and tests:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKsq-teX0PM&t=18s

Some test results are summarized below:

Controversy

Who invented or developed or even was first to use the Serbian Chef Knife is controversial.  I suspect that the Almazan Kitchen Original Knife was first.  The Almazan Kitchen Original Knife folks make a strong claim to have developed the Serbian Chef Knife and claim that all others are “fake”.

Almazan is the surname of Boki and Alex Almazan from Serbia.  Their knife can only be ordered from them – there are no retailers.  Their trademark application was entered on 2017-11-25 by Aleksandar Almazan.  The mark consists of a shaded illustration of a tomato containing the wording “ALMAZAN KITCHEN” written in stylized text.  The word mark is “Almazan Kitchen”.

The first time the Almazan Kitchen Original Knife was shown online was in their “How to Make Quesadilla…” video published on Feb 3, 2016.  This video is no longer available on their YouTube channel.  The knife used in the next several videos does not look like their Almazan Kitchen Original Knife.  The Almazan Kitchen Original Knife appeared again on May 29, 2016 but there were no comments or sales pitch for the knife.  It looks to me like by October 19, 2017 that the Almazan Kitchen Original Knife had taken shape and people were beginning to comment on it.  The October 21, 2017 video is the “All Others are FAKE” video.  Judging by the comments, knives had been available for purchase for several months before October 2017.

It turns out that there is a city in Spain named Almazan and that bladesmiths have been making knives there since 1985 using 18th century blacksmith techniques.  However, I think that Almazan Spain did not begin making “Serbian Chef” knives until 2017.

As noted previously, there are now many “Serbian Chef Knives” for sale.

In a random survey of whoever was around, many people preferred knife #3, the Promithi, based on its look and feel but a few preferred knife #1, the Almazan Serbia, or #4, the Almazan Spain.  Often people commented that knife #2, the TYJ, seemed a bit heavy.

Which knife do I use?  If there is an audience, I’ll use knife #1, the Almazan Serbia, and tell the story of the outdoor chefs and their YouTube channel.  Then I might drag out the Almazan Spain knife to show off the Damascus blade.  If there’s no audience, then frankly, I’ll use my Wustoff Santoku knife – it just obviously cuts better.

Buck family, Genealogy

William Calmes Buck

William Calmes Buck

I’ve created a page in the online encyclopedia Wikipedia about my ancestor William Calmes Buck. The page is a draft but can still be read and edited; however, to find the page you’ll have to search for “Draft:William Calmes Buck”.

(A sudden thought: Can anyone spell “encyclopedia” without singing the song?)

Gordon's Misc Blog, Retirement, Uncategorized

SealFAQs

For many years, I worked with a device called a “mechanical seal” – kind of a large and expensive version of the seal in your automobile water pump. I’ve been intrigued by these devices ever since I first saw one in the early 1970s.  Some people have even said that mechanical seals were more like my hobby than my job.

In retirement (3 years now!), I’m still interested in mechanical seals and have put (much of) what I know on a web site: “SealFAQs”.  Although my web site is not finished (and may never be), I’ve decided to announce it and open it to the public:  SealFAQs.com .

Really, I’m just bragging but SealFAQs was a lot of work. If you happen to be or know someone who deals with centrifugal pumps or mechanical seals, please tell them to check out SealFAQs.com.

Air guns, Airsoft, Airsoft, Firearms, Pistols, YouTube

KWA M226 (Sig P226 Replica)

KWA is a manufacturer of airsoft guns. More specifically, KWA manufactures very accurate replicas of real firearms – both rifles and pistols.  I have several of their products and like them very much.  My latest is their replica of the Sig P226 and I’ve made a little video using it.  See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdjO72pfunA .

An oddity, to me anyway, discovered during testing is that the velocity from the M226 is low after first charging the magazine. After the first few shots, velocity increases and then remains relatively constant.

I plan to do some additional testing with heavier BBs and varied charging techniques.

Gordon's Misc Blog, Uncategorized

My Craftsman Tool Box

When I was a Junior in high school, my parents gave me a set of Craftsman tools. I still have them; in fact, I still have all of them.  One day my dad put my young son up to asking me how many of those tools I had lost.  I replied, “Well, none” and my dad just laughed – says something or other about me, I suppose.  Until recently, I’d never lost a pocketknife either but that’s another story.

The story behind my Craftsman tools is that we had an old Chevy, my dad’s “work car” that needed an engine overhaul. When my dad was not using the car, I considered to be my car.  Of course, my sister considered it her car but, again, another story.

With the new tools, my dad’s guidance and funding, my friend David Ayers and I went to work on the old Chevy. We didn’t have a garage so the overhaul was done in the front yard.  We didn’t have a means for removing the engine so we removed the hood and left the engine in place.  Our primary objective was to replace the piston rings and re-seat the valves.  Soon the engine was completely disassembled – and that’s when the weather turned cold and the snow began to fall.

South Mississippi does not get much snow but David and I had the bad luck to schedule an outdoor overhaul during a record snowfall.   The snowfall was 5 to 12 inches in South Mississippi and temperatures were in the low 20s.

My dad needed the car to return to work but, more importantly, David and I had arranged for a “double date”. We needed that car – and soon.  My mother still laughs about the memory of David and I working in the snow for a while then coming into the house, standing over the floor furnace to warm up, drinking hot chocolate and then returning to the job.   We did manage to get the car working in time for my dad to use it but without a car and with heavy snow on the ground the dates were cancelled.

That set of Craftsman tools is a box full of memories.

Air guns, Airsoft, Airsoft, Firearms, Pellet guns, Pistols, YouTube

Handgun Safeties

Real and replica guns showing safeties

 

I’ve made and posted a video about various safety mechanisms used in hand guns. Now, I’m no expert on guns – not even an Internet Expert.  In fact, much of what is shown was unknown to me until relatively recently.  Realizing my ignorance about safeties, I studied up a bit.  Realizing that many others were also confused, I decided to put my findings into this video.  After all, a good way to learn something is to prepare to teach it to others.

This is not a video about gun safety features such as drop safeties or even gun safety rules and procedures.  It is just an overview of hand gun safety mechanisms.

To demonstrate the various types of safeties, I’ve gathered a hodge-podge of real firearms and replicas. All of the guns shown have been safety checked and are unloaded.

I have to say that making a video — even a YouTube video — is not easy especially if you choose to use two cameras, an external audio recorder and mix in some PowerPoint slides.  I learned a lot while making the video and plan to do a few more.

Gordon's Misc Blog, Uncategorized

The Great Flood of 2016

Ascension Parish Flood Zones 2http://www.thecreole.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/apfloodzone.pdf

First of all, my family and I are OK; in fact, relatively unaffected.  We didn’t even lose power or cable/internet service.  ATT Wireless was out of service for about a day but our land line was working.  We are inconvenienced in that many roads are blocked, stores closed, etc.  To some degree, our immediate area is an island.

What is now being called the “Great Flood of 2016” began as rainfall on about August 11 and the rains continued for four days (more or less, depending on location). The rainfall is usually summarized as two feet of rain in 48 hours.

Here in Ascension Parish (south of Baton Rouge), there are about 15,000 homes flooded with some 5,000 people in shelters. Some homes had only a few inches of water but many had several feet of water and some were submerged to the roof line.  Many people were evacuated – typically by the “Cajun Navy” (volunteers in their fishing boats).  Ascension Parish is one of the 30 parishes expected to be declared disaster areas.

Even the governor, John Bel Edwards, and his family were evacuated from the governor’s mansion in Baton Rouge.

Many of the major rivers in the area are at record levels and exceed the previous records of 1983.

Interstate highway I-10 (towards New Orleans) is flooded in enough places that it is essentially not useable. Interstate I-12 is flooded for many miles, especially around the towns of Denham Springs and Walker.

Livingston Parish was among the hardest hit. The estimate is that three-fourths of the houses there were destroyed – among them some of our good friends.

What a mess!

 

 

Air guns, Firearms, Pistols, YouTube

Schofield #3 Top Break Revolver

Schofield #3 Replica Revolver
Schofield #3 Replica Revolver

I enjoy collecting and shooting airgun replicas of real pistols. My most recent addition is the Schofield #3 top break revolver.

About 1870, Smith & Wesson developed a top break revolver. An Army Ordnance officer, Major George W. Schofield of the 10th Cavalry, modified it to fit his needs and Smith and Wesson incorporated his modifications into the design in 1875.  They named the new design the “Schofield”.  Smith and Wesson produced variations of their #3 revolver until 1915.

Replica

This airgun replica of the Schofield No. 3 Revolver is imported from Taiwan by Bear River. It has:

  • 8 Inch Barrel
  • BBs
  • 435 FPS
  • 12g CO2 Powered

The Schofield actually preceded the famous Colt Single Action Army pistol which was introduced 1873. Colt’s Single Action Army (and it’s clones and reproductions) is still being manufactured.

Years later, another top break revolver, the Webley Mark I, was adopted by the British Army in 1887 and was manufactured until 1963.

Here’s my YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op97x1Eptgw

References

Bear River Description and Specifications: http://www.bearriveroutdoors.com/collections/pistols-revolvers/products/schofield-no-3-vintage-revolver

Pyramyd Air Review: http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2016/07/schofield-number-3-bb-revolver-part-1/

Pyramyd Air Ratings: http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Schofield_No_3_CO2_BB_Revolver_Full_Metal/4159