U.S.A. — If you don’t own a Diamond Blade knife, you need to get one. Every Diamond Blade that I own or have tested has a super design for the job that it was crafted for and is a top-quality made knife. To understand the friction forging process that is used on Diamond Blade knives, you ought to check out the explanation on their website.
I started to give a quick kindergarten-level explanation (Because that is the level of my knowledge). But I thought it better to just call the owner Charles Allan and get a brief quote. Here is his elevator explanation “The nanosized grain structures allow DB to elevate the hardness without elevating brittleness. In fact, the small grain structures actually increase the ductility of the cutting edge. Unheard of in a HrC hardness level of 65-69”.
So due to the friction forging process it nanosized the grain structure of the metal to a super fine level which allows the knife to hold an edge longer than any other knife that I’ve ever tested, while at the same time not making it brittle. That is unheard of.
Usually, a harder blade is brittle and can chip or snap if bent. Due to the friction forging process the blade is hard but I’ve seen videos of them putting a Diamond Blade in a vice and bending it to what looks like to me an almost 90-degree angle without it snapping. I’m not a metallurgist so this is the end of my explanation and we will move on into the Product Review! But trust me, you’ll love Friction Forged knives.
I guess as you get older, your tastes get more developed and defined. That’s a scholarly way of saying that you get pickier. I’m no longer happy eating a $.50 microwave burrito like when I was rodeoing in college. Used to eating was a waste of time to me and I sure didn’t blow a lot of money on food. Now, I like to eat more gourmet type meals, and I like to cook.
Along with the change in my tastes, I also like to work with good knives. Sure, I can slice my tomatoes and cilantro with a bent-bladed paring knife that I picked up at a yard sale or in a TV package special but why not buy a good one to use on what you enjoy doing?
So with that said, I was happy to find out that Diamond Blade made a Gourmet Paring knife since I’ve had such good luck with the other Diamond Blades that I’ve tested. Here’s what you can expect if you get one. It will stay sharp way longer than probably any other knife that you’ve ever owned.
I don’t want to be a drama queen but in the kitchen, you can always test how sharp your knife is by slicing a tomato. If your knife is dull it is going to start smushing the tomato before it cuts through the tough skin. An apple or whatever has a sturdier body but if you’re using a dull knife due to its softer body a tomato will smash down, right? This is somewhat true on a lot of the vegetables/fruits that we slice.
I like the design of the handle. For a small knife, I feel like I have a good grip on it. This is due to a few features. The handle is only ¼-1/2-inches shorter than my full-sized hunting knives, which, of course that alone enhances your grip. Then the top of the handle slightly swells up to the hilt of the blade to stabilize your thumb and then on the bottom of the handle the middle enlarges to fill your hand. Then the hilt of the blade is slightly larger than the handle, which acts as a finger guard. I wouldn’t mind some thumb grooves on the first ¾-inches of the handle and maybe ½-inch onto the spine, but regardless, I have no problem maintaining control of the knife while slicing/cutting items.
On my paring knives, I like about a 3-4 ½-inch blade. The Diamond Blade Gourmet Paring knife measures out at 3.35 inches so that meets my desired length. It is of the perfect width to meet my cutting needs.
And, of course, it came from the factory sharp. I sharpen all of my kitchen knives on a smooth steel, but I can only assume that due to its hardness that a smooth steel will not work on a knife as hard as a Diamond Blade, so I asked Charles what he would recommend. He uses a ceramic rod to touch up the edge.
The majority of paring knives do not come with a sheath. But due to the Diamond Blade Paring knife being so sharp, it does come with a Molded Boltron blade guard. The guard helps protect you from getting cut plus it prevents the edge from getting dinged and dull when stored in a drawer.
The MSRP on the Diamond Blade Gourmet Paring knife is $189.00, and as is usual, we will close with the company specs.
- CATERGORY GOURMET SERIES
- BLADE LENGTH 3.35”
- OVERALL LENGTH 7.4”
- BLADE THICKNESS AT SPINE .M090-.100”
- BEVEL ANGLE 18
- HANDLE BLACK G10
- WEIGHT 3 OZ.
- STEEL FRICTION FORGED
- SPINE RC HARDNESS 42-45
- BLADE GUARD MOLDED BOLTRON
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoor writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening #ad for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
