Quick cut testing with a Coolina Serbian cleaver and a Dao Vua 210mm tall gyuto

I sharpened both of these blades last night and wanted to try them out on the cutting board. The Coolina belongs to a friend of mine and seems ok for what it is. the grind was very lumpy behind the edge and l had to do a fair amount of coarse work to knock the shoulders off so that l could sharpen the actual edge. With a good belt sander thinning, it would probably perform better.
The Dao Vua came with a pretty nice grind and even edge and was very easy to do the initial sharpening on. The factory edge was pretty good on it but l do recommend hitting the stones and refining the edge to your own taste. Both of these edges were finished on 4000 grit and then stropped quickly on soft leather.

[@leahlockettharris4579]

I was gifted the Promaja and the Machado, I really love the Promaja. The weight and balance are perfect for me, and I like the blade width, especially for chopping and scooping vegetables. I tested it first by cutting onions, and the cut was so clean I didn't tear.

[@thecookseye7383]

The Dao Vua seems to be a great value for money, the Coolinas are just plastered all over TikTok and IG because of that outdoor cooking channel, but the grinds just look awful even if the steel is decent. Definitely needs thinning and polishing and the setting of an entirely new secondary bevel.

[@davidtatro7457]

I couldn't agree more. The primary bevel on the Coolina was thick and lumpy and took a fair amount of work to knock the shoulders back enough to actually sharpen the edge. And the resultant secondary bevel is uneven looking as a result. It works better now, but is not an aesthetically pleasing look.

[@Smithwesson65]

What an art!!!! Going around the bushes And saying nothing 😂😂😂

[@davidtatro7457]

You just described my dating life.

[@katiealdana150]

Nice hands🙌

[@jmsmith1767]

Don’t refrigerate your onions before they’re cut, the cold damp environment causes the onions to become soggy. Once cut however you should refrigerate what you do not use.

[@davidtatro7457]

Probably good advice in general. I just do it to keep them fresh until l use them and it also cuts down on the eye watering while cutting. I leave them out if I'm going to use them within a day or two.

[@drd8251]

Enjoyed watching your comparison. I recently fell down the Japanese knife rabbit hole. Now my primitive sharpening tools don’t seem worthy of my new VG10, VG MAX, and SG2 steel knives. Noting that your friend asked you to sharpen their Coolina, I’d like to know your recommendation for whetstones and what grits I should buy. I’m never going to let my knives get too dull, so I’m thinking a 1000 grit is the coarsest I need. Your thoughts, please.

[@davidtatro7457]

For basic edge maintenance on most Japanese knives which are not too dull or damaged, most of us begin a sharpening on 800-1200 grit and finish on something from 3k to 8k depending on the steel and type of blade. And then strop. Any of the major Japanese stone brands are excellent. For budget stones, Kings are highly recommended. A king 1000/6000 combo can be a great starting place. If you're willing to spend a bit more, look into Shapton, Naniwa, and Suehiro. My two main workhorses are Suehiro 1k and 4k Debados, and that is because l love the large surface area for larger blades. Naniwa or Shapton pro stones are also excellent. Those are all splash and go stones. For soaking stones, a Suehiro Cerax 1k and Rika 5k is a very popular pairing.

[@drd8251]

@@davidtatro7457 Thanks. This was just the information I needed. I just ordered the Suehiro combination.

[@davidtatro7457]

@@drd8251 enjoy! I love mine.

[@robertreyes4391]

The coating is kind of iffy. every time i wipe my blade the coating comes off. I'm going to remove my coating and force a vinegar patina on it.

[@guysolis5843]

I would imagine a knife maker would have much better control to have a uniform thickness of the blade, assuming that is the problem. I hone straight razors and must be very precise and intentional but it's the evaluation that begins the process. I also re-profile and sharpen knives using a Norton Multi stone and other types of stones..

[@davidtatro7457]

These Coolinas are banged out cheaply in Chinese factories. The steel on this one seemed decent but the grind was lumpy and inexpert.

[@guysolis5843]

@@davidtatro7457 Right, looking at that edge was a depressing sight to behold..

[@davidtatro7457]

@@guysolis5843 indeed. It took a lot of work to knock the shoulders back enough to get a clean apex at around 18 degrees. With some thinning it could be a lot better but l wasn't going to expend the effort on stones and didn't want to put my friend's knife on my belt sander. Lol

[@guysolis5843]

@@davidtatro7457 One of my favorite knives is the high carbon Chinese chefs knife. It's inexpensive and maintains a nice edge and while the blade is wide it allows the transferring of food easier..I'll check out some of your videos. I have another channel that shows a lot of my straight razor honing..

[@davidtatro7457]

@@guysolis5843 yes, l love my Chinese chef knives as well. I've got a decent collection and most are vintage carbon blades. They're one of the best ways to get quality kitchen knives for very little money! Also l would love to check out your razor honing channel. I bought three vintage razors quite awhile ago but haven't done anything to them yet. They appear to be in good shape and just need some cleaning up and honing.

[@cjsapp3590]

Unfair test. You claimed the second one falls through the onion easier and straighter. If you go back and watch what you did, you were cutting with careful precision on the first one. Where as you were cutting with force on the second one.

[@coffeeandbackgammon1087]

never had a knife go rusty even a really cheap one

[@davidtatro7457]

If you get into carbon steel knives, rust is definitely a possibility!

[@cesarrodriguez9353]

El segundo cuchillo se atoro en el minuto 8:23 😕

[@BennyCFD]

Man..........That brown towel was filthy. Was it even sanitary.

[@davidtatro7457]

It was clean. I have a bad habit of forgetting to use fresh white towels in my videos lol.

[@jaimetorres9050]

MADE IN CHINA ( coolina)

[@davidtatro7457]

Yes, l mentioned that in the video.

[@brucebruce8143]

too much talking dude. get to the point

[@davidtatro7457]

I do what l can, and only share what l think people will find interesting. I do have some other videos where l barely talk at all and just sharpen and/or cut things.

[@stevemorton9585]

The Serbian cleaver is just that, a cleaver. To far from your work for detail jobs.

[@davidtatro7457]

For my skill level, you are correct. However, master Chinese chefs do incredibly intricate cutting with cleaver style blades. I guess it's all in the training.😊

[@scottluby7940]

garbage