Sabatier Au Carbone 12-Inch Carbon Steel Chef's Knife
by Sabatier
(Click here)
Product Summary
Manufacturer: SabatierBrand: Au Carbone
Model: 2580807
Product features:
- High carbon stainless steel
- Full tang triple rivet
- Riveted polypropylene handle
- Hand wash
- Made in France
- Sabatier Au Carbone 5-Inch Carbon Steel Boning Knife
- Sabatier Au Carbone 10-Inch Carbon Steel Chef's Knife
- Sabatier Au Carbone 8-Inch Carbon Steel Slicing Knife
- Sabatier Au Carbone 8-Inch Carbon Steel Chef's Knife
- Sabatier Au Carbone 6-Inch Carbon Steel Filet Knife
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sabatier Au Carbone 12-Inch Carbon Steel Chef's Knife
Customer Review: Carbon steel blade at it's best. But not for everyone.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought three Au Carbone blades to add to my (excessive?) kitchen knife collection. The 12" Chefs, the 12" slicer, and the 6" utility/filet knives. The quality of each is identical, which is to say that they are well built and finished examples of classic three rivet knives. There are a few differences between carbon steel and stainless steel that account for the strong and weak points of these knives. On the good side, carbon steel blades seem to be able to take a much finer egdge ( very razor like, delicate taper that isn't as subject to chipping as a similar edge would be in stainless steel. The edge will deform, but that can be fixed with a few strokes on a steel. This makes for effortless cutting when kept sharp. That was the reason I went with carbon steel for the long knives (slicing a watermellon or a large roast has never been easier). They can be sharpened to make big cutting/slicing jobs a breeze.
The utility/fillet knife showcases another good quality of carbon steel. The blade is not only razor sharp, but it is incredibly flexible as well. It has the same thickness as my stainless steel utility knives, but the "live" blade makes it feel more like an extension of your will than something to simply slice with. I prefer it over any of my other knives for fillet duty.
Now the bad side of carbon steel knives. If you are used to the "always new" look of stainless, carbon steel knives will drive you nuts. They have to be kept clean and dry when not in use, and probably should be given an oil rub before being put away. When shipped, they are oiled and sent in a cardboard sleeve, but I'll bet that a few small pits appear somewhere on the steel before they make it to your home. Even when kept clean and oiled, it is likely that they will develop a patina of black iron oxide over the years. That's pretty much the nature of carbon steel, and I think it looks pretty good, but you still have to take precautions to prevent red rust and pitting from killing your blade.
That's it in a nutshell. For ultimate sharpness, special applications, or just to have something unique in your kitchen, the Au Carbone line offers fine cutlery at a pretty good price. Just be sure that you understand that their benefits come at the cost of needing more attention than stainless steel. I think it's worth the trouble, and if you are willing to accept the extra work, I'd bet that one or two of these knives would end up among your favorite kitchen tools.
By the way, I ordered my knives at different times, and in each case, they were shipped without delay. Enjoy.
Description of Sabatier Au Carbone 12-Inch Carbon Steel Chef's Knife
An excellent knife maker, Sabatier is one of the few companies left that still make a line of pure carbon steel blades--they take a sharp edge better than any other material. For many chefs, this sharp edge more than makes up for minor discolorations that occur with age. This 12-inch chef's knife is extremely versatile--from halving a watermelon to chopping multiple carrots at a time, it makes short work of prepping. Many cooks might find its length tricky for small work such as mincing onions, but others may prefer the strength and balance of a longer blade for all their kitchen chores. When taking it to get sharpened, verify the sharpener knows how to handle carbon steel--it's a bit different than regular stainless, and you'll want to take full advantage of its special sharpening properties. --Jill LightnerChef's Knives
Wusthof Classic 4-1/ 2-Inch Multi-Prep Cook's KnifeWusthof; Wüsthof; Kitchen
Best price: $59.95
Price in other shops:
Wusthof Gourmet 6-Inch Cook's KnifeWusthof; Wüsthof; Kitchen
Best price: $44.95
Price in other shops:
Wusthof Classic 5-Piece Professional Chef's Knife KitWusthof; Wüsthof; Release date: 2004-01-28; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Victorinox 8-Inch Chef's KnifeVictorinox; Victorinox; Release date: 2003-10-15; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Wusthof Classic 4-1/ 2-Inch Decorating KnifeWusthof; Wüsthof; Kitchen
Best price: $119.95
Price in other shops:
Calphalon Traditional 8-Inch Slicing KnifeCalphalon; Calphalon; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Wusthof Grand Prix 10-Inch Cook's KnifeWusthof; Wüsthof; Release date: 2001-07-31; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Messermeister Four Seasons 8-Inch Chef's KnifeMessermeister; Messermeister; Kitchen
Best price: $39.95
Price in other shops:
LamsonSharp 10-Inch Stainless Steel SlicerLamsonSharp; Lamson; Kitchen
Best price: $37.16
Price in other shops:
LamsonSharp 3-Piece Forged Chef's Knife SetLamsonSharp; Lamson; Kitchen
Best price: $164.99
Price in other shops: