[SET] Mcusta Meat Master [slicer + boning]

Mcusta Slicer VG-10 Black Damascus 270mm (10.6") and Mcusta Boning VG-10 Black Damascus 165mm (6.5") are gorgeous, true "meat masters". The slicer is a  knife for home and professional use. It is intended for cutting thin slices of meat and fish and for many kitchen tasks where precision is important. The boning knife is used to remove the bones from the meat before the slicer is up.

The 33 layers of softer and stainless steel that form the damascus pattern resemble a flame spreading from the bottom to the tip of the blades, giving every knife a unique look. The core of these knives is made of great-performing, easy-to-resharpen VG-10 steel.

BLADE SHAPE:
Sujihiki or slicer knives are primarily intended for long pulls and precise cuts of meat and fish. The long and narrow blade is particularly useful for slicing meat or boneless fish, or for filleting and skinning fish. The long blade allows the meat or fish to be cut in a single drawing motion, from heel to tip.
With its thin blade, typical for all Mcusta knives, this knife will slice through your veggies, meat, and fish with ease and with almost zero applied pressure to the knife.

A boning knife is, as its name already suggests, used for removing bones from meat, poultry, and fish. The blade's handle and shape allow for a variety of grips and cutting techniques, especially useful when working around the bone. It is suitable for anyone looking for a slightly heavier but perfectly balanced knife with a super thin and precise blade.
Boning knives are to be used around the bones, but not for cutting through them - the blade is too thin, which can result in a chipped blade.
The knife also has finger protection, as the bolster (at the transition from the blade into the handle) extends down the heel of the knife, which prevents your fingers from sliding down the cutting edge.

STEEL
VG-10 (V for Vanadium, G for "gold" as in "gold standard") is made by Takefu Special Steel Company, a relatively small steel company that around 60 years ago managed to find just the right balance of different elements to create the most popular Japanese knife making steel today.

VG-10 steel is stainless steel with relatively high Carbon (C) content (1%), 15% Chromium (Cr), 1% Molybdenum (Mo), 0.3% Vanadium (V) and 1.5% Cobalt (Co).

The combination of Cr, Mo, and V forms a lot of hard carbides, making the steel abrasion resistant, which translates to long-lasting, smooth sharpness. Heat treated to the hardness of 60-61 HRC.

LAMINATION
The blades' cores were laminated using the san-mai method to improve its structural integrity and subsequent ability to withstand impacts and prevent chipping. San-mai translates to “three layers” in Japanese, referring to a blade that is composed of a primary, inner layer of harder steel (hagane) and of two secondary, outer layers of softer steel (jigane) that protect the prior.

→ Read more on Blade Construction: Lamination.

BLADE FINISH
Mcusta Slicer VG-10 Black Damascus features a 270mm (10.6") long blade and the Mcusta Boning VG-10 Black Damascus features a 165mm (6.4") long blade. Both are clad in what is called Black Damascus. The 33-layer Damascus cladding ensures that every knife has a unique pattern on the blade, which makes it one-of-a-kind.

GEOMETRY
They have a double bevel (symmetrical) blade (50/50) with a hamaguri grind. The blades have a distal taper, meaning that the blade thins from the heel of the blade towards the tip. This gives them more strength and weight at the handle (meaning we can exert more pressure with the heel) and more precision at the tip, allowing for smooth and precise cuts.

HANDLE:
The knives are full-tang and attached to the ergonomic black pakka wood handle of the western (yo) type. Two rivets and a lavish mosaic pin hold the blades securely attached to the handles. A stainless bolster is added for a smooth transition from the blade to the handle.

Besides aesthetics, the flat ejiri, - the bottom part of the handle - has a practical function, too; it can be used for crushing garlic and other ingredients.

BLACKSMITH:
Mcusta Zanmai has an interesting (and very high-tech) philosophy of knife manufacturing. With their 800-year tradition of making knives, they decided to incorporate traditional knife craftsmanship knowledge into their own custom-made machines. Mcusta is the only knife manufacturer that uses laser machines to cut out the knives instead of stamping them out of the steel sheet. Due to this process, their blades are less susceptible to structural stresses in the steel, making them the most innovative and modern knife maker in Japan.

Handles and pins are milled to the precision of 1/1000mm with their high-quality CNC machines. Every knife is then inspected and assembled by hand. The final (sharp) edge is sharpened by Mcusta's team of master craftsmen to get a very good out-of-the-box sharpness.

☝️ Fun fact: Mcusta is a made-up word - a combination of Machine and custom!