I am sad to inform Forum members of the passing of Vadim Kraichuk, the well-known leader from Australia's Knife Grinders.
I learned this very unhappy news in response to a question I had sent to him 2 days ago. His son Daniel replied the next day that Vadim had died on January 11.
As a relatively lightweight Forum member, I am posting this at the request of Ken Schroeder. Ken reports that will be contacting Tormek's people in and supporting Australia and that he will pass along what he learns from them.
Thank you, Garrett, for alerting us to this sad news. Most of us knew Vadim by his forum name, "wootz". Wootz was a friend, as well as one of the most innovative members we have ever had. He was one of our pioneers in many areas.
He was an early advocate of superabrasive grinding wheels, in this case CBN, before Tormek introduced its diamond wheels. The CBN wheels he designed were the first designed for wet grinding by an experienced Tormek sharpener.
He invented the Frontal Vertical Base and developed sophisticated systems for honing knives. He developed knife sharpening beyond our expectations and possibly beyond Tormek's expectations.
Quite honorably, he discontinued posting on the forum when he was selling CBN wheels. He did not want to appear to have a conflict of interest with Tormek.
His research, book, and videos left a good trail for those wanting to pursue high end sharpening.
Thank you, wootz, you will be missed.
Ken
I am so sad to hear this: Vadim was a great asset to the sharpening community and will be greatly missed.
Rich
This is so sad. Vadim was a legend and an inspiration. His generosity with his knowledge made me a better sharpener by orders of magnitude. I'll miss his sense of humour and (somehow) charming unwillingness to suffer fools too. RIP to a great man.
This is sad news. Vadim took the time to personally help me achieve very sharp edges. He will be missed.
I am deeply saddened by this news. I have learned so much from this person. He will truly be missed. I am in shock!!! RIP!!!
Wow. I don't know what to say. My condolences to his family. He will be missed by many, many people.
Rest in peace.
He will be remembered as a legend.
Hello All,
Vadim is a Legend......As an Engineer, I envy and applaud all he did for this small but dedicated community......he debunked many fallacies so many have held on to for a long time, and backed them up with results.......he was and will be remembered as a person that changed the game.
Rest in Peace, a true scientist......
Raising a glass to Vadim! He contributed and shared a lot for us sharpeners. Mark Reich and now KG. Really sad to watch our sharpening community grow smaller.
Vadim earned a Medical Doctorate in younger days, as well as some advanced training in research. In common with Mark Reich and Jan, he was willing to combine a lot of dedicated work and study with a practical love of knives and sharpening. All three were very generous in sharing their knowledge. Wootz and Jan left a treasure of information on this forum. Wootz also left his deburring book and some excellent videos. Although Mark was a relative newcomer to our forum, he was a very accomplished knifemaker.
We have lost three friends and guides. Our journey is better for having known them.
Ken
While sharing our respectful sorrow and condolences, it is important to remember that we still have several veteran innovative members as well as newer members ready to carry on the work.
I have no doubt that the innovative work of the forum will continue.
Ken
Sorry to hear... Vadim was instrumental in getting knife sharpeners to use the Tormek, and giving them a path to great results, as well as his videos showing them how to solve some of the unique issues.
This was posted on KnifeGrinders most recent video...
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Quote from: Knife Grinders Australia YouTube Channel
Dear Supporters of the Knife Grinders Community,
With a heavy heart, this message is from Dr. Vadim Kraichuk's family.
On the 11th of January, 2022, Vadim passed away. After a long fight from his 15yo son and wife completing CPR, he passed from heart failure at the age of 57 years. Unexpectedly losing a kind father, husband and son is devastating and he will be incredibly missed by all of us.
Vadim was highly dedicated to his craft and we send our condolences to this community, to anyone who is missing him with us. We also sincerely thank you for all the support and interest you have shown in his endeavours.
Answers to Possible Questions from Supporters and Customers:
1. The Knife Grinder's Channel will no longer be contributed to, but will remain in its current state
2. Unfortunately no one had the expertise that Vadim had, however all the current orders and refunds will be completed by the family
3. The no longer available items will be updated on the website shortly
Please be patient and understanding during this time, we promise to try our best to complete all orders as soon as possible and refund everything we cannot send due to shortage of materials.
If you would like to contact us please reach out to:
vadim@exemail.com (we DO NOT have access to kg@knifegrinders.com.au)
Thank you
Edit 1/27/22: Someone reported the above email didn't work, so I looked up exemail and it stated to use:
username@exemail.com.au
So, if you have trouble with the address, try vadim@exemail.com.au (No idea if this works, just what I found).
Edit 2/26/22: Posts in the Facebook Tormek group indicate vadim@exemail.com.au is working.
So sorry to hear about Vadim's passing away. Many of us have learned a lot from him.
I'll always remember him as a highly competent yet modest friend. My condolences to his family.
On behalf of the whole Tormek team we want to express our deepest sympathy and condolences to Dr. Vadim Kraitchuk's family and friends.
Vadim has through the years been a central part of the Tormek community with his background as a researcher and his feeling for innovation brought a lot of inspiration and knowledge to sharpeners around the globe.
He will be missed both professionally and personally amongst many of us.
Always thoroughly analyzing Tormek solutions but always fair and respectful in his comments and videos. He was liked and respected by Tormek, Tormek users and sharpening enthusiast all over the world.
The Tormek Team
Wow I actually came to this forum because I purchased a FVB and book then received no replies. Weeks later it was refunded saying Bo longer in stock. I thought there could be extenuating circumstances, now I know.
Quote from: Vesteroid on January 24, 2022, 04:33:44 PM
Wow I actually came to this forum because I purchased a FVB and book then received no replies. Weeks later it was refunded saying Bo longer in stock. I thought there could be extenuating circumstances, now I know.
Depending on which country you are in, you might be able to order the book on Amazon.
I am incredibly sorry to hear of Vadim's death. He was an inspiration as well as a wealth of knowledge about sharpening. He challenged many of the long held beliefs about how to sharpen effectively through actual metallurgical research. I am so sad that his family has had to deal with his loss. He will definitely be missed.
I too am saddened by Vadim's death. He took what we all thought we knew and pushed it beyond our wildest dreams. Not only were his edges twice as sharp, but his mind was also as well. And good for seven carcasses, indeed! RIP. Here is a link to a tribute on another forum. https://forum.spyderco.com/viewtopic.php?t=91638&p=1594276
Steve,
A fine, eloquent tribute to our good friend Wootz.
Thank you for posting it.
Ken
So sorry that Vadim passed away.... Sincere condolences to the family....
We can hope that his family members might take some time to read some of the condolences posted about Vadim and the positive impact he made on so many people around the world. I know I would find myself watching his videos over and over, sometimes at 2am. How lucky we all were to have someone with his passion and intelligence for sharpening within our community.
It's been a while since I wrote on the forum.
A serious illness of my wife has separated me from the forum and from many other things.
I just read that Vadim is dead...
I am very sad about it. He was a teacher. He helped me a lot through the forum and in private conversations. He was a point of reference for me.
His last words to me were written in his book when he gave it to me.
I will keep it as a great memory.
My condolences.