Left handed?

I am new to japanese knifes. I am also left handed.
So my question.
Is there such a thing as a left handed knife, how much more do you pay ?

For double beveled things (typical gyuto, petty, etc.) it's a minor issue. Some of these have slightly asymmetrical grinds to the overall blade, and/or an asymmetrical edge bevel (70/30, etc.), but it's generally not a big deal. The differences are pretty insignificant -- less important than your sharpening technique, etc. Over time, any knife you sharpen will develop an edge that is (hopefully!) suited to your personal use.

For traditional single-edged Japanese designs, though, you need to order a left-handed knife, which is generally 50% more expensive.

I'm a lefty, and I have no single-edged knives.

A lot of J-knives have a righty bias and mostly it isn't a big deal. Koki atJCK sells a lot of lefty knives I believe though, so you could ask him for some quotes. For single-bevel knives, generally there is a 50% markup. Jon at Japanese Knife Imports has a few I think, as does Maxim at JNS. Depends on what you're after. I got a lefty 210 kamagata usuba a while ago and to be honest I never use it

30-50$ mark up depending on the seller / maker is about right.

Jon at JKI converts his righty knives for free if you buy from him, if you send him an email or give him a call he can give you some advice on what to get and stuff.

welcome fellow lefty!

stevenStefano said:

A lot of J-knives have a righty bias and mostly it isn't a big deal. Koki atJCK sells a lot of lefty knives I believe though, so you could ask him for some quotes. For single-bevel knives, generally there is a 50% markup. Jon at Japanese Knife Imports has a few I think, as does Maxim at JNS. Depends on what you're after. I got a lefty 210 kamagata usuba a while ago and to be honest I never use it

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Why do you not use the 210 kamagata usuba, what do you not like about that knife?

As with all things, lefties adapt. Even double beveled knives are right hand biased. Playing with the bevel can be tricky. Stiction and steering are results to be aware of. Often a lefty will alter technique, almost subconsciously, to ofset issues. Once my life is back in order, I will have a custom lefty gyuto made. Will be my last knife purchase....

i tend to angle my knife away from my fingers (a bit of an angle) and really stick to my knuckles as close as possible while cutting through veg, so i don't really have trouble with asymmetry, but that's when really exact cuts aren't needed.

arrowhawk said:

Why do you not use the 210 kamagata usuba, what do you not like about that knife?

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I just didn't find a lot of use for it basically and also there was a slight bend in the blade. I got mine through BluewayJapan and the price was very reasonable so it was worth the risk but I use my knives in work and usubas aren't the most versatile knives

i don't think its worth paying any extra to have a western style knife converted, just do it yourself all at once or over time.
paying more for single bevels sucks...

paying more for single bevels sucks..

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most absolutely. =(