F&F issues on Fujiwara Teruyasu Nashiji

I just got a 240 Gyuto in the Nashiji line direct from the Fujiwara Teruyasu website. It arrived today, and while I was expecting the handle/ scale issues I'd read about. The spine of the knife is horrendous. It appears the knife is ground from a stainless/w1/stainless sandwich and the w1 core is exposed In a really uneven way, I took a pic, it's not the best quality, but I think it illustrates the issue pretty well. [/IMG] [/IMG]
I'm worried it may lead to delamination.

Also the factory bevel on the right side of the knife is very uneven. Does this suggest the grind is also uneven? [/IMG]

I knew I was ordering a rustic knife, but is it unreasonable to expect an even grind? and what are your opinions on the spine?

Has anyone ever returned a knife to a Japanese manufacturer?

Thanks for your time, I appreciate any insight/ advice

Cheers

Delamination, no. Corrosion and gunk, yes. I've never heard of a spine like that. You might want to grind it down a bit. As for the grind, I don't see a problem in your pic but it wouldn't surprise me if there was a bit more unevenness than on knives from other makers. Does it cut well?

I would take some sand paper and smooth out the spine if it is uncomfortable or bothersome.

If it were me I would contact the maker and ask for a replacement.

I have ordered a few of the Fujisawa terayasu mashing knives and I am surprised about the condition of your knife. His handles aren't the best, but his blades (in my experience thus far) are as close to perfect as you can get. He is usually pretty nice about things.

I had the tip break off a knife I ordered from him less than a month after getting it. I was just slicing a shallot when it broke. He told me to send it back to examine it and discovered it was his fault because there was a flaw in the steel on that knife. He made me a new one and sent it out and I haven't had any issues since.

Fujiwara Twrayasu is my favorite knife maker and h is a genuinely nice guy that takes a lot of pride in his work. I am confident that if you message him about it, he will make things right.

Yikes. That spine looks awful. I would definitely look into getting a replacement.

Mashing = Nahiji. My iPhone is a pita sometimes.

The spine finish looks like the direct result from being sheared off with a press. It's ugly, but isn't related to any delamination problems. The bevel looks thick, and of a somewhat uneven thickness. I would slap the blade road on the stones and thin it out. Nothing worth returning the knife over IMO.

A bit of sandpaper and a shoeshine motion will give a rounded spine and choil that'll be more comfortable. If after doing that you can see weld flaws I'd contact the seller but not before.

From the pic the uneven bevel you mention is where it's slightly wider at the heel? If the angle is even it just suggests a slightly thicker heel than mid section and tip. Having a slightly thicker heel on a gyuto is no bad thing IMO, and it'll only be a very small variance.

If its a wobble in the angle first session on the stones would sort it.

Neither are things I would class as defects

Thanks for the replies so far. I have emailed Fujiwara a photo of the spine, I will wait for his response, but I think
I will end up rounding the spine & choil myself

tk59 said:

Does it cut well?

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Honestly, when I posted this thread I hadn't cut with it yet. I have since cut a couple of kilos of Large Carrots, sweet potato, large onions and zucchini. It cuts really well, actually reminds me of the Carter I had. No wedging, good food release, and no reactivity from the core steel. I am looking forward to seeing how the edge holds up.

Cheers

Huw, I've been wanting to try one of those for quite some time, as well. I've read the Carter comparison before, and with Murray's blade, you'll sometimes find slight overgrinds above the edge, or slight differences that can be evened up while sharpening. My little funy I have from Murray has a similar look to the spine (not quite as noticeable), and the heel is very similar to your Fuji, as well. I never bothered tweaking it, because it's such a damn nice cutter, and it kind o went with the whole look/feel of the knife. With that being said, I'm curious to find out how this is handled.

I'm curious about the possibillity of an uneven grind on this because I've experienced it too. When blades are left 'rustic' and the rougher cladding is not ground down and polished above the shinogi, I think it's possible that it could be left uneven and not affect your knife. My Kochi is like this, for example. I've thinned in part to see if I could straighten the shinogi more, and I have. However, there's never been a problem with unevenness with the bevels and edge themselves. So, no problem in other words.

I recieved a response from the maker
"Dear Mr. Huw Jones

Thank you at once for your order .

Please don't worry about it . We don't polish the spine after tempering and we keep visible the three leaf making mark .
So if it's make an awkward for you , please to return us the knife and we polish it for you or , use a sand paper for clean the spine .

Best regards

Fujiwara"

I am happy with the response, I will do the work myself, I really like how this knife performs

Did you get the wa handled version or the newer western handled ones that he has been making?

snowbrother said:

Did you get the wa handled version or the newer western handled ones that he has been making?

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Sounds great! I suppose some makers might think ahead with things like this and perhaps design and enclose some kind of pamphlet detailing their approach, which in turn should help us appreciate them more.

Nice to hear it performs so well. I almost bought a gyuto last year. Now this makes me want to get something from them again. People sound very positive about the blades and there must be a good reason why they're carried on the JKI site.

Nice response and explanation from the maker.

Patatas Bravas said:

Sounds great! I suppose some makers might think ahead with things like this and perhaps design and enclose some kind of pamphlet detailing their approach, which in turn should help us appreciate them more.

Nice to hear it performs so well. I almost bought a gyuto last year. Now this makes me want to get something from them again. People sound very positive about the blades and there must be a good reason why they're carried on the JKI site.

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for what its worth, we stopped carrying his knives a while back... i've only got 1 left in stock

JBroida said:

for what its worth, we stopped carrying his knives a while back... i've only got 1 left in stock

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One left? How about a sale!

Ah, that's a shame, though I'm sure they're still great knives. Is there any particular reason why?

I can't get over how much it looks like a Forgecraft. Maybe Fujiwara reads the forums(?)

That looks nothing like my nashiji. I'll post a picture when I get home tomorrow. Mine has (had sinc I don't have it anymore) a wa handle and a shorter profile from spine to edge.

Patatas Bravas said:

One left? How about a sale!

Ah, that's a shame, though I'm sure they're still great knives. Is there any particular reason why?

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i'd be happy to explain via private message if you'd like

I really like the look of this line...modestly priced stainless clad from a respectable maker, bolsterless western handle. What's the difference in the blade between this line and his other lines?

I thought that same thing. I almost pulled the trigger several times but I never did. I didn't actually buy one until I fondled a few at JKI a couple of years ago.