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coffeemike

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Hey, folks. I've been reading for a while, but this'll be my first actual post.

I wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Daniel and the folks at EE for the great experience we had. My wife and I came in to the shop when we were in Kirkland visiting family. I had done my homework and narrowed down what I was looking for, but needed to get hands-on to really make the call. We looked at the knives I had picked out, but also a few others, and talked at some length about what I was after in a new knife. Long story short, he pulled down a different style of knife to show me that I hadn't considered, but it turns out was exactly what I was looking for. I ended up choosing two knives - the sabaki knife he showed me and a petty knife that both my wife and I liked the feel of - quite happily.

Because we were travelling, I had him ship the knives to me in Texas. The knives came promptly, with sayas that fit amazingly well, and in great shape.

Basically, it was an all around great experience. It's one thing to order knives from a website, but no matter how much you read reviews and opinions and descriptions, it doesn't beat talking to people who know what they're doing and getting a feel for the knives yourself.
 
Yeah so, pics or this never happened... :cop:

Fair enough; I wrote that at work and when I wasn't in the kitchen, and I didn't have any pics to share. Apologies if I missed out on protocol.

Since I gave the backstory, a little more detail - I've got a gap in my knives, in that I've got a paring knife I like and a good big chef's/gyotu. What I'm lacking is something in the middle, around 6", to handle a variety of chopping tasks from cutting up mushrooms and onions to jointing chickens.

Bottom: Yokoyama petty 150mm, the all-purpose utility I thought I wanted until I held it (and others) and just how thin the blades are. Awesome at the detail cutting work, but not quite sturdy enough for the bigger stuff.
Top: Takeo Murata 150mm sabaki/funyaki. This is the knife that sang when I picked it up. It's not as thick as a normal deba, but thick enough that it's not so great for the fine chopping. Chicken, pork, and the bigger tasks? Awesome.

Anywho. Proof positive?
9369260282_42f400f7e3.jpg
 
Fair enough. I was at work, and didn't have a picture handy. Not the best of photographers.

Top: Takeo Murata sabaki/funyaki. Not as thick as a normal deba, has been great for jointing chickens, trimming and slicing pork tenderloin, etc.
Bottom: Yokoyama petty. Stainless, san mai, does fine cutting like a dream. 150mm.

9369260282_42f400f7e3.jpg
 
Last edited:
So, I've written a reply twice now with picture (link to Flickr) attached. It's not showing up. Either there's a moderation hold for this that I'm not seeing or aware of, or I'm doing something embarrassingly wrong. Apologies; I'll try something else tomorrow if it doesn't show up.

EDIT - Okay, so using Quick Reply instead seems to work. Apologies. Updated to explain the picture below.

Short version:
I wanted a knife in the 6" range, ideally able to handle various chopping tasks (onions, mushrooms, broccoli, cauliflower) and light butchery (jointing chickens, trimming pork loins, etc) at home.

Top knife: Takeo Murata sabaki. Not as wide as a normal deba, but wide enough that it doesn't do fine chopping. It's awesome at the chickens, pork, and the like.
Bottom knife: Yokoyama 150mm petty. Too thin for the butchery work, but an excellent slicer/chopper.

Sorry for not posting the pic earlier; I wrote the original post at work and didn't have a pic of the knives until I got home. Sorry if I missed protocol.
 
Good score, and welcome to KKF coffeemike.
 
Hi Mike -

It was really fun to meet you and your wife. I'm glad that you're enjoying the knives that you got. The Murata is a fun find. It's always fun to show folks around the shop, but even more fun to show them knives that we don't even have online yet! I got to meet Murata-san on my last trip in Chiba. I'm hoping that we'll have his knives online within the next 2-3 weeks. We've got both traditional ones (like you got) as well as Western handled ones. Meeting him was one of the real highlights of my trip! Most of my work in Japan has been done in Fukui-ken, Sanjo, and Seki, with a few visits down to Sakai. Heading out to Chiba was quite exciting. Even though it is geographically so close to the main island, the culture is quite different from other places I have visited. Even the knife names and styles are entirely different!

Here's a photo of him doing some of the initial grinding on one of the knives:

DSC_0188.jpg

-daniel

Fair enough. I was at work, and didn't have a picture handy. Not the best of photographers.

Top: Takeo Murata sabaki/funyaki. Not as thick as a normal deba, has been great for jointing chickens, trimming and slicing pork tenderloin, etc.
Bottom: Yokoyama petty. Stainless, san mai, does fine cutting like a dream. 150mm.

9369260282_42f400f7e3.jpg
 
Haha! I had forgotten about this thread. Just wanted to say, after almost three years - while I really enjoy the Murata knife, the Yokoyama petty is the surprise daily workhorse at home. I use it constantly. Such a pleasure. They cut like a dream, even if they show some signs of my still-amateur sharpening skills. (Hey, I can make it sharp, the rest is cosmetic.)

We haven't been back in the Seattle area since, but I wanted to say thanks again to Daniel and crew for guiding me to the knife I wanted (the Murata) as well as the knife I clearly needed (the petty).
 
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but I have a thank you to EE and Daniel as well. I recently bought a Takeo Murata small, wide petty for a friend of mine. EE found a saya for it and cut it down to fit. I cannot thank you all enough. It was recieved with great excitement. Upon presentment, we had a few chef friends around who work in catering. They were very impressed with how well made it appeared. Today is the first day it will be pressed into service. I trust it will go well. The limes and lemons don't stand a chance.

Thanks, EE.

Cheers,

Jack
 
Nothing pleases us more than hearing we helped someone find the perfect knife for their needs. Nothing tells me we are doing our job well better than someone coming back and telling me how much they love the knife we helped them pick out. It can definitely be tough when we have so many different choices here in the shop. If you want to help others find the right knife for them, we would always appreciate reviews on our website regarding the knife you bought and love. Unfortunately there just isn't a lot of information on these hand made Japanese knives online and so many people are often unsure what they need when looking through out extensive website. Thank you so much for the kind comments about our company guys!

Jeff Swanson
EpicEdge
 

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