Takeda cleaver comparison - New vs Old (pic heavy)

[XooMG]

My nakiri's first F is pretty good; it's that second F that's imperfect. Some scuffing and scratches on the ferrule, but nothing to complain about.

And for what it's worth, though mine has some characteristics of the "new" geometry that Dave regards as a problem, the knife did not have any wedging problems in thick carrots. Perhaps the heavier, thicker blades would be affected, but the nakiri did a pretty great job of not wedging or sticking. I was expecting to be disappointed after going through this thread, too.

[chobint]

Although this video might be an infomercial (I wasn't aware of that, as I've said before), one cannot deny that Takeda knives are something special. I'm sure, as Justin is, that Shosui can make any style of knife, in any way he wants. He is very skilled and takes custom orders on the fly.

I do like the rustic finish - his Kurouchi finish is one of a kind, the easy to sharpen edge and the overall thickness of his blades. The epoxy ensures a water tight finish on the handle, which lots of other makers do not have and moisture might get into the handle.

All of the qualities above made me order a custom Nakiri (AS Classic), which Shosui is going to forge for me in the coming month. It's going to be an absolute beast, but thats the way I like Nakiri's (slightly oversized at 200mm long and 65mm high).

Sounds awesome. Looking forward to your impressions when it arrives.

[chobint]

Well in case anyone needed closure on my cleaver dilemma (i did)... I've gone thru a couple stages of thinning. I started by trying to make the bevel look even and 'pretty'. The cutting performance was still unacceptable and it became apparent that there were lots of hotspots in the blade, especially toward the tip and heel. There were two things that made the blade finally perform, more thinning and straightening out the apparently warped blade. I may have been guilty of applying too much pressure while thinning, but I see now why people have described their Takedas as unacceptably thin and malleable. My new Takeda is unacceptably thin and malleable. I also flattened out the profile in the middle to give a nice sweet spot for chopping.

After all this, the new cleaver cuts like a dream as long as you have the natural weight of your shoulder and arm behind it in the push cut motion. However, it doesn't have nearly enough mass to do the wrist-flick slap-chop that the old cleaver excels at. She weighs in at 12.15oz (~345g) post thinning. I dare say I've learned that there is such a thing as too light a knife from this venture. Custom handle with depleted uranium spacers? Any takers?

[erikz]

im usually not a nakiri person at all, but that tall blade height sounds really cool. please let us(or atleast me) know how it works out for you.

I will! I'll post pictures and my experience with the knife in the 'newest buy' thread so you can keep up with my expierence with the knife.

Sounds awesome. Looking forward to your impressions when it arrives.

Same goes for your request

[erikz]

By the way, forgot to mention this; but Shosui usually produces a few copies of a custom order... So you might be able to order one with him if you like the one I'm going to get.

[Oui Chef]

Although this video might be an infomercial (I wasn't aware of that, as I've said before), one cannot deny that Takeda knives are something special. I'm sure, as Justin is, that Shosui can make any style of knife, in any way he wants. He is very skilled and takes custom orders on the fly.

I do like the rustic finish - his Kurouchi finish is one of a kind, the easy to sharpen edge and the overall thickness of his blades. The epoxy ensures a water tight finish on the handle, which lots of other makers do not have and moisture might get into the handle.

All of the qualities above made me order a custom Nakiri (AS Classic), which Shosui is going to forge for me in the coming month. It's going to be an absolute beast, but thats the way I like Nakiri's (slightly oversized at 200mm long and 65mm high).

one can't deny that they're special
that's going to be one aggressive Nakiri , sounds like an interesting overall profile, post pics when complete!

[erikz]

one can't deny that they're special
that's going to be one aggressive Nakiri , sounds like an interesting overall profile, post pics when complete!

Will do Ill keep you guys up-to-date.