Aogami Super Steel and knife choices

I keep reading that most of the people here prefer carbon steel knifes. All my knives are stainless and I started thinking that probably i should try carbon steel knife too. I like the look of the kurochi finish and read that Aogami has good edge retention and it takes a good edge. Currently I am considering these 2 knives:

http://www.This Site Not Allowed Here.com.com/tagyas24.html Takeda

and

http://www.epicureanedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=91618&photo=2&size=b

I would like to read what you guys think think about the steel, the finish , these 2 knives and any other alternatives you might suggest.

Hi Vlad. Welcome to KKF! I LOVE Takedas and swear by aogami. ( have tried most of Takedas knives ) I am not a pro, but my Takedas make me feel like a pro as far as sharpening and edge retention goes. The finish is very durable and I have not had any issues with it. When the knives come out of the box the edges tend to be a bit crisp and on some knives I had micro chips which smoothed over after the first sharpening. Also, there is a big difference in geometry and thickness of blades with older and newer Takedas. The funky rusty patina issues go away for the most part after a good week or two of solid workhorse action. Also, your first link didn't work. Was that a link for a 240 Takeda? I have a really nice one with a custom handle and a silver spacer I might be able to sell you for a good price if you are interested.

I don't know much about the Tonjinbo but i have purchased from Epicurian Edge before. They are a very reputable vendor. Also I'm not sure if you aware but KKF members recieve a 10% discount on most items from EE.http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/12082-KKF-Members-get-a-discount

Aogami Super is a great steel with many fans, alot of love for Takedas around here.

my chef uses an asai gyuto and it takes a really nice edge and seems to hold it basically forever. id recommend either choice as an awesome one. I tend to favor takeda over the asai but i own a few takedas and love them!

the 270mm sujihiki that takeda makes is like a gyuto shape. it is not a short suji with no knuckle clearance and it performs insanely well. It is one of the only knives in my kit that can be sharpened once a week and still used to cut hundreds of rolls. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for an amazing gyuto. I find the takeda gyutos to be too tall and kind of silly though.

Thanks quantumcloud509.
I think they filter this url out. The knife is Takeda AS Classic > Takeda Classic Gyuto 240mm Medium.
If I decide to go the Takeda I would be definitely interested in buying yours.
I was wandering how difficult is the maintenance does it rust if you dont oil it every time after use? Also how thin is the 240 and at what angle do you sharpen these?

vlad8 said:

Thanks quantumcloud509.
I think they filter this url out. The knife is Takeda AS Classic > Takeda Classic Gyuto 240mm Medium.
If I decide to go the Takeda I would be definitely interested in buying yours.
I was wandering how difficult is the maintenance does it rust if you dont oil it every time after use.

Click to expand...

Not to speak for QC, but Takeda's are not as reactive as you may have been led to believe. If you are going to put this knife (or any other carbon knife) away for a time period (maybe at least a week) where it will see no use then you should oil the blade. As long as you do not live with extreme humidity, then you should be able to dry your knife after use and it will be fine until the next use.

You should talk to QuantumCloud because Takeda's stock handles are extremely small in my medium/large hands and maybe his is more comfortable.

I recently bought the Asai Tonjibo you're looking at and I am very happy with it. It is probably a heavier blade then the Takeda, but still an excellent cutter once you put a good edge on it (ootb edge is good, but far from great). It also has more belly then most other kiritsuke style gyutos, which is actually why I bought it. I find I like a little more belly for proteins. The cladding is a little reactive the first couple of days but then settles down nicely (never effected the food though).

Oh, it's also one of the most bad-assed looking knives you'll ever find for around $300 (w/forum discount) :viking:

Hope that helps.

Be well,
Mikey

Brad Gibson said:

my chef uses an asai gyuto and it takes a really nice edge and seems to hold it basically forever. id recommend either choice as an awesome one. I tend to favor takeda over the asai but i own a few takedas and love them!

the 270mm sujihiki that takeda makes is like a gyuto shape. it is not a short suji with no knuckle clearance and it performs insanely well. It is one of the only knives in my kit that can be sharpened once a week and still used to cut hundreds of rolls. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for an amazing gyuto. I find the takeda gyutos to be too tall and kind of silly though.

Click to expand...

I also have a custom handled Takeda suji I would be willing to let go of

vlad8 said:

Thanks quantumcloud509.
I think they filter this url out. The knife is Takeda AS Classic > Takeda Classic Gyuto 240mm Medium.
If I decide to go the Takeda I would be definitely interested in buying yours.
I was wandering how difficult is the maintenance does it rust if you dont oil it every time after use? Also how thin is the 240 and at what angle do you sharpen these?

Click to expand...

I only oil my blades if Im sending them off to someone or if they are in storage. I sharpen at 70/30. The 240 is a laser.

chinacats said:

Not to speak for QC, but Takeda's are not as reactive as you may have been led to believe. If you are going to put this knife (or any other carbon knife) away for a time period (maybe at least a week) where it will see no use then you should oil the blade. As long as you do not live with extreme humidity, then you should be able to dry your knife after use and it will be fine until the next use.

You should talk to QuantumCloud because Takeda's stock handles are extremely small in my medium/large hands and maybe his is more comfortable.

Click to expand...

The 240 handle I have is a little bit thicker diameter than the 270 Tkaedas I have. I personally prefer and love the thin handles, but I also have larger hands. I feel like I have more control over the knife this way.

My initial J knives were all a variant of stainless. Ginga, Suisin IH, Tad INOX, Yoshi SLD and AEB-L all come to mind. Still have most of them. When I wanted to try a carbon a member let me borrow a Takeda Gyuto. I liked the height, great cutter, danced on the board, but I could not get past the rustic(?) finish. And if I did not wipe it with oil it would start to rust as soon as the lights were out.

Stainless will always have a place for me but I'm transitioning to more carbon with stainless clad knives and kasumi finished knives. Kasumi will patina as much as you let it or be as clean as you want to keep it. I've not had any rust issues.

FWIW Phoenix is a price competitive source for Takeda that does not involve asterisks: http://www.phoenixknifehouse.com/

A couple inexpensive options are the ku white steel Tosa knives at Hida Tool, and the stainless clad aogami Dojo label at EE. Maybe get your feet wet with a small investment, and see if carbon is for you...

How bout a hiromoto?

+1 on Tosagata from Hida Tool. Incredible value for the money (< $50).

mkriggen said:

I recently bought the Asai Tonjibo you're looking at and I am very happy with it. It is probably a heavier blade then the Takeda, but still an excellent cutter once you put a good edge on it (ootb edge is good, but far from great). It also has more belly then most other kiritsuke style gyutos, which is actually why I bought it. I find I like a little more belly for proteins. The cladding is a little reactive the first couple of days but then settles down nicely (never effected the food though).

Oh, it's also one of the most bad-assed looking knives you'll ever find for around $300 (w/forum discount) :viking:

Hope that helps.

Be well,
Mikey

Click to expand...

That is a cool looking knife,like carbon hammer finish blades,that one is esp. nice.

i like the look of these masakages, anybody tried them?
http://knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=35

ThEoRy said:

How bout a hiromoto?

Click to expand...

+1
Their AS is kept reasonably soft -- I guess some 62Rc -- which has some advantages in daily life.

Plus it's cladded with stainless, also an advantage for some.

has anyone tried one of these?
http://bernalcutlery.com/shop/asai-aogami-super-240mm-tsuchime-stainless-clad-wa-gyuto-copy

stainless clad AS hammer finish. the specs are just right for me and if i had the funds i'd jump all over it.
4mm spine, 57mm height, nice taper and grind looks good.

These really look good. do you know what is the dimensions on the 240mm one. isnt 4mm too much?