Watanabe users or connoisseurs... Is this just normal?

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Mundo

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Hello to all, recently I bought a Watanabe Gyuto 180mm and just arrived this morning. I was extracting it of the box when immediately I can see that the blade is not straight with respect the handle, just a few degrees "heeling" to the right side (looking at the spine)...The fact is the knife is not straight at the longitudinal axis.

Something noticeable to the eye if you check it for a minut. Also the "machi" is unregular wich is more "fatty" on one side than the other, as if it was involved (just to the right).

That's the reality, the knife is not straight. I'm sorry if I don't use the correct words to explain the concept because I have not could find a similar case in the forum. So, I attach you some photos in order that you could see it.

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Is my first gyuto, I own yanagi (just from Watanabe and no happens the same), nakiri, hankotsu, petty and some other westerns, but my first handmade gyuto. Also have a Shun Elite Chef Knife 210mm to which the same thing was happening, as you can see in the photos, I wrote to Shun Co. and they said to me that it was not normal and had to be a fault of manufacture, they me changed it into new other one immediately.




What you think about it?... Does it happen to your Gyuto knives something similarly?


Namaste.
 
The knife looks to be very old by the handle, what kind of handle is that? Definitely see the bend, did you purchase direct from Watanabe?
 
Yeah, I did. The handle is kind of burn chesnut... Have you seen that bend usually?


Namaste.
 
It's bent, drop whoever you bought it from an email with a picture and they should sort it for you.
 
I honestly can't tell much from the photos but if you bought it directly from Watanabe it won't be a problem. Send Shinichi an email and he will make things right for you.
 
Thank you for the opinions... I just wrote yesterday night to Sin and he told me that it is normal thing is his knives... He also told me that them always set the handle like the angle. It is from human engineering. After using a few months, he suppose I will understand why the handle turn a little bit right. He said me that "Your elbow, wrist and shoulder will not tiered."

By the way, he supposes I'm right handled... What if I'm left?...

I don't know what to think about, everything points at a nonsense.


What you recommend to do?


Namaste
 
An oddity for sure and to have it happen to you twice... unreal.
This is one of his custom jobs? Can you show a pic of the full blade?
 
The asymmetric machi is normal, and I've seen it on several knives (especially Shigefusas). The bend is not normal, despite what Shinichi says. I've straightened several like that successfully, but I'm crazy and would never recommend that you try to straighten it. Send it back and ask Shinichi to straighten it.
 
An oddity for sure and to have it happen to you twice... unreal.
This is one of his custom jobs? Can you show a pic of the full blade?

More than an oddity is like.. What can I do with the minor prejudice for my economy, you know that send to him and then come back with new custom issues... The knife is just this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgFg__pfxKI


The asymmetric machi is normal, and I've seen it on several knives (especially Shigefusas). The bend is not normal, despite what Shinichi says. I've straightened several like that successfully, but I'm crazy and would never recommend that you try to straighten it. Send it back and ask Shinichi to straighten it.


I'm a little bit crazy too... In the case I'd decide to do, how I must to proceed?


He likely supposes that because you didn't say otherwise...or order a lefty knife.


For sure, the left knives are more expensives... But the fact is that bent is not normal even for right handlers.


I'm going to write him and say that my elbow, wrist and shoulder don't worries me a lot at the moment and that I'd prefer it straight and what can we do.


Namaste
 
Hi at all... Finally all is going well, I'll send the knife to him and he will straight it. He even offer me that to return me the cash, but for me with the straight is ok.


Namaste.
 
I wouldn't call it bent, the handle just isn't mounted dead on. I have several knives where the handles are a few degrees off...doesn't bother me any.
 
I wouldn't call it bent, the handle just isn't mounted dead on. I have several knives where the handles are a few degrees off...doesn't bother me any.


Hi, thank you for the opinion in this thread. Can you explain a little bit more that the handle isn't mounted dead on?...


Namaste.
 
The steel itself is not bent, it was not inserted perfectly square with the handle. Guessing the hole was likely drilled at a weird angle.
 
The steel itself is not bent, it was not inserted perfectly square with the handle. Guessing the hole was likely drilled at a weird angle.

Thank you... Yes, maybe is that the problem.


Namaste.
 
I've seen and owned so many wa-handled knives with slightly crooked handle mounts that it doesn't bother me anymore. If that were my knife, I wouldn't bothered sending it back.
 
If it bugs you to the point that you aren't happy, then sending it back is the right thing to do - no question. However, I bet a wooden mallet into the bottom of the handle might fix things. I bet it's just a bit askew, inside the tang slot.

In regards to seeing many handle mounted that way, I have a couple little things to say. The first is that I have a knife by one of the most respected makers out there with a crooked installation. The handle is gorgeous, as is the blade, but if you really look and dissect each part of the knife, you can see that the blade is turned a couple of degrees. In use, it's nothing. Visually, it's not even noticeable unless you're staring the knife down like a weirdo, for over a minute. Or, as I call it, "QC".

Also, I had a knife for my site, by Adam Marr that ended up with a turned handle, and an uneven machi gap. The blade shifted during glue-up, and when I asked Adam about it, he told me to keep the knife and to hang tight for a replacement. He was good on his word, and I sold the original, donating the money to charity. Adam has a fan forever, in me, as a result. Shinichi knows how important a happy customer is, and he followed up and righted a mistake (regardless of the actual severity). Good for him.
 
I have a Watanabe Pro Nakiri that came with a twisted/bent looking mount.
Was told on another forum that it was not unusual for that class of knife.
Never had time to get used to it before I met Mike Henry on this forum and had him put a great handle on it!

Glen
 
hitting the handle wont fix this... it requires a bit more than that, but its not impossible to fix.
 
Thank you very much for the opinions. Finally I'm going to send it back for straight, let's see what Watanabe can do.

I really prefer it straight but I respect all opinions and if some people don't cares about that his knives are straight or not is just their election and very respectable.

I'm not a handmade knife expert, that's for sure because I don't have "many" (If it is an indispensable requirement to be), but I understand a little bit physics laws and... What happens if you have a blade inclined on the vertical one of the handle?

Since I understand, when we speak of cutting an object with a knife we are speaking about "dynamics" and the direction of the force (Fn + V). I am not going to enumerate the forces that intervene in the process but it is easy to feel that the correct way is more near of the unique vector obtained across the force of displacement than 2 vectors.

I mean, if the force of displacement exercised across the handle coincides with the vertical one of the blade, then we will obtain an unique vector of direction, if not, we will obtain 2, just the first one that coincide with the handle axis and the second who coincides with the spine of the blade. The result is an interaction of vectors and an inefficient way of using the force. Unless we displace the knife with a lateral movement of arm, which is not the natural way of doing it, but here already we would enter in the area of the efficiency of the human motor skills.

So... I understand that in handmade things is almost impossible go to the perfect dynamic, there are many industrial constructions with no perfect straight. Then, at this point... Which is the grade of tolerance that has each one with regard to this? ... Well, mine is that at least this inclination is not obvious to simple sight, I think that it is not to ask too much.


Namaste.
 
Thank you very much for the opinions. Finally I'm going to send it back for straight, let's see what Watanabe can do.

I really prefer it straight but I respect all opinions and if some people don't cares about that his knives are straight or not is just their election and very respectable.

I'm not a handmade knife expert, that's for sure because I don't have "many" (If it is an indispensable requirement to be), but I understand a little bit physics laws and... What happens if you have a blade inclined on the vertical one of the handle?

Since I understand, when we speak of cutting an object with a knife we are speaking about "dynamics" and the direction of the force (Fn + V). I am not going to enumerate the forces that intervene in the process but it is easy to feel that the correct way is more near of the unique vector obtained across the force of displacement than 2 vectors.

I mean, if the force of displacement exercised across the handle coincides with the vertical one of the blade, then we will obtain an unique vector of direction, if not, we will obtain 2, just the first one that coincide with the handle axis and the second who coincides with the spine of the blade. The result is an interaction of vectors and an inefficient way of using the force. Unless we displace the knife with a lateral movement of arm, which is not the natural way of doing it, but here already we would enter in the area of the efficiency of the human motor skills.

So... I understand that in handmade things is almost impossible go to the perfect dynamic, there are many industrial constructions with no perfect straight. Then, at this point... Which is the grade of tolerance that has each one with regard to this? ... Well, mine is that at least this inclination is not obvious to simple sight, I think that it is not to ask too much.


Namaste.

You're over thinking the human kinetics of a knife with a small deviation.
 
You're over thinking the human kinetics of a knife with a small deviation.

Yeah, you are right if you mean that I'm a bit exaggerating the effect (because the bent is not on many degrees) but the cause is still there on that deviation. I mean both vectors of direction are still presents and if we should apply the sufficient force the trend would be to increasing this deviation.

Of course there are margins of tolerance and functionality, I conform if it is not obvious to the eye.


Namaste.
 
I am pretty much with Mundo, if this can be fixed it should be fixed. We are not talking about $5 knife here. If somebody has a tolerance to this issue this is fine with me as well.
 
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