Experience with any of these makers?

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Matus

Staff member
Global Moderators
KKF Supporting Craftsman
KKF Supporting Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2013
Messages
10,565
Reaction score
3,913
Location
Germany
I keep browsing the EE website and there are indeed quite some nice knives. I have tried to find some information about the makers here on the forum, but often found rather little. So I though I would ask directly what your opinion is.

So I would like to ask your opinion on the following makers:
- Asai (and in particular the Tojinbo and Hayabusa lines)
- Teruyasu Fujiwara (Maboroshi no Meito, Denka no Hoto)
- Kumagoro (the hammer finished series)
- Takeo Murata
- Tadafusa (Nashiji series)
- Sakon
- Yoshikane (SKD and SLD) - this one is rather well known and highly regarded, I list them here as I find still very interesting (I have 80mm SKD petty and like it)

I am not asking whether one is better over the other as these are from different materials and at different price points (sub $100 to $500+). I would like to ask whether these are good value and worth buying, or one would be better off with XYZ brand for about the same money. Do not hesitate to mention knives from JKI or JNS. I keep eye on knives from both vendors.

In general I am looking into smaller petty knives (around 120mm) and Funayuki/Santoku/similar (around 165mm) and stainless clad carbon (or semi-stainless), maybe even pure carbon. Not a pure stainless though.

I would appreciate your opinions, thoughts and of course experience.

thank you
 
Only one I can comment on is the Asai

A fellow coworker has one and it is a nice knife

Sharp and durable
 
I have an Asai petty 150 mm. I like it a lot, and so does my husband. He has big hands and uses it as a parer.
 
I have had three different Asai Tojinbo's. The 105mm paring, the 180mm nakiri, and the 240mm kiritsuke tip gyuto. The paring and the gyuto were both good solid performers and well worth the money (the 240mm K-tip gyuto is also the most bad-assed looking thing you can hold in your hand for around $300:viking: ). The nakiri was originally a love/hate relationship. It was an outstanding cutter (the best in my drawer at the time), but had way too much belly for a nakiri. I recently had Jon at JKI reprofile it and now it's just a love relationship. The nakiri also comes in a little short, closer to a 165 then a 180, but still a great knife. The cladding is a little reactive the first couple of times you use it, but settles down pretty quickly. Asai's AS is pretty nice steel, it sharpens up nicely and holds an edge real well. I haven't had any problems with chipping either.

I have two Yoshikane damascus SLD's, the 165 nakiri and the 240 k-tip gyuto. Outstanding knives. Looks, performance, and F&F are all top notch. The k-tip gyuto has a very flat profile (not as flat as a Takeda, but still pretty flat), but I like it that way. The handles EE puts on their Yoshi's are pretty nice also. The SLD steel is very nice. A little harder to sharpen then carbon, but much nicer then most of the full stainless's. It will take a slight patina, but it just gives it a warmer look. If you're willing to spend the money, you can't go wrong with the SLD's.

Be well,
Mikey

 
I have one of the Tadafusa (Nashiji series) Nakiri it is a super value in my mind for the price. It just does what it is supposed to do. Hope that helps.
 
I have several Kumagoro knives. 270 and 240 gyuto, a nakiri and the petite santoku. Love them all. Sharpen nice and easy, hold an edge nicely, form a nice patina too.
 
I've got an Asai Hayabusa nakiri and am a little baffled by it. It should be a great cutter, but just doesn't seem to go throgh food as well as it ought to. Perhaps it just needs a little work.
 
I picked up a Takeo Murata sabaki from The Epicurean Edge that is a wonderful chicken "killer". The handle is ho wood with a horn ferrule, plain by some standards, but it looks "right" on the knife and works just fine. I've had it a few months, and the kurouchi finish hasn't flaked off. If I wanted more knives of this style, I wouldn't hesitate to get another.

Rick
 
Thank you - these are exactly the type of answers I have hoped for.

Please keep it coming :)
 
a friend of mine uses an asai gyuto. it has a beautiful fit and finish and great edge retention. i would recommend this maker
 
fujiwara nashiji is great value ordered direct from him if your after smaller sized stuff.

I bought the 150 petty and its a great little knife.
 
I had a Sakon 10 inch gyuto and while I chose not to keep it I can say only good things about it.

The fit and finish was top quality, rounded spine and choil, perfectly installed handle, but what really does not come across at all in the photos online is how nice the finish is to the sides, a very high polish with a beautiful shine that enhances the damascus pattern, it's definetly a blade
that catches the eye and the performance is exactly what you would expect.
The only thing I'd warn about with these is that the handles tend to be large for the blades, moreso that usual with traditional handled knives, but with a custom handle more proportional to the blade, these knives would be majestic.

I've had Kumagoro hammer finished knives too and while again I chose not to keep them they were excellent blades for the money, performance is again what you would expect from the steel used, too rustic for me as they come but that's very much a matter of personal taste.
 
I have two Yoshikane damascus SLD's, the 165 nakiri and the 240 k-tip gyuto. Outstanding knives. Looks, performance, and F&F are all top notch.

Be well,
Mikey

[/COLOR]

I have an SKD kasumi which I got from JNS. It fits the description above. Distal taper and geometry are masterful.
 
Ineed - I have yet to hear a negative comment about Yoshikane SKD or SLD knives. I had (for a short period) 270 SLD Sujihiki and still have 80mm SKD petty. I would consider SLD, but the price of $400+ is a bit on the high side and I would probably treat myself with a Shigefusa at that point (I am not saying that Shig is better than Yoshi, but Maksim managed to get me all hyped-up :D )

I am really happy to hear that the makers I am looking are seen positively.

I am of course also looking at what it available at JNS or JKI - in particular JNS as being located in EU I would not have to deal with taxes and expensive shipping, but it all comes to what I am actually looking for (which I am still trying to figure out in detail)
 
Last edited:
Stainless clad carbon, JNS - sounds like you might want to look at Itinomonn kasumi.
 
Stainless clad carbon, JNS - sounds like you might want to look at Itinomonn kasumi.

I do, but nothing that is available right now fits the bill (Maksim just got an email :) ). Concerning the Itinomonn - I find the little Aikira very interesting.
 
Back
Top