Shigies

So, anyone have any thoughts on the Shigefusa Kasumi line vs. Kitaeji? Contemplating a purchase and was wondering if any one could compare/contrast the two. One thing I will say, is that I noticed both are soft iron clad. Doesn't really bother me, but I have a Masakage Shimo with soft iron damascus cladding and literally, as soon as I put it through a particularly acid/possibly turning bad onion, the iron took on a rather unattractive patina (sork of a light poopy brown/yellow). Given the Shimo damascus as a very matte finish and I think that exposes more of the grain in the iron, but was curious if others have experienced this with the shigs. Again, not a deal breaker by any means, just good know as it might be worth letting a light petina set through other produce before putting it through onions.

I have a kasumi 240 gyuto, and the first thing I did with it was julienne 8 quarts of onions. Gave it a wipe between onion halves. Did some more prep, and repeated again the next day. No funky smell, no staining. And no gross patina either. On another(albeit related) note- I asked Jon to do a more 'traditional' Kasumi finish with natural stones on said Shig a couple months later. Upon receipt, I did the same 8 quart julienne, and the patina set in about three times as fast. Literally. And looks amazing.

Very good to know. Thought the comments about odd smells etc. on other posts were a bit bizarre. Iron cladding reacts for sure, but in the short time I've had a Masakage Shimo, I've put it through everything from cooked proteins, to hard citrus, starch, greens etc. and never detected an odor other than on the blade itself post-work. Will say, while skinning and slicing some mangoes, a nasty blackish sludge did develop from the skin of the fruit, but that's neither here nor there as it relates to the Shig.
BTW, ended up grabbing a Shig Kasumi in 240 from Japan Woodworker. Pretty pumped

brainsausage said:

I have a kasumi 240 gyuto, and the first thing I did with it was julienne 8 quarts of onions. Gave it a wipe between onion halves. Did some more prep, and repeated again the next day. No funky smell, no staining. And no gross patina either. On another(albeit related) note- I asked Jon to do a more 'traditional' Kasumi finish with natural stones on said Shig a couple months later. Upon receipt, I did the same 8 quart julienne, and the patina set in about three times as fast. Literally. And looks amazing.

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Would you mind posting a few pics?

Dave Kinogie said:

Would you mind posting a few pics?

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I've been meaning to for awhile now, both to showcase Jon's work, and the new handle I just had installed. But life has been a bit hectic lately....

ChipB said:

So, anyone have any thoughts on the Shigefusa Kasumi line vs. Kitaeji? Contemplating a purchase and was wondering if any one could compare/contrast the two. One thing I will say, is that I noticed both are soft iron clad.

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If your pocket is deep and prefer a more polished knife from the maker, go with kitaeji. Apart from look, the benefit of kitaeji cladding is that it is made of steel/iron so it is strong there than plain iron cladding in a sense (see http://hides-export.blogspot.com.au/2011/06/q-with-iizuka-san.html) .

My shige was quite reactive. It was not as reactive as Masakage Shimo for example, but still. The patina that it develops rather quickly - is the orangy one. I take it away with bar keepers friend and rub with baking soda. The patina seems to be taking better color now.

Bottom line, Shige Kasumi is similar to Shimo but less in my experience.

Good to know. May try to use darkhoeks method to force a patina. Messing around with it on the Shimo and having some pretty good results. Added some cow protein powder to the mix to see if I could add a bit of blue to the patina. Have another few rounds, but will try and post a pick when it's done

I cut a lot of proteins with mine in the beginning stages to force the patina. Pretty happy with the blueish grey color it has now.

Here's the patina I forced on a Masakage Shimo earlier. Not too bad, and shows off the iron damascus quite well, but think for the Shig, would prefer a protein blue hue for the solid cladding.

i am new to knife. how can i tell a knife has solid-better cladding?

Are you asking about cladding that won't patina? If the knife is clad in stainless steel it won't discolor. That said, some very nice knives are clad in carbon steel or iron which will patina.

brainsausage said:

I've been meaning to for awhile now, both to showcase Jon's work, and the new handle I just had installed. But life has been a bit hectic lately....

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I feel you man, lately it's felt like there aren't enough hours in the day.