What is the deal with Fujiwara Teruyasu

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vai777

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Are these knives worth the money? The White #1 seems reasonable specially the shorter lengths but the Aogami Super prices are out of this world. Anyone have one of these? They look cool as hell... but seriously... the price?
 
I had a Nashiji (White #1) 240 gyuto, which was a reasonable knife for the $230 i paid for it. Core steel is excellent, stainless cladding a bonus. Rustic fit and finish was not a problem for me. Cutting performance was unremarkable, grind was decent but nothing more. Personally I wouldn't lay out serious money for a Maboroshi or Denka, ymmv.
 
yeah I heard the Nashiji was not the greatest, wondering if the next level up is any better
 
Their pricing structure seems little odd, there is so much difference between 210-240



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I used to have a 195mm Maboroshi no Meito Western Gyuto. It was an excellent knife and I wish I hadn't sold it! The AS ones are crazy expensive though! Wow!
 
Nashiji has given me a bit of grief...very wonky grind and very uneven edge...thinning has been a real chore and I'm tempted to give up on it or give it to someone with a grinder, instead of continuing to punish my JNS300 stone. Maybe the heat treat is good, but I don't think it's worth the work, unlike a Toshihiro or a Zakuri.
 
XooMG said:
Nashiji has given me a bit of grief...very wonky grind and very uneven edge...thinning has been a real chore and I'm tempted to give up on it or give it to someone with a grinder, instead of continuing to punish my JNS300 stone. Maybe the heat treat is good, but I don't think it's worth the work, unlike a Toshihiro or a Zakuri.
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the Nashiji is the low end of his knives right?
 
Nashiji (white #1) is his cheapest line, then Maboroshi (white #1), then Denka (blue super). He also makes some kasumi and kurouchi knives iirc.
 
The core steel on the Nashiji is fine. I thinned mine down considerably, and it now looks like a Carter as the surface has been smoothed. Trying to remove metal on soft stainless is a PITA. It took hours and hours of work.

I have yet to sharpen my Denka extra-tall nakiri which Fujiwara custom made for me. It has not chipped (which is amazing) and it really behaves like HRC65+. Edge just does not roll at all.

I think there are better values out there and the grind has small flaws here and there. The fit and finish on the handles is really poor, but I really don't care as they're comfortable in my hand.
 
vai777 said:
Are these knives worth the money? The White #1 seems reasonable specially the shorter lengths but the Aogami Super prices are out of this world. Anyone have one of these? They look cool as hell... but seriously... the price?
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I'm conflicted about these knives. Years ago, I found a 240mm Denka no Hoto gyuto at knifewear (in Canada), that I immediately fell in love with. I love the choil inset, and the knife had perfect balance. You know that feeling where you pick up a knife and it feels like it was made for you? That said, even on this knife, which was marked with the RH to show that it had been made by Fujiwara himself the F&F was terrible. The scales were misfits, and the bolsters looked like they had an angle grinder applied to them by a blind man with epilepsy. Kevin (the owner at knifewear) tried to convince me that these flaws should likened to the imperfection of a zen teapot, but it just seemed like laziness to me. I loved that knife, but I just couldn't get over it.

I love his profiles, the grinds are pretty good, and by all reputation he knows how to get the best out of super blue-- but I don't think that he respects the people he's selling his product to, so I'm not buying it.
 
menzaremba said:
I'm conflicted about these knives. Years ago, I found a 240mm Denka no Hoto gyuto at knifewear (in Canada), that I immediately fell in love with. I love the choil inset, and the knife had perfect balance. You know that feeling where you pick up a knife and it feels like it was made for you? That said, even on this knife, which was marked with the RH to show that it had been made by Fujiwara himself the F&F was terrible. The scales were misfits, and the bolsters looked like they had an angle grinder applied to them by a blind man with epilepsy. Kevin (the owner at knifewear) tried to convince me that these flaws should likened to the imperfection of a zen teapot, but it just seemed like laziness to me. I loved that knife, but I just couldn't get over it.

I love his profiles, the grinds are pretty good, and by all reputation he knows how to get the best out of super blue-- but I don't think that he respects the people he's selling his product to, so I'm not buying it.
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interesting take... I wouldn't buy a western handle version cause I've seen the abomination those handles can be. the traditional handled knives seem pretty good FF wise. I love the 180 Santoku at EE, really taking all I have to not pull the trigger....
 
I've sharpened a Denka no Hoto 240 Gyuto for guy a number of times over the last few years. Although at first I thought it felt brittle ( freakin hard!) , there were never and chips or damage to the blade when it got to me. He doesn't exactly baby his knives. I really liked the way it felt and considered buying a 210. I almost choked when get told he what he paid for his. For a long time , it was the sharpest knife I'd experienced, although, what the heck do I know.
 
The Denka doesn't chip easily. Still no visible chips with regular chopping. Which is truly amazing for such a hard knife. And seriously never needs sharpening. My ZDP189 knife accumulated so many chips during average use, it was silly.
 
bkdc said:
The Denka doesn't chip easily. Still no visible chips with regular chopping. Which is truly amazing for such a hard knife. And seriously never needs sharpening. My ZDP189 knife accumulated so many chips during average use, it was silly.
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The Denka is the Blue Steel right?
 
I have to say that I really like my 210 Nashiji gyuto. I purchased it directly from the maker, so it was only about $200 and change. I got it with a wa handle to avoid the well-documented fit and finish issues of the yo handle. It is a fine cutter.

The one fit and finish issue on my knife is the spine. The cladding is not flush with the core steel, so there is a noticeable ridge down the spine. Someday I'll even it out with some sandpaper. It doesn't bother me much unless I look at it.
 
kiefer said:
I have to say that I really like my 210 Nashiji gyuto. I purchased it directly from the maker, so it was only about $200 and change. I got it with a wa handle to avoid the well-documented fit and finish issues of the yo handle. It is a fine cutter.

The one fit and finish issue on my knife is the spine. The cladding is not flush with the core steel, so there is a noticeable ridge down the spine. Someday I'll even it out with some sandpaper. It doesn't bother me much unless I look at it.
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I've noticed this cladding issue on a few of his knives. Any one visited his shop? Do they just turn the lights on and off occasionally?
 
I ordered the 210 Nashji directly through the maker too and only gave $183 delivered to my door. The best OOTB edge I've ever seen. Holds the craziest sharp edge for ever! It is a chopping machine.
F&F is another story. Got it with a wa handle and it sucked about as bad as the yo. You gotta love a cheap ho wood with plastic ferrule. There was a pretty nasty gap around the handle too. The spine and choil were very sharp and needed to be rounded.
If he could pull the F&F issues together it would be a great knife even at the higher prices here in the states.
 
kiefer said:
I have to say that I really like my 210 Nashiji gyuto. I purchased it directly from the maker, so it was only about $200 and change. I got it with a wa handle to avoid the well-documented fit and finish issues of the yo handle. It is a fine cutter.

The one fit and finish issue on my knife is the spine. The cladding is not flush with the core steel, so there is a noticeable ridge down the spine. Someday I'll even it out with some sandpaper. It doesn't bother me much unless I look at it.
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What do you mean the cladding isn't flush? Any pics?
 
vai777 said:
What do you mean the cladding isn't flush? Any pics?
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I've seen some of his knives where the cladding sits "slightly" above the core steel along the spine. It leaves a very slight "gully" down the center of the spine. Not deep, less than a mm I'd guess, but it's there.
 
bahamaroot said:
I've seen some of his knives where the cladding sits "slightly" above the core steel along the spine. It leaves a very slight "gully" down the center of the spine. Not deep, less than a mm I'd guess, but it's there.
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oh... that is an easy fix...
 
bahamaroot said:
I've seen some of his knives where the cladding sits "slightly" above the core steel along the spine. It leaves a very slight "gully" down the center of the spine. Not deep, less than a mm I'd guess, but it's there.
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That is exactly how my knife is.

I paid about $200 because I upgraded to the handle with a horn ferrule. It is a pretty nice stock handle.
 
CoqaVin said:
I have noticed this too, there is big jump in price difference from the 210 to 240
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Simple segmentation.

People that make their income from cooking and enthusiasts will want 240. The not enthusiasts and gift knifes will want something that peaks at 210. So you make the segment with more money pay more.
 
Lizzardborn said:
Simple segmentation.

People that make their income from cooking and enthusiasts will want 240. The not enthusiasts and gift knifes will want something that peaks at 210. So you make the segment with more money pay more.
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chefs make more money? news to me. but then I am not one. :razz:
 
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