echerub
Senior Member
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- Mar 3, 2011
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The idea behind this Mega-Bundle
A lot of us go through a lot of knives to learn how one maker is different from another, how one type of steel performs compared to another, and just what works best for us. It can be a long and involved process - especially the part about waiting for individual items of interest to pop up on the BST!
So... what I'm doing now is creating bundles for the knives that I'm selling. This benefits you in three ways:
1. You get a broad selection of knives in one go that lets you *immediately* do comparisons between makers, steels, etc.
2. You save a whole lot of money compared to buying brand new, particularly as prices continue to rise
3. You save a whole lot of time and *stress* hunting and competing on BST for the knives you want
How does this benefit me?
1. Packaging for shipping is a *lot* easier for me this way
2. I cry a little less when I see how much shipping costs
3. And yes, I get to fill in some of the financial hole I dug for myself
I'm going to offer different bundles - a single-bevel bundle, a double-bevel bundle, and a chuka bundle.
This is what's in this single-bevel bundle:
Deba
1. Sakai Takayuki white-2 180mm - forged by Kenji Togashi and finished by Yukinori Oda. Both are certified Sakai traditional craftsmen, and Kenji Togashi forges the Suisin Densho line of knives and the Suisin Momiji knives. Never used it, so it's brand-spankin' new.
2. Yoshihiro 150mm blue-2 150mm honkasumi with saya - this is a "meat-and-potatoes" deba, made well but it's a workman's knife. It'll be an interesting comparison against the Sakai Takayuki forged and finished by particularly notable craftsmen. Can you tell the difference? Is the difference worth it to you? I had originally intended to use this knife as my "carry deba" to take with me to friends' and family members' kitchens, but that need never seems to come up. But if you need to carry a deba around and take apart fish up to 2.5 lbs or 3 lbs in weight, this is a really cool little deba to have on-hand.
3. Konosuke Fujiyama blue-2 270mm mioroshi with saya - this thing is a beast, and it's a custom piece you're not likely to come across again. This knife is essentially brand-new. I never got around to using it - too pretty, too beastly - and I don't think the previous owner ever got to use it because he sold it very shortly after receiving it (and he waited a long time between ordering and receiving, if I remember correctly). I am sad to see this one go, but if it's a knife that won't see any use in my hands, then I am not the one to hang on to it. I think this knife will really give you a sense for what big deba and big mioroshi are all about. There won't be *any* fish that you can't take apart with this baby.
4. Yoshikane SKD 150mm - standard-profile medium-sized deba in semi-stainless SKD steel, by Yoshikane who apparently really likes experimenting with different steels and trying new things, and I think this is a very nice medium deba. This one has seen a bit of use, but in excellent condition.
5. Mikihisa blue-2 90mm kurouchi - a small ko-deba (or aji-kiri), perfect for filleting small fish like whiting or small rainbow trout or catfish; definitely a no-frills little knife, but very handy around the kitchen if you ever deal with small fish
6. Konosuke Fujiyama blue-1 210mm mioroshi w saya - a beautiful knife with its rosewood handle, you don't usually see them with blue 1 hagane; I have never used it since I received it, but I have absolute confidence that it's going to be absolutely kick-ass for its new owner
7. Itinomonn white-2 240mm kurouchi mioroshi - a bigger mioroshi that can handle pretty much anything you throw at it; very good contrast against the 210mm mioroshi above, and together these two mioroshi will let you see how a mioroshi compares to a regular deba and also how you can use the mioroshi to filet as well as slice (which is exactly what the hybrid design is meant to do!)
8. Sakai Takayuki white-2 180mm by Keijiro Doi - the man who forged this knife practically needs no introduction; beautiful knife with rosewood handle, and I've never used it so this is absolutely brand-spankin' new. Compare this knife against the other wonderful deba above and decide for yourself if master craftsmen really have a special touch!
Kiritsuke
1. Suisin Densho white-1 240mm with saya - forged by Kenji Togashi (hey, here he is again!); beautiful knife, handles wonderfully, and it's a great, portable size. I've used this a bit - it was my carry-knife for a while for making snacks at the office - but it's only seen the stones once. Want to see how one of Suisin's premier lines performs? Want to see how a 240mm single-bevel slicer performs? This is the knife to try.
2. Suisin Saika white-2 270mm with saya - forged by Itsuo Doi, son of the legendary Keijiro Doi. I bought this one in order to see what Itsuo Doi's work is like, but I haven't gotten around to using it. Not even once. So this is brand-spankin' new. *You* will have to tell me how Itsuo Doi's work compares to others!
3. Furinkazan blue-2 270mm w saya - a beautiful knife made by craftsmen specially selected by Japanese Chefs Knife, but I haven't used it even once; you're going to have to tell me how this performs, especially against the Doi!
4. Sakai Takayuki white-2 270mm by Keijiro Doi - another beautiful knife made by the now-retired master, with rosewood handle, and never-used so it's absolutely brand new. I'd love to keep this one, but it's just not to be. You are going to have to tell me how this performs and compares
Usuba
1. Yoshikane SKD 195mm - a wonderful, light and nimble usuba from the knife geeks at Yoshikane; a basic but excellent performer. Used a few times, but I've never taken it to the stones.
2. Konosuke Fujiyama white-2 180mm mukimono w saya - the Fujiyama line is Konosuke's premier product line, and I had intended to use this knife to try doing mukimono work. Alas, that was not to be, and now here's *your* chance to use this great little knife to create beautiful edible art!
3. Sakai Takayuki white-2 195mm by Keijiro Doi - a great usuba from the now-retired master; rosewood handle, never used so it's absolutely brand new; it'll be very interesting to compare this against the Yoshikane - just be sure to post your thoughts on KKF once you've done that comparison
Yanagiba
1. Taikyu white-1 300mm with saya - white 1 is not a steel you see very often, so this is a chance to try out what a white-1 yanagiba is like. I never got a chance to use this one, so it's brand new.
2. Suisin Saika white-2 300mm with saya - forged by Itsuo Doi, son of the legendary Keijiro Doi. Again, I bought this one in order to see what Itsuo Doi's work is like, but I haven't gotten around to using it. It's brand new. *You* are going to have to tell me how Itsuo Doi's work compares to others!
3. Shigefusa Kiya 300mm - everyone talks about Shigefusa knives, with particularly high regard for single bevels. This one is Kiya-branded, but the back side shows that it is Shigefusa-made. I have another Shigefusa yanagiba, and I haven't used this one since I received it, so this is *your* chance to try what so many people have talked about and raved about.
4. Suisin Dreamcraft white-2a 330mm kensaki yanagiba w saya - this is the epitome of cool, forged by Kenji Togashi (again!), with white buffalo horn ferrule and endcap on a yew handle. This is one of the best yanagiba that has come from Suisin, and it is as eye-droppingly beautiful as you can get without going kitaeji. Beauty and performance.
5. Sakai Takayuki white-2 300mm by Keijiro Doi - this is a yanagiba forged by the now-retired master; rosewood handle, never used so it's totally brand new. All I ask is that you post your thoughts about this knife when you can
6. Sakai Izuminokami kitaeji blue-1 300mm with ebony handle & saya, silk knife bag, and ho wood box - made by certified Sakai traditional craftsmen, and the attention to detail and quality shows very clearly. I had bought this intending it to be my last and greatest yanagiba. It has never been used, so it's absolutely brand new. With this yanagiba, you'll see the pinnacle of Sakai craftsmanship. One of the best steels available, with handforged kitaeji cladding, and absolutely luxurious handle and saya - this is the knife against which you can compare all others (like, say the Shigefusa and the Doi, or white-1 and white-2 )
How Much Is It Gonna Hurt?
So that's 21 great single-bevel knives in this bundle. You get to compare the great makers and and all the great steels, all in one go. Shigefusa vs Keijiro Doi vs Itsuo Doi vs Kenji Togashi vs other master craftsmen? It's all here!
Plus, 3 of these knives you're not likely to ever see available again - the custom 270 Fujiyama mioroshi, the Suisin Dreamcraft yanagiba and the Sakai Izuminokami kitaeji yanagiba.
This bundle is perfect for anyone who's starting to get serious about investigating the world of single bevels. You can honestly end your search right here, right now and compress years of searching and testing into one moment. I know we're a bunch of enablers here, but this is truly an extended educational journey all wrapped up into one package for you.
The pricetag for this bundle is gonna hurt a bit - but it'll hurt a lot less than buying these separately, especially over time as as retail and second-hand prices continue to increase. I'm asking USD$8000 all-in for a lucky new owner in North America. If elsewhere in the world, we can discuss shipping. If you're Canadian, Interac EMT is preferred over Paypal.
Please let me know if you have any questions. If you are seriously considering purchasing this awesome package, send me a PM and I'll get some pics to you after I take 'em this Saturday.
A lot of us go through a lot of knives to learn how one maker is different from another, how one type of steel performs compared to another, and just what works best for us. It can be a long and involved process - especially the part about waiting for individual items of interest to pop up on the BST!
So... what I'm doing now is creating bundles for the knives that I'm selling. This benefits you in three ways:
1. You get a broad selection of knives in one go that lets you *immediately* do comparisons between makers, steels, etc.
2. You save a whole lot of money compared to buying brand new, particularly as prices continue to rise
3. You save a whole lot of time and *stress* hunting and competing on BST for the knives you want
How does this benefit me?
1. Packaging for shipping is a *lot* easier for me this way
2. I cry a little less when I see how much shipping costs
3. And yes, I get to fill in some of the financial hole I dug for myself
I'm going to offer different bundles - a single-bevel bundle, a double-bevel bundle, and a chuka bundle.
This is what's in this single-bevel bundle:
Deba
1. Sakai Takayuki white-2 180mm - forged by Kenji Togashi and finished by Yukinori Oda. Both are certified Sakai traditional craftsmen, and Kenji Togashi forges the Suisin Densho line of knives and the Suisin Momiji knives. Never used it, so it's brand-spankin' new.
2. Yoshihiro 150mm blue-2 150mm honkasumi with saya - this is a "meat-and-potatoes" deba, made well but it's a workman's knife. It'll be an interesting comparison against the Sakai Takayuki forged and finished by particularly notable craftsmen. Can you tell the difference? Is the difference worth it to you? I had originally intended to use this knife as my "carry deba" to take with me to friends' and family members' kitchens, but that need never seems to come up. But if you need to carry a deba around and take apart fish up to 2.5 lbs or 3 lbs in weight, this is a really cool little deba to have on-hand.
3. Konosuke Fujiyama blue-2 270mm mioroshi with saya - this thing is a beast, and it's a custom piece you're not likely to come across again. This knife is essentially brand-new. I never got around to using it - too pretty, too beastly - and I don't think the previous owner ever got to use it because he sold it very shortly after receiving it (and he waited a long time between ordering and receiving, if I remember correctly). I am sad to see this one go, but if it's a knife that won't see any use in my hands, then I am not the one to hang on to it. I think this knife will really give you a sense for what big deba and big mioroshi are all about. There won't be *any* fish that you can't take apart with this baby.
4. Yoshikane SKD 150mm - standard-profile medium-sized deba in semi-stainless SKD steel, by Yoshikane who apparently really likes experimenting with different steels and trying new things, and I think this is a very nice medium deba. This one has seen a bit of use, but in excellent condition.
5. Mikihisa blue-2 90mm kurouchi - a small ko-deba (or aji-kiri), perfect for filleting small fish like whiting or small rainbow trout or catfish; definitely a no-frills little knife, but very handy around the kitchen if you ever deal with small fish
6. Konosuke Fujiyama blue-1 210mm mioroshi w saya - a beautiful knife with its rosewood handle, you don't usually see them with blue 1 hagane; I have never used it since I received it, but I have absolute confidence that it's going to be absolutely kick-ass for its new owner
7. Itinomonn white-2 240mm kurouchi mioroshi - a bigger mioroshi that can handle pretty much anything you throw at it; very good contrast against the 210mm mioroshi above, and together these two mioroshi will let you see how a mioroshi compares to a regular deba and also how you can use the mioroshi to filet as well as slice (which is exactly what the hybrid design is meant to do!)
8. Sakai Takayuki white-2 180mm by Keijiro Doi - the man who forged this knife practically needs no introduction; beautiful knife with rosewood handle, and I've never used it so this is absolutely brand-spankin' new. Compare this knife against the other wonderful deba above and decide for yourself if master craftsmen really have a special touch!
Kiritsuke
1. Suisin Densho white-1 240mm with saya - forged by Kenji Togashi (hey, here he is again!); beautiful knife, handles wonderfully, and it's a great, portable size. I've used this a bit - it was my carry-knife for a while for making snacks at the office - but it's only seen the stones once. Want to see how one of Suisin's premier lines performs? Want to see how a 240mm single-bevel slicer performs? This is the knife to try.
2. Suisin Saika white-2 270mm with saya - forged by Itsuo Doi, son of the legendary Keijiro Doi. I bought this one in order to see what Itsuo Doi's work is like, but I haven't gotten around to using it. Not even once. So this is brand-spankin' new. *You* will have to tell me how Itsuo Doi's work compares to others!
3. Furinkazan blue-2 270mm w saya - a beautiful knife made by craftsmen specially selected by Japanese Chefs Knife, but I haven't used it even once; you're going to have to tell me how this performs, especially against the Doi!
4. Sakai Takayuki white-2 270mm by Keijiro Doi - another beautiful knife made by the now-retired master, with rosewood handle, and never-used so it's absolutely brand new. I'd love to keep this one, but it's just not to be. You are going to have to tell me how this performs and compares
Usuba
1. Yoshikane SKD 195mm - a wonderful, light and nimble usuba from the knife geeks at Yoshikane; a basic but excellent performer. Used a few times, but I've never taken it to the stones.
2. Konosuke Fujiyama white-2 180mm mukimono w saya - the Fujiyama line is Konosuke's premier product line, and I had intended to use this knife to try doing mukimono work. Alas, that was not to be, and now here's *your* chance to use this great little knife to create beautiful edible art!
3. Sakai Takayuki white-2 195mm by Keijiro Doi - a great usuba from the now-retired master; rosewood handle, never used so it's absolutely brand new; it'll be very interesting to compare this against the Yoshikane - just be sure to post your thoughts on KKF once you've done that comparison
Yanagiba
1. Taikyu white-1 300mm with saya - white 1 is not a steel you see very often, so this is a chance to try out what a white-1 yanagiba is like. I never got a chance to use this one, so it's brand new.
2. Suisin Saika white-2 300mm with saya - forged by Itsuo Doi, son of the legendary Keijiro Doi. Again, I bought this one in order to see what Itsuo Doi's work is like, but I haven't gotten around to using it. It's brand new. *You* are going to have to tell me how Itsuo Doi's work compares to others!
3. Shigefusa Kiya 300mm - everyone talks about Shigefusa knives, with particularly high regard for single bevels. This one is Kiya-branded, but the back side shows that it is Shigefusa-made. I have another Shigefusa yanagiba, and I haven't used this one since I received it, so this is *your* chance to try what so many people have talked about and raved about.
4. Suisin Dreamcraft white-2a 330mm kensaki yanagiba w saya - this is the epitome of cool, forged by Kenji Togashi (again!), with white buffalo horn ferrule and endcap on a yew handle. This is one of the best yanagiba that has come from Suisin, and it is as eye-droppingly beautiful as you can get without going kitaeji. Beauty and performance.
5. Sakai Takayuki white-2 300mm by Keijiro Doi - this is a yanagiba forged by the now-retired master; rosewood handle, never used so it's totally brand new. All I ask is that you post your thoughts about this knife when you can
6. Sakai Izuminokami kitaeji blue-1 300mm with ebony handle & saya, silk knife bag, and ho wood box - made by certified Sakai traditional craftsmen, and the attention to detail and quality shows very clearly. I had bought this intending it to be my last and greatest yanagiba. It has never been used, so it's absolutely brand new. With this yanagiba, you'll see the pinnacle of Sakai craftsmanship. One of the best steels available, with handforged kitaeji cladding, and absolutely luxurious handle and saya - this is the knife against which you can compare all others (like, say the Shigefusa and the Doi, or white-1 and white-2
)How Much Is It Gonna Hurt?
So that's 21 great single-bevel knives in this bundle. You get to compare the great makers and and all the great steels, all in one go. Shigefusa vs Keijiro Doi vs Itsuo Doi vs Kenji Togashi vs other master craftsmen? It's all here!
Plus, 3 of these knives you're not likely to ever see available again - the custom 270 Fujiyama mioroshi, the Suisin Dreamcraft yanagiba and the Sakai Izuminokami kitaeji yanagiba.
This bundle is perfect for anyone who's starting to get serious about investigating the world of single bevels. You can honestly end your search right here, right now and compress years of searching and testing into one moment. I know we're a bunch of enablers here, but this is truly an extended educational journey all wrapped up into one package for you.
The pricetag for this bundle is gonna hurt a bit - but it'll hurt a lot less than buying these separately, especially over time as as retail and second-hand prices continue to increase. I'm asking USD$8000 all-in for a lucky new owner in North America. If elsewhere in the world, we can discuss shipping. If you're Canadian, Interac EMT is preferred over Paypal.
Please let me know if you have any questions. If you are seriously considering purchasing this awesome package, send me a PM and I'll get some pics to you after I take 'em this Saturday.
