Who for what steel?

I'll post this very cautiously so as not to break any rules, as I'm fairly new around here and still feeling my way. A poster made comment in a thread a little while ago regarding the fact that they don't so much look at what steel a maker uses, but how good the maker is with that steel. Heat treat etc. So who would people recommend for certain steel types? If the question is indeed that simple.

If I need to be specific, I'm very interested in trying some Aogami Super.

Cheers.

Trying it for what? - So many variables in play here makes that an impossible question to answer, plus very few people on here have the metallurgical and practical knowledge to differentiate between "good" and "bad", particularly for a steel that is used almost solely in Japan. Commenting on the performance of a given knife is quite a different matter.

Here's cop a out answer from me: Yoshikane for SKD and SLD

I havn't tried it my self but Takeda seems to be highly regarded for his ASuper gyutos here on the forum.
As mentioned above there are, however, many more variables to consider. As an example I don't fancy Takedas knives for their looks and added hight (they are quilte tall).

KimBronnum said:

Takeda seems to be highly regarded

Click to expand...

Not with the grinds his shop has been shipping, they aren't.

EdipisReks said:

Not with the grinds his shop has been shipping, they aren't.

Click to expand...

You probably refer to the concave blade and "arrow head" edge profile. It does not work on everything but for Asian stir fries prep it is stellar. The blade height and tip on the banno bunka are both very useful for that sort of cuisine.

Having said that it is not as good for hard foods but after a touch of thinning it improves dramatically...still, it is not one for every kitchen.

MrOli said:

You probably refer to the concave blade and "arrow head" edge profile. It does not work on everything but for Asian stir fries prep it is stellar. The blade height and tip on the banno bunka are both very useful for that sort of cuisine.

Having said that it is not as good for hard foods but after a touch of thinning it improves dramatically...still, it is not one for every kitchen.

Click to expand...

The grind you refer to was what you were certain to get on an old-school Takeda gyuto. Some of them still come like this (see Tosho's latest post) but there have been some shocking inconsistencies in more recent times. I know at least two members here got real dogs, i.e. thick, flat wedgers with none of the old calling-card concavity. And I say that as someone who likes Takeda's work.

Without wishing to hijack the thread further, the geometry >> steel type adage applies here.

Devin Thomas AEB-L (or really any steel.)

Bill Burke 52100.

In a similar vein, Will Catcheside is clearly at the top of his game. Also has worked with blue #2.

For AS, yes Takeda is good.
The Hiromoto AS is an excellent score.
I also had a Kanehiro in AS that was stellar.

I haven't encountered an AS that was crappy....yet. Above average edge retention and great ease of sharpening.

Are there any North American smiths that have done AS?

In regard to Takeda, I recently purchased a new Takeda Classic 220 Gyuto and a SS clad Large 170 Nakiri and they are ground as well as my older Takeda and they have a similar thin coil profile as the recently posted photo by Tosho Arts. They are an excellent AS steel blade! Other AS steel knives that I use and recommend is the Asai Hayabusa Gyuto and Ikeda KS.

Cheers for the feedback guys. As to why....purely curiosity. I've tried White 1, Blue 2 and VG10. Have heard a lot about AS so I'm keen to give it a shot.

Bikeman said:

and they are ground as well as my older Takeda and they have a similar thin coil profile as the recently posted photo by Tosho Arts.

Click to expand...

This is good news!

I'm glad to hear that the "arrowhead" is normal for Takedas and not a defect.

knyfeknerd said:

Are there any North American smiths that have done AS?

Click to expand...

Didn't Murray Carter do a limited run with AS?

tjangula said:

I'm glad to hear that the "arrowhead" is normal for Takedas and not a defect.



Didn't Murray Carter do a limited run with AS?

Click to expand...

MC used to use AS exclusively before he switched to white 1...

Randy (HHH)does a great job geat treating Aeb-l. Yoshikane AS is pretty great for me.

Don Nguyen did a stellar job in 52100, as did Dave Martell in O-1 in my examples.

I have had very good experiences and have enjoyed Kato San's Masakage Koishi knives in AS.I purchased all mine from KW in CA.I personally recommend The Masakage Koishi line if you are considering an AS knife.I have found the heat treat and edge retention to be excellent and have had zero issues with chipping.The grinds are really nice and fit and finish is really good.They are beautiful knives with a soul in my eyes.

takeda aogami super and watanabe blue #2 are the best steels i've tried.

This does not suck.

daveb said:

This does not suck.

Click to expand...

Unlike the Carter nakiri I had, this one looks long enough to be useful. Mine did cut like a dream. And is that the lamination line about halfway up the face?



Oh and Heiji for his (mystery ) semi-stainless, Watanabe for Blue 2, and Kato for pure mystery carbon