Review Masahiro Mv Honyaki 21cm gyuto 14811 < -> Masahiro Virgin Carbon metal gyuto 21cm 13011

I will do a review of Masahiro MV Honyaki 21cm gyuto (14811), and Masahiro Virgin Carbon gyuto with metal bolster 21cm (13011).

First, I want to refer that Masahiro, launches two lines of Stainless knives, with POM handles, the MV (models starting with 148...) and the MVH ( models starting with 149...). Not all of the models are similar, but the models which are the same, are the exact same knife. Difference is in the box, the 149 line has mope plastic parts ( yet is not practical ), has more beautiful box cover, yet the 148 line has a beautiful golden sheet inside, more practical box, a small 4 pages brochure, and emposed Japanese characters on the blade, vs the english painted on the 149 series.

Someone in a knife forum, had written that the Japanese characters version(148) is harder, compared to the 149 english logo series. I cannot testify to that, since it has been some time since I touched an 149 line gyuto(mvh) and I dont remeber how they compare. Right now, I own only a flexible sujihiki, fish fillet from the 149 line.

Also, my review about the Virgin Carbon, will be about the metal Bolster series, I have never touched a Masahiro carbon from other series.

So, lets get to the reviews now!

Masahiro Mv Honyaki 21cm Gyuto 14811, with POM handle

http://s6.postimg.org/rkq8hq04h/Masahiro_Mvh_21cm_new.jpg

http://s6.postimg.org/3v0st11r5/Masahiro_Mvh_work.jpg


Fit and finish:
Comes in a nice box, within which, the knife is very safely supported.
It has excellent finish, but not luxurious. The tip of the knife is more than perfect!!!
Blade is longer than 21cm, it is 21.3cm almost and that is from heel, not bolster (the one that I use noe is 20.9cm, since the tip has broken twice).
The handle, 12.1cm and the round shape of it, comes perfect to my hand(I have pretty small hands, my height is 1.70m).
The knife is perfectly balanced. The blade is razor sharp out of the box(one idea, less than a Blazen).
It is laser category. Extremely thin over the edge, for a long long distance up.
The spine is not rounded, yet it is not sharp as well, as in other knives. It doesnt bother me, using pinch grip for hours, and I don't feel the need to round it. Overall, sweet and excellent, but not luxurious.

Performance

Masahiro did a wonder with this knife.

http://zknives.com/images/knives/knifeedgetypes.jpg

According to the upper link, Masahiro Mvh is Chisel with Urasuki, but in a modern western laser version.
Out of the box, knife is super sharp. It is nimble, and has a slight flexy feel to it.
Does precise cuttings. Does not feel sa hard as VG-10, but is hard enough.
Most important, it is tough as nails!!! Pumpin and parmessan are nothing to it.
I cut 15.4kg Halibuts rib bones with the upper part of the blade, cut its large bone next to the head with the heel of this knife and no micro or mega chipping at all!!! Just beautifull!!!
It microchipped, in two cases. When cutting frozen foods with it, and when cutting bars of caramelised nuts.
Of course, if it drops with the tip downwards, the tip is a gonner, but even then, at a lesser extent, compared with other knives.
I felt so in love with it, that I bought three of those, since it proved to be the first 21cm gyuto that I felt happy with(18cm and 24cm came natural to me, 21cm was my problem). I have regretted this act only recently(after the virgin carbon ;-) )
Food release is pretty good, when it comes to potatoes, very bad!!! I mirror polished it, and though I have read in forums that mirror polishing is bad for food release, in my case, I see a 20+% improvment, when it comes to potatoes.
There is also an edition with scales (granton edge) for this gyuto, but I have never seen or touched one. I speculate though, that this edition must have scales only at the right side, since the left is chiswel with urasuki.

http://s6.postimg.org/cek6qsa3l/Masahiro_Mvh_mirror.jpg

Edge retention and Sharpening

It has very good edge retention. When I sharpen it at 10000grit, it slips through everything. After loosing its maximum sharpen, more than one day shift, if you dont abuse it, it remains sharp at satisfying levels, for more than a week, if you don't abuse it.
To sharpen it is a joy. It sharpens much quicker than VG-10, a few strokes at 1000 grit are enough, plus dont forget, it is 100/0 knife, so you have to sharpen only one side! Which means half sharpening, so it is a blast for a proffessional kitchen.
Personally, after getting used to this type of blades, I feel a little bad when I have to sharpen double beveled knives.


Conclussion

Very quality knife, at a very cheap price. I have never touched a Tojiro, but this one may top it, qualitywise for the buck.

Only one minus: When your hands are dirty (they are never supposed to be, but in a very hectic kitchen it happens), handle feels slippery. Even then, it doesn't slip, but you have this feeling.

All in all, the knife is a STAR! Was my favouite 21cm for a busy kitchen, unti...until Masahiro Virgin Carbon arrived....

Masahiro Virgin Carbon with Metal Bolster 21cm gyuto 13011

Fit and finish

The knife came in a much smaller box, compare to the Mvh, softer carton, no plastic parts inside. Was covered in special antirust papper, over it a thin carton enveloped the anti rust papper.

In the photo, after it had been thinned

http://s6.postimg.org/6drjqttsx/Masahiro_Virgin_Carbon_21cm.jpg

Though it was something minimal in this knife, it gave me a very strong impression. It was like it got into my mind straight.
It was smelling lacquer. It had a perfect fit and finish, yet very minimal. The profile was not the same with the Mvh, it was a little more curvy. Blades length from heel is 20.8cm . Spine was as thin as Mvh, yet it was thicker over the cutting edge (performed good, toothy sharp out of the box, but I thought to thin it a bit, make it like the Mvh).
Nice aggressive tip, but not as close as the extremelly aggressive of the Mv(h).
The strange thing was the handle. From bolster to the longest edge at the end, 11.6cm, totally square and blocky(!!!), but god, I have never experienced a more comfortable handle for my hands!!! I wish all of my knives had this exact handle. More luxurious handles in other knives of mine, don't feel this good! Handle and rivets, perfect and smooth.
The same chisel with urasuki edge, in modern western knife edition. It has become my favourite.

Performance

Out of the box was sharp. Toothy. Needed somethinning. I thineed it, tried to make the right side mirror, and sharpened it till 10000grit. After that, the first moments were awkward to work with. With every cut, it was getting stuck inside the huge fibrox
cutting board, and I had to pull it out. In moments, I found the proper technique. The knife is super. I havent managed to make it as sharp as a Blazen out of the box, but I dont need more.
It has no flex at all. It feels sturdy, solid and powerful as a rock! I haven't abused it yet, so I don't know its limits, but pumpkin and parmessan are nothing to it.
Proteins, raw or cooked, just don't exist.
A real joy to work with. I dont have experience with other carbons, not cladded, but I was cutting everything for a week (lemons, limes, oranges, berries, meats, poultry, veggies, fish fillets)
, and it takes only blue and purple colour.
Food release good, with potatoes very bad, after mirror polishing it some progress(20-%)

Edge retention and sharpening

Edge retention is very good. Sharpening is even better than Mv(h). Less sharpening, only one side, this knife is 100/0 as well, nothing I owned in my life was easier. Gets very very sharp :laugh:

Conclussion

A pure joy to work with, best handle ever for my small hands, takes nice patina colours, but I will keep it clean and shinny.

Minus: Discolours red onions.

in this photo, my working beasts, the stainless is now a little shorter, than it is out of the box

http://s6.postimg.org/rop3v3bxd/Masahiro_Work_Beasts.jpg

Almost all of my knives are from three Japanese makers and on European, Masahiro is one of them.

For sure there are better, more artisan or luxurious knives, but for a busy pro kitchen, these two lines are up to the scratch!

Very satisfied with the brand, I will post two photos of my Masahiro family (if it should belong to a different thread, I am sorry, please moderators, delete this last part)

http://s6.postimg.org/mjiugcso1/Masahiro_family.jpg

http://s6.postimg.org/a6609g2zl/Masahiro_family_II.jpg

Nice review, thanks.

Thank you too! I am sure I will sell here to my chefs, one two stainless, and get one two more carbons

I forgot to mention , that Hardness given ( If I remember correct ) is HRC 58-59, for the MBS-26 Steel that the stainless is made of, and HRC 62-63 for the Virgin Carbon

I forgot to make clear, that as a pro, I recommend these knives, because I consider them (with my limited knowledge) high quality, and not because they are pretty cheap

thanks for the review! i love in depth reviews

http://postimg.org/image/5uf3vkjdp/

This is aphoto from the brochure, that shows how fine grained MBS-26 is compared to some other steel.
If somebody speaks Japanese, and is kind to translate, please do.
If I knew how, I would had deleted the review and write it a new, yesterday I was tired.

Forgot to mention how incredibly light is the MVH. In the first moments, you think you hold air

I understand that the forum members are not interested in these knives, but I will continue to write, when I feel I have something to write, for future reference for these knives, through google search for future budding knife nuts.

I consider this forum a knife information treasure.

So here I go: MBS-26 steel, that Masahiro MV-H lines blade is made from, is supposed to be almost the same steel as VG-1, 19C27, GIN-3 Ginsako.
They are fine grained steels, not that hard, and sharpen easy. I have used from the above the MBS-26 and Vg-1. The word about Ginsako is that it sharpens as easy as carbon. I have never used it, but the other two, dont sharpen as easy as carbon, but sharpen very easy and hold edge longer, since they dont have problem with acidic foods.

Saturday evening at the workplace something very strange happened.
I dont know from what material the anti slippery floor of the kitchen is made of, for sure not concrete - cement(because we used to talk about replacing it with cement), but all knives that had fallen over it, their tips were goners :-( Tamagahane, Globals, Macs, Gekkos, my Masahiro Mv-h twice...tragic situations!

Well it Saturday evening, extremely busy day, more than 260 ordering tickets since morning, and over the evening rush, my much beloved Masahiro Virgin Carbon 21 cm(some say it is V2C steel)(very hard, but not brittle), is falling down!!!

I watch with awe and want to scream, since I am sure the tip is a goner, but... it stabs the floor!!!

It stabs the floor at an 75 degree angle. I had time to act quick and pick it, but I am watching in awe, and the knife starts to slowly reach the floor(reducing the angle), I am still sure the tip will break, or bent beyond repair, suddenly it pops up from the point of the floor that had stabbed and falls gently.

I lift it, the tip had bented at an extremely small degree, 2-3 degrees angle that almost fixed by sharpening it.
Damn knife is too hard to die ;-)
I also have to report, that the 21cmVirgin Carbon gyuto, is somehow on the small side of 21cm gyutos(20,7 or 20,8 cm, not that wide blade), while the 24cm Virgin Carbon gyuto is on the big side, compared to other Japanese 24cm gyutos, 24,2 or 24,3 cm long and wide. AT least the ones I happened to get, I cant say this is the rule

I bought one of these for a friend as a "conversion knife". I haven't used it, but I can confirm the the FF was good+ and the OOTB edge was on the better side. Handle feels a little light, but balance is fine.

Bumping this, just because I'm new to the forum and I don't read too much about these Masahiro Honyaki MV knives. Got mine in 2020, I think it's excellent. Here's mine with a K-tip on a little bench stand made from some scrap plywood. Saves me from having to open a drawer for often-used knives.