Shigefusa rookie needs advice

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alterwisser

alterwisser

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The more I get into this knife "mess" the more a few names pop up. Watanabe, Takeda, Shigefusa ... I own 2 Watanabes and Takedas. Got great deals on all of them ... now I am looking at Shigefusa. I really want a Gyuto, but I am not willing to jump that deep into cold water (yet) and pay that much. Well, actually I would ... but my wife doesn't want me to (sounds familiar?).

What I like to do and did in the past is find a low(er) cost way of familiarizing myself with a maker. What's your take on the simplest/cheapest way of experiencing Shig? I can probably get a Nakiri for less than $200 ... or wait for a sale in the forum and be fast enough (haha) ... or a passaround if that ever happens with a Shig (and the owner would be willing to include me, being new to the forum).

Any idea?

PS: I just saved us $120 each month in utilities by switching, so my wife agreed to up my knife budget for this year slightly LOL :bigeek:
 
Why not go for a Kurouchi knife? I did this to see if Shigefusa was for me and it did not break the bank at all...plus they're easy to resell should you change your mind.
 
MrOli said:
Why not go for a Kurouchi knife? I did this to see if Shigefusa was for me and it did not break the bank at all...plus they're easy to resell should you change your mind.
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That was my initial idea indeed ... I checked JNS, but they all out of stock ... problem is: I am not that patient. I need instant gratification LOL ... I already put in requests for two customs and a handle that will take well over a year each probably ;)

Any ideas for other purchasing channels? I know that Rakuten also has them, right?
 
You could always put up a WTB in B/S/T and perhaps pick up a used one.

And once you get the Shig, you'll need a Kato of course. And a Heiiji.

Maybe switch utilities to solar?
 
One literally just appeared in the classifieds at a very good price...it should last about 5 minutes!
 
Is there any performance difference between the KU, Kasumi and the Kaetiji line?
 
I believe KU and Kasumi are identical with the exception of the fit and finish much smoother on the Kasumi (choil, spine, blade polish). Having said that the KU is very refined with a silk like finish. It is much more detailed than a Takeda or Murata.
 
Krakorak said:
If you subscribe to the Shigefusa list on Maxim's website (here: http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/shigefusa/?sort=newest), you will be informed in advance (before Maxim officially puts the remaining knives on his website) by email and will thus have a much bigger chance to grab one of the gyutos for you (and he has some quite often)...
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+1, he just email out some a few days. A 180mm Shig gyuto and also some others made by the younger and elder son.
 
wind88 said:
+1, he just email out some a few days. A 180mm Shig gyuto and also some others made by the younger and elder son.
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I got the email in the middle of the night and asked Maksim for the 180 kasumi if still available first thing in the morning. Based on when I received the email to when I received a response it had sold within two hours (I suspect it was probably almost instantly). I'll have to be more on the ball in the future.
 
tjangula said:
I got the email in the middle of the night and asked Maksim for the 180 kasumi if still available first thing in the morning. Based on when I received the email to when I received a response it had sold within two hours (I suspect it was probably almost instantly). I'll have to be more on the ball in the future.
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But after the prebuy there were in I would guess about 50% of cases still some pieces left even for the non-subscribed people...
 
One time he listed a few 210mm gyuto on the website right away when the email was sent. I checked and they lasted for a few hours until they were all snatched up. So I've been checking emails on my phone when I wake up at night hopefully to score a 240mm kato workhorse first before I can move on to Shigs :)
 
I bought both my Shigs off Japan Woodworker some time ago. When I ordered them, they called me on the phone and said they were out of stock but I could go on the waiting list. Not knowing much about Shigs, I said sure and then kind of forgot about it. A year or two later they called and said they were ready to ship. I haven't regretted saying go for it. My 180 gyuto is one of my most used knives.
 
alterwisser said:
What I like to do and did in the past is find a low(er) cost way of familiarizing myself with a maker. What's your take on the simplest/cheapest way of experiencing Shig? I can probably get a Nakiri for less than $200 ... or wait for a sale in the forum and be fast enough (haha) ... or a passaround if that ever happens with a Shig (and the owner would be willing to include me, being new to the forum).

Any idea?
Click to expand...

There is no low-cost way. Having said that, my Fujiwara FKH, at 10% of the cost, performs at 90% of my Shigafusa Kitaeji. Like all sought-after items, it is the last 10% that costs the most.
 
At that price level the diminishing return is hitting hard, however, value wise it is different for each individual. For some the additional 10% is well worth the extra 90%.
 
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