Any thoughts on Kikuichi Swedish Nickel Damascus gyuto...

So count me in the camp that shakes my head at Kikuichi for rebranding lesser knives and slapping a huge price tag on them (oh but you get a really fancy box!). But I'm conflicted because I'm considering getting a Kikuichi Swedish Nickel Damascus 240 mm gyuto. As far as I can tell, it doesn't seem like a rebrand of an existing knife. It's not cheap, but at just under $300, it seems reasonable for a high performing, thin laser with excellent F&F, i.e. possible similar league to Suisin Inox Honyaki? Your thoughts/advice are appreciated...this would be my first true wa-handled knife.

I always thought the kikuichi looked similar to my Goko swedish. FWIW I believe this blade is another OEM



And here is mine where I was doing rehandle http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...is-knife-blank?p=357305&viewfull=1#post357305

I would say that if it has that very distinct tang shape it is likely OEM

Hmm, I can definitely see the resemblance...unfortunately it doesn't seem I can find a seller for the Goko swedish damascus knife on Google...have they stopped selling it, or I just haven't found it yet?

The chef I work for has the 210. Seem solid. I've sharpened it on Shapton pro's 1k & 5k. Easy to sharpen and kept a nice edge. Thin blade but not much of a distal taper.

Don't believe it's being sold anymore, but wouldn't be surprised if you could scrounge around the Internet and find it under another brand name cheaper than the Kikuichi.

I've been scrounging, but all roads seem to lead to the Kikuichi when I search for Swedish Damascus gyuto. Also it's not confirmed that the Kikuichi is the same as the Goko, although that would match the MO of some of Kikuichi other lines, but there are exceptions where one of their lines is exclusive, like the TKC. I'm kind of conflicted right now, should I just pull the trigger and try the Kikuichi out, or look around for something comparable? Or should I just try to enjoy the knives that I already have (which are numerous) more? A big part of the appeal is having a laser wa-gyuto, which I don't have much experience with...

J_Style said:

The chef I work for has the 210. Seem solid. I've sharpened it on Shapton pro's 1k & 5k. Easy to sharpen and kept a nice edge. Thin blade but not much of a distal taper.

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Thanks for the input. I wouldn't expect a thin laser to have much of a distal taper (my Takamura R2 doesn't). Also your experience is with the Kikuichi (not the Goko or similar) right? Can you please also give me your impressions of the handle and the overall fit and finish? Is the ferrule and handle feel cheap?

I'd say go for a different knife if you're going to pay the Kikuichi price. I've worked on a Goko damascus (they do look very similar down to the choil shot) for a friend of mine and at $100, it was a great knife. At $300, not so much. I'd look into some of the more classic lasers like the Suisin honyaki, Tadatsuna, Ginga, etc etc. For a damascus clad blade, you could do a lot worse than the Tanaka VG10.

Yeah, I'm leaning more towards holding off for now...that it's not confirmed whether the Kikuichi is something exclusive and truly in the league of Suisin Inox Honyaki, or if it's a rebrand like a lot of its other stuff is definitely giving me pause. Also I think I just need to use and appreciate some of my existing knives more, in particular a couple drawer queens that I need to deflower.
:knife:

James said:

I'd say go for a different knife if you're going to pay the Kikuichi price....at $100, it was a great knife. At $300, not so much. I'd look into some of the more classic lasers like the Suisin honyaki, Tadatsuna, Ginga, etc etc. For a damascus clad blade, you could do a lot worse than the Tanaka VG10.

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This. The Suisin, Tad and Ginga are three solid lasers, with known pedigrees, any of which would serve well. The brand de jour might.

Chef has the Kikuichi. The handle is solid, nice fit and finish, no gaps or anything. Honestly I'd be looking at some other knives for $300. One of the reasons he got it is it's all stainless and gets some minor abuse in the kitchen. The local knife shop sells Kikuichi, they all seem solid. I've been loving my Sukenari that I got in a trade, after using really thin knives this one has some heft.