Masakage Cladding: Problem down the road?

Hi,

I just received my new Masakage Koishi gyuto. When inspecting it, I noticed that at one small point near the heel of the blade, the SS cladding "touches" the blade.

Should I be worried about this? In my mind, this means that part/all of the edge at that point might be the softer cladding rather than the AS.

Here is a photo: Advice appreciated. I haven't talked to the store yet - trying to figure out if I have an issue or not.

I've never had this issue myself but it isn't something I would accept, especially not at that price point. I've seen a lot of this in pictures on some makers really high end stuff too and it bums me out.
As a side note, if you haven't noticed that tall bevel, all the exposed cladding is bead/media blasted to appear uniform. some makers do this to hide inconsistencies in the grind. While this might not be the case at all, it's something to look out for.
Cheers
Matteo

Not an issue IMO. At least not something I'd care of. The AS core is still there and after first sharpening/thinning session cladding would move a bit to the top (providing there's not overgrind in this particular area)

I disagree. It's not an overgrind but unless you can be certain there is more cladding there you can be sure the core is thinner than normal.
Without sharpening that cladding out you cannot tell how thin the core is.
I don't think a seller will accept you grinding and thinning and then returning the blade.
If there is still time I would return it.

I don't think that it will be a problem, but it's best to speak to the vendor. I'd assume that it would work itself out with some thinning, but it's definitely best to discuss what would happen if it doesn't.

Is the blade relatively thick behind the edge?

Definitely speak with the vendor. Should not be a big problem, mine had the same problem and just like week ago after thinned the blade it just went ok 👌

I have a Koishi bunka with cladding similarly close to the edge in a spot or two. I have had it for several years and it has been through many sharpenings with no problems. I find it sharpens up just fine and has been great for home kitchen use. The cladding was not hiding a huge hole in the AS core in my case. I agree with the others above though for the price, if you don't like it talk to the vendor about an exchange or return.

I got a Koishi gyuto that had the same exact problem. I put it under magnification and it looked like the cladding was very thin. I ended up trading it, making the new owner aware of the issue. I've had a few Masakage's and they've been solid knives so I hope this isn't a common issue.

Looking very closely at the photo, I do not think the cladding reaches the edge. It gets close to the edge bevel but does not appear to extend to the edge itself.

I've seen it a bunch.

The blast finish is not to hide wobbles or grind inconsistency...it's mostly to hide scratches and provide a uniform finish customers like.

XooMG said:

Looking very closely at the photo, I do not think the cladding reaches the edge. It gets close to the edge bevel but does not appear to extend to the edge itself.

I've seen it a bunch.

The blast finish is not to hide wobbles or grind inconsistency...it's mostly to hide scratches and provide a uniform finish customers like.

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I concur with XooMG on this one. If you look closely you can see the white cladding line end and even some AS core steel peaking out above the bevel.

Zoomed in picture attached for easy viewing.

How does the other side look - maybe the core is not quite in the center. if however the cladding would be this close to the edge on both side it would mean that the cutting core is nearly 0 thick.

That the core steel would be 0 thick seems like a pretty bold assumption, no?

The core steel could be the same thickness throughout the edge and perhaps the cladding was not ground down enough in that spot. Undergrind rather than an overgrind situation. :2cents:

Sharpening and eventual thinning will take care of it in due course.

TheDispossessed said:

I've never had this issue myself but it isn't something I would accept, especially not at that price point. I've seen a lot of this in pictures on some makers really high end stuff too and it bums me out.
As a side note, if you haven't noticed that tall bevel, all the exposed cladding is bead/media blasted to appear uniform. some makers do this to hide inconsistencies in the grind. While this might not be the case at all, it's something to look out for.
Cheers
Matteo

Click to expand...

Dude, sand blasting the kasumi finish is my primary problem with japanese makers, but I do appreciate the efficiency aspect.

Toyamas are media blasted. It doesn't so easily show up in the pics but mine was. Not a huge issue for a working knife at that price point. The Toyama certainly looked like it had a great grind with nothing to hide. Just one of the major differences in finish quality between those and for example, Shigefusa.

cheflivengood said:

Dude, sand blasting the kasumi finish is my primary problem with japanese makers, but I do appreciate the efficiency aspect.

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Everyone, thank you so much for all your replies. For my peace of mind, I'll probably swap the knife for another but I think I've been swayed towards the thinking that the core is fine, and the cladding is just dipping a little lower (per the zoomed in photos).

Matus said:

How does the other side look - maybe the core is not quite in the center. if however the cladding would be this close to the edge on both side it would mean that the cutting core is nearly 0 thick.

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The other side is perfect IMHO. The cladding line runs something like 1/4" up from the edge.

I'll also comment that this knife is OOTB insanely sharp. Literally the sharpest thing I've ever seen and I'm not exactly unaccustomed to sharp knives (or maybe I am?). If I do a paper cutting test, I'm able to push cut hair-thin curls off the side of a sheet. It seems to grab in and cut almost with no angle at all.

Shibata it s doing a great job on these masakages 😉

TheDispossessed said:

Toyamas are media blasted. It doesn't so easily show up in the pics but mine was. Not a huge issue for a working knife at that price point. The Toyama certainly looked like it had a great grind with nothing to hide. Just one of the major differences in finish quality between those and for example, Shigefusa.

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even my kagekiyo and hide needed some good thinning before no low and high spots, it must be a hard technique to sand blast evenly.

cheflivengood said:

even my kagekiyo and hide needed some good thinning before no low and high spots, it must be a hard technique to sand blast evenly.

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I think sand blasting is used only for esthetics or cleanup. I wouldn't imagine it to be too precise to create an even grind

Charon said:

I think sand blasting is used only for esthetics or cleanup. I wouldn't imagine it to be too precise to create an even grind

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ya, its to produce a perfect and crisp kasumi finish, but it can make high and low spots in the bevel that have to be evened up on the stone.