Qustions on New Knives - RubbishCook

Edit: Moved discussion to it's own thread so that it does not get "lost" when more new knives are posted. DB



I got these two 240 gyutos. I wonder if both of them have problems. The pictures don't show the issues well.

Kochi carbon clad has a buffalo ferrule looks well finished except for some scuffs, indentations on one side...it doesn't show up well in the picture but it was the first thing I noticed when I examined the knife (and no I am not talking about the grain lines). My other even more rustic knives don't have these sort of marks, so I am not sure if it's natural or not...this is the sort of thing that might bother me but is it worth the hassle of involving the dealer?

Yoshimitsu white #1...this knife is really cool as it's hand hammered which gives the spine a very organic look (might not be a good thing performance-wise) and it's ultra thin. The tip of this knife doesn't look right to me. The dealer put a fresh edge on it, what do you guys think?

RubbishCook said:

I got these two 240 gyutos. I wonder if both of them have problems. The pictures don't show the issues well.

Kochi carbon clad has a buffalo ferrule looks well finished except for some scuffs, indentations on one side...it doesn't show up well in the picture but it was the first thing I noticed when I examined the knife (and no I am not talking about the grain lines). My other even more rustic knives don't have these sort of marks, so I am not sure if it's natural or not...this is the sort of thing that might bother me but is it worth the hassle of involving the dealer?

Yoshimitsu white #1...this knife is really cool as it's hand hammered which gives the spine a very organic look (might not be a good thing performance-wise) and it's ultra thin. The tip of this knife doesn't look right to me. The dealer put a fresh edge on it, what do you guys think?

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On the handle I would say its ok mainly because you will probably scuff the handle eventually. Though if it concerns you significantly or if you can feel it when you hold the knife you should message the vendor. Alternatively you could sand it down with 400/600 grit sandpaper and then polish with some polishing compound.

On the tip, I can't tell from the picture if the edge bevel is just larger at the tip or you are actually missing metal? The cladding also looks to go a bit too low on the tip area which probably means the blade is a bit thick there?

Easy fix on the handle but the yoshimitsu maybe you should send it back to the vendor.

Yeah I am not going to bother with the Kochi...if I was buying in store I would have asked for another but it's too small for it to be worth exchanging.

The Yoshimitsu is fat at the tip.. I took a better picture of the tip on the other side of the knife as well as my first attempt at a spine and choil shot (I should probably take my time when shooting these to get good shots).

You need to check if there are overgrind next to the cutting edge, sometimes the yoshimitsus have problems.

I check for that by looking for a uniform edge? I have read one of Dave's threads about it but I am not sure that I fully understand it. Why do I always feeling I am biting off more than I can chew with Japanese knives? lol

My apologies if this stuff should not be in this thread.

There is a mirror polish on the bottom of the knife which seems to stop sort of the tip on one side but goes all the way on the other.

Annoying, but first time you thin that should even out

So do most people think I should keep it? It's a cool knife but if it's not going to cut well and going to be a pain to fix I rather return it.

I'm completely uninformed so take this as more of a question than an answer... but the tip on the Yoshimitsu kind of looks like it lost a tip somewhere and got a so-so repair?

on the kochi, feel free to bug me... if it bothers you, i'd be happy to sand and polish that for you. Just let me know.

Thank you Jon, I appreciate it. Let me try a couple of meals with it and if it bothers me I will let you know. These are tools at the end of the day so it's going to get wear. I am really excited to see how the Kochi cuts, the spine tapers down a lot and it's quite thin at the edge.

On the handle, horn is a natural material and there are variations. I wouldn't sweat it unless it's cracked, it will not affect performance and frankly, if I had gotten it I probably wouldn't have even noticed it. The other one looks like either the tip got broken off (maybe a mm or two but not bad) or more likely it wasn't sharpened out all the way. Cut with it and see if there are major issues. If not and it still bugs you I'll definitely vouch for Jon's work. He repaired a Shig Kitaeji for me that had maybe a quarter inch broken off the tip and you couldn't even tell it had ever been damaged afterward......he does awesome work for a reasonable price.

The Yoshimitsu didn't come from Jon, only the Kochi. I will try and ask the dealer about the Yoshi and see what he thinks.

I would not sweat the Kochi. It's a rustic knife anyway and it'll likely pick up a ding or two as you get used to it. Should be a fantastic cutter.

The other definitely check with vendor. Tip is not perfect but I've seen worse. I'd be more concerned with grind. If you got it from Sam I've enjoyed working with him in the past and I'm sure he'll work with you. Even if you didn't get it from him, he may be able to effect a repair for you that doesn't break the bank.

do you stare at these all day and only cut paper?

the kochi's ferrule is actually polished quite well, compared to handles from other regions.

daveb said:

I would not sweat the Kochi. It's a rustic knife anyway and it'll likely pick up a ding or two as you get used to it. Should be a fantastic cutter.

The other definitely check with vendor. Tip is not perfect but I've seen worse. I'd be more concerned with grind. If you got it from Sam I've enjoyed working with him in the past and I'm sure he'll work with you. Even if you didn't get it from him, he may be able to effect a repair for you that doesn't break the bank.

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What should I ask him regarding the grind?

panda said:

do you stare at these all day and only cut paper?

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That's what I am doing now...why do you ask?

pkjames said:

the kochi's ferrule is actually polished quite well, compared to handles from other regions.

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The Kochi is nicely finished for this type of knife...I have and have seen much rougher finished handles. The handle on the Yoshimitsu is actually one of the most "rustic" I have seen but on the Kochi it just looks like something hard rubbed up against it and being that the ferrule is polished so nicely it stands out more. Anyways, I am not going to worry about it. I can buff it out if it bothers me.

because it explains why you made a thread complaining over nothing.

Well I didn't make a thread. I put it in the new knives thread but it got a little long...which was my fault. I am new to these types of knives and I want to ask questions. If that's inappropriate then you have my apologies.

I wouldn't give the ferrule a second thought, but the tip area is troubling. It looks like the cladding extends all the way to the edge on the right side, evidence of either a poor grind or a slight bend that resulted in uneven sharpening.

Rick

Thank you all for your help I will let you know what happens with the Yoshimitsu.

Edit: oops

panda said:

do you stare at these all day and only cut paper?

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Man, you're a brand new Floridian Sun, and you already have nearly as much online attitude as DaveB...

Panda came to the sunshine state a little short on tact - in fact I think we've mellowed him some.:cool2:

And me? I'm just a Phil Donahue type of guy...

daveb said:

Panda came to the sunshine state a little short on tact - in fact I think we've mellowed him some.:cool2:

And me? I'm just a Phil Donahue type of guy...

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Phil Donahue - mmm, okay. If you start channeling Jerry Springer, I'm outta' here!

daveb said:

Panda came to the sunshine state a little short on tact - in fact I think we've mellowed him some.:cool2:

And me? I'm just a Phil Donahue type of guy...

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You wear giant 80's grampa glasses, sport a silly haircut, and ridicule your guests for being on your show?

Dave ridicules everyone.

Not brand new, I was here for four years before I moved to charlotte. But I'm pretty sure I've always been nWa.

panda said:

Not brand new, I was here for four years before I moved to charlotte. But I'm pretty sure I've always been nWa.

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When're you coming back home? I have BBQ with your name on it suckah.