Sakai Yusuke and Ginga Alert

For all those who have been trying to score Sakai Yusuke Gyuto or a Ashi Hamono Ginga It appears Keiichi @ BluewayJapan got a very small restock of a 240 Gyutos in stainless. Get em' while they are hot.

Thanks noticed they also brought in the Ichimonji Kichikuni blue steel core. Anyone use these knives? I like the blade geometry. The spine is pretty thick it tapers down dramatically to the edge. I would think it would be a good cutter without stiction. Hand carved Kanji. Reasonable price.

Best knife for the price, I sold mine but I regret it now

Are you referring to the ichimonji or the Sakai yusuke stuff?

Ichimonji I meant 😉

rogue108 said:

For all those who have been trying to score Sakai Yusuke Gyuto or a Ashi Hamono Ginga It appears Keiichi @ BluewayJapan got a very small restock of a 240 Gyutos in stainless. Get em' while they are hot.

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Why did sakai lasers suddenly become so hard to find?

Even the Gesshin Ginga is out of stock. My guess they do not make large numbers of these. These are not Sur La Table blades I got a Sakai special thin laser white #2 steel 4 years ago. I do not think they even make these extreme thin knives anymore. If you are pinching pennies the Ashi Ginga not a bad deal, but has no saya. The gesshin comes with a slim slot saya made for that blade. If you buy a generic 240mm saya it will be too loose. Also F&F upgrades & free shipping.

Noticed the Ichimonji comes with different handles the cheap ones are painted with plastic collars. The oval wood is not bad & the best is the Ichii (octagon with real buffalo horn) They also offer your first name chiseled in kanji at no extra cost. I am sure the spine & choil need rounding on these.

Thanks Preizzo what did you like about these? I would imagine they are pretty rough but are good cutters.

Lizzardborn said:

Why did sakai lasers suddenly become so hard to find?

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The Konosuke HD is always out of stock and these are comparable knives for $70 cheaper. The Gesshin Ginga is also comparable but not cheaper and also sold out.

They make great sujis and Pettys. I have a hard time using those featherweight gyutos.

Lizzardborn said:

Why did sakai lasers suddenly become so hard to find?

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Well from what I remember back in the day Sakai Yusuke's would just sit in inventory at BluewayJapan and there wasn't much demand for them. At the time, they were relatively unknown and the hot lasers at the time were the The Tadatsuna and Suisin Inox Honyaki. I left the knife thing for a while and during that time period I guess people realized they were a good value and excellent lasers. Eventually, the demand was driven up locally by us and the positive reviews. I remember asking in Keiichi when he might get more gyutos and pettys. He said he just got his last order and has placed another but what he will get and when he will get is pretty much unknown because they have gained in popularity all over. He mentioned the shop was not big and couldn't keep up with all the demand so he might not get everything he ordered in one order and usually got it when it was available.

I could be dreaming this but I believe its the case if I recall correctly.

labor of love said:

They make great sujis and Pettys. I have a hard time using those featherweight gyutos.

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I really want a 150 Yusuke or Ginga Wa-Petty in stainless. They just haven't been around recently. Do you not like the featherweight gyutos because of the lack of weight and balance. I've told by other pros they prefer a heavier gyuto because it helps them keep momentum when cutting and not feel like energy has to expended with every cut plus they preferred a blade forward balance. Is your reason similar?

Because they're so thin.

Lizzardborn said:

Why did sakai lasers suddenly become so hard to find?

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rogue108 said:

I really want a 150 Yusuke or Ginga Wa-Petty in stainless. They just haven't been around recently.

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I just bought a 150 Ginga petty from Bernal and they appear to still be in stock. Really liking it so far!

Thanks for update that it was Ichimonji 😉

No problem 👍 😉

Always looking for Diamond in the Rough cheaper blades that work well. The Tanaka G3 one of my favorites. Start talking over 200.00 for a knife & most culinary students get weak in the knees. Tho I have seen just a few go for higher price blades.

These look like have potential plus you can have first name (more or less) in Kanji how cool is that:biggrin:

TheDispossessed said:

Because they're so thin.

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LOL :thumbsup: