Where to buy non workhorse Kato?

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labor of love

labor of love

Cowboys from Hell
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They seem so rare and hard to come by. Is japan-tool the only place besides cktg to get a non workhorse kato? I prefer the profile on that line more.
Thanks
 
I to prefer flatter profiles, but keep in mind the standard kato runs shorter both in length and height as well. I prefer 250 mm length and 50ish height. Last time I checked the standard was around 230/46
 
bkultra said:
I to prefer flatter profiles, but keep in mind the standard kato runs shorter both in length and height as well. I prefer 250 mm length and 50ish height. Last time I checked the standard was around 230/46
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This is very true. But i couldnt get into the profile for 3 kato workhorses ive already owned. And i dont mind this gyuto-suji hybrid i recently purchased so i think a regular kato might be worth trying. Workhorse steel is pretty nice though, i think regular katos are wh2.
 
I've had a couple stock Katos that ran just a touch over length same as my workhorse, the stock 210 was actually 2-3 mm taller than the workhorse of same length. FWIW I'm getting tremendous edge retention for white 2 off my stock Kato, don't underestimate it.
Cheers
Matteo
labor of love said:
This is very true. But i couldnt get into the profile for 3 kato workhorses ive already owned. And i dont mind this gyuto-suji hybrid i recently purchased so i think a regular kato might be worth trying. Workhorse steel is pretty nice though, i think regular katos are wh2.
Click to expand...
 
I love wh2-but its everywhere, and kato steel is pretty special, although maybe too brittle for my tastes anyway.
TheDispossessed said:
I've had a couple stock Katos that ran just a touch over length same as my workhorse, the stock 210 was actually 2-3 mm taller than the workhorse of same length. FWIW I'm getting tremendous edge retention for white 2 off my stock Kato, don't underestimate it.
Cheers
Matteo
Click to expand...
 
labor of love said:
I love wh2-but its everywhere, and kato steel is pretty special, although maybe too brittle for my tastes anyway.
Click to expand...

It's not brittle at all. I nearly folded mine in half and then bent it back with a hammer, no problem. Then again, that's the mysterious mystery steel and not the white 2.
 
I've got Dispossessed's old small 'original' gyuto and am enjoying it so far. (Hi Matteo! Consider this just and interim progress update...)

At '190mm' it's basically the same length as my Workhorse 180, but big difference when I first got it in my hand in overall feel and balance. Yes, some of this had to do with the very Japanese small ho handle on the original vs the rather large burnt chestnut installed in Denmark on the Workhorse.

Overall, the Workhorse is much more balanced and is great that way, while the original feels very weighted centrally, between the middle of the blade into the start of the tang along the spine. Imagining the knives as 2 people, the Workhorse version is more balanced and athletic, maybe a decathlete, but the original feels burly and thick, kind of like a rugby player who in the end could be the one that's able to slice and power his way through more things than the others.

The original is thicker and reminds me of the early 240 Workhorse I had, and apparently newer ones don't have the same distinctive thickness.

The white steel on the original seems to get just a little sharper and is less chippy, but holds its edge less than the Workhorse steel.

Very interesting to compare. Oh yeah, really enjoying the flatter original profile too, which I think gets toward a santoku more although it still has quite a pointy tip where the spine swoops down.
 
Glad to hear it got to you safe!
Yes that mini kato you have now is thicker at the spine and overall than my stock 210, honestly in my experience Kato thickness, profile, height is all over the map. best to get like half a dozen and find the one for you.........
that mini kato has the best profile of any i've handled no doubt and i liked the spine thickness quite a bit.
enjoy! the Hide rocks.
Asteger said:
I've got Dispossessed's old small 'original' gyuto and am enjoying it so far. (Hi Matteo! Consider this just and interim progress update...)

At '190mm' it's basically the same length as my Workhorse 180, but big difference when I first got it in my hand in overall feel and balance. Yes, some of this had to do with the very Japanese small ho handle on the original vs the rather large burnt chestnut installed in Denmark on the Workhorse.

Overall, the Workhorse is much more balanced and is great that way, while the original feels very weighted centrally, between the middle of the blade into the start of the tang along the spine. Imagining the knives as 2 people, the Workhorse version is more balanced and athletic, maybe a decathlete, but the original feels burly and thick, kind of like a rugby player who in the end could be the one that's able to slice and power his way through more things than the others.

The original is thicker and reminds me of the early 240 Workhorse I had, and apparently newer ones don't have the same distinctive thickness.

The white steel on the original seems to get just a little sharper and is less chippy, but holds its edge less than the Workhorse steel.

Very interesting to compare. Oh yeah, really enjoying the flatter original profile too, which I think gets toward a santoku more although it still has quite a pointy tip where the spine swoops down.
Click to expand...
 
Can one get workhorse (or any Kato) for that matter in Japan - sort of like how one can occasionally get Shigs through a couple of shops in Tokyo
 
Workhorse is exclusive to JNS, but you can get standard kato's in Japan.
 
Thanks for the help. Ill probably never own one but was curious. $550-650+ is out of my price range and with the current popularity of katos ill most likely never score a good deal on a used one. Most likely ill find another knife with a somewhat similar profile.
 
Its def brittle. Maybe the newer ones have improved toughness-i really cant remember how mine was. But the 2 older ones i owned were problematic and im not down with microbevels.

DamageInc said:
It's not brittle at all. I nearly folded mine in half and then bent it back with a hammer, no problem. Then again, that's the mysterious mystery steel and not the white 2.
Click to expand...
 
labor of love said:
Its def brittle. Maybe the newer ones have improved toughness-i really cant remember how mine was. But the 2 older ones i owned were problematic and im not down with microbevels.
Click to expand...

I was being joke-y. Mine was bent really badly after shipping and I forced it back with a hammer. A lot of people said it would snap, but it didn't.
 
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