Can't decide what to buy next. What knife to buy very open ended.

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Godslayer

Godslayer

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So my birthdays coming up and like any knifenut who's living the bachelor lifestyle I want a new sharp toy to open. Unfortunatly I have no idea what I want and am juggling a few ideas. So far I have it down to five blades. What would you buy. Is there something even cooler I don't know about.

1. V1P's Harner Suji- very cool looking blade, epic saya, would be my longest blade by 45mm, don't know if I need 3 sujis though.
2. Mizu honyaki gyuto- I really want a honyaki am looking at ikeda,tesshu and sukenari. All sub 1k and very very well made blades.
3. Randys do it your self blade 220mm gyuto - would be a fun project, epic blade and a steal at sub $500
4. A honyaki yanagi - the peak of Japanese craftsmenship imho currently looking at sukenari but that genkai moon mmizu honyaki has me drooling, stupid expensive though, would be the peak of my collection though.
5. Whatever Haburn has in stock sub 1k, I'm on his list but its gonna be 14 months :'(

Sorry for the weird thread. I'm having a hell of a time making this decision. Is there anything else at 1k and under thats mind blowing, no shigs because I don't wanna walk down that path.
 
A honyaki gyuto would be a good idea. Sukenari has good F&F but I personally don't care for the stamped kanji (seems too "production" like if you know what I mean). Watanabe needed some work to polish the choil but seems more special, now I just need my handles…

I'd suggest against honyaki single bevel unless you need the advantages of honyaki for work, will be a PITA to thin. I have a Watanabe 330 honyaki kensaki Yanagi (as a show piece, what the hell do I need it for… I'm a home cook :cool2: ) which at the time I thought would be my most epic blade. It really is epic, but it just looks like shiny metal, I think something like the kintaro-ame or Kitaeji on a single bevel looks way nicer (which is why I got a 300 sakimaru takobiki too :pirate1: )
 
If you are interested in a honyaki yanagiba - might I suggest Yoshikazu Ikeda? 2 month wait so I'm not sure that fits your timeline or not.

Shoot me a PM, I can connect you with a dealer in Japan who can get them at what most would think is a TGTBT price =)

Godslayer said:
So my birthdays coming up and like any knifenut who's living the bachelor lifestyle I want a new sharp toy to open. Unfortunatly I have no idea what I want and am juggling a few ideas. So far I have it down to five blades. What would you buy. Is there something even cooler I don't know about.

1. V1P's Harner Suji- very cool looking blade, epic saya, would be my longest blade by 45mm, don't know if I need 3 sujis though.
2. Mizu honyaki gyuto- I really want a honyaki am looking at ikeda,tesshu and sukenari. All sub 1k and very very well made blades.
3. Randys do it your self blade 220mm gyuto - would be a fun project, epic blade and a steal at sub $500
4. A honyaki yanagi - the peak of Japanese craftsmenship imho currently looking at sukenari but that genkai moon mmizu honyaki has me drooling, stupid expensive though, would be the peak of my collection though.
5. Whatever Haburn has in stock sub 1k, I'm on his list but its gonna be 14 months :'(

Sorry for the weird thread. I'm having a hell of a time making this decision. Is there anything else at 1k and under thats mind blowing, no shigs because I don't wanna walk down that path.
Click to expand...
 
Thanks mike, the suji is out, so that's out of the question. An ikeda yanagi is defiantly on my list of super amazing blades. I'd have a 100k ish yen budget so he may be out of range. I'll shoot you a pm and get a quote
 
Godslayer said:
Thanks mike, the suji is out, so that's out of the question. An ikeda yanagi is defiantly on my list of super amazing blades. I'd have a 100k ish yen budget so he may be out of range. I'll shoot you a pm and get a quote
Click to expand...

You will be very pleasantly surprised by the price =)
 
tjangula said:
A honyaki gyuto would be a good idea. Sukenari has good F&F but I personally don't care for the stamped kanji (seems too "production" like if you know what I mean). Watanabe needed some work to polish the choil but seems more special, now I just need my handles…

I'd suggest against honyaki single bevel unless you need the advantages of honyaki for work, will be a PITA to thin. I have a Watanabe 330 honyaki kensaki Yanagi (as a show piece, what the hell do I need it for… I'm a home cook :cool2: ) which at the time I thought would be my most epic blade. It really is epic, but it just looks like shiny metal, I think something like the kintaro-ame or Kitaeji on a single bevel looks way nicer (which is why I got a 300 sakimaru takobiki too :pirate1: )
Click to expand...

I was planing on having haburn make my custom order a damascus single bevel set. So thatll cover that. And make it yo handled to be blasphemous :knife:
 
Mert may still have a Honyaki yanagi for sale that is epic. Check out his instagram if you are interested.
 
malexthekid said:
I think you want to recommend a shig right :D
Click to expand...

Crap, you're right...

NOTAVAILABLENOTAVAILABLENOTAVAILABLENOTAVAILABLENOT- OH WAIT...That's not what I meant at all... Toyama is the best knife I've worked with in terms of grind/edge retention. F/F is on point for a knife made to work. And HOT DAMN if my 270 gyuto doesn't take a mean edge quicker than you can sell a western kitaeji.
 
Western kitaeji is honestly the only shig I like but I honestly think they are super over rated at 1k + when compared to many custom makers and lesser known Japanese smiths. It's a cool knife but for a few $$$ more you can get a HHH or Haburn dammy that'll destroy it in performance and sexiness. Something about a nice piece of burl just turns me on. Toyama honyaki yanagi is on my radar. If the ikeda comes back at what mike thinks it will that'll be the one. I'll toss a custom handle on it and call it a day. Saying that ill still think about it for a day before I pull out my wallet. I take these purchases very seriously.
 
panda said:
this is pretty sexy
http://knifewear.com/collections/shape-gyuto/products/masakage-zero-gyuto-240mm
Click to expand...

My girlfriend has the 165mm santoku as her main work knife. It's a pretty cool blade. Nice cokebottle handle. Ultra light and nimble. Very sharp... Wonder who she has sharpen it ;) maybe in febuary when it goes 15% off again. I almost bought one last year but ended up blowing my knife budget on something else. Can't remember if it was the fujiwara nakiri or a bob Kramer essential 10 inch. The spacing of the hammered finish is larger than the pics suggest. As mentioned saji does make an awesome blade. His tri color damascus and the knives with painted sayas and handles are intense.
 
Godslayer said:
Western kitaeji is honestly the only shig I like but I honestly think they are super over rated at 1k + when compared to many custom makers and lesser known Japanese smiths. It's a cool knife but for a few $$$ more you can get a HHH or Haburn dammy that'll destroy it in performance and sexiness. Something about a nice piece of burl just turns me on. Toyama honyaki yanagi is on my radar. If the ikeda comes back at what mike thinks it will that'll be the one. I'll toss a custom handle on it and call it a day. Saying that ill still think about it for a day before I pull out my wallet. I take these purchases very seriously.
Click to expand...

I agree on the kitaeji. More supply and demand than outright performance methinks. All a matter of opinion, but if we're talking high coin, I'd go Haburn over HHH hands down. His grind and profiles are more impressive IMO. Randy does nice work, but I think you're paying more for quality of materials and overall finish of the final product. Going back to Toyama- I'd get on that train sooner than later. Ian and Randy presumably still have years ahead of them to learn, develop, and produce more product. And they're already charging a premium. Toyama is top notch, and hitting his twilight years. And buying his stuff through Maxim is a fricking steal. I'd hop on Toyama's high end product if possible. I can't stress enough how impressed I am with my gyuto.
 
Yes, Mert is a great choice! He told me last that he still has a sanmai gyuto, a suji, that yanagiba and a tanto boning knife.
 
I have a hhh blade and three coming this month and am on haburns wait list. I'll grab a toyama this year for sure, going to have to take a look and see what I want. Mert is on my list to try but I'm kind of embarrassed I emailed him about a blade(this was when I was green) and didn't get back to him when he said how $$$ his blades were. Knowing what I know now that wasn't even expensive lol. But that's back when I thought $300 cad was a ton for a gyuto. Now I have a 2k+ cad blade coming lol. How times have changed lol. I like the idea of a tanto boning knife. Maybe for christmas :/ I think this thread is lining up my next years worth of knives and I like that. I'm also hoping a haburn honyaki petty comes up. Man I want one of those sooooo bad.
 
V1P said:
Yes, Mert is a great choice! He told me last that he still has a sanmai gyuto, a suji, that yanagiba and a tanto boning knife.
Click to expand...

I have been eying that san mai for ages. Struggling to justify a 2nd 190mm Tansu...
 
How are you for stones? I know you are looking at knives, but with all that quality steel en route a few nice rocks to sharpen them on would be appropriate.
Ohira Renge Suita in a 30 size or bigger would be my pick (actually, it was my pick ... duh) ;)
 
Mute-on said:
How are you for stones? I know you are looking at knives, but with all that quality steel en route a few nice rocks to sharpen them on would be appropriate.
Ohira Renge Suita in a 30 size or bigger would be my pick (actually, it was my pick ... duh) ;)
Click to expand...

I'd be more inclined to pick up some of Jon's diamond stones. But I guess if you have the time to to grind away on a natural, then that might be a good route. It's definitely fun knowing you're going the traditional route. Personally, I prefer to take the most expeditious route possible.
 
No jnats I am eventually going to go down that road. I had a thread about them but dropping a k on a rock is hard. I have a 220 pink brink 8k glass 1/3/5 k shapton pro and a leather strop with diamond paste at 1 micron. They serve me well.
 
Godslayer said:
No jnats I am eventually going to go down that road. I had a thread about them but dropping a k on a rock is hard. I have a 220 pink brink 8k glass 1/3/5 k shapton pro and a leather strop with diamond paste at 1 micron. They serve me well.
Click to expand...

Jon's diamond stones are a game changer.
 
If I was going to drop a grand on a heirloom knife, I would be looking at the Jin line that Jon has. I want one. I don't need one but we're all past that point I think.
 
agreed I really want a jin but cant bring myself to do it as I'm on waiting lists and I know it will be my turn as soon as I pull the trigger
 
Any info on the Jins? All it says on the JKI site is "No products found in this collection", no pictures or anything.
 
Jins are cool but I never really liked them, cool concept but simply not my taste. The hhh gyuto is gone as is the suji. So it's probably going to be a honyaki something. I started getting quotes on work. This thread turned out to be mighty helpful.
 
Godslayer said:
Jins are cool but I never really liked them, cool concept but simply not my taste. The hhh gyuto is gone as is the suji. So it's probably going to be a honyaki something. I started getting quotes on work. This thread turned out to be mighty helpful.
Click to expand...

they are super special, cant explain really.... simplicity, rawness you could apply those terms to a lot of knives but these are just perfect in my opinion.

image7.jpg

image6.jpg


they are however the only knives i own that i am hesitant to use....

photos don't do them justice
 
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