Thoughts on Konosuke Honyaki?

Looking for a couple knives for my dad for Christmas, sushi chef buddy of mine suggested Konosuke Honyaki, any thoughts on them? I am peripherally aware of Konosuke knives, but have never held one. Figured I'd shop around a bit before I swoop him a Shig or something "well known"

What does your dad want or use? Chefs give lots of foolish knife advice.

XooMG said:

What does your dad want or use? Chefs give lots of foolish knife advice.

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He's been using an old set of Sabatier knives for 30+ years that he keeps razor sharp with a few natural stones. He had expressed some interest in picking up a couple japanese style knives because he loves how they cut, and he used one of my Carter's and fell in love.

I'd like to get him a nice Gyuto, Nakiri and a Wa-Petty

Have no personal first hand knowledge of that knife, but did want to say what a wonderful son to father gesture you're making. Like you, I've heard much positive praise of the Konosuke line in general. I can only think how nice that particular one is, especially with the handle.

Absolutely love my kono b2 honyaki! Just got it back from getting rehandled and used it to make dinner last night and it just flies through food and gets super sharp and keeps its edge very well. The only thing is that its a bit harder to deburr than other knives when sharpening. If you have a chance to get one, jump on it!

The utility of the knife is all that matters. It's nice to own boutique knives, but at some point you've got to come to terms with it's intended purpose. Konosuke knives do not have the forgiving nature of soft German type steels. So long as you know that and he knows that he'd love using the knife on various items.

I would not get a nakiri, it's nice to have one, but it's also nice to have a big old cheap chinese carbon cleaver....for hacking bones and such...nice to have something that can be sharp and do bones.

I'd look at the lower end carbon knives in blu steel or white steel. They'll cut great...Who cares about bling handles? Your old man sounds like he's a practical guy if he's been sharpening his knives all these years.

Kikuichi carbon western chefs knife is a good transition knife, good steel, takes a mean edge and doesn't break the bank. The honyaki knife...cool, beautiful, but it's really a luxury boutique knife.

Get your man some real utility to actually use, it's no fun damaging a beautiful premium knife, fun to use yes...but sometimes bad stuff happens

Lazarus said:

He's been using an old set of Sabatier knives for 30+ years that he keeps razor sharp with a few natural stones. He had expressed some interest in picking up a couple japanese style knives because he loves how they cut, and he used one of my Carter's and fell in love.

I'd like to get him a nice Gyuto, Nakiri and a Wa-Petty

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If he fell in love with your Carter, get him a Carter.

Pensacola Tiger said:

If he fell in love with your Carter, get him a Carter.

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+1. Carters are exceptional cutters, come in many different price brackets, and most importantly; they are available for purchase

I'd take Carter over Konosuke any day. That said, I'm sure your father will enjoy whatever you get.

Cheers

Your dad sounds awesome. Konosuke Honyakis would be tricky to get. Why not try a Watanabe Honyaki which could be made in a reasonable amount of time. His regular offering are very highly regarded round these parts and I imagine his honyaki made to your specifications would be quite special.
Failing that, there's speculation that Kenichi Shiraki, who makes the Japanese knives for sale at Carter is the smith for some of the Konosuke Fujiyama lines and honyaki. While Carter doesn't offer any double bevels, the Tesshu line at Aframes is made by Shiraki San and there are honyaki gyuto available.

Konosuke is a good brand but why get a Honyaki? They are much more expensive and can be harder to sharpen for a beginner. What is your total budget for this purchase?

ThEoRy said:

Konosuke is a good brand but why get a Honyaki? They are much more expensive and can be harder to sharpen for a beginner. What is your total budget for this purchase?

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No real limit on price, It was a recommendation I believe due to monosteel, but I do not have any real favor one way or another.

Lazarus said:

No real limit on price, It was a recommendation I believe due to monosteel, but I do not have any real favor one way or another.

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I hope my 7 month old son will be like you someday. :thumbsup:


I agree with the Carter, it´s also kind of nice to have the same knife as father and son.

I now own a Kono 240 W-2 Honyaki that I keep polished and free of patina or rust. There is no doubt I work extra hard in maintaining this amazing knife. Though the W-2 is more laserish than the B-2, there is still a very substantial feel to the blade though it perhaps looks more sleek and dainty. This is, for me, not a daily use knife but rather a knife I will bring out when the occasion needs a bit more of an infusion of the smith's and blades history.... or maybe just the fact it was the knife that upon first sight kept my hopes alive to own one at some point in the future and peaked my curiosity about such things. After each use, I will hit it with a thin coat of Flitz, polish it, remove any finger marks and any hint of patina or color change, place a small bit of Magnolia oil on it and display it until the next special occasion. Every now and then, when my brain is lusting to use it, I might play with the grind, strop it a bit, cut something just because it is on my mind and then repeat... And I have only owned it a week. LOL. Of those folks I have spoken with who actually own these knives, this is not at all an unusual use of the knife. Just not a daily driver rather a collectors Ferrari that will be in my collection until... Also, sellers of the W-2 Honyaki are few and far between, becoming increasingly rare as they cannot be replaced with a new one.. I spent years waiting for mine.

Also, as a note: I own some incredible blades from several storied smiths. So far, I have not discovered the magical Samarai, Ninja kitchen blade that mysteriously cuts product without any input from the user. I have not found that one blade that turns me into the great Slicini...improving my skills without any additional practice. I am fairly certain that concept is a wonderful myth from my own imagination. Each blade tends to either resonate or not with the operator. These boards can create a sense of lust that may or may not have any basis in logic rather.... We just want the particular knife in question because we want it... Sometimes that is enough to justify the purchase regardless of what the Pro's might say. The decision of function over looks or visa versa is solely yours to determine as there are 100's of knives that will do most any job but only a few that might grab you by the nads and twist you or your dad into submission.. How is that for a visual? All the knives that have been mentioned can certainly have the potential to be ball grabbers...No wrong decision here.

Jamie

give him your carter, and get your dads name engraved on it

Man, why did you do that? Now, I really want a carter!