Moritaka AS Chukabocho

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aboynamedsuita

aboynamedsuita

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Anyone have/had the Moritaka AS chukabocho? If so what are your thoughts? I've been tempted to get a cleaver at some point and the wide(ish) bevel should be able to be tailored to a be suitable for a lefty (unlike the hiromoto I used to have).
5B9D242B-A130-4423-B130-F2067A7F3FEF_zpsyszuel9c.jpg


I know moritaka can have grind issues but if that's the case I would probably send to JKI and let Jon/Sam work their magic on it… I don't think losing some height in the process would be the end of the world either.
 
looks pretty good in those shot though, thin enough imo. the weight carries the cutting through easily.
 
I've always wanted to try one. Reasonably priced for a cleaver, last I heard cktg will refund/replace moritakas w grind issues. Even though the problem doesn't necessarily present itself until after many sharpenings sometimes.
 
If I recall correctly, Moritaka chukas are very flat indeed. You need a very pure chopping action to avoid the heel or tip digging into your board. If you're okay with that, it might be a good choice; but if you like a little belly on your chuka, then look elsewhere.
 
As far as the OG goes, my understanding is that you'd have to regrind past it so would loose probably 15-20mm. I think I could live with this since it's like 110mm… on a <50mm gyuto probably a different story

inzite said:
looks pretty good in those shot though, thin enough imo. the weight carries the cutting through easily.
Click to expand...
Yea, the hiromoto looked okay… if you're right handed though. I found it too asymmetric for me


Rayuela said:
If I recall correctly, Moritaka chukas are very flat indeed. You need a very pure chopping action to avoid the heel or tip digging into your board. If you're okay with that, it might be a good choice; but if you like a little belly on your chuka, then look elsewhere.
Click to expand...
I noted this as well and think I'd prefer it to the roundedness
 
I have one, put LOTS of work into it (thinning) and yes it had grind issues but they were all minor and have since been worked out. It seriously wedged OTB but now it performs well (still thick, with good food release). Going to put it up on the classifieds soon because I don't take it to work since it has so much reactive surface area (I removed the KU long ago out of necessity while thinning). I definitely have seen variation in the other photos I've seen around here but almost all looked they could use some serious thinning.
 
Did you ever pull the trigger on a moritaka cleaver? Out of curiosity can you deal with moritaka directly? Will they work with you for custom specs?
 
Not yet… I'm hoping Santa is generous tomorrow and I'll have the cash flow as a cleaver is still on my want list. Still have some others too though such as cooper sauté pan, zwilling commercial stock pot… decisions, decisions
 
I'm out of the Moritaka cleaver race. I bought a used Pierre Rodrique mono steel cleaver, that was thin and flat. I liked two things about the moritaka 1 it's flat and 2 it's AS steel. However, there were many things I didn't like - thick, needs work out the box and I really don't like the finish on them. I asked about getting a custom cleaver made to my specs and was told between 1 and 2 year wait and twice the normal price. I also sent Shibata San a request for a thin R2 custom cleaver and was quoted over 1100 US! Crazy!
 
A good cleaver is hard to find, especially between the $250-400 price range. My fave option would be a carbon gesh ginga wa cleaver but the timeline is up in the air. Sujimoto would work but it might prove difficult to rehandle. Takeda is pricey...would cut like a dream but still have typical takeda F&F. If moritaka produces a chuka that's under 450grams in weight I might be willing to deal with it. That's the other thing-most cleavers have too much weight.
 
labor of love said:
A good cleaver is hard to find, especially between the $250-400 price range. My fave option would be a carbon gesh ginga wa cleaver but the timeline is up in the air. Sujimoto would work but it might prove difficult to rehandle. Takeda is pricey...would cut like a dream but still have typical takeda F&F. If moritaka produces a chuka that's under 450grams in weight I might be willing to deal with it. That's the other thing-most cleavers have too much weight.
Click to expand...

Agreed, the cleaver is a hard find. The PR I have is a good starting point but it's going to need thinning a bit. It was 350 bucks so I can deal with that. The problem I have with cleavers is too much radious, most are nothing more than accordion machines. The takeda is the worst, great steel and craftsmanship but the radious on these is massive. I had one and sold it for a huge loss as it was nearly unusable.
 
I got one of these not too long ago
CAFA04A4-6085-4656-99B3-D00C13FC5A43_zps6yvnpy1w.jpg


Ive only used a few times, and I'm thinking that the flat profile is maybe a bit too flat, and I can see where the bit of radius would be nice. That said, I had a Takeda nakiri which was WAY overdone (sounds like Chicago had the same with Takeda cleaver), and I recall the hiromoto cleaver also had a bit too much for me, so probably easier to tweak the profile. I'm gonna use it as is for awhile but will probably see if Jon can take the project on and do it properly.
 
aboynamedsuita said:
I got one of these not too long ago
CAFA04A4-6085-4656-99B3-D00C13FC5A43_zps6yvnpy1w.jpg


Ive only used a few times, and I'm thinking that the flat profile is maybe a bit too flat, and I can see where the bit of radius would be nice. That said, I had a Takeda nakiri which was WAY overdone (sounds like Chicago had the same with Takeda cleaver), and I recall the hiromoto cleaver also had a bit too much for me, so probably easier to tweak the profile. I'm gonna use it as is for awhile but will probably see if Jon can take the project on and do it properly.
Click to expand...

Nice cleaver! I too prefer flat knives generally. Sometimes the easiest way to ease the flat spot on a cleaver is to round the corner of the blade closest to the heel so that it does not stick into the board as you push cut.

Also, do NOT round off the tip end, this is best naturally rounded as you "drag the tip" along the chopping board for drag cutting.

I find there is a wear in time for new flat cleavers! But once they are there, awesome knives for all sorts of cutting :)
 
I had a question originally posted in the newest knife but when we were discussing cleavers: http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/7655-Show-your-newest-knife-buy?p=485769#post485769
But I thought it'd make more sense to add it to this thread…

Chicagohawkie said:
So what is you initial take on your moritaka? Mine was a catch and release as I couldn't get past the size and thickness, would have taken way too much work to get it where I would have wanted it. I'm gonna stick with my Pierre R cleaver, it's flat, thin and an ideal weight.... only thing I don't like about it is it's not Japanese.
Click to expand...

I like it so far… weights about 450g and the thickness above the heel is 4.0mm and tapers to 1.9mm at the tip. It's a bit weird that it's a few mm taller at the tip (108mm) than the heel (105mm), so the handle angles downward slightly if edge is sitting flat on a board… not sure if it is because of wonky grinding or to allow profile tweaking, or because some cleaver do have handle that angle this way slightly?

It's only the second cleaver I've used, with the previous being a super rare hiromoto AS cleaver, but that wasn't ground well for me as a lefty (see pic in my first post in this thread) and found it a bit too curved in the profile (although nothing like my Takeda NAS nakiri, I recall you also had the same issue with the Takeda cleaver?). The moritaka is dead flat, but that is almost too flat, or more like the tip/heel could use a bit of curve to prevent accordion cuts with the tip/heel or board sticking. I think the Fujiwara example inzite posted looks good… flat but with the slightest bit of arc at the heel/tip.

One thing I dislike is how the kanji is stamped in a jumbled cluster and hard to see… looks hastily done compared to the gyuto I got several years ago.


Rare Hiromoto AS cleaver
7C570BB2-5355-4F85-953A-410EF1B44AD8_zpsgnrvo1gp.jpg

5B9D242B-A130-4423-B130-F2067A7F3FEF_zpsyszuel9c.jpg


Takeda NAS nakiri
886E8888-0FA5-4BF5-BE23-1174EF0758ED_zps2fx9dr2r.jpg


Moritaka AS cleaver
CAFA04A4-6085-4656-99B3-D00C13FC5A43_zps6yvnpy1w.jpg


And here is what I think looks like the perfect cleave profile:
inzite said:
brought these 3 kurouchi beauties back! by Ricky Cheong Photography, on Flickr
Click to expand...
 
aboynamedsuita said:
I had a question originally posted in the newest knife but when we were discussing cleavers: http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/7655-Show-your-newest-knife-buy?p=485769#post485769
But I thought it'd make more sense to add it to this thread…



I like it so far… weights about 450g and the thickness above the heel is 4.0mm and tapers to 1.9mm at the tip. It's a bit weird that it's a few mm taller at the tip (108mm) than the heel (105mm), so the handle angles downward slightly if edge is sitting flat on a board… not sure if it is because of wonky grinding or to allow profile tweaking, or because some cleaver do have handle that angle this way slightly?

It's only the second cleaver I've used, with the previous being a super rare hiromoto AS cleaver, but that wasn't ground well for me as a lefty (see pic in my first post in this thread) and found it a bit too curved in the profile (although nothing like my Takeda NAS nakiri, I recall you also had the same issue with the Takeda cleaver?). The moritaka is dead flat, but that is almost too flat, or more like the tip/heel could use a bit of curve to prevent accordion cuts with the tip/heel or board sticking. I think the Fujiwara example inzite posted looks good… flat but with the slightest bit of arc at the heel/tip.

One thing I dislike is how the kanji is stamped in a jumbled cluster and hard to see… looks hastily done compared to the gyuto I got several years ago.


Rare Hiromoto AS cleaver
7C570BB2-5355-4F85-953A-410EF1B44AD8_zpsgnrvo1gp.jpg

5B9D242B-A130-4423-B130-F2067A7F3FEF_zpsyszuel9c.jpg


Takeda NAS nakiri
886E8888-0FA5-4BF5-BE23-1174EF0758ED_zps2fx9dr2r.jpg


Moritaka AS cleaver
CAFA04A4-6085-4656-99B3-D00C13FC5A43_zps6yvnpy1w.jpg


And here is what I think looks like the perfect cleave profile:
Click to expand...

lol just tested mine on an apple and as i expected... splendid.
 
I've embarked on a rather large rehab project for this knife... thinning and profile tweaking (on concrete lol).

19534333_1458657324213632_6990828837890162688_n.jp g


I have to remove a lot of metal and raise the shinogi so started with 60 grit sand paper on a glass plate since my coarsest stone is only 120 grit.
I thought the otherwise useless sharpening guide I have could help but it was not acute enough even over the height of the blade (top-right).
Using a thin metal shim about 1.3mm taped to the spine was much better and actually gave a useful angle (bottom-left).
The 60 grit is painfully slow so I switched to 36 grit, which is still pretty slow lol… you can see how much higher the shinogi will be too (bottom-right).

I only used the concrete for the rough profile work to save my Atoma diamond plate and stones, and yes this was done prior to the bulk of the thinning (which is still in progress). I was somewhat surprised that there was no chipping or anything like that. OOTB it was dead flat and 3mm taller at the tip than heel, so I did some work to even this out, and also arc the tip and heel just a bit.
[video=youtube;JWBsKilhSuc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWBsKilhSuc[/video]

I'll post updates as this continues... it will also involve restoring the KU.
 
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