zapatodefuego
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- Jan 11, 2017
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Hi, all. I'm a long time lurker of this forum but recently ran into an issue that probably only this community can help with.
For almost two years I've really enjoyed using my Masamoto wa-gyuto for pretty much anything you would use a knife for. Eventually I wanted more so I tried to fill out my collection with most of the knives in the western Japanese knife catalog: petty, santoku, honesuki, nakiri, probably some others. What I was missing was a sujihiki which I didn't really have any desire for. Instead I wanted to get a double bevel kiritsuke and I was prepared to spend a lot on one. One stipulation: it had to have a flat belly profile, or as much as possible. Otherwise I figured I would just be getting a fancy looking gyuto.
Eventually I settled on this Masamoto:
Its in the KS line so it should be double bevel, mono-steel White #2, and come with the normal amenities like a polished rounded spine, finished choil, and overall excellent fit and finish. I went ahead and ordered one from JapaneseChefKnives for $445 (for comparison the KS gyuto is $306).
What I got was this:
Apparently it's Masamoto's new offering to replace the one above. My first impression was that the flat profile I desired had been completely done away with and this thing has no completely flat area along the entire edge. My second impression was that there was no way this knife is worth $445. First of all it's san mai which sets it apart from all other double bevel knives in the KS family and second the fit and finish is far inferior to the KS gyuto. The kiritsuke's spine is square and uncomfortable while the gyuto's is polished, the choil is unfinished and ground on a weird angle, there are visible grinder marks on the ferrule, and edge grind is uneven. It doesn't even fit into its saya without force.
Here's the kiritsuke and the gyuto side by side:
For what it's worth JapaneseChefKnives has offered a full refund but getting them to agree to this took a bit of convincing. They also offered a small discount if I were to keep the knife but it was paltry in comparison to the total cost. I haven't returned it yet but I can't imagine I won't eventually.
Can anyone who is familiar with Masamoto knives comment on this kiritsuke? Am I being too critical about the F&F? I get the feeling it is more like the single bevel knives in the KS line than the double bevel knives but I have nothing else to compare it to.
Does anyone have suggestions for what I could get to replace this kiritsuke that matches the original profile I was after?
edit: sorry for all the misspellings of "kiritsuke"...
For almost two years I've really enjoyed using my Masamoto wa-gyuto for pretty much anything you would use a knife for. Eventually I wanted more so I tried to fill out my collection with most of the knives in the western Japanese knife catalog: petty, santoku, honesuki, nakiri, probably some others. What I was missing was a sujihiki which I didn't really have any desire for. Instead I wanted to get a double bevel kiritsuke and I was prepared to spend a lot on one. One stipulation: it had to have a flat belly profile, or as much as possible. Otherwise I figured I would just be getting a fancy looking gyuto.
Eventually I settled on this Masamoto:
Its in the KS line so it should be double bevel, mono-steel White #2, and come with the normal amenities like a polished rounded spine, finished choil, and overall excellent fit and finish. I went ahead and ordered one from JapaneseChefKnives for $445 (for comparison the KS gyuto is $306).
What I got was this:
Apparently it's Masamoto's new offering to replace the one above. My first impression was that the flat profile I desired had been completely done away with and this thing has no completely flat area along the entire edge. My second impression was that there was no way this knife is worth $445. First of all it's san mai which sets it apart from all other double bevel knives in the KS family and second the fit and finish is far inferior to the KS gyuto. The kiritsuke's spine is square and uncomfortable while the gyuto's is polished, the choil is unfinished and ground on a weird angle, there are visible grinder marks on the ferrule, and edge grind is uneven. It doesn't even fit into its saya without force.
Here's the kiritsuke and the gyuto side by side:
For what it's worth JapaneseChefKnives has offered a full refund but getting them to agree to this took a bit of convincing. They also offered a small discount if I were to keep the knife but it was paltry in comparison to the total cost. I haven't returned it yet but I can't imagine I won't eventually.
Can anyone who is familiar with Masamoto knives comment on this kiritsuke? Am I being too critical about the F&F? I get the feeling it is more like the single bevel knives in the KS line than the double bevel knives but I have nothing else to compare it to.
Does anyone have suggestions for what I could get to replace this kiritsuke that matches the original profile I was after?
edit: sorry for all the misspellings of "kiritsuke"...
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