--> Need your help prioritising my wish list

Thanks to the brilliant content of this forum and after months of research, I have come up with a wish list of knives that I endeavour to acquire.

They come in all shapes and sizes and prices and I cannot get the entire lot in one go.

This is where you beloved KKF-ers come in. I need help with prioritising this list so that rather than cluelessly chasing all of them, I can aim to acquire them one by one.

These are all Gyutos, some of them are readily available, some are not. in no particular order:

* Teruyasu Fujiwara - 210mm Maboroshi Wa
* Heiji - 240mm carbon
* Takamura - 210mm R2
* Masamoto - 240mm KS
* Sukenari - 240/270mm AS (He does a lot of steels, maybe I should look at something else other than his AS line)
* Tanaka - 240mm B2
* Somethig by Kurosaki because I like his stuff. Right now the Syousin Chiku Migaki 240mm AS stands out for me.
* Mizuno Tanrenjo - I'm going to aim high on this one and try for a honyaki
* Something by Ikeda san (the master not the younger Ikeda(s))
* Something by Shiraki san
* Something by Yoshikane

What are your thoughts on how I should go about this?

I'm hoping that I haven't missed anything obvious - please shout if I have.

Thanks,
K.

Ikeda and shiraki have not had flavor of month yet, try those first.

Well I'd custom order an ikeda honyaki now, it's going to take a year, until than I'd go takamura r2(cheap and readily availible) after that I'd just bang them out as I have the money, maybe assign each blade a number 1-7 and use a random number generator on Google. They are all good knives. Worth noting ikeda recently finished a honyakitamahagane yanagi for me and it's beautiful. He can make gyutos with it as well. The tanaka b#2 would honestly be my second blade given its low cost.

Does ikeda do custom profiles on honyaki? I would LOVE to send him my KS and do a honyaki version.

What is your primary objective in wishing to acquire them? If basically for the sake of collecting them -- rather than regularly using them -- then wouldn't you then try to figure out which might appreciate in value the most near-term (e.g., over the next year), and start with them, lest their future prices put an even greater dent in your budget? But if your primary purpose is regular use and enjoyment -- and you expect to sell whatever you acquire that essentially duplicates (but for performance) another one you have, then why not just start with the most expensive one on your list that is currently available, and then next acquire a similar one to compare and decide which to resell (e.g., buy a 240mm Heji and then 240mm Tanaka, and after you've tried both, sell the one you like less)?

To be honest, I have inherited the 'collector-gene' from my folks.

I am not keen on selling knives unless I have to. It's both a collecting thing and also the fact that inevitably a lot of my time and energy would have gone into each purchase and generally speaking I'd hate to part with the end result of all that time and energy.

So with that in mind, I need to come up with some sort of priority/ strategy

Yoshikasu Ikeda before he retires and his price goes up. And a Tanaka b2 or takamura r2 to get started on.

The impressive part is that no one has asked why or thinks it odd that he needs another 11 gyutos on top of what he already owns. Having said that I like Godslayer's strategy; get your custom order in now and grab the easy ones, takamura, tanaka and kurosaki while you are waiting.

Godslayers suggestion is a good one IMO.
With fatboylims advice added.

Plus be ready to pull the trigger on the KS when ever it happens to become available. They're really hard to find these days so don't miss your shot.
If the B2 Tanaka you are thinking about is the SS clad one, keep an ear to the ground on those too. They will also be gone in hours or days when they appear again. And those are a K&S exclusive versions. The B2 dammy with iron clad is much easier to come by if that's the one you are after.

When you start buying those knives you'll learn more about your preferences and also about other blade smiths you didn't realise before and your original list will probably adjust accordingly a long the way.

Nice list BTW.
Enjoy the hunt! :knife:

OliverNuther said:

The impressive part is that no one has asked why . . . .

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You mean no one asked something like "What is your primary objective in wishing to acquire them?"?

larrybard said:

You mean no one asked something like "What is your primary objective in wishing to acquire them?"?

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I think more along the lines of... We all think it's completely normal to need a dozen gyutos.

Someone just listed a tesshu honyaki by shiraki on another forum if you're looking to get the ball rolling quick. I like the idea others had of jumping on a wait list and picking up the more affordable/readily available blades in the meanwhile

OliverNuther said:

The impressive part is that no one has asked why or thinks it odd that he needs another 11 gyutos on top of what he already owns. Having said that I like Godslayer's strategy; get your custom order in now and grab the easy ones, takamura, tanaka and kurosaki while you are waiting.

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Erm....two words really: Rabbit Hole.

Joking aside, I think we are waaay past 'need' in my case. This is all about lust and addiction for me, can't explain it rationally really.

JaVa said:

Godslayers suggestion is a good one IMO.
With fatboylims advice added.

Plus be ready to pull the trigger on the KS when ever it happens to become available. They're really hard to find these days so don't miss your shot.
If the B2 Tanaka you are thinking about is the SS clad one, keep an ear to the ground on those too. They will also be gone in hours or days when they appear again. And those are a K&S exclusive versions. The B2 dammy with iron clad is much easier to come by if that's the one you are after.

When you start buying those knives you'll learn more about your preferences and also about other blade smiths you didn't realise before and your original list will probably adjust accordingly a long the way.

Nice list BTW.
Enjoy the hunt! :knife:

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Not too keen on the dammy, the SS clad one would be great and actually the KU is just as appealing imo.

khashy said:

Not too keen on the dammy, the SS clad one would be great and actually the KU is just as appealing imo.

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Check out MetalMaster for Tanaka KU and blue 2,then get a custom handle! I got the last 180 KU Gyuto from recent stocks, but there are more Blue 2 I think.

fatboylim said:

http://www.metalmaster-ww.com/product-list/5

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That page has been an open tab on my browser, I just haven't pulled the trigger yet (hence this thread I guess).....

No need to try to explain khashy, I'm quite sure everybody understands perfectly. And are probably more than a little envious of your quest.

OliverNuther said:

No need to try to explain khashy, I'm quite sure everybody understands perfectly. And are probably more than a little envious of your quest.

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Little humbled :angel2:

I think even if I do manage to get this together one day, some of the guys here have gathered such impressive collections that this would be naught by comparison (yes, you know who you are )

This list is the ones that spoke to me for various reasons (the heat treat, the smith, the grind, the profile, the steel, etc) so the quest goes on

larrybard said:

You mean no one asked something like "What is your primary objective in wishing to acquire them?"?

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Larry, I just had a look at you knives list and my jaw dropped! What a collection I must say.

Next time I'm in Philly in March/April, I'll pay an entrance fee to view your gear...

Just how long did it take to acquire this set?

Would love to have you over and talk about knives -- but don't be fooled by appearances; my knives primarily evidence indiscriminate buying, over the last 3 years, rather than the sort of knowledgeable and sophisticated connoisseurship that might appropriately describe the cumulative acquisitions of so many other people who participate in this forum (and who have truly incredible collections).

Let me know when you'll be in town.

khashy said:

Larry, I just had a look at you knives list and my jaw dropped! What a collection I must say.

Next time I'm in Philly in March/April, I'll pay an entrance fee to view your gear...

Just how long did it take to acquire this set?

Click to expand...

larrybard said:

Would love to have you over and talk about knives -- but don't be fooled by appearances; my knives primarily evidence indiscriminate buying, over the last 3 years, rather than the sort of knowledgeable and sophisticated connoisseurship that might appropriately describe the cumulative acquisitions of so many other people who participate in this forum (and who have truly incredible collections).

Let me know when you'll be in town.

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Definitely will, I try to visit Philly as much as possible, firstly to meet up with my team and secondly to get away from the crappy London weather!

Also, "indiscriminate buying", man after my own heart

why philly?? it's a gross city. no offense larry.

panda said:

why philly?? it's a gross city. no offense larry.

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We have our office there - my US team is based there.

I have to admit I like Philly, don't think it's gross at all. City and people have always treated me super nicely

panda said:

why philly?? it's a gross city. no offense larry.

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No offense taken. Born and raised in NYC, and though I've been living in Philadelphia for a good many years, my heart still is -- and probably always will be -- in NY. But Philly ain't all that bad. (On the other hand, hot and humid Florida . . . . ) :no:

Well I tried all of them in 240 mm gyuto and all are great knives! Sure you will enjoy all of them.

preizzo said:

Well I tried all of them in 240 mm gyuto and all are great knives! Sure you will enjoy all of them.

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Would love it if you would have a go at ranking them according to what you would get first.

I realise this entirely subjective and I'm asking for your personal opinion, and I know that this is not a statement about the qualities of the knives.