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aaronsgibson

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Hey all. Well after a little deliberation I've decided to start saving my pennies for a 240 standard shig. So I was wondering what everyone else thinks of them? I've heard that they are some of the best cutters around and also the most reactive. So any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks again.
 
Best mighty knife I've ever used.
Feels fantastic on the hones.

Can't wait to rehandle mine.
 
I love mine. I didn't sharpen it when I got it and remained super sharp for months with just touch-ups (home cook prep). Regarding reactivity, I haven't had any problems but I have to confess I baby it. I only used it with proteins for a while (mainly chicken breast) until it formed a blueish patina that seems pretty solid, I also clean it with very hot water, which supposedly also helps.

get one, you won't regret it, and if you don't like it, you can always sell it at a minimal loss.


ps: when you order, get also a couple of finger stones, they will help maintain the original finish.
 
I was thinking about picking one up from JWW, (if they still have any that is) if I remember correct, there is someone who will get you a custom, but I do hate to wait :)
 
I seem to remember Dr. Naka is on hold with the Shig orders for some reason. But if he lifts the hold, a big :plus1: on the fingerstones. I like the Maruka Nakayama.
 
Wow, that's to bad. But, I just shot an e-mail to JWW to see if they have any or will be getting any in stock. Fingers crossed. What a way to break in a credit card with no APR for 15 months :)

Well I'm all for a nice looking knife, but I also do like a patina, kind of shows the traveled road that the knife has been on. But I do every so often clean up my Kono and such. What is the profile like and such? Thanks again.
 
It's awesome. Glad I got mine from Marko when he was selling them. It is costly for sure, but it is also great. I just ordered one when he posted and had it in a couple of weeks. Guess I got lucky.
 
I liked my Heiji better. Just felt much nicer to cut with the Heiji even though the Shig was even thinner than standard.
 
My kitaeji shig nakiri has a really reactive cladding. Of course, the nature of a nakiri is dealing with veggies, so there's no building up a nice patina with protein first - or at least I'm stubborn enough to keep my nakiri purely for vegetable matter. Couldn't tell you what a regular kasumi Shig's cladding is like, but the kitaeji cladding reacts beyond anything else I have.

Cuts nicely, though.
 
I was thinking about picking one up from JWW, (if they still have any that is) if I remember correct, there is someone who will get you a custom, but I do hate to wait :)

I seem to remember a few for sale here a few months back, I think one may still be for sale. If JWW does not have anything, you can probably post a WTB in the BST forum and you may get some takers.
 
i love my 240 kasumi Shig, but i like my 240 kitaeji Yoshikane as much, and the Yoshikanes are cheaper and easier to get. something to think about.
 
love both heiji and shige, I have not tried a heiji gyuto but I am sure I would love it (wink wink Jon)
 
Love my western 240 kasumi, reactivity was bad at first, then I followed the Darkhoek patina recipe which worked really well. Though I later stripped this off to go for a protein patina which is slowly building....
I find it great to cut with really like the profile and geometry, it's thicker at the heel but with loads of taper.
The cladding is soft and prone to errant scratches, but this doesn't really bother me.
 
i love my 240 kasumi Shig, but i like my 240 kitaeji Yoshikane as much, and the Yoshikanes are cheaper and easier to get. something to think about.

I recently got a 270 Yoshikane tamamoku and it's absolutely beautiful with ridiculous geometry...I just can't imagine a Shig being any better, especially for double the price.

This is the first knife I've ever purchased that I wanted to keep the look in pristine condition, so I've barely even used it...which means I will probably sell it soon unfortunately.
 
I got mine from aframestokyo in July. Although they do not take orders anymore, they seem to get a few extra knives when their Shigefusa back-orders arrive. So check the site often.
I actually hoped for a 210, but gladly jumped on a 240 when it became available and love it.
 
I liked my Heiji better. Just felt much nicer to cut with the Heiji even though the Shig was even thinner than standard.

<Mod edit & paraphrase: "I strongly disagree.">
 
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I was thinking about picking one up from JWW, (if they still have any that is) if I remember correct, there is someone who will get you a custom, but I do hate to wait :)

Where do you even order these knives from? whats JWW?
 
Japan Wood Worker. They get Shigefusa every few weeks (they used to in the past). You get on a list and they call you when they have some in stock. The problem is they call a bunch of people and should they get through, you will have to make a decision on the spot, sometimes you end up with a knife different that you wanted originally, but what is available at the moment. Their prices are good, shipping is free and if you are a professional, you get 10% discount (have to ask for it).

The downside - they don't know what they are getting (whatever Shigefusa sends them they take), they don't take custom orders and if they didn't get hold of you withing 10-15 minutes, they move to the next person on a list.

M
 
I've had 2 - a 240 (sold last year) and my current 225. Both behaved the same.
Patina was easy to form, no smells on onions or problems with citrus. Clean with HOT water and soap, you'll be fine. Fairly easy to sharpen, but I find the metal is a little slower to create a burr than others. It's a heavier knife - I thought I liked thin knives until I started to use this one. I'm happy Stefan put a handle on it for me... if I'm paying that kind of $$ for a knife, it makes sense to make it my own. The profile... I thought I'd have to get used to it, but it is more natural to use for me, Mr. home cook.
The Wantanabe has a thinner blade close to the edge, but heft is about the same - I find myself reaching for that knife when I want to be faster, or have thinner cuts to make... but I've sharpened the 2 knives with different purposes in mind (Shig w/microbevel to cut and cut and cut, Wantanabe with a refined edge that I sharpen a little more frequently). The Carter Gyuto is lighter, completely different profile - and I'm so afraid of breaking the tip, I've stopped reaching for it since the Shigs came along. Devin's Carbon knife has seen less use too. The Kono seems like an old fav, but in the home kitchen, with a Shig... the Shig easily gets 80% of the work, taking into consideration the times I reach for pettys and santoku's. If the hobby wasn't part collection, I'd probably only have Shig's.
Damn... reading this over makes me want to go cook up a storm, using all my dusty knives.
 
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I have both a 180 Shig Gyuto and a 180 Nakiri I bought off JWW that I like very much. Super plain jane knives for looks but they work great. The nakiri is much heavier than the average Japanese version of this knife. Kind of a mini-Chinese cleaver. It sees a lot of use cracking and cutting up Dungeness crab here.
 
I just want to express what I went through. I ordered a custom Shigefusa kitaeji Gyuto 255 mm via drnaka 7 months ago. The reason I chose him was because he promised that it would take 3 months. Well, it didn´t. I contacted him few days ago and got refund of my 50% deposit. When I contacted him a month ago he said that it could take some extra 3 months. I found one in Europe a brand new one with octagonal handle and better price and luckily 250 mm :) and they had the last one on stock so they shipped it the same day. I am getting it after 4 days. Have been waiting for this knife for 7 months now so I am really excited. Drnaka was always nice and helpful but I felt disappointed that this happened.
 
Given the situation in Japan after the tsunami and the Fukushima meltdowns, the problem with Shigefusa is understandable.

I just want to express what I went through. I ordered a custom Shigefusa kitaeji Gyuto 255 mm via drnaka 7 months ago. The reason I chose him was because he promised that it would take 3 months. Well, it didn´t. I contacted him few days ago and got refund of my 50% deposit. When I contacted him a month ago he said that it could take some extra 3 months. I found one in Europe a brand new one with octagonal handle and better price and luckily 250 mm :) and they had the last one on stock so they shipped it the same day. I am getting it after 4 days. Have been waiting for this knife for 7 months now so I am really excited. Drnaka was always nice and helpful but I felt disappointed that this happened.
 
I just want to express what I went through. I ordered a custom Shigefusa kitaeji Gyuto 255 mm via drnaka 7 months ago. The reason I chose him was because he promised that it would take 3 months. Well, it didn´t. I contacted him few days ago and got refund of my 50% deposit. When I contacted him a month ago he said that it could take some extra 3 months. I found one in Europe a brand new one with octagonal handle and better price and luckily 250 mm :) and they had the last one on stock so they shipped it the same day. I am getting it after 4 days. Have been waiting for this knife for 7 months now so I am really excited. Drnaka was always nice and helpful but I felt disappointed that this happened.

This would be pure speculation, but perhaps the inability to deliver is part of the reason why Dr. Naka has stopped taking orders for them.
 
I recently got a 270 Yoshikane tamamoku and it's absolutely beautiful with ridiculous geometry...I just can't imagine a Shig being any better, especially for double the price.

This is the first knife I've ever purchased that I wanted to keep the look in pristine condition, so I've barely even used it...which means I will probably sell it soon unfortunately.

get some good natural finger stones and some micro mesh pads, and you can keep it looking good with a bit of elbow grease.
 
I've handled a few Shigs. I haven't been super excited about them. They just haven't cut as well for me as I expected based on all the rave reviews. I also prefer Heiji with regard to cutting performance but I'm not sure which one wins in the edge retention department.
 
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