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bieniek

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Suisin Ao-ko Suminagashi Kensaki Yanagi

http://korin.com/Ao-ko-Suminagashi-Kensaki-Yanagi?sc=27&category=280043

This just arrived[my employer bought it] and I had a chance to get a closer look.

Absolutely stunning.
Really nice blade and whole knife made nicely.
Very straight.
Cladding looks very good.
Profile is super sexy and line of the spine[going up towards the tip] is just perfect.
Balance is there.
Handle is superb.
Tang hole well finished and all neat as hell

For me the knife is just perfect. I like it, even though I would be scared to use it on everyday basis.


There is one minor issue with it though, when the knife was ordered I was excited to check the sharpness OoTB...
I was hoping the amount of money spent would made the knife scoring minimum 9/10 in every way.

It did not.

I honestly dont understand it, why?

Its definitely not cheap, so why wouldnt they sharpen it to maximum?
Is it cause they believe when you buy such a thing you should know how to sharpen or something?

Any good answer?
 
I think it's because of the culture of the Japanese that the new owner would want to put their own edge on a new knife.
 
I don't think they have in there minds that a user who buys such a knife should know how to sharpen it correctly. I think a knife like that should come screaming sharp tradition or not.
I know how we all like to put our own finish on a new blade especially for the western style knives which are always fun to tweak and see what kind of potential we can get out of such a knife.
But I think for any handmade knife over 2k should all ready be at a high level of sharpness and finish , this way the user will have a reference point on how sharp the knife could be.
Just my 2 cents.
 
Yup that's what a lot of high end yanagi need unless you ask for it to be sharpened I think. But a beautiful knife. I think that it's called Honba-Tsuke
 
Maybe because they offer the sharpening service in addition to the price of the knife so that they can make a few extra bucks out of it. If someone wants to sharpen it themselves, fine but you pay for it if not. For the price of that knife, I would expect it sharp ootb.
 
That is how many Japanese knives are. It might be considered an insult to sharpen before the owner gets it.Many people wish to put on their own edge. That being said. Korin would have professionally sharpened the knife before shipping if requested. Free of charge. It just has to be requested, and you must agree it won't be returned if sharpened first. I had them sharpen two misono ux10 knives before delivery.
 
I have relatives who, even though they're only buying cheap Chinatown specials, always say "you need to 'open' a new knife before you start to use it." In other words, you've got to sharpen it yourself right out of the box.

It's just an asian thing, I think, to expect to put your own edge on a new knife. It goes across the spectrum from super-cheap to high-end.
 
i wish all my knives came unsharpened. i'm not even really sure that i want basic bevels to be put on them, anymore.
 
If you wanted it sharp, you could probably specify that is what you want.
 
Bieniek, if you have a chance, let us see the suminagashi pictures after the knife has gone through honbatzuke.
 
This reminds me of when Moriemoto got pissed at Flay for throwing his cutting board and treating his knives badly. When you get the knife you are learning the spirit of the knife. What us westerners would say getting to know it. In a sense you are kissing the knife when you first start sharpening it and making love with it when you are using it. This is my take on this not written in gospel.
 
Gorgeous knife! I would be a bit scared to use it, so I would never buy it in the first place.

I don't really feel like the knife is mine until I spend some time working it on the stones even if it did come fairly sharp ootb.
 
My Takeda came very sharp but chipped when I sliced some bread. I would have rather finished the edge myself. It does not chip anymore.
 
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