Have you used Shun's SG2? If so how would you say that this compares in terms of edge retention, sharpening, ect...
Have you used Shun's SG2? If so how would you say that this compares in terms of edge retention, sharpening, ect...
It might as well be 2 different steels. My mother has a Shun with an SG2 core that is VERY chippy. It feels very "gritty" on the stones. The edge retention is poor because it is so chippy. The Asai is very smooth on the stones but you still can tell that it is Stainless. The edge seems to last for a good while and really hasn't degraded since I got it back from TK59. I looked and there aren't any chips. What a difference a good heat treat can make.
It's a beauty, but the Asai SG-2 suminagashi blade is a little on the thicker side, and I prefer lasers. I must be too used to my exceedingly thin and feather-light Takeda and single-steel unclad blades. I don't accept the thickness as a fact of life for clad or damascus knives. Takamura is able to produce a tough but significantly thinner suminagashi gyuto with SG-2. Unfortunately, the beautiful suminagashi prevents me from thinning out the blade. It's also hefty for a wa-gyuto with significant foreward balance.
I agree that the handle is on the thicker side -- one problem I'll remedy when I get a Stefan handle for this puppy.
I own a few Shuns (Elite, two Fujis... and NO, I did not pay retail price) and I've not had significant bad chipping issues. I can't say I've done a lot of heavy 'chopping' with the Shuns. They sharpen up about the same. The Asai SG2 nakiri is amazing -- hard, thin, and very well balanced.
I'm not arguing that you had a fattie but I do own quite a number of thin knives. This one is exceedingly thin. In fact, I am sure it is thinner in the area near that edge than your typical Takeda.Originally Posted by bkdc
I'm gonna have to check out other specimens. Mine is truly a fattie. I'll post pictures later.
From left to right
1) Takeda 240 Gyuto
2) Yoshikane 240 Gyuto SKD11
3) Carbonext 240 Gyuto
4) Asai 240 Gyuto SG2 Suminagashi
4) Asai 170 Nakiri SG2 Suminagashi
The edge is okay, but this is definitely not a knife for fast-chopping veggies.
Maybe El Pescador or tk59 can tell me if the grind on Pesky's knife is similar to the fat blade on mine. This thing is FAT. You can see why I love chopping with my Takeda. It behaves almost like a chukabocho because it is thin all the way down the blade. The geometry on the nakiri is wonderful, and chopping veggies is a joy. Of course, it's only 170mm and I expect it to be thin at the chin as compared to a longer knife.
wow, it almost looks like a western deba or lobster splitter compared to those others.
This knife is no longer in my possession but I can assure you that the one I handled was a lot more like the nakiri than that beast next to it.
Seriously. I think it's a hybrid between a deba and a gyuto. It's a gyoba. Well, maybe the retailer who sold it to me will allow an exchange.
No kidding. That thing needs to go on a serious diet.
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