Pass Around for 260mm Gyuto in 52100 Schedule

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Marko Tsourkan

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I finally put together a list of people who signed up for a pass-around. I will start the pass-around with US members, following by Canadian and then European members. I am going to do five participants at a time.

The fist five participants are the following:
AndrewH (Home)
Theory (Pro)
Sachem Allison (Pro)
Muchobocho (Home)
Brainsausage (Pro)

After these five, if the knife doesn't need any repair, it will go onto the next 5 US members.

Just want to remind you of some of the conditions:

- One week per participant
- Sharpen only if you consider yourself a decent sharpener
- If a blade is damaged, it has to be returned to me right away. If a damage is minor, then it could be fixed by a participant, but I need to be notified about it beforehand.
- A participant is responsible for a postage (insured for a full value) to the next person on the list.
-Please oil the knife before sending it onto the next participant.
-I want a participant to compare my knife to his/her best performing knife from Japanese and US makers. Areas of comparison should include sharpen-ability (please see conditions above), edge retention, edge maintenance (with a strop), geometry, profile, food release, handle comfort, fun to use, etc. Anything one can comment on, would be appreciated.

As these are still experimental knives, with experimental heat treatment and grind, there is still much to learn from other people's experience with them.

In short, I look for an objective feedback/review and expect a constructive criticism. If you don't want to post it in public, send it to me in private.

This knife is heat-treated for a best edge stability and sharpness and a very good wear resistance, and is about 62RC hard. I can push the hardness to about 63RC without compromising edge stability and sharpness. This will result in additional wear resistance, but this option will be only available upon request, as it is much harder to hand-finish a knife in that hardness and would require an additional effort on my part.

The knife will come with a saya (for protection in shipping and transporting) and a felt strop with 1M diamond spray applied. It might need to be re-applied periodically.

Thank you.

M
 
The knife should be arriving at Andrew H on Monday, October 22.

Theory is next on the list. The knife should be insured for $400 while shipping between participants.

Look forward to your reviews, folks.

M
 
Hmmmm..discriminating against Asia, eh? :eyebrow::D

Hmm... I noticed the same. US, Canada, Europe... and that's it.

Maybe we should just stop selling you guys in the west our knives and stones? Would that be nice?
 
No, no discriminating, but for logistical reasons, there need to be more than a couple of participants interested. Perhaps combining Japan and Korea with some Australian folks, but I don't think there were any Australians in the list.

Bu logistical reasons I mean shipping, customs and so forth.



M
 
I am in Australia, I didn't register my interest because I thought I was to far out of the loop! If it is a possibility I would love to be involved! Pro kitchen
 
It's a possibility, but the cost and customs situation will have to be researched before hand. USA is probably the most friendlier country when it comes to customs.

If you want to spend time and gather information, I would definitely consider Asia Pacific pass-around/s.

M
 
Me too, Von Blewett, exactly the same story. Though it was a bridge too far and didn't speak up. I've felt this way about this and a few other pass-arounds as well.
 
It's a possibility, but the cost and customs situation will have to be researched before hand. US is probably the most friendlier country when it comes to customs.

If you want to spend time and gather information, I would definitely consider Asia Pacific pass-around/s.

M

I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I think that customs *shouldn't* be too expensive, but shipping and insurance could be costly, especially on the way back to the US.
 
Customs fees into Australia only applies if the Package is valued at more than $1000 shipping and insurance would be costly, maybe if there were a few participants the cost could be shared. I will look into it further
 
I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I think that customs *shouldn't* be too expensive, but shipping and insurance could be costly, especially on the way back to the US.

Shipping and insurance cost will be the responsibility of the participants - a price of participation if you will.

I ask that the knife be insured for $400 - less that it costs new, but on part what it should be valued used.

M
 
I am a game as long as there are more than just a couple people in the Asia Pacific region and as long as you guys take care of getting all information on costs, customs, etc.

As of this morning, there already a couple of new people in Australia interested, and hopefully a few more in the coming months.

M
 
You guys will have to work out the customs (Scandinavian customs are some of the most feared in the Western world), as the $400 insurance is mandatory.

Other than that, I see no reason not to include folks. It might be a while before the knife makes there thought.

M
 
It has been brought to my attention that requiring mandatory insurance might signal to customs the value of the item and lead to custom duties, which in Europe could be in the area of 21% or higher.

If you think it is a good idea, I am willing to include a letter stating that this is a sample work sent out for evaluation purpose and that it will be returned back to me in the end.

Understating the value of the knife is to risk exposing participants to liabilities in case the knife is lost or damaged in the process. I would like to avoid that.

This knife is not any different than my custom, with same material cost and labor input, so I would like to recoup some cost once the passaround is over.

I am also hoping that this will lead to a good experience for everybody involved.

M
 
Just wanted to offer my belated thanks for including me in the first leg of this. I've been pretty busy at work and missed this post. Hope things work out for the out of staters.
 
Putting Sample on the package doesn't cut it with customs, if there is a value on it they add customs charges and a handling fee. So either leave off the value and make sure it is covered with the courier or, There is a number code for labelling packages which will be going in and back out of the country again. Someone mentioned this on BB, i'll try and find the post with the code.
 
Incidentally, someone shipped me a knife recently with the 'commercial sample' label and it spent about 2 weeks in Korean Customs. Same thing - with a $400 value and handling, charges would have been approaching $100.
 
Good to know.

Perhaps then the pass-around will be limited to the US, Canada and Australia as shipping to Europe might simply be not worth the hassle.

M
 
The knife is at a local post office at Andrew H, so hopefully it will be picked up or redelivered soon, so we can officially start the pass-around.

As this is my first public pass-around, I got to say I am excited and a little nervous at the same time. :)

M
 
The knife is at a local post office at Andrew H, so hopefully it will be picked up or redelivered soon, so we can officially start the pass-around.

As this is my first public pass-around, I got to say I am excited and a little nervous at the same time. :)

M

It will be picked up later today. I can't wait!

Edit: When I went to pick this one up they said they didn't have it. They called the mail man on his route and he said he had a package he was delivering. I come home and it's an amazon box, not a Marko box. Talk to the mail man again and the post office _does_ have it. It's a wonder USPS is going out of business.
Tomorrow I should have it.
 
Last edited:
It is indeed, Marko. It took them long enough to find it in the back of the USPS office, though.
 
Great!.

So let's say as of tomorrow (10/26/2012) you have a week to keep it.

Thanks,

M
 
USPS tracking says it is delivered, so lets hope it indeed IS.

M

That means nothing. Usps tracking is a joke. I have had one stating delivered, only to be missing for 5 weeks.



Looking forward to the review.
 

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