Love the cleaver spirit you show. When I started to use one, it changed everything for me. I would have bought an expensive, exotic one, but ended up with with a Shibazi f/208-2 for $33.
That's intriguing. You you mind sharing what your other Top2 cleaver is besides the Migoto?Yep, they are lovely. They were also the first blue 1 cleavers made in sakai. I have quite a few cleavers and it's one of the top 2 in my little collection.
Is Kojiro Watanabe a new supplier for Shinichi or another member of the Wat clan? I'm curious how you ordered it.A cleaver by Kojiro Watanabe that's thicker through out in comparison but still pretty thin near edge geometry. It's even more no fuss and still cuts fairly well on 99% of the things - perfect daily driver.
I need information on the whole pile…A cleaver by Kojiro Watanabe that's thicker through out in comparison but still pretty thin near edge geometry. It's even more no fuss and still cuts fairly well on 99% of the things - perfect daily driver.
TFTFTFTFTFTFTF
kojiro watanabe, yoshikazu tanaka (mizuno), shosui takeda, sinichi watanabe, yoshikazu tanaka (migoto)
What particularly about the 1303 or the chopper king don't you like? CCK also has a thin stainless option in the 1912 which feels similar to the 1303 but without the reactivity.
The Suien VC Cleaver is a great entry point. I have a Chopper King on the way to give my current Suien a little brother. I can give more opinions when it arrives in a week or so.
It's mostly subjective - I dislike the rat tail tang, the rough finish of the collar, and the laser etched branding. Truthfully, none of these issues would likely compromise performance. But they would detract from my enjoyment, and while I would have likely picked one up for $50 to satisfy my curiosity, I'd be happier investing $200-250 and getting into a knife that I'm more likely to pick up and enjoy interacting with.
Gotcha, in that case, I really like the Matsubara cleaver. I have the ginsan model, but I think there's also a B#2 version that's a little cheaper.
There seems to be a gaping hole in the market where Suien used to reign supreme - they're out of stock everywhere with no restocking ETAs. Will look into Matsubara - thanks for the tip! Has anyone owned/used the Sugimoto #1? @kpham12 mentioned on a separate thread that it's essentially a scaled back #6. Is the Sugimoto geometry a poor fit for a cleaver novice?
Rough finish can be smoothed.
Okay I lie. I have been that picky.
@tostadas
You have convinced me. My third cleaver will be in blue#2 Wa handle.
My 4th will be a dedicated bone chopper... maybe
There is Chinese made cleaver above that range, this mostly custom or high end that’s not being sold overseas. I have 2 en route. One by XinGuo, one of my favorite Chinese maker and one by Fu Yi Dao, a maker focused mostly on restaurant supply like CCK but taping into the new higher end market recently, here’s videos of these two.
Um, if you ever feel like writing about how a mere Westerner might go about getting his hands on a XinGou cleaver, I'd be all ears. I have a number of the Japanese interpretations, and I am very happy with them, but I'd love to add in a high end Chinese take to the mix.
You have to do some searching to find those in China too but its a big country. Trust me, I've tried but its a big country.
Mailing knives overseas is just alot of hassle for individual maker, personally I used mail forward service tho I’m not sure if they do that in English… here’s his TaoBao store, most of knives would be 3-6 months waiting, tho he just moved to Shanghai and settling down so the wait might be alot longer for certain stuff. If you can get his knife mailed to your contact in China I’d highly recommend him.
The same way you have to do some researching to learn about most of the knives here on the forum, tho internet helps bring enthusiasts together and it got easier.
Good stuff. Are the ones in the second video modeled after Sugimoto? Kind of ironic considering Sugimoto is said to be one of the first companies to produce Chinese cleavers in Japan.
