khashy
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I thought it might be a good idea to shine some light on the new custom profile honyaki gyutos that Knives and Stones have made available from the collaboration with Sakai Takayuki.
Please excuse the background...
I candidly dubbed this knife TheJames when it was being made, as I knew that James was involved in the design of the profile in every stage and I think the name kind of stuck! Of course the official name is Shinko white flame.
These gyutos are forged by Kenji Togashi and sharpened by Tosa-san. Im pretty sure neither craftsman needs introductions but Im sure James can step in and provide any info required about them.
The gyutos are made in Blue#1 and White#2 steels. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Syousin bluefrost Blue#1 honyaki gyuto that K&S stocked some time ago, therefore decided to get the new custom profile gyuto in white#2. I believe this is the first one that K&S have shipped :doublethumbsup:
I have only had it for a day so have not had a chance to cut anything with it, therefore everything you are reading is based on visual assessment of the knife.
Initial Impressions
Well, what can I say, Im a sucker for a nice hamon and this certainly has one. The white#2 blade comes with a frosty finish (whereas I believe the Blue#1 is mirror polished) and the hamon certainly stands out.
James was also kind enough to allow me to pick my own handle and I ended up going for the Ringed Gidgee with horn cap and ferrule and three Nickle Silver spacers. Its not a cheap handle by any measures but I think it really works for a knife of this caliber.
Besides the hamon and the handle, the next thing that hit me was the profile. I had seen photos of it before but its actually different in real life to what I had imagined. In the photos it came across as almost a funayuki to me, however it isnt.
The profile is actually really well thought out and subsequently beautifully executed. The 240 gyuto's blade runs long and thats a good thing. This has allowed for a beautifully generous flat spot of the cutting edge and still enough curve to allow rocking. Personally I do not rock cut at all, rather chop or push cut, therefore the flat makes a world of difference to me.
Then there is the tip - oh god that tip....
I spent a good bit of time examining this last night (to the displeasure of my wife I might add) and I think this tip is utterly brilliant. I like a long pointy tip and this certainly ticks the box. The difference being how it has dropped a tad more than the previous profile. I'm casting my mind back to all the gyutos I have used where I wished that the tip would be ever so slightly lower, so imagine my delight when I saw this! I tried to take a couple of photos to demonstrate this.
All blades in the photo above are forged by Togashi-san and sharpened by Tosa-san.
From left to right you have 270mm Blue#2 honyaki gyuto (this is an absolute beast from Carbon Knife Co, which deserves its own review, which I will do separately), TheJames White#2 honyaki gyuto, Syousin bluefrost Blue#1 honyaki gyuto.
As I said the ones that are comparable are the two on the right, the 270mm Blue#2 is just a separate category.
As you can see the new profile is a beast! It was too late for me to take any measurements last night. I will do so tonight and update this thread. Visually, the new knife is slightly thinner that the Blue#1 and both have a nice distal taper. The new knife is definitely taller than the Blue#1 and the Blue#1 was a beautifully tall gyuto.
They are both substantial knives, partly because of the handles, which for me, is a positive - I like the power that comes with it! Neither blade feels like it needs to be babied in any way shape or form.
There is zero flex and it feels super confident.
The choil is polished and actually shaped really nicely. The one thing that I did notice however was that the new gyutos spine was not rounded like the Blue#1 was. I have since confirmed with James that going forward, they will be rounded. As it is, its by no means uncomfortable - itll be even nicer when it has been rounded.
I have been fortunate enough to have been able to handle a good few gyutos and I have said time and again that the Syousin bluefrost was one top3 cutter for me - Ever. This I think the Shinko white flame could potentially be even better.
I cant wait to start using it James was kind enough to sharpen it for me on his uber stones, so its ready to go...
I think its also worth mentioning that I offered to send James my review/initial impressions before posting on KKF. His response was that the review is my personal opinion and that I should go ahead and post it without sending it to him Thanks you James.
Ill have more details as soon as I get some time from family duties.
Please excuse the background...
I candidly dubbed this knife TheJames when it was being made, as I knew that James was involved in the design of the profile in every stage and I think the name kind of stuck! Of course the official name is Shinko white flame.
These gyutos are forged by Kenji Togashi and sharpened by Tosa-san. Im pretty sure neither craftsman needs introductions but Im sure James can step in and provide any info required about them.
The gyutos are made in Blue#1 and White#2 steels. I was lucky enough to get my hands on the Syousin bluefrost Blue#1 honyaki gyuto that K&S stocked some time ago, therefore decided to get the new custom profile gyuto in white#2. I believe this is the first one that K&S have shipped :doublethumbsup:
I have only had it for a day so have not had a chance to cut anything with it, therefore everything you are reading is based on visual assessment of the knife.
Initial Impressions
Well, what can I say, Im a sucker for a nice hamon and this certainly has one. The white#2 blade comes with a frosty finish (whereas I believe the Blue#1 is mirror polished) and the hamon certainly stands out.
James was also kind enough to allow me to pick my own handle and I ended up going for the Ringed Gidgee with horn cap and ferrule and three Nickle Silver spacers. Its not a cheap handle by any measures but I think it really works for a knife of this caliber.
Besides the hamon and the handle, the next thing that hit me was the profile. I had seen photos of it before but its actually different in real life to what I had imagined. In the photos it came across as almost a funayuki to me, however it isnt.
The profile is actually really well thought out and subsequently beautifully executed. The 240 gyuto's blade runs long and thats a good thing. This has allowed for a beautifully generous flat spot of the cutting edge and still enough curve to allow rocking. Personally I do not rock cut at all, rather chop or push cut, therefore the flat makes a world of difference to me.
Then there is the tip - oh god that tip....
I spent a good bit of time examining this last night (to the displeasure of my wife I might add) and I think this tip is utterly brilliant. I like a long pointy tip and this certainly ticks the box. The difference being how it has dropped a tad more than the previous profile. I'm casting my mind back to all the gyutos I have used where I wished that the tip would be ever so slightly lower, so imagine my delight when I saw this! I tried to take a couple of photos to demonstrate this.
All blades in the photo above are forged by Togashi-san and sharpened by Tosa-san.
From left to right you have 270mm Blue#2 honyaki gyuto (this is an absolute beast from Carbon Knife Co, which deserves its own review, which I will do separately), TheJames White#2 honyaki gyuto, Syousin bluefrost Blue#1 honyaki gyuto.
As I said the ones that are comparable are the two on the right, the 270mm Blue#2 is just a separate category.
As you can see the new profile is a beast! It was too late for me to take any measurements last night. I will do so tonight and update this thread. Visually, the new knife is slightly thinner that the Blue#1 and both have a nice distal taper. The new knife is definitely taller than the Blue#1 and the Blue#1 was a beautifully tall gyuto.
They are both substantial knives, partly because of the handles, which for me, is a positive - I like the power that comes with it! Neither blade feels like it needs to be babied in any way shape or form.
There is zero flex and it feels super confident.
The choil is polished and actually shaped really nicely. The one thing that I did notice however was that the new gyutos spine was not rounded like the Blue#1 was. I have since confirmed with James that going forward, they will be rounded. As it is, its by no means uncomfortable - itll be even nicer when it has been rounded.
I have been fortunate enough to have been able to handle a good few gyutos and I have said time and again that the Syousin bluefrost was one top3 cutter for me - Ever. This I think the Shinko white flame could potentially be even better.
I cant wait to start using it James was kind enough to sharpen it for me on his uber stones, so its ready to go...
I think its also worth mentioning that I offered to send James my review/initial impressions before posting on KKF. His response was that the review is my personal opinion and that I should go ahead and post it without sending it to him Thanks you James.
Ill have more details as soon as I get some time from family duties.