Ghessin Heiji 240 Guyto Semi-Stainless Passaround

[brainsausage]

Thanks again Ben!

 

[Crothcipt]

I have had this over a week. It is very hard to say this but I hate to see it go.

Any time I get a knife in the mail I am just like a kid in the candy store, on Christmas morning. At first I couldn't get the blade out of the saya without some force (more on that later). When I get the blade out of the saya I was so blown away. To begin with I don't like thick knives, it goes back to having german knives that won't get sharp. But my eyes have been opened to a different world. No matter what I threw at the knife, it would fall through the food. From cold brisket, to slicing onions. I only seen and felt it wedge 2x, and we use Colossal sized onions that most thick knives wont make it half way through.

After some time I found that if you press the saya up from the blade it will fit perfectly, with no movement.

After some use in the restaurant I refreshed the edge. Getting a burr was a little difficult on the 1k, but had no problem with higher up to Kitayama.

I have to say to the bevels are perfect. I would love to study this knife for a life time, but I will have to wait until after John and Sara get back, and buy one.

Well this beauty is off to Markenki today. I know you will love as much as I have.

 

[Cutty Sharp]

To begin with I don't like thick knives, it goes back to having german knives that won't get sharp. But my eyes have been opened to a different world. No matter what I threw at the knife, it would fall through the food. From cold brisket, to slicing onions. I only seen and felt it wedge 2x, and we use Colossal sized onions that most thick knives wont make it half way through.

It might be possible to say that JKI's knives tend to be like this - on the thicker side (for Japanese, compared to the lazers) but cutting well. Same with my Hide and what I've heard of many of their others. Must be something to it and Jon's taste in that regard.

 

[JBroida]

no... i have other stuff too... all across the board on this

 

[Zwiefel]

no... i have other stuff too... all across the board on this

Ginga and Suisin Honyaki to name two

The Gengetsu seems to be more in the middle...possibly on the thinner side though? Might be more related to mine being a petty though.

 

[Cutty Sharp]

There goes my theory! :dazed:

 

[Crothcipt]

I took some pics before I boxed it up.

 

[markenki]

Well this beauty is off to Markenki today. I know you will love as much as I have.

Awesome, thanks! Will let you know when I receive it.

 

[markenki]

Ok, the knife will be on its way tomorrow to wenus2 in The Biggest Little City in the World.

Here's my honest and purely subjective opinion of the knife: I didn't like it all that much. Comparing it with a Shigefusa 240 kasumi gyuto, it seemed "clunky", maybe because it's a thick knife? Not sure exactly what it was, but it felt odd in my hand. Whereas the Shigefusa felt light and nimble, the Heiji felt heavy and slow. When cutting, the Heiji wouldn't go through as smoothly as the Shigefusa. I cut onions, mushrooms, and raw chicken (boneless thighs), and for each of those, the Shigefusa outperformed the Heiji. Not all knives work for everyone, and this one just didn't work for me.



Objective observations: the handle is signigicantly shorter than the Shigefusa handle, and the balance point is more forward as well. In the photo (apologies for my poor photography skills), the pencil is more or less where the balance point is for each knife. This was my first time using a burnt chestnut handle, and I now know I prefer the more-common Ho wood, although I can see why others like burnt chestnut.

Thanks again to Ben for this pass around!

Regards,

Mark

 

[wenus2]

It's a sad day, off to Kyle she goes tomorrow.

 

[pitonboy]

It's a sad day, off to Kyle she goes tomorrow.

Which is to say you liked it??

 

[Pensacola Tiger]

Kyle, clear some space:

"Kyle has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space."

I'm going to have to take a pass on my turn, so send the knife to Chifunda.

Rick

 

[Andrew H]

Just to update this: I got the knife from Chifunda on Monday and will be sending it off to Namaxy early next week.

 

[Namaxy]

I've received the knife. Andrew took great care of it, and I promise to do the same. As luck would have it, my crazy ordeal trying to send my Gengetsu to Korea has finally resolved with the knife back in my hands. So, I have a great opportunity to compare the two. I'll try to do them justice.

 

[Namaxy]

BrainSausage...if you're reading this, I PM'd you for shipping address. Will send out right away, pending your preference around the holiday. I enjoyed the knife quite a bit and will post photos and more thoughts shortly.

 

[Namaxy]

I received this knife last week and used it for a variety of tasks. As I mentioned before, I had on hand my 240 mm Gengetsu stainless clad white #2, so it seemed natural to make some comparisons. Measured, the Heiji is a little shorter overall, yet somewhat heavier. The knife weighed 229 grams vs. 203 for the Gengetsu. I attribute this to the thickness of the blade. Right at the handle, the spine of the Gengetsu is actually slightly thicker. However, the taper of the Gengetsu is much more pronounced. Over the heel the Gengetsu is slightly thinner than the Heiji, and near the tip it is noticeably thinner. The Gengetsu is also noticeable thinner behind the edge. I’ve thinned mine a little and I suspect the Heiji has not been thinned, however I think this is still indicative of stock geometry.

Of note the handle of the Heiji is quite a bit shorter. In hand, it feels noticeably heavier, in part because of the actual weight, but also because the balance point is more forward. In practice, I didn’t mind the weight as I enjoy heavier knives, but would like the balance point a little further back. The knife is not quite as tall at the heel as the Gengetsu, but by no means short. For example, it’s taller than my Suisin Inox or Konosuke (completely different knives).

Despite the weight, I found the knife easy to work with. By comparison, to me my 240mm Takeda, though a little lighter, is more awkward. TheTakeda is a very tall knife. Performance wise, the Heiji was bullet proof. It cut everything with ease, from butternut squash to shallots. I didn’t use it long enough in any one sitting to tell if the weight would be an issue, but I doubt it would for anyone who enjoys heavy knifes. I would not recommend this knife to laser fans. And if you talk with Jon before buying (as you should) I'm confident he wouldn't sell this knife toa laser fan.

Before it came to me, Andrew had sharpened the knife well. I didn’t put a lot of time on the knife, but edge retention seems very good. I touched it up with a strop in prep for mailing. Overall I enjoyed this knife very much, though I prefer the Gengetsu. Take that with a grain of salt, as I own two Gengetsus. If the Heiji were my own knife, I would thin behind the blade. For me that would make a great knife even better.

Gengetsu top, Heiji bottom

Gengetsu left, Heiji right

 

[ccubd]

I would love to get in on this pass around. I hope that my being new doesn't keep me out of eligibility. Let me know.

 

[EdipisReks]

I would love to get in on this pass around. I hope that my being new doesn't keep me out of eligibility. Let me know.

considering that the pass-around is over and i bought the knife, i'd say that being new keeps you out of eligibility, due to temporal reasons.

 

[ccubd]

I realized that after I submitted my post. Still getting use to actually posting, rather than just reading.

Excuse my faux pas

 

[EdipisReks]

you didn't commit a faux pas, i was just letting you know where the pass around stood.

 

[Crothcipt]

I still miss this knife. I have had a few others since then, but this one sticks in my head. Btw great catch on the buy edipis.

 

[Zwiefel]

considering that the pass-around is over and i bought the knife, i'd say that being new keeps you out of eligibility, due to temporal reasons.

ER, you aren't willing to breach the space-time continuum to help a new member?! :urweird:

I'm very happy with my Gengetsu Petty...I'm guessing the Gyuto is a similar experience.

 

[EdipisReks]

i am always willing to breach the space-time continuum, but my Time Traveling Trampoline is at the shop.

 

[Zwiefel]

i am always willing to breach the space-time continuum, but my Time Traveling Trampoline is at the shop.

That's the problem with those large-bore temporal devices...cost you more in maintenance than anything else.

T^3, I like it.

 

[Meals]

Can I get in?

 

[pitonboy]

Sorry, this is long gone