Hattori KD...why all the hype?

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To the guys having a go at the prices it goes to because its rarity i woulf suggest that anything over $600 is basically just paying for some degree of rarity.

Look at Dave's knives, compared to most other customs his are a bargain uet from all reports theu perform perfectly.

Add to that i can put up just as good a meal with my Scanpan chef's knife as i can with me Itou or Ealy or Tansu.

They look beautiful, and i am sure if I had the cash i would buy it in a heart beat
 
obviously this just looks like a sique arse knife with a profile nobody could complain about, cool dammy (and I hate flash) and an otherwise unheard of steel... nae sure what people are complaining about it's not like they ever even come up for sale, which, like those diamond stones jon sells should say something. though I doubt many kd were produced.

also in canada KD stands for "kraft dinner" like "macaroni and cheese" as it is called in america. so there's that too.
 
spoiledbroth said:
obviously this just looks like a sique arse knife with a profile nobody could complain about, cool dammy (and I hate flash) and an otherwise unheard of steel... nae sure what people are complaining about it's not like they ever even come up for sale, which, like those diamond stones jon sells should say something. though I doubt many kd were produced.

also in canada KD stands for "kraft dinner" like "macaroni and cheese" as it is called in america. so there's that too.
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well said well said!
 
Johnny.B.Good said:
When and where did you acquire this tomato killer?
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3 or 4 years ago on ebay. I like it a lot and am glad I have it. I don't know that I'd invest in a gyuto at this point with the prices what they are. There are custion makers that I'd much rather buy from.
 
toddnmd said:
I wouldn't be comfortable using a knife of this price. If it's an investment, I think it would probably do well, but I buy knives to use.
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Right. It would look nice framed on a wall somewhere in the east wing of my mansion. I could even bring out on my yacht on weekends.
 
Every time a high valued knife goes for sale the same old argument starts , " for that much money I would have X , y, a car , a bike etc . We all are aware you can get a decent knife for 300-500 . And most of us get the idea a $3000-5000 knife doesn't cut 10 times better .
What drives these prices are simple supply and demand ( Just like with the Kramer )
These knives are made by a very skilled craftsman just before his retirement and will not be produced again . He used his finest Damascus and very rare and expensive steel , these factors make the price higher even when they were available 5-6 years ago .
Highly sought after yes , hyped no .
 
Ok the older ones in the forums remember these knifes with Lust . In 2007-2008 they where as much as out of budget as they are now for a young cook back then even though i remember prices being high for my budget (didn't expect he was gonna stop making knife). Anyway Dave has said it pretty well and described it accurately. Its a knife made out of Cowry X steel that is buttery smooth in the stones and keeps a toothy edge for a long time actually .

In the process these knifes became rare and impossible to find initially making their price jump by 3 times almost. The hattori Kd was the original "Kramer" to me before kramer and it was the first knife i know that received as much Lust factor from everyone. I know that know it seems weird but in 2006-2007 there where not as many makers out there except Carter that received as much attention and anything coming out of japan was considered prime . I don't want to remind the ancient history on Moritakas and their performance ups and downs etc but that was the first time someone has outspoken against the quality of F&F a japanese maker per se to my knowledge .
 
chefcomesback said:
Every time a high valued knife goes for sale the same old argument starts , " for that much money I would have X , y, a car , a bike etc . We all are aware you can get a decent knife for 300-500 . And most of us get the idea a $3000-5000 knife doesn't cut 10 times better .
What drives these prices are simple supply and demand ( Just like with the Kramer )
These knives are made by a very skilled craftsman just before his retirement and will not be produced again . He used his finest Damascus and very rare and expensive steel , these factors make the price higher even when they were available 5-6 years ago .
Highly sought after yes , hyped no .
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Well said, Mert.
 
Thanks for all the comments so far. The reason I started this thread was because I was honestly curious if there was something special about the KD line that wasn't already obvious. I no problem with people spending big bucks to chase after rare knives if that's what they fancy. I know that I'm quite comfortable in my $250-450 budget per knife purchase because I think it's unlikely there is any performance improvements to be gained by paying any more than that. Japan seems to be filled with highly experienced, skilled craftsman who have perfected their techniques, most of which produce knives in the sub $500 category. I'll continue to chase value and performance and keep my disregard for things like supply and demand and scarcity.
 
One important factor for the value, not the price, of this knife, as I read here, is that Cowry-X sharpens easy, and you can find no more this steel or Hattori to do it right, while many users of ZDP-189 say that it is difficult to sharpen(I don't remember by which makers)
 
supersayan3 said:
One important factor for the value, not the price, of this knife, as I read here, is that Cowry-X sharpens easy, and you can find no more this steel or Hattori to do it right, while many users of ZDP-189 say that it is difficult to sharpen(I don't remember by which makers)
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People say a lot of stuff on the forums. Sometimes just to protect their investment. It's up to you to decide who should be trusted.
 
supersayan3 said:
One important factor for the value, not the price, of this knife, as I read here, is that Cowry-X sharpens easy, and you can find no more this steel or Hattori to do it right, while many users of ZDP-189 say that it is difficult to sharpen(I don't remember by which makers)
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Yup I've heard that zdp-189 is much hard to sharpen, never owned one before so I'm not sure whether it is true or not.

By the way here is an off topic question, I'm thinking of getting a M390 steel knife, anyone familiar with this particular steel?
 
j22582536 said:
Yup I've heard that zdp-189 is much hard to sharpen, never owned one before so I'm not sure whether it is true or not
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Never has to sharpen my ZDP knives (Sukenari or Miyabi) but recall Kippington said it isn't that bad. Murray Carter would have you believe otherwise but I guess that's because he uses king stones
 
zdp isnt really that hard to sharpen on my Asagi stone. admittedly its no carter white 1. but its stainless and harder and on my naniwa's its a little more of a pain but really i touch up on the jnat. and almost never fully sharpen.
 
For most of us that have KDs, we just shut up and use them (or store them). I was lucky enough to find 4 (2x240, 1x270, and 135 petty)... I use one of the 240s, and have kept the other three in the gun safe, never been used or sharpened. I find the cowry-x long edge retention, easy to sharpen, and very pretty to use. I have some ZDP knives which have just taken more time to learn.

From a use perspective, my KD performs very close to my Itchimoji tool steel knife, and my Hirimoto blue steel (when then have just been sharpened), edge retention on the KD is un-real.

The hattori forum knives are very good all rounders, and have given several of these to friends and family. Also travel with a 210 and a petty....

My un-used KDs could be for sold, but i have un-reasonable expectations.... i think i have the last 270 ever made. there are no marking serial numbers so impossible to prove...

The other part of the rarity, is that few people will part with one of these as they know that they are un-replaceable, pretty much at any cost. So no one is willing to sell....
 
zerafa said:
For most of us that have KDs, we just shut up and use them (or store them). I edge retention on the KD is un-real.

i think i have the last 270 ever made. there are no marking serial numbers so impossible to prove...

The other part of the rarity, is that few people will part with one of these as they know that they are un-replaceable, pretty much at any cost. So no one is willing to sell....
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I have an unused 270 from the last batch. I display the knife and savor its beauty often. I view using it like selling it...I'll only have something like this once. I have plenty of fine knives to use. This one will remain unused until the time feels right, or until selling it makes sense. Right now it is about sentimental appreciation, and a bit of awe to consider a life so dedicated to excellence.
 
Well, how often to do you get to say your knife was made by Hattori (Hanzo)?
 
They do sell some of the knife showing on the website. But the Hattori are all gone. They didin't change on the website. Lol
 
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