K&S Ebony Handles?

[paosquared]

I e-mailed KNS and asked if their ebony handles would affect balance on a 240mm Yoshikane SKD Nashiji Gyuto, and they told me that it should not noticeably affect the balance of the knife. Can anyone vouch for this? And how is the quality on their ebony handles? Thanks!

 

[Cliff]

I have those handles on a couple of 270's, a Shiro Kamo R2 and a Mazaki in white no. 2. Workmanship is excellent on both. Insofar as I can tell, the handles feel pretty heavy. The Mazaki is a heavy blade to begin with, so it works. On the Kamo, the knife is much more svelte. I have to think it shifts the balance, but I haven't rehandled either. I confess, if looking around for handle options, I'd opt for burnt chestnut.

 

[timebard]

I had a Yoshi 240 with K&S ebony in the past and felt that the handle tipped the balance point further back than I'd like. Nothing crazy but a lighter burnt chestnut would probably be more to my preference. Can't speak to how the default K&S teak handle would compare.

Nothing wrong with them quality wise thought, as stock handles go they're quite nice if paired with the right blade. Have one on a S Tanaka petty and no complaints.

 

[chiffonodd]

I had a Yoshi 240 with K&S ebony in the past and felt that the handle tipped the balance point further back than I'd like.

@paosquared i have to agree with @timebard here. I had a yoshi skd nashiji with a kns ebony handle and I felt like it wasn't blade forward enough compared to other yoshis with different handles that I owned. Suppose it could've been due to some other variable but it has made me wary of ebony handles unless I specifically want to bring the balance point back for some reason or another.

 

[thesquidler]

I can echo what's been said. I have one on a 240mm S. Tanaka and I think a lighter handle might be better for that blade, which I think is lighter than a Yoshikane. It's not overly handle heavy, but you can tell it's a relatively heavy wood. The quality/finishing seems really nice though. I would think the teak handles would be lighter but not but a ton.

That said, where is everyone else getting nice handles? How about those burnt chestnut ones?

 

[JPAU]

I like the Taihei thin handles, or customs made to similar specs. Can get them at many stores online or from Hitohira. I like 17-18mm wide, 23.5-25mm front to back, depending on the blade. The way that I hold the knife, I don’t have that much contact with the handle (quite high pinch) so it’s cool to be thinner for my smaller fingers but still substantial enough to be a good counterbalance for the blade.

 

[SwampDonkey]

K&S 240 ebony handles are fairly heavy. It balanced out my heavier Maz WH nicely. The teak fit a Yoshi very well, balance point just forward of pinch. I'd think the ebony would be too heavy for the Yoshi.

 

[Blumbo]

My personal opinion is that unless it’s one of the thinner taihei ebony handles - ebony only belongs on a knife with workhorse level weight. I personally enjoy shopping at boogwa for handle replacements with exotic woods and fun horn ferrules

https://boogwa.com/collections/new-arrivals

 

[Cliff]

I had a Yoshi 240 with K&S ebony in the past and felt that the handle tipped the balance point further back than I'd like. Nothing crazy but a lighter burnt chestnut would probably be more to my preference. Can't speak to how the default K&S teak handle would compare.

Nothing wrong with them quality wise thought, as stock handles go they're quite nice if paired with the right blade. Have one on a S Tanaka petty and no complaints.

I have the stock teak handle on a 210 S Tanaka R2 suji, and it is really beautiful. That's another good option. Depends where you want the balance and how you feel about weight. The ebony could make a light blade feel more substantial. All things equal, though, I'm not wild about ebony as a handle material. Feels too slick.

 

[Towerguy]

I e-mailed KNS and asked if their ebony handles would affect balance on a 240mm Yoshikane SKD Nashiji Gyuto, and they told me that it should not noticeably affect the balance of the knife. Can anyone vouch for this? And how is the quality on their ebony handles? Thanks!

I have a Yoshikane 240 white number 2 knife with an ebony handle, and the balance is about half an inch forward of the handle.

 

[Heckel7302]

Handle is always going to affect balance point. I have a K&S ebony handle on my Wakui. It put its balance at a pretty neutral point. Sometimes I wish it had a lighter handle, but haven’t upgraded yet. If it’s an extra cost, I’d say you can do better with some of the handle specialists.

#FreeEThompson

 

[JPAU]

My personal opinion is that unless it’s one of the thinner taihei ebony handles - ebony only belongs on a knife with workhorse level weight. I personally enjoy shopping at boogwa for handle replacements with exotic woods and fun horn ferrules

https://boogwa.com/collections/new-arrivals

Jack does custom dimensions too. Waiting on some ebony handles and will report back

 

[superworrier]

K&S 240 ebony handles are fairly heavy. It balanced out my heavier Maz WH nicely. The teak fit a Yoshi very well, balance point just forward of pinch. I'd think the ebony would be too heavy for the Yoshi.

I think the Mazzers might come with a larger handle. They have a heavy gyuto option for their individual handles and the one on mine is definitely bigger than other ones I’ve had.

 

[superworrier]

Btw you can see the weights if you look at the individual handle section. 15-20 g difference between teak and ebony. About the same between the regular and heavy ebony.