Masamoto KS
I was given the opportunity to try this knife out from a member on here. I have to say this forum is great and has lot of nice, and knowledgeable members. Here is my review of the knife.
First impressions-
The patina is very dull nothing pretty about it at all. Definitely a work knife. The handle is perfect size for my hand. It's a D handle nicely sanded but has grip. Ferrule on this one is white and it complements the knife but nothing too fancy. For the price range of the knife however I'd expect a little better handle overall. The profile is very flat a lot flatter in person than pics. There is curvature from midpoint to tip however it is very slight. The spine is nicely rounded and feels better than any other knife I have held in my hands in terms of weight and balance. The grind is asymmetric with the back side flat. Bevels appear to be the same on both sides though and 50/50. Not very convex just a nice taper.
Sharpening-
It had a decent edge when it arrived however I wanted to put my own edge on to do a comparison to my HD.
I took it down to a 1k and roughly 18 degrees per side. 1k,6k, takashima, and stropping on felt with 1 micron PDP in between each stone as well as debarring with cork. Everyone talks about how easy this steel is to sharpen however I found it was quite a bit harder to raise a burr on this compared to my kono HD and the latest Marko knife I had. Although it wasn't difficult to sharpen it is tough steel. It takes a great edge overall. I also believe the KS has greater wear resistance than the HD. I do have to mention for whatever reason this knife touches up very easily though.
First use-
I cut a few onions, tomatoes, cucumbers at first. Cuts very easily although if only using the tip I noticed that more pressure is needed and it won't just fall through. It helped to raise the heel slightly and works great for tip work. This is probably my favorite profile so far that I have used. I was worried at first that it may be too flat. However rock chopping and slicing works perfectly As well as push cutting. The tip is thin but very sturdy and I don't worry about pushing this knife hard at all.
I haven't noticed much reactiveness with this steel although it came with a pretty strong patina. Also have yet to have much sticking problems will evaluate more later on.
Compared to Konosuke
I find I prefer the profile of the KS and the edge it takes over the HD. Although I like how care free the konosuke is. I feel I have to be pretty adamant about keeping it dry( maybe because it's not my knife) all the time. I also prefer the weight of the KS and the pointier tip. The konosuke sharpens and touches up much easier and that is a huge benefit if you are using it daily. I would say they cut equally as well on most things but I feel as the KS is better overall when you switch to cutting something like a squash or root veggie. Although the HD has far less sticking issues.
[video=youtube;vOpvP3T-tYs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOpvP3T-tYs[/video]
Summary-
It is a great knife with amazing profile. It could use a bit of convexing. The geometry is pretty good but it could be improved. Overall the knife cuts amazingly, haven't had any issues. Edge retention is nothing spectacular maybe two-3 shifts before needing a touch up however edge degrades pretty quickly. Although it touches up so easily I wouldn't mind doing it every day. Also didn't notice much improvement with diamond spray, edge comes back much better with stones. The steel isn't very reactive which is good and takes on a fast patina. It is a rustic feeling knife but very nimble. Feels way better in my hand than my kono HD.
I wanted to test it so I used it to filet a salmon. Also portion it into steaks. Cut through the bone like it was butter. No microchiping at all with no micro bevel. Cuts well in every environment. I strongly believe if the overall grind was better it'd be one of the best cutters around.
If i were to pick one up i would definitely spend some time thinning it behind the edge. I think it would greatly improve the cutting ability and help with sticking problems.
I was given the opportunity to try this knife out from a member on here. I have to say this forum is great and has lot of nice, and knowledgeable members. Here is my review of the knife.
First impressions-
The patina is very dull nothing pretty about it at all. Definitely a work knife. The handle is perfect size for my hand. It's a D handle nicely sanded but has grip. Ferrule on this one is white and it complements the knife but nothing too fancy. For the price range of the knife however I'd expect a little better handle overall. The profile is very flat a lot flatter in person than pics. There is curvature from midpoint to tip however it is very slight. The spine is nicely rounded and feels better than any other knife I have held in my hands in terms of weight and balance. The grind is asymmetric with the back side flat. Bevels appear to be the same on both sides though and 50/50. Not very convex just a nice taper.
Sharpening-
It had a decent edge when it arrived however I wanted to put my own edge on to do a comparison to my HD.
I took it down to a 1k and roughly 18 degrees per side. 1k,6k, takashima, and stropping on felt with 1 micron PDP in between each stone as well as debarring with cork. Everyone talks about how easy this steel is to sharpen however I found it was quite a bit harder to raise a burr on this compared to my kono HD and the latest Marko knife I had. Although it wasn't difficult to sharpen it is tough steel. It takes a great edge overall. I also believe the KS has greater wear resistance than the HD. I do have to mention for whatever reason this knife touches up very easily though.
First use-
I cut a few onions, tomatoes, cucumbers at first. Cuts very easily although if only using the tip I noticed that more pressure is needed and it won't just fall through. It helped to raise the heel slightly and works great for tip work. This is probably my favorite profile so far that I have used. I was worried at first that it may be too flat. However rock chopping and slicing works perfectly As well as push cutting. The tip is thin but very sturdy and I don't worry about pushing this knife hard at all.
I haven't noticed much reactiveness with this steel although it came with a pretty strong patina. Also have yet to have much sticking problems will evaluate more later on.
Compared to Konosuke
I find I prefer the profile of the KS and the edge it takes over the HD. Although I like how care free the konosuke is. I feel I have to be pretty adamant about keeping it dry( maybe because it's not my knife) all the time. I also prefer the weight of the KS and the pointier tip. The konosuke sharpens and touches up much easier and that is a huge benefit if you are using it daily. I would say they cut equally as well on most things but I feel as the KS is better overall when you switch to cutting something like a squash or root veggie. Although the HD has far less sticking issues.
[video=youtube;vOpvP3T-tYs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOpvP3T-tYs[/video]
Summary-
It is a great knife with amazing profile. It could use a bit of convexing. The geometry is pretty good but it could be improved. Overall the knife cuts amazingly, haven't had any issues. Edge retention is nothing spectacular maybe two-3 shifts before needing a touch up however edge degrades pretty quickly. Although it touches up so easily I wouldn't mind doing it every day. Also didn't notice much improvement with diamond spray, edge comes back much better with stones. The steel isn't very reactive which is good and takes on a fast patina. It is a rustic feeling knife but very nimble. Feels way better in my hand than my kono HD.
I wanted to test it so I used it to filet a salmon. Also portion it into steaks. Cut through the bone like it was butter. No microchiping at all with no micro bevel. Cuts well in every environment. I strongly believe if the overall grind was better it'd be one of the best cutters around.
If i were to pick one up i would definitely spend some time thinning it behind the edge. I think it would greatly improve the cutting ability and help with sticking problems.
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