Mazaki knives, maxims newest line

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JBroida said:
Why not just email or message him on FB? I've never had trouble getting a hold of him. Pictures always help, but of course I have not clue what he actually has in stock. For some reason it seems like people have trouble reaching him, but every time I reach out to talk to him he's pretty quick about responding. Then again I'm not a customer so who knows.
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I did try to talk to him already, and I summarized the exchange here. Although I guess I need to just change my phrasing and ask for a thinner one?
labor of love said:
What's interesting is that maxim told me all mazaki knives have shinogi lines. He didn't know what "blade road" meant though, as I was trying to see if I could get one like Naifu's(seemingly without a shinogi line).
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I'm not shy at all and will ask a dozen questions before I buy that's never a problem. For what it's worth Maxim usually responds quick to messages on his webpage.

But yes, I will probably use photos or a link to this thread to help explain what sort of knife I'm looking for. It's like 3 purchases away so I'm not sweating it.
 
@labor of love -- The Toyama is the knife on top in my photos. Basically the photos show how similar the knives are, but the Toyama has a much thinner spine and is blue steel whereas the Mazaki uses white steel. On that note, I am very pleased with the heat treat of both knives and I cannot tell which is easier to sharpen to a very sharp and fine edge. Both seem to keep their edge equal length of time. If there is a difference in sharpness and edge retention, I cannot detect it.
 
labor of love said:
What's interesting is that maxim told me all mazaki knives have shinogi lines. He didn't know what "blade road" meant though, as I was trying to see if I could get one like Naifu's(seemingly without a shinogi line).
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If you look at the scratch pattern of my Mazaki (knife on the bottom in the photos compared with Toyama on top), it might be said to exhibit a shinogi line, but there is no blade road. On my knife there is a very small primary edge bevel -- you could say microbevel, and then there is a convex secondary bevel that goes all the way to the spine. The choil shot tells the same story -- there is no blade road and it is very thin behind the edge, but like I said the scratch pattern extends up to about the first 40% of the blade height, and then there is a satin finish with a lengthwise scratch pattern that goes up to the spine. I do not know whether the kasumi finish scratch pattern was achieved with finger stones or is just a from a natural stone, but it is very pretty and well done.
 
I received my Mazaki 180mm gyuto today! :doublethumbsup: The grind is like my 240mm -- thin and without a blade road. Much thinner than the choil picture at JNS, and very thin behind the edge, but it gets thick rapidly at the heel because it is 45mm tall and 4.5mm/5mm thick at at the heel/handle. However it has a very nice constant distal taper and it is nice and thin at the tip. Fit and finish is superb, just like my 240. Very sharp ootb. Balances at the pinch grip. Great little gyuto. I really like these knives.

I will try to get some pictures up tomorrow.
 
Will do Choppin.

I think the grind has evolved for new knives, but would like to know what you guys hear from Maksim. Check out this photo from August 2017 of a 240 Mazaki:

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Now my Mazaki 240 close up:

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You can clearly see a blade road and shinogi line on the first knife, but mine just has a kasumi scratch pattern that blends into the satin finish.
 
I'd have ordered a somewhat thinner model. Wish Maksim had let me know. Thanks for sharing.
 
naifu's Mazaki looks like it's been thinned, doesn't have the perfectly defined shinogi of the early 240, and the cladding has a rough scratch pattern

I wonder if this is Maxim's response to the wedging issue, just thinning the knives before sending them out?
 
labor of love said:
Naifu, is the profile basically the same between newer and older ones? I mean atleast similar more or less?
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All I have to go on are the pictures. The profile of that Mazaki 240 from August that I show in post #67 is someone else's knife I found on KKF. The belly looks like it has a very long flat area in the rear of that older knife, but who knows. This is why I compared my Mazaki 240 with my Toyama 240 -- I think they are very similar profiles. The bottom line is that I am very pleased with both the 180 and 240 Mazaki gyutos. The finish on these is very nice, while the overall quality is superb in every aspect; they perform as good as they look. The only thing I might consider changing is the handle (I prefer octagon wa handles).

The one feature which definitely has not evolved is the thick spine at the heel/handle. It is still a hefty chef knife -- probably the heftiest available. I love that, and I really appreciate how Mazaki-san is grinding and finishing these. My 180 has a 5mm spine thickness at the handle, although it tapers and is very thin at the tip, which means the grind is thinner at the tip than the heel.
 
ob-gym said:
naifu's Mazaki looks like it's been thinned, doesn't have the perfectly defined shinogi of the early 240, and the cladding has a rough scratch pattern

I wonder if this is Maxim's response to the wedging issue, just thinning the knives before sending them out?
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It is possible, but I doubt it because imagine how much work that would involve. He does not just sell one or two of these. My two knives are flawlessly finished -- the best I have seen in any chef knife. In my mind, the knife maker gets all of the credit.
 
The difference in grind is also clear when you compare the photos at JNS’s website for the first Mazaki models (like the 180 gyuto) and the latest models (180 petty and 270 suji). The shinogi line is gone and there’s a smooth transition from bevel to blade face.

So he probably changed the manufacturing specs after the first batch. Maybe as an answer to the early reviews...
 
labor of love said:
Oh...what is this? 15% off store sale? Maxim made the decision for me. Just ordered the 240mm mazaki gyuto w chestnut handle. Can't wait.
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I'm dying because I REALLY want to try one of these, but have super blown my knife budget for this month and need to start saving for black friday...

Can't wait to hear your impressions!
 
OK, here are some photos of the Mazaki 180mm gyuto, and the 240 gyuto for comparison. Note the polished hagane on both knives and superb dark & fine kasumi which is the OOTB finish. I have only touched up the edge on my 240 once. In the last photo below, I merged the JNS choil shot (on the left) of a 180 with mine.

Edit: Make your browser huge if you want to see maximum detail.

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Ok Naifu - not helping!!!

I'm so weak...but hey - it's my bday so hubby can't get too upset, right?

Order placed for a 210 gyuto. I wish they still had the petty's in stock.
 
TheCaptain -- sorry about that, but I guess I had to return the favor -- I just bought a 210 Toyama nakiri :). It's a JNS buying frenzy.
 
Thank’s naifu for the pics. Both knives look great, fit and finish is better than I expected.

I just... accidentally ordered a 180 gyuto. The choil shot made me do it.

Congrats Captain!!!! Not a bad gift! I also wanted the petty, heard great things about it.
 
Choppin said:
I just... accidentally ordered a 180 gyuto. The choil shot made me do it.
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That actually made me LOL. I was thinking that I hope yours is everything you want and expect. I really don't know the exact story on these; all I know is that I purchased two, and received two awesome knives. For all I know, Maksim considers me his customer of the year (as he should), and he is actually taking time re-grind and polish them for me, although that would be almost impossible because they each arrived with lightning speed after I ordered them.
 
naifu said:
That actually made me LOL. I was thinking that I hope yours is everything you want and expect. I really don't know the exact story on these; all I know is that I purchased two, and received two awesome knives. For all I know, Maksim considers me his customer of the year (as he should), and he is actually taking time re-grind and polish them for me, although that would be almost impossible because they each arrived with lightning speed after I ordered them.
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I’ll let you know once I receive it. I hope it’s from the same “batch” as yours.
 
How reactive is the cladding on these knives? Iron usually scares me away but suddenly the 15% is nudging me to try this or the toyama..
 
BrianT said:
How reactive is the cladding on these knives? Iron usually scares me away but suddenly the 15% is nudging me to try this or the toyama..
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I am not a pro chef -- I am an amateur home cook. I find Toyama to be extremely reactive, but Mazaki not very reactive. But again, I am cutting just one hour a day, not 10, and if I am cut onion or citrus, I keep a wet towel on my board. That said, my 240 Toyama seems to have become less reactive after I removed the patina once with polishing compound. This baffles me and it makes zero sense, but it seems to be the case. Anyway, the Mazaki knives are not very reactive for carbon knives in my experience.

Which one to get? It would be difficult for me to choose between Toyama 270 and Mazaki 240, but I think Mazaki.
 
naifu said:
I am not a pro chef -- I am an amateur home cook. I find Toyama to be extremely reactive, but Mazaki not very reactive. But again, I am cutting just one hour a day, not 10, and if I am cut onion or citrus, I keep a wet towel on my board. That said, my 240 Toyama seems to have become less reactive after I removed the patina once with polishing compound. This baffles me and it makes zero sense, but it seems to be the case. Anyway, the Mazaki knives are not very reactive for carbon knives in my experience.

Which one to get? It would be difficult for me to choose between Toyama 270 and Mazaki 240, but I think Mazaki.
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Thanks for the insight! I'll probably end up with one more knife by the end of this week..
 
Here is my Mazaki 180mm petty in a group shot. I LOVE this petty and I want a 240mm Mazaki a lot now hah. Too bad this 270mm Toyama is taking up my gyuto spot..

The pettys iron cladding shows beautiful damascus like patterns up close. It has a gorgeous kasumi that I was able to give high contrast. Nice and dark iron, bright hagane. The polish of the hagane on arrival was very bright too and is easy to restore..

Sorry, all images turn out sideways when I try to attach them on tapatalk

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