Nice! Can't wait till it makes its way back east and to hear everyone's thoughts.Andrew finished the knife yesterday so it should be shipped out to Jon today. Below is a low-res photo he sent me of the knife. When I asked him how the edge was after he was done, he said, "The edge is killer...the heel barely scratched me and it cut deep."
Sounds good so far! I like the look of that flat spot.I received the knife earlier this week. Here are some initial observations after using it for a few days. I’ll post some more as I use it. Edge length is 273, height is 55, spine thickness is 7 and weight is 272g. The edge on this is phenomenal. I’m not sure what Andrew did to this knife and whether is was polished or eased in anyway, but this doesn’t have any fit and finish issues like I was expecting from some of the Jiro pics I’ve seen. The flat spot on this is enormous and while the choil looks pretty righty biased it’s not bad at all as a lefty. Looking at the grind a bit closer with a straight edge it definitely is right biased but certainly usable left handed.
First impression is it’s a nice knife. I don’t understand the hype and price if I’m being honest, but I certainly wouldn’t fault someone for wanting one.
Here are a few photos. Also, pictured next to it are a Watanabe 270 and a Mazaki 270 for fun or size comparisons to more common 270s.
View attachment 63874
View attachment 63875
View attachment 63873
Thanks, Jon! For what it's worth, these are my exact impressions as well. The knife is very comfortable in the hand, performs well and has really good release.Alright, the knife is on its way to Barmoley.
Some parting thoughts.
The food release is pretty solid, even left handed. It does vary a bit along the length but the back 1/3 is especially good. That’s where the cucumbers below were cut and it left them all on the board.
Overall, a pretty cool knife and comfortable to use. It’s well balanced and I can’t really find a whole lot to complain about, except maybe the price. I’m curious to hear what everyone else thinks.
PM sent9 participants. Still one spot left. PM me if you're interested. Thanks!
If it comes to Dallas I'd love to see it!PM sent
That might require a luncheon engagement (with or without the knife)If it comes to Dallas I'd love to see it!
My thoughts and opinions based on about 3 total hours with the knife in hand:
Several who have already posted thoughts have shared some great information that is good for the group and useful for prospective buyers. I hope my contribution does not become too repetitive as my experience reflects similarly to what has already been shared.
I was not able to form any initial impressions objectively. I was really excited about this new maker and I received a lot of the hype openly. Of all the pros/ cons surrounding this maker, price is the most impactful point.
In many ways I think such a high price point will probably hurt this maker in the long run. The “flavor” of these knives is definitely to my liking. I very much enjoy the blacksmith’s finish and tastefully simple handles as worn by this particular blade. The steel is perfectly traditional. The shape is as familiar as Gyuto profiles can be. The net sum of all these factors is a perfectly functional and straightforward tool. Exactly what it needs to be. No more, no less. But also in many ways vanilla and not unlike many scores of alternatives from reputable makers that also deliver at a much more appropriate price point. My take- price is a major bummer because I love this knife!
The knife has a soul that speaks to my heart. Feels great in hand. The balance, feedback, heft, aesthetics, and performance were all ringing my bells and brought me joy in using the knife. I wanted to keep it but I’m a knife whore so I easily fall in love with stuff that makes no sense for me financially or practically. I’m glad it’s not mine and I’m glad I didn’t lay out the change on this one. Because you can get where this one goes for less cash and have leftover funds for some shiny new stones.
The overall performance was good. It’s not an all-star knife. It’s a very well executed Gyuto in a nicely treated White 1. I really wanted to sharpen this knife. Most of all I wanted to sharpen it! So I did.
But sharpening frustrated me because I don’t like the original bevel profile. It has a convexed kireba leading into a more severely convexed primary bevel, finishing out with a micro-secondary bevel at the edge. So you have the effect of a gradual to aggressive curve angle terminating at an invisible edge. Not for me. I like a similarly convexed face/bevel but I profoundly enjoy results of thinning and rebuilding a v-profile secondary bevel (due to much lower sharpening angle). I sparingly lest infrequently micro bevel my double bevel knives. Call me crazy. Sharpening this knife was frustrating because I didn’t want to modify the original bevel configuration. Devil on my shoulder wanted to convert it to a thinner, more delicate cutter, skating the edge of irresponsibly thin. That’s what I enjoy.
The sharpening character of the knife did not disappoint however. The steel felt really good on the stones. I felt like the Nakagawa heat treat was extremely well executed. I was able to build really crisp apexes that responded well to stropping and touch-ups. I felt like I could control easily how much bite/tooth I wanted on the edge. Deburring was pesky but I think that was a result of the unfamiliar high sharpening angle I held to keep the knife in original configuration.
Stones I used:
Sigma ii 3k, 6k
Shapton Glass 2k
Nano Hone 1k, 6k
JNATS- Natsuya, couple Suitas, couple hard finishers Narutaki style
I strop on cBN loaded balsa, 2u or 1.5u
Perceived sharpness was good. Apex stayed crispy for a long time but these edges wanted to roll more than micro-chip so touch ups were frequent and effectively easy. Cutting performance was in line with previous reviewers. But again it’s thick for my preferences.
Obviously I polished the knife. Main reason was I really was curious about the reactivity. And I’m not a patina guy anyway. But that’s why reactivity is important to me. How often/hard would I be scrubbing on this thing? Not as often as most, I found. The cladding is awesome! It reacts beautifully and relatively slowly. I don’t know about this so I’m guessing: it seemed like there was more core steel and less cladding in this blade than what’s usual for any given sanmai. Seemed like the cladding was ultra thin if not wispy at the core junction. Also a few delam spots? The Kurouchi seems fragile too. Like it could be gone in a half year or so possibly.
Overall this knife felt right. It’s a good fit for me. I would love to own this knife. Arguments could be made to justify price and I would especially object less if I thought the maker himself was getting most of it! I intend to create or exacerbate zero controversy, so I emphasize now: all thoughts written here are only my opinions. Opinions can change. Opinions can be wrong.
I cannot emphasize enough how awesome this experience has been. I gained so much out of the time invested, and I am really happy to have had the opportunity to participate. Huge thanks to all involved!
Best review so far. Thank you.
Enter your email address to join: