GRIP
Handle ... Fit
Ho handle – a bit plushy from first wash being unavoidable in 99% occurrences, this one was not different, but oh so barely missed the “no OOTB treatment needed” certification. Still fully deserves “Honorary Member of the Decent Ones” – generous in size, precisely made, nicely polished and fitted.
Especially so with the righteous balance provided to this knife: it gives the blade so much more presence than you’d think. It is, empirically, 30 grams heavier overall than the Konosuke HD2 of the same length and handle material I had, for otherwise so very similar specs (“tall” HD2) and to some extent rather similar performance. The extra weight really seems to come from nowhere – until looking at the grind.
The nice blade-heavy balance here not overwhelming at all to the basic handle: grip in hand is possibly this knife’s best attribute to me – and it’s not like it’s lacking of any of the good stuff in any other department. But really, this kind of knife to me is magnetic: there is my hand, close is the knife...snaps!
Such impression, still empirically, is fully supported at least by a full machi and crowning on top of the righteous balance. There’s a good reason I prefer crowning of the spine to rounded in general: they feel just as smooth and, to me, somewhat more distinct and secure in grip while making far superior garlic cloves ejecter (from the peel, you know) and board scrapers. Otherwise, the full machi is a considrable part of any grip I feel more than satisfying, though I can sometimes accomodate less than that.
Necessity to stabilize the handle is a shame: everything else is warranting top and beyond scores here.
2 /2 +0.5
GRIT
Finish ... Maintenance
I’m a sucker for this finish – visually. Unpretentious is how I like a finish best in essence after a relatively large sampling. Unpretentious label enables that: Migaki. The bevels are indeed left on the coarse side, quite heavily scratchy but not rough to the touch. The rather discreet oblique pattern on the faces counteracts it well in soothing the eye. The result undoubtedly distills a proper Sakai vibe – crisp and clean, and in this case particularly geared towards efficient simplicity.
I’ve been hard pressed to determine in which proportion some of the “lesser” separation/release effects with this knife were from the finish or from the grind. However, the bulk of my own experience suggests that a finish like this Kikuchiyo, while not so ideal on the bevels, shouldn’t be forwardly problematic neither. Yet I took a stance for the review to be particularly critical in this category rather than the next, because I find the most cause to consider the criterions at hand here not entirely satisfying: basically we have three devils, and no angel coming from above to vindicate them.
First is indeed that a rather coarse longitudinal scratch pattern on the primary is never ideal for Performance aspects, and second is the fact that although very neat, it is only but a rudimentary finish in the end. Here comes the real kicker: the concave grind will not be welcoming to do some straightforward stone polishing work to convert the bevels into something much more fluid both cosmetically and in cutting. Even that... well... textbook 102 back door is not within easy grasp.
However there are redeeming qualities to the relative weaknesses tipping it down. First and foremost, it sharpens graciously. Second and somewhat contradictorily, it is not difficult keeping looks
as it is OOTB.
I honestly never found any Ginsan unit I’ve tried to be palpably subpar, but until now I had been particularly fond of a former S. Tanaka, and of a very thin Sukenari that’s not mine, but of which I’ve been the sole sharpener. That one sample a bit problematic because not used by me and kindly abused where it’s at, but I can defend that it’s a tough one that’s always a breeze to sharpen, therefore a primary contender for Ginsan in my mind. What I’m sure of concerning the Kikuchiyo then is that it strongly correlates to my expectations of sharpening and endurance for that steel. As a matter of anecdote, it came postively sharp OOTB with a succulent edge, and endured there beyond belief, and beyond boredom even. I only sharpened it recently more out of want than need.
Now the inherent contradiction: the finish being simple, the scratch pattern on the bevels being rather coarse, and where this unit is concerned, the Shinogi being real crisp and consistent, it is pretty much a textbook 101 job to keep the original looks intact in maintenance thinning. It sure won’t need much effort there neither on quite a long run. Hell, you’d get the job done cleanly and give it a solid edge at once with only a SG500 – and a small piece of #320 sandpad for blending. Excellent beginner’s knife!
Seen from that angle, that finish could warrant a “2”. However, what you’d really need to do at least where performance is concerned is bring the bevels up to something more like #600, and that is still IME not as beneficial as a bit of kasumi-ing would do – and could be done straight from the stones. Not as good looking neither. A very boring prospect also, whereas going the stone polish road is tons of fun. Seen from that angle, I think below is fairest while still reflecting a finish positively befitting the knife.
1.5 /2 +0.5
GRIND
... Performance ...
There’s a particular feeling to how a concave might create definite suction with certain stuff, which is not necessarily bad nor necessarily affecting performance grandly. It surely can, often times will in my taste, but sometimes it’s mostly a peculiarity that’s felt, and that’s what I got here.
Suction would be the “worst” thing about this knife indeed, yet it is not so readily encountered. By that I mean, not especially more than many a thin convex or many a wide bevel I’ve encountered. I’ve been severe in the Grit section for sound reasons sufficiently explained, but where performance is concerned it’s a slick, quite laser-like blade where the slight suction makes it very tactile, enhanced by the sharp shinogi that also ensures at least minimal propension for release. Still, the geometry is what separates it entirely from what I consider a laser, yet it is not especially more behaved than lasers in general regarding food release, or less behaved in separation. It’s sort of mostly a matter of preference: I could easily understand why someone would greatly prefer a true laser if that’s the tradeoff, yet I enjoy it better this way.
Leaving me with profile, rather curvy throughout in this case. Since I’m not particularly looking towards flat profiles in Gyutos and generally lock onto those with little of it, it’s not at all infrequent with the knives I tend to buy that I get slight accordeoning on a first prep, and it was the case with this one. Might mean in general KKF textbook that the occurrences denote particularly curvy ones? Whatever the case might be, opinions will differ especially towards profile, so I discuss it but it’s not part of the score.
The inevitable conclusion is that not only I have nothing to fault the Performance of this knife, but I can’t even criticize the concave wide bevel in this aspect. On the contrary, it might be something like the singular concave grind I instantly jived with out of a few. I admit some level of profanity in this matter: early experience of concavity left me dubious and cold, so I’ve not tried nearly as much of them as of... well... pretty much anything else really. But I tried some inevitable amount of them, and this one stuck.
2 /2
COMBINED SCORE: 5 +0.5 /6 +1
A knife is a whole to a fit... never something that can be decorticated easily, thus never so neatly scored as I once did. This formula tries to account for that in using a rather weird scoring system and total divider, where:
- there’s room for in-between stuff (...) to raise the score of the two first categories (0.5), but identified criterions can only total 1 point each there and will be severely judged, and I will never go the lengths of differencing where in-betweens come into play, or the nature of it, because it’s just too damn subjective, but their occurrence will transpire into the Combined Score;
- Grind is encompassed by both Grip and Grit/any in-between but its scoring will be isolated from their positive/negative where they affect performance indeed; I feel Performance is a criterion that has no place for in between stuff, but does offer a lot of room for subjectivity and subtleties still, so is worth twice each other criterion, or all eventual in-betweens, and will be just as severely judged;
- 7 is the magical... wonders... lucky... number. A knife so pleasing to someone is more than the sum of its parts. Yet it could be argued that the new formula is essentially a divider of 6 with possible extras, which makes even a 5 excellent, and a 6 as fair to a perfect score as pragmatically conceivable.
For some more thoughts about the scoring system: "Old Style" Renewed Review: Komorebi A#2 210mm - Forensics of a Natural Spotlight
I think you would love the knife once you get hold of it.
