Takeda ....What to look for (now) to keep from getting screwed

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Dave Martell said:
There's now a "Personal Shopper" (originally labeled as "concierge") service available at CKTG where they'll take pictures of these knives for you before you buy them.

Cost = $19.95


From http://www.This Site Not Allowed Here.com.com/kncose.html
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So if you happened to pay for the personal shopper option and still don't get what you want you can always send the knife to this guy who seems pretty proud of himself for taking more money from a CKTG customer instead of helping the customer to get a replacement (good knife) like he originally paid for. Hey it's an option though, eh? :D



kenneths123 said:

In this video I demonstrate thinning a Takeda Gyuto which the customer felt was too thick for his tastes. Another knife sharpener refused to do the procedure, feeling that he could not do it without messing up the finish. He felt the knife was too thick and should be returned to the maker or vendor who sold the knife to him. The customer asked if I could do something with his knife and this is the result..

.....The Takeda knife was purchased from Mark ******** of This Site Not Allowed Here.com.com
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[video=youtube;zEc_4Y9ws98]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEc_4Y9ws98[/video]



images
 
Wait, if I take pictures of handles before I ship them out, to make sure they are what the customer expects, I can take money for that?

Stefan
 
Here's the best option....one that's guaranteed to work....

Buy your Takeda knives from a vendor who knows knives.

Buy from one of KKF's vendors - ToshoKnifeArts
 
I was quite put off on Takedas lately because of all this "new" grind thing. Since I've seen pics on Tosho's subforum here I got the the AS <3 again. I might finally give Takeda a shot in near future if money permits.
 
Dave Martell said:
Here's the best option....one that's guaranteed to work....

Buy your Takeda knives from a vendor who knows knives.

Buy from one of KKF's vendors - ToshoKnifeArts
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Buying one directly from Shosui is also an option. Especially when you have specific requests for grind etc.
 
erikz said:
Buying one directly from Shosui is also an option. Especially when you have specific requests for grind etc.
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Yeah...but i know someone who didnt get what he asked for either when ordering direct. Some requests could perhaps be lost in translation. Either way, make 100% sure he knows exactly what you want when ordering direct.
 
Is it fair to say that Takedas were better when people weren't telling him how to make his knives?. Or is simply that QC can no longer meet demand?
 
Timthebeaver said:
Is it fair to say that Takedas were better when people weren't telling him how to make his knives?. Or is simply that QC can no longer meet demand?
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Well, there was confusion when someone requested a flatter profile gyuto. Which shouldnt really be a big deal because takeda profiles are all over the place already. Just requesting a flatter one didnt seem to work out quite right.
 
labor of love said:
Well, there was confusion when someone requested a flatter profile gyuto. Which shouldnt really be a big deal because takeda profiles are all over the place already. Just requesting a flatter one didnt seem to work out quite right.
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Way back when, the Takeda was rather unique and had the flattest profile of any gyuto. But people moaned about it and started requesting knives with more belly, and now they seem to be "all over the place" as you put it.

My point was, has listening to a customer base that varies from pros who use knives 10 hours a day, to internet experts who have never made a knife in their life, to those easily led by hype looking for their first knife adversely affected the product over time?

Other makers (e.g. Watanabe) are less accommodating to customer requests. Playing Devil's Advocate, perhaps this is a good thing - if you want a Watanabe, buy a Watanabe - but as the maker intended it to be. It's what he knows/does best - through experience.
 
Some makers prefer to maintain control. When I had my DT ITK sent to Devin for thinning (still pending), he mentioned he didn't want to do any profile changes because he wants to ensure the ITK line is consistent (I'm sure his custom options give more freedom, though). I've heard Murray Carter now prefers just squirting out whatever he wants based on his templates and letting people buy them as stock without being imperious about the design.

On the other end, Butch Harner is working with me on a knife, and his attitude seems more accommodating. I'm not going to presume to know more about making a good kitchen knife than he, but he'd be willing to give me some control over the design if I were to ask for it.

I'm not sure how Takeda fits into this spectrum. It's possible he's accommodated some and ended up alienating others, but who is demanding a beefy woodsplitting wedger in the first place? Did he get an order from a confused logger? I mean my nakiri seems well thought out, but that's because it's so thin that the grind gives it an excellent degree of food release while making only a slight tradeoff in going through the middle of a 6cm carrot. A gyuto with a similar cross section but 2-3x thicker seems...odd. It could be a workflow thing, but that just implies that Mr. Takeda is half-arsing it.
 
Dave Martell said:
Oh wait.....this explains it...they got a new guy on the hammer.....looks like he got his hair singed off in the forge...well except for that little horned tuft up on top. :D
PS - sorry for the detraction, I found this when searching for Takeda pics and just couldn't help myself.
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He probably spent a lot on electrolysis to get that hairstyle. Now if he could get Mike D to do a good cranial tattoo he would be really cool.
 
I talked to shosui about his grinds a few days ago on Facebook and even linked him this thread. He didn't seem very concerned and he said it was a matter of opinion.
 
I happen to really enjoy the new 'grind' as its very asymmetric and lends to very good food release which I greatly value over 'fall through ability

Point being takedas are great cutters regardless old or new.
 
Timthebeaver said:
Other makers (e.g. Watanabe) are less accommodating to customer requests. Playing Devil's Advocate, perhaps this is a good thing - if you want a Watanabe, buy a Watanabe - but as the maker intended it to be. It's what he knows/does best - through experience.
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Im really not concerned with whatever motivations takeda has in changing up their profile over the years. takeda, heiji and several other makers ive spoken with seem very open and unbothered about doing custom profile work. Afterall, the maker isnt going to use the knife on a daily basis, the customer is. If they dont have a problem doing the work, well then it really isnt a problem, is it?
Look at this knife http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/13818-Own-Design-Takeda-240-Gyuto?highlight=Takeda surely if shosui makes stuff like this he doesnt have a problem with a customer requesting a flatter profile from his inventory.
BTW i own a newer grind takeda and i love it. The funky grinds might be hard for some to understand but in practice they cut beautifully.
 
A certain little birdie sent me a message today that linked to some talk on two other forums that stated that Takeda is being targeted here by a "smear campaign". I took a look at the linked posts and found inputs from previous KKF members that banned themselves....go figure.

It's my intent to speak the truth about what I see and if it's seen by people as smearing then that's OK. For the record though, I've always been a Takeda fan and likely I've been a reason why he's seen success in growth over the years as I've done nothing but support the man and his business. Takeda's recent fall to making wedgemonsters is something of their own creation and something that they own as much as they own what good things they've done in the past. Again, I'm only speaking the truth here and will continue to do so even if they turn themselves around.
 
I don't understand why people consider this a 'smear campaign' when individuals are simply giving their honest opinion about a product. There is a lot of love for Takeda not only in this thread but on this forum. Plus, it's not as if people are doing this to their knives... They are getting them how they are getting them. People here are simply voicing their concerns about the change that they've noticed in the grind of the knives lately, as a warning to future buyers that the glowing reviews and photos of the grind of knives of the past might not be what you get now.

People come on these forums for help, and if individuals can't give their honest opinions about a product then what's the point? :angel2:

There's also a reason that a certain site is now offering the whole personal shopper option. Just saying'

In Takeda's defence, if you're unhappy with the knife he does seem to try and make things right. We've seen this in previous threads. Hopefully this trend continues for individuals unhappy with their grind.

- Steve
 
Dubbing this a smear campaign is naive; why would we when we have a respected forum vendor who offers takedas?
 
Good point. The Takeda knives that Tosho posted pictures of still look awesome.

- Steve
 
Yeah that's the thing, Takeda may be making some good knives so buy from a trusted retailer and you'll be fine.
 
I send my knife for him to sharpen and thin down - it was wedging, cutting with it was not pleasant. I tried to explain to him what was the problem and what I wanted, he didn't quite understood the wedging and that thick part above the edge before it goes to hollow grind was causing the problem. he did say he is going to make it thinner as to make a customer happy. Over all I am very happy with Takedas communication and solving this, makes me want to own more of his knives now :) The knife spent just 3 days in Japan and I should get it at the end of next week hopefully :) cant wait to try it out :D
Best wishes for Takeda!
 
Thats is. Try to send him and Yousui a friend request. Once they accept you can start a privvy convo with them.
 
brianh said:
Still nuthin :( Considering a Watanabe.
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That's very odd. He's on at least once a day. Your message may have went to the "others" folder and he wouldn't see it. Try friending him and resend the message.


ETA: I had major wedging issues with mine and he fixed it. If you're in the US make sure you ship it priority and insure it. It's a hefty expense but the alternative is 20-35 days and no assurance it got there.
 
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