Wakui

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a few different sharpeners/vendors have commented that stainless cladding (and ss in general) isn't really stainless, and through no abuse on your part can discolour. I've had this happen with a couple ss knives in the past, but not with the cladding per se.
 
The 270 arrived today. When I saw how beaten up the shipping box was I got rather worried but someone the knife was undamaged. It may have seemed like a good deal on CleanCut's site but by the time I got it Canada with shipping, taxes, duty ect. well it cost ~$350, a far cry from what the 240 cost me, and will put a bit of crimp in my future knife purchases. The 270 feels like quite a different knife than the 240, it's 54mm vs. 48mm tall and is much stiffer and blade heavy even with a heavier handle than the 240. The 240 feels like a laser this one feel more substantial. The handle is definitely an upgrade on the burnt chestnut on the 240 but it could definitely stand to be thicker it feel less than 3" in diameter. Like the 240 it's extremely thin behind the edge so should work well, and still a gorgeous knife. It is my first 270 so will need to get used to the extra length and heft. Here's a few pics, and thanks to ichanhaschzbrgr for helping out with my last attempt to post pictures. I'll keep you posted if the cladding on this one patina's up as well.

http://s1175.photobucket.com/user/Freestone49/library/
 
Wow, brutal -- sorry to hear that about CBSA. I've yet to pay duty on anything! What was the declared value, if I might ask?
 
spoiledbroth said:
a few different sharpeners/vendors have commented that stainless cladding (and ss in general) isn't really stainless, and through no abuse on your part can discolour. I've had this happen with a couple ss knives in the past, but not with the cladding per se.
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Or rather stainless means stain-less not stainfree.
 
labor of love said:
Or rather stainless means stain-less not stainfree.
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Some observations I have made at work are that:
- high heat (for instance, working under a heat lamp)
- high humidity (hvac inefficiency)
can really increase the likelihood of seeing some type of tarnish, rust or even light pitting on otherwise "stain-less" knives. In general I'd say that if you have a quality stainless steel knife it is going to rust/tarnish much faster than something like x45CrMoV15, that's my experience. Kind of goes without saying.

But sometimes you see stuff that looks like a failure of sorts... for instance in the photo earlier in this thread it just looks like a reactive piece of iron cladding lol. :razz: so what do I know.
 
Damn, those kasumi Wakuis look awesome, unfortunately i cant track them anywhere in Europe :/
 
There's cleancut in Sweden and there is also The Chopping Block Co in the UK. Hope it helps
 
Going to revive this thread in that I have no had a chance to compare my 180mm Wakui against a slew of knives including Katos, Multiple Shigs, Masakages, and will compare it against a Devin Thomas and Catcheside (coming next week) and I have to say its my favorite cutter. Cuts amazing and great food release!

Anyone else having the same experience?
 
Mike, you are not going to get too much of love for that statement around here ;) But since none of the knives you have compared it to is know to be particularly thin behind the edge, it may not be quite as surprising. Keep us posted :)
 
Matus said:
Mike, you are not going to get too much of love for that statement around here ;) But since none of the knives you have compared it to is know to be particularly thin behind the edge, it may not be quite as surprising. Keep us posted :)
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To be fair the food release on my Shig is unbelievable and it cuts super smooth. It almost "shoots" potatoes off it (with zero wedging).

The Wakui I would say is easier to cut with but the food release isn't as good, still no sticktion or drag though, just doesn't "shoot" off potatoes.

To be fair the Wakui F&F isn't as good and doesn't feel as good to use I think due to the balance/weight. I love my Wakui so much that I have been contemplating seeing if someone could contact Wakui for him to do a custom (Honyaki possibly?)
 
Funny this thread was just revived, I just used my Wakui kasumi 240 w2 gyuto for a full day at work for the first time in about 2 months and I was blown away. I was planning on selling it but I thought I'd give it one more chance and it just changed my mind.

Three days ago I rec'd a Toyama from JNS and was swooning over its performance but I've gotta say, the Wakui is really comparable performance-wise. My three knocks on my Wakui are it's food release (but hey, it's thin), it's only average edge retention (W2), and I just think the damn thing is kinda ugly (...). However, it feels so smooth and confident through product that I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold on to it as my one thin knife option.

The other knife I've used that was similar to it thickness-wise was a Konosuke fuji W1 and the Wakui outperforms that knife and for about half the price.
 
wbusby1 said:
Funny this thread was just revived, I just used my Wakui kasumi 240 w2 gyuto for a full day at work for the first time in about 2 months and I was blown away. I was planning on selling it but I thought I'd give it one more chance and it just changed my mind.

Three days ago I rec'd a Toyama from JNS and was swooning over its performance but I've gotta say, the Wakui is really comparable performance-wise. My three knocks on my Wakui are it's food release (but hey, it's thin), it's only average edge retention (W2), and I just think the damn thing is kinda ugly (...). However, it feels so smooth and confident through product that I'm pretty sure I'm going to hold on to it as my one thin knife option.

The other knife I've used that was similar to it thickness-wise was a Konosuke fuji W1 and the Wakui outperforms that knife and for about half the price.
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I would agree I don't love the aesthetic, would love to have Wakui do a custom =p
 
MontezumaBoy said:
mikedtran - when you say "aesthetic" what specifically don't you like. For me the handle was poor and the OOTB edge was similar. After getting a new handle and fresh sharpening it really shined. What are your thoughts?
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The handle definitely need to be replaced, but when I say aesthetic I was mostly talking about the style and cladding. I have a Hairline (sometimes called Kasumi) stainless clad and the stainless cladding is really really soft so it marrs up even just going on and off the wooden knife rack. I would prefer a true Kasumi finish or monosteel.

Mine actually had a fantastic OOTB edge, I think the other thing is with knives in this price range I imagine there is more variability than with say a Shigefusa. So it is also entirely possible I got a really good one.
 
I purchased a 180mm stainless clad on sale a little while ago and it is easily one of my favorite knives to use for some quick cutting. F&F may not be the best but the cladding is easy to deal with and performance wise you're not gonna get much better for the price. Even though it isn't the insane value it used to be (before the price hike everywhere. I'm still pretty bummed), IMHO it is still worth the price.
 
I'm reviving this thread to admit that I've become a Wakui fanboy over the last year. I just added my third Wakui (most knives from any maker I have) and am thrilled with it.

This love affair started with an order of the 270mm kasumi gyuto from Bernal. That knife remains a reference quality knife for me, despite having many other knives that cost me a lot more. I reach for this 270 more than any other knife...it is a red hot laser.

So that experience led me to order the 240mm kasumi gyuto from Bernal. This is a very good knife, but my least favorite of the three. This one is a little more stout and heavy. Not quite what I was expecting after the 270, but still all-in-all a very good middleweight.

And now, I added the 240mm nashiji gyuto from Knifewear (unfortunately the last one they had from a one-off order). I much prefer this one over the 240 kasumi, and it approaches the 270 as a cutter. Perhaps a bit more robust than the 270 (ie. a little less laser), but still plenty thin behind the edge and sails through hard carrots and the like. This nashiji knife has a completely different profile from the kasumi knives. The nashiji has a continuous sweeping gentle curve from heel to tip, whereas both kasumi knives have a much flatter profile with considerable flat spots from the heel forward. This nashiji knife was a total steal at about $150 USD.

All of these knives were purchased for prices that are incredibly low for the quality delivered.

To be balanced, I should note that I'm just a home cook - my knives get light usage compared to pro kitchens. The reason I note this is that Wakui uses white #2 as the core steel of choice. This is easy to sharpen and takes a wicked, wicked edge, but I understand that under higher volume use edge retention could be sub-optimal compared to other steels.

Cheers,
Blair
 
Miss my wakui 240mm hairline. I've been eyeing those 270mm at bernal off and on for sometime now. Do you attribute the stoutness of the 240 hairline to the ebony handle? Do you know how tall your 270mm hairline is?
 
labor of love said:
Miss my wakui 240mm hairline. I've been eyeing those 270mm at bernal off and on for sometime now. Do you attribute the stoutness of the 240 hairline to the ebony handle? Do you know how tall your 270mm hairline is?
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Good questions. The handle definitely made a big difference in terms of overall weight, but it is my perception that the 240 kasumi blade is also generally thicker and heavier than the 270 from the same series. I have done some handle swapping, but the weights of the knives when I received them from Bernal were: 270 with ho handle = 201g, 240 with ebony D handle = 192g.

Here are the measurements for all three presently, with handles swapped on a couple:

270 kasumi now with a very substantial octagonal ebony/pakka handle: 276mm heel-to-tip, 52mm high at heel, 230g

240 kasumi with stock ebony D handle from Bernal: 241mm heel-to-tip, 48mm high at heel, 192g

240 nashiji with the ho/horn octagonal handle that was removed from the 270: 247mm heel-to-tip, 49mm high at heel, 201g
 
Thanks for the input Blair, super comprehensive. Bernal flavour 270, still a reference cutter for me for that type of thin-behind-the edge knife. As yet only surpassed by the Xerxes for sheer ease of cutting. I would love to try the stouter Kasumi which I imagine would be the perfect compromise for a lot people's tastes.
 
Badgertooth said:
I would love to try the stouter Kasumi which I imagine would be the perfect compromise for a lot people's tastes.
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Hi Otto,

Yes, I believe you are right that this one would suit a lot of people - just depends on what you are after! At the time I ordered it I was thinking I would get a more compact/nimble version of the laser 270...I think my slight disappointment came from it not being exactly what I expected. But still a very good knife, and super value!

Cheers,
Blair
 
Does anyone have experience with Wakui nakiris? They seem to be on the thin and light spectrum of nakiris but would appreciate the impression of users.

Bernal and Cleancut sell different kinds, I'm a bit confused if they are the same knife, just with diferent finishes. Is the Cleancut also SS clad or fully reactive?

Bernal
white #2
Kasumi, SS clad
Site says "light and thin profile"
Red ebony D handle

Cleancut
white #2
Nashiji KU, not sure if SS clad of fully reactive, site doesn't say
160g, 1.6 mm thickness mid back (in line with Bernal's description...)
Red ebony D handle
 
I'll jump on the Wakui bandwagon too!

I was lucky enough to catch one 240 SS clad W2 kasumi from Matteo. Sensational knife. Me, personally love the middleweight - thin behind the edge combo. It's my easiest knife to get sharp (along with Tanaka B2). Gets the finest edge I know of (also with the B2 Tanaka). The SS clad - carbon core construction works for me too. Not to mention one of the best (for me) profiles around. Nice long-ish flat spot that smoothly transitions to a very nicely rolling tip. And the tip is positioned just where (IMO) it should be. It's grind is just lovely with a good balance of cutting ability and food release. ...What's not to love really?

Like already mentioned, the edge retention could be better (for pro use), but the edge is sooo easy to bring back that, kinda, who cares. And the tip (which is good already) could be just slightly pointier and thinner. All in all it's the stuff of legends IMO.
 
i dont understand why people are calling rosewood "red ebony" now days... its shitan in japanese... rosewood
 
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