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They seem so rare and hard to come by. Is japan-tool the only place besides cktg to get a non workhorse kato? I prefer the profile on that line more.
Thanks
Thanks
I to prefer flatter profiles, but keep in mind the standard kato runs shorter both in length and height as well. I prefer 250 mm length and 50ish height. Last time I checked the standard was around 230/46
This is very true. But i couldnt get into the profile for 3 kato workhorses ive already owned. And i dont mind this gyuto-suji hybrid i recently purchased so i think a regular kato might be worth trying. Workhorse steel is pretty nice though, i think regular katos are wh2.
I've had a couple stock Katos that ran just a touch over length same as my workhorse, the stock 210 was actually 2-3 mm taller than the workhorse of same length. FWIW I'm getting tremendous edge retention for white 2 off my stock Kato, don't underestimate it.
Cheers
Matteo
Also Tosho, prices are higher but remember they list in CAD
I love wh2-but its everywhere, and kato steel is pretty special, although maybe too brittle for my tastes anyway.
I've got Dispossessed's old small 'original' gyuto and am enjoying it so far. (Hi Matteo! Consider this just and interim progress update...)
At '190mm' it's basically the same length as my Workhorse 180, but big difference when I first got it in my hand in overall feel and balance. Yes, some of this had to do with the very Japanese small ho handle on the original vs the rather large burnt chestnut installed in Denmark on the Workhorse.
Overall, the Workhorse is much more balanced and is great that way, while the original feels very weighted centrally, between the middle of the blade into the start of the tang along the spine. Imagining the knives as 2 people, the Workhorse version is more balanced and athletic, maybe a decathlete, but the original feels burly and thick, kind of like a rugby player who in the end could be the one that's able to slice and power his way through more things than the others.
The original is thicker and reminds me of the early 240 Workhorse I had, and apparently newer ones don't have the same distinctive thickness.
The white steel on the original seems to get just a little sharper and is less chippy, but holds its edge less than the Workhorse steel.
Very interesting to compare. Oh yeah, really enjoying the flatter original profile too, which I think gets toward a santoku more although it still has quite a pointy tip where the spine swoops down.
It's not brittle at all. I nearly folded mine in half and then bent it back with a hammer, no problem. Then again, that's the mysterious mystery steel and not the white 2.
Its def brittle. Maybe the newer ones have improved toughness-i really cant remember how mine was. But the 2 older ones i owned were problematic and im not down with microbevels.
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