Wide bevel gyuto

Find deals on amazon
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I made the call to keep the knife because of availability concerns. I have wanted this exact knife for a long time.

I have already cut with it and the rest of the edge needed a bit of work too. I told the vendor this via my email and I stated I understood that I had violated his return policy and didn't expect him to take it back. If he wants to make an exception to his policy AND he wants to offer something that mitigates my feelings towards the length of time I'm not going to have my knife, then that is his prerogative. That includes, btw, if he has another one and would swap them (though he sold all of them in 2 hours so I doubt that's on the table). It definitely doesnt have to be a credit or a gift. I do not expect anything, though if something is offered I will say so.

I'll be explicit; I did not and will not ask for/demand compensation. Or for an exception from him. I won't refuse them, either, but as it stands I have accepted the situation as is.

Perhaps it's just me, but I'd rather have the knife with the last 10mm messed up than to have my 330 dollars back and no knife or to be without it 6 months, so that's the choice I've made. Should I expect more? Perhaps, or maybe I should just get on with my life and enjoy it.

I don't know take a look for yourself and tell me if you still disagree; this is the full extent of the damage to the knife and the box, exact same image I sent to the vendor:
IE7O2W9l.jpg
 
I should make my purpose clear here.

I'm willing to keep on about this because my perception is that my reasonably expensive purchase was not packaged properly, and at some point the box was impacted causing the damage you see above.

Rather than ask for a resolution to my specific case, I'd rather raise the question of whether you want to order from a vendor who does not give the care and consideration deserved to the customer to go through a relatively standard process of putting packing material in a box in such a way as to actually protect the item in transit. Any reasonable amount of bubble wrap actually wrapping the box, rather than just throwing some paper in the box with the knife box, would have prevented this from happening.

Perhaps what is lost in this is that I had a WONDERFUL experience with Tosho when I bought my Tanaka R2. Quick and packaged beyond the bare minimum. No matter how much I wanted the knife, you ultimately buy the seller before the product. At least that's the lesson I learned here.
 
I would send it back. I could live with a microchip OOTB, but I couldnt live with that amount of damage. Perhaps you could ask for store credit for a future purchase since you're set on keeping it? I dont think that would be an unreasonable request. It would be nice to receive compensation in some way for the damage.
 
meh, the last bit of the edge was ground too thin because of the current craze for 'super thin blades' these days. you're going to have a better cutting knife if you sharpen that chip out than in stock form honestly. i've had knives shipped to me in a padded envelope before with zero damage.

i had a kono fuji blue petty and was not pleased with it at all. the steel is not great, the grind is mediocre and the profile is too curvy. it seemed like it would be good on paper, not so much in real life.. i think they are highly over rated.
 
If I would be in your shoes I would be contacting the vendor right away and asking for the exchange.
 
Ruso said:
If I would be in your shoes I would be contacting the vendor right away and asking for the exchange.
Click to expand...

Actually as it happens based on this thread I have contacted the vendor.

I understand there was some sort of vacation taken and they do not answer the phone when I'm not at work. Such is life, I cannot begrudge someone for wanting some personal time. I do expect the email I sent over the weekend to be answered by EOD tomorrow, and I will update the thread.

I wanted to keep the knife so I used it, and under normal circumstances I would not ask for an exception, but it struck me that the knife would have to go back to Sakai anyway, so I don't see how it would really hurt anyone just to swap it out.

I will continue to share my experiences regarding this here as things happen; I do still feel that the situation is mainly on the vendor for not adequately packaging the knife and hope to see a positive resolution. In the end, I think there is something to be learned from this.
 
Update guys,

My refund was processed today by the vendor. Additionally, he sent FEDEX to pick it up at no charge to me. I will say also that I was contacted via phone and given an apology, so in the end all I am out is some of my time. BTW, this is why companies have insurance policies.

Anyway I picked up from the post office today a very nice box with a lovely handwritten letter inside from Jon. Ill post more details tomorrow assuming I actually make it home before it gets dark but here's a hint to what was inside the box: it's 240mm long and weighs more than that in grams.
 
redisburning said:
Update guys,

My refund was processed today by the vendor. Additionally, he sent FEDEX to pick it up at no charge to me. I will say also that I was contacted via phone and given an apology, so in the end all I am out is some of my time. BTW, this is why companies have insurance policies.

Anyway I picked up from the post office today a very nice box with a lovely handwritten letter inside from Jon. Ill post more details tomorrow assuming I actually make it home before it gets dark but here's a hint to what was inside the box: it's 240mm long and weighs more than that in grams.
Click to expand...

That's great to hear
 
Sweet! It's always a treat opening a package from JKI.
 
My refund was processed today by the vendor. Additionally, he sent FEDEX to pick it up at no charge to me. I will say also that I was contacted via phone and given an apology, so in the end all I am out is some of my time
Click to expand...
Glad to hear the thing were sorted out and looks like a pretty decent customer service.
 
interested to hear your impression of Heiji after you use it for a couple of times...
 
redisburning said:
Update guys,

My refund was processed today by the vendor. Additionally, he sent FEDEX to pick it up at no charge to me. I will say also that I was contacted via phone and given an apology, so in the end all I am out is some of my time. BTW, this is why companies have insurance policies.
Click to expand...

Standard insurance does not insure defective products.
 
kostantinos said:
interested to hear your impression of Heiji after you use it for a couple of times...
Click to expand...

I really do intend to do an initial impressions write up but Ive had a long week and so far Ive only gotten to use it once. Thankfully the weekend is approaching.
 
Ok so super duper initial impressions:

First of all Jon's packaging was awesome. Tons of bubble wrap, and a standard but nice cardboard box. There were two letters; one explaining the origin of the line, and another, handwritten, thanking me for my business.

The knife also came with a nice saya. Cool. I dont really know enough about these to say much, other than I like it better than the one that came with the Tanaka.

The knife itself is BIG for a 240; it's long and quite hefty. It could be sold as a 250 and you would still be shorting it a few mm. Balance point is also forward, so that's new for me. If the Tanaka is extremely neutral, the Heiji feels powerful.

The profile is new to me, as is the geometry. At least for me the heel curves up a bit which I think I actually like. Despite not having a noticeable flat, I havent experienced accordioning of food. The knife has a very crisp shinogi and food release is excellent. Wedging seems acceptable in tall, dense food. The knife is thin behind the edge. Overall it seems like a nice set of compromises, but it will take time for me to judge the knife properly. This is my 4th good kitchen knife so I can't really just grab it and make an assessment.

My goal is build a little collection of knives (~240 gyutos) worth owning and this definitely fills a spot in that. Im not sure it's the wide bevel spot, maybe the tank spot? LOL I suppose at some point Ill have to try a Kato to compare. Anyway, Im still looking forward to trying the Syousin Sakura which by all accounts is a very different knife, so that I can potentially add that one to my little brood. After all, what's one more knife :shocked3:


240mm gyutos by lmaousrs, on Flickr
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top