Recent content by jferreir

What's the real-world difference between the Atlas, Athena, and Chef model of pepper mills? How difficult is the crank? What's the level of output relative to your typical Peugeot? What size/shape/weight do you find ideal? I currently use a Peugeot Auberge, but it squeaks incessantly and takes...

IMO, Takeda's zero grind is inherently bad at horizontal cuts in onion; I suppose that's the price you pay for unreal food release. But that knife will absolutely slay tomatoes, and the edge holds up exceptionally well to waxy skins.

Looks very similar to a Takeda 210mm that I have -- also a wedge monster (~2011). Although my sharpening skills are novice at best, I managed to isolate the shoulder by using electrical tape along the spine to raise the blade slightly, putting pressure directly on the shoulder and not the edge...

I own the R2 and Pro, and gifted the VG10. The VG10 was a tad heftier than the R2/red handle (in a good way), but had the same thin grind. The initial edge is a bit delicate (on all of them), but perfectly fine/resilient after the first sharpening. The 240mm Pro is much heftier than the R2/red...

I don't understand the question... ? What makes a Miyabi fundamentally different than any other knife?

Surprisingly, I find myself reaching for the 130mm more often than the 150mm. When I need additional length, I typically use the 210mm.

Takamura Pro 240mm gyuto Takamura 210mm gyuto (red handle) Takeda NAS 150mm petty ****, that was difficult...

Alas, the Ryusei is the only one I haven't personally handled, so I can't really say. That said, I've held both the W2 and SG2 240mm gyuto -- both are about 2mm at the spine, but very thin behind the edge. I'd classify them as "laser-like", but still fairly robust -- it's not a knife I feel I...

Makoto Kurosaki -- see my post above. Sakura is the SG2 line, and he released a white 2 line previously, but they're difficult to find now. I think he has a few AS floating around as well.

Just throwing this out there, but what about Makoto's sakura line? 240mm SG2 for about 300 CAD (amazing value). Super thin behind the edge, but still reasonably robust (~2mm spine, 5-6 oz., 50mm height). I have a 240 in white 2, which I enjoy very much -- just be mindful of the backswept heel. I...

Just wanted to say thanks again for all the feedback -- very, very helpful!

Very helpful as well. How does one learn the properties of the various stones without using them? Or do you just have to bite the bullet and take a chance?

Ah, now I see what you mean! But how do I know if a stone is "right for me" if I don't have the option of trying it first? Can I make assumptions based on the abrasives used, or steel of the knife? It's just very difficult to know what to try and what to avoid if you don't have access to these...

This is precisely what I find confusing. One the one hand, you claim stone selection is mostly determined by the preference or experience of the sharpener, and in the next sentence, you claim the Naniwa 5k is a good polishing stone, irrespective of who is using it. Isn't that an either/or? When...

I would recommend you purchase from a Canadian vendor, or from somewhere that ships directly from Japan via EMS. If you purchase from a US vendor, 25%+ of your budget will be going toward fees (exchange rate, shipping, taxes, etc).