Anyone have experience with the Ryusen Tanganryu?

[Barclid]

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/primary-secondary-bevel-discrepancy.2231/

Sorry for any confusion. I was using the first definition. I later switched to "apex bevel" to avoid confusion but maybe I should have used that for the whole post. I think it's pretty clear what I mean through context, though.

 

[labor of love]

I was focusing almost entirely on the suggestion that knives are produced with acute angles solely for ease of sharpening by the end user. The implication is that no knife-maker is really recommending you maintain that geometry on your knife and instead increase the edge angle to suit your needs. I never meant to say that you should not be putting a microbevel on your knife, I just wanted to make it clear that there's a pretty significant distinction between a microbevel and an increase in secondary bevel angle.

I don't think any knife-maker would specifically recommend against putting a microbevel on your knife or even increasing edge angle if you determined that was best for your needs. The point is that the knife is being made thin for cutting performance and if you want to maintain the same cutting performance, it's expected for you to keep it thin. You can keep a knife thin and apply a microbevel to increase edge stability, yes, I understand that. If you increase the secondary (apex) bevel to something like 15-20 degrees per side for instance, instead of simply putting a microbevel on your knife, and you continue to do so over the life of the knife without thinning it you're going to impact performance. My point was that pretty much any of these knife-makers are going to recommend that you thin your knife

This makes sense ofcourse. So the moral of the story in a nutshell is to do your best to buy a knife that youre confident you can maintain the edge geometry of. And put a microbevel on it if it chips too much.
Also, I will disregard all of this in favor of an angle that is more comfortable to me for my takamura. Haha

 

[labor of love]

I'm looking at the Santoku because I don't have one but experience with any other form of it is appreciated as well. This is one hell of a sexy knife. I love the hybrid wooden handle plus western bolster combo, makes for a very nice hybrid look. It's VG-10 but @JBroida claims that it's an extremely well heat treated VG-10. As long as the carbides aren't too crazy and the blade can reach great edge stability at acute angles (10 dps or lower), then I'm happy to have it.

How does it cut? Edge stable? Not chippy? Easy to sharpen?

Here’s a video Ryusen made on how to sharpen their knives. In the first 2 minutes they say the angle should be “2 pennies high” or 10-15 degrees (per side).

 

[Michi]

Here’s a video Ryusen made on how to sharpen their knives.

Interesting how he sharpens with pressure on the leading edge stroke on one side, and with trailing edge pressure on the other. I guess it really doesn't matter all that much. Is the reason people recommend to apply pressure on the trailing edge stroke mainly to avoid having the blade dig into the stone?

So refreshing to see, for once, someone cutting a tomato to demonstrate how well the knife works. Like me, I guess he enjoys the taste of tomatoes more than the taste of newspaper

 

[foody518]

This makes sense ofcourse. So the moral of the story in a nutshell is to do your best to buy a knife that youre confident you can maintain the edge geometry of. And put a microbevel on it if it chips too much.
Also, I will disregard all of this in favor of an angle that is more comfortable to me for my takamura. Haha

The two I purchased needed similar treatment. Indeed, on one of them sent off to my brother, I intentionally beefed up the factory edge with more than just a microbevel and within the first 1.5 hours of use there were some things there I would personally call a touch bigger than micro-chips...

Edit for clarity: regarding Takamura R2

 

[Benuser]

With a brand new knife, or a knife I haven't maintained myself, I want to make sure to get rid of the existing edge and its fatigued steel. So, I establish a back bevel — which is a kind of thinning — and go on until there's a burr, before any primary bevel.