Best convex grinds in the game?

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dehory said:
Although I don’t have any personal experience with Jannis’s knives (yet), I feel like it’d be remiss of us not to mention Xerxes too.
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Does too few of them, but did more last few times. There are lots of things I like about Jannis work, his convex grinds aren't one I think of.
 
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Can it just be one knife? This Toyama 210 Nakiri that I wish I hadn’t sold..

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In 2015 Marko was moving shop and starting to develop an "Entry Level/Pro" line of knives all with convex grinds. I picked up a 225mm "practice" suji around then and I still have a tough time believing he didn't think it was worth throwing his maker's mark on!

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In ~8 years of daily home use, I've given it a full sharpening maybe three times. It just keeps on cutting (and his 52100 has great edge retention and responds well to stropping). I have a gyuto with his S grind -- and it's great -- but if I was able to order another knife from him, I'd pick his convex grind without hesitation. It's a shame that his Pro Line never got off the ground in the ways he wanted it to, but I hope he's doing well these days =]
 
SwampDonkey said:
Your choil shots are so consistent and well-taken, you should start an OnlyFans.

Which Wakui line is this?
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It was a bit of a splurge that I only justified because it came slightly thicker and heavier than his W2/V2/B2 migaki and kurouchi lines - but it’s B2 Dammy, not Seiryu from JNS.

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Blumbo said:
I recently got a Sakai Takayuki Ginsan Damascus Santoku forged by Yamatsuka and sharpened by Hirotsugu Tosa which has a lovely convex grind and have never been more convinced that edge geometry is 90% of the cutting and sharpening experience. What are the best convex ground knives you have worked with?

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That was ground by Yamatsuka Mitsuo and his sons, not by Tosa. Takayuki Gin San Gyutos as of late are indeed excellent, especially the non Damascus versions. On the dammy ones they leave a bit more meat on for a more uniform appearance of the pattern and to not expose as much core steel. You’ll find that the normal version is on average thinner with more core steel exposed.
 
Lurkernomore said:
That was ground by Yamatsuka Mitsuo and his sons, not by Tosa. Takayuki Gin San Gyutos as of late are indeed excellent, especially the non Damascus versions. On the dammy ones they leave a bit more meat on for a more uniform appearance of the pattern and to not expose as much core steel. You’ll find that the normal version is on average thinner with more core steel exposed.
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I had no idea! I was just going off of the CKTG listing as far as the sharpener but cool note about the differences between the two lines.
 
Blumbo said:
I had no idea! I was just going off of the CKTG listing as far as the sharpener but cool note about the differences between the two lines.
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CKTG wasn’t necessarily wrong, they were sharpened by different people before yamatsuka took over. I don’t recall Tosa rn but then again CKTG has been in the game forever.
By the way the Santoku are thin no matter what you get, the difference is more apparent with the gyutos.
 
Is anybody able to compare some of these good convex grinds to grinds by Sukenari?
(which are said to have a hamaguri grind that should be similar in performance?)
Thanks
 
My Sukenari Hap40 came from the factory with a great grind. Will join chorus for Toynabe and MM. I love my Munetoshi 240 now, but I did a lot of the work. I have one spectacular Maz and one that's been frustrating to try to get right
 
jaydee said:
Is anybody able to compare some of these good convex grinds to grinds by Sukenari?
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I had a stock Sukenari with a fairly fat grind from KnS that I sold. I have a FRKZ branded Sukenari from JCK that is lovely and I've kept for many years. I have no idea if JCK asked for a thinner grind on this line of knives, our if this is just natural variability from the factory.

I'd say the FRKZ is up there with the best "stock" convex grinds in the $300 best bang for your buck price bracket. Good cutter, decent food release, nice profile, all around good worker.

More on the main question :

If you wanted to spend crazy money, I'd vote for Bidinger and Kamon. I tried a newer Kamon and the grind really impressed me. Super, thin, cutter and not very sticky at all. Dan is always testing, refining. Every year I try something of his, it's better than last year. After that, Tansu. I really enjoy his HVB line for for workhorse grinds that actually cut well, unlike Kato. From somewhat limited exposure, Kip, Dalman are not in my top three (though I do like their work, and more important, like them very much as people - they're lovely, wonderful members of humanity and I couldn't be without them).
 
I got my Sukenari from MTC in New York. The grind is not as refined as Toyama or MM, but it really is great. It manages to balance a very solid feel on the board with great performance. Separation is not the greatest, but it is more than fine.
 
Here’s some great convexing in cleavers. The people that proposed cleaver grinds are just crude and basic are rather silly. Its the same as lumping all gyutos/chefs knives into one category
Migoto blue1, Fm Blue2, Knott

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JDA_NC said:
In 2015 Marko was moving shop and starting to develop an "Entry Level/Pro" line of knives all with convex grinds. I picked up a 225mm "practice" suji around then and I still have a tough time believing he didn't think it was worth throwing his maker's mark on!

View attachment 284551

In ~8 years of daily home use, I've given it a full sharpening maybe three times. It just keeps on cutting (and his 52100 has great edge retention and responds well to stropping). I have a gyuto with his S grind -- and it's great -- but if I was able to order another knife from him, I'd pick his convex grind without hesitation. It's a shame that his Pro Line never got off the ground in the ways he wanted it to, but I hope he's doing well these days =]
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Yeah just Marko… post weekend of lots of cooking.

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I think an interesting point of discussion is differences between thin and thick convexity as well as where the convexity is (like is the inflection point higher along the hira etc). The amount of convexity also differs a lot along the length of the blade as it gets thinner towards the tip. Here’s a comparison between Wakui and Takada, where wakui is thicker but I find has a nicer cutting feel because the shoulder is higher up.


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