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No one has mentioned Wakui. Not in the sub-$150 category, but in terms of bang for buck, it doesn't get much better. Grind, F&F, distal taper, all on par with knives much more expensive. It's really perplexing to me why his knives have remained in the low $200s when other Sanjo makers like Yoshikane, Mazaki, Watanabe, etc. are charging well over $300 now, not that I'm complaining.
 
Heckel7302 said:
No one has mentioned Wakui. Not in the sub-$150 category, but in terms of bang for buck, it doesn't get much better. Grind, F&F, distal taper, all on par with knives much more expensive. It's really perplexing to me why his knives have remained in the low $200s when other Sanjo makers like Yoshikane, Mazaki, Watanabe, etc. are charging well over $300 now, not that I'm complaining.
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I have always wanted to try a Wakui but like Yoshi the heals are just too short. From what I hear thought this would be a great option and they are available.
 
daddy yo yo said:
Any workhorses for under 150$? Let’s say, spines or 3mm or more at the heel… Most knives have 2,5mm thickness or less than that…
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I have a 270mm kohetsu Blue#2 stainless clad gyuto that’s 3mm at the spine, only $115, it’s house brand at CKTG, make sure go for the western handle ones tho, doesn’t look as good as Wa handle but more robust, it’s my everyday beater, fish bone chopper for the past year.
 
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daddy yo yo said:
How do Suien and Masahiro differ from each other? I have no experience with the Masahiro but have always been curious…
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About the 240's: Suien VC Blue#2, Masahiro Takefu V2 or V2 Special?; comparable steel & hardness, 62Rc or so. Both come extremely right-biased; both require thinning and sharpening OOTB; length 235/245; width identical; weight 245/249g after a few years of use and some thinning; balance point identical: above the heel. Tip with the Suien vertically centered, without being a spear point like a Misono; looks like old Sabs. Masa traditional low tip. F&F with Masa basic (same factory as Fujiwara Kanefusa); more careful with Suien. Same for grinding. Suien more elaborate, fatter close to the heel, flatter towards the tip, resulting in a better food release. The Suien feels beefier and still performs slightly better. Huge price difference.
 
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I would look on eBay as they have some cheap Henckels 4-star knives for cheap money. I bought a 10-inch Chef's knife for less than $20 and a 10-inch carving knife for $20. I think they work well. I have around 30 knives, most of which are from my mom.

I guess you can tell I like big knives. I rarely use a short knife except a paring knife.
 
Speaking of budget knives: I'd like to recall the carbon steel Fujiwara Kanefusa FKH. Their reputation used to be not that good because of the amount of sulfur in the steel as it was some time ago. With more recent batches, I haven't noticed it any longer. Might have to do with reduced tolerances in the last reform of Japanese steel standards.
The steel it comes now with, is less reactive than it used to be. One single forcing of a patina and you're done. No longer half a year of home use before stability got installed.
As for F&F, it certainly lacks a Misono's refinement, but I would call it decent.
One of the interesting points with the Fujiwara is the little price difference between sizes. With most makers there's a huge gap between the 210 and 240 price. Not so with these. If one wants to try a 270, it's an excellent opportunity.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/pages/search-results-page?q=fujiwara+kanefusa+fkh
 
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Benuser said:
Speaking of budget knives: I'd like to recall the carbon steel Fujiwara Kanefusa FKH. Their reputation used to be not that good because of the amount of sulfur in the steel as it was some time ago. With more recent batches, I haven't noticed it any longer. Might have to do with reduced tolerances in the last reform of Japanese steel standards.
The steel it comes now with, is less reactive than it used to be. One single forcing of a patina and you're done. No longer half a year of home use before stability got installed.
As for F&F, it certainly lacks a Misono's refinement, but I would call it decent.
One of the interesting points with the Fujiwara is the little price difference between sizes. With most makers there's a huge gap between the 210 and 240 price. Not so with these. If one wants to try a 270, it's an excellent opportunity.
https://japanesechefsknife.com/pages/search-results-page?q=fujiwara+kanefusa+fkh
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I like my FKH Sujihiki from Koki😁😁
 
IMO, it’s hard to find a knife < €100 that would have broad support on this forum. Yes, there are some contenders, but they’ll all fall short for a significant part of this population.
Go up to 150 or 200 and there are some good choices for a one and done primary knife that will last a home cook a very long time.
 
Luxusborg said:
Great value and a cheap introduction to full monosteel carbon knives are the Kanetsune Minamoto Kanemasa. The Steel is NKS32 ball bearing steel with 60 HRC.

https://www.scharfesjapan.de/kochmesser/kanetsune-messer/kanetsune-minamoto-kanemasa
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Can you tell anything about the steel? Can't find any information with Zknives. From the composition it should be close to C75. What is your experience with it? Sharpening, grain, edge retention?
And the geometry? As strongly asymmetric as usual? From the German site I learn the 240 gyuto weights 210g. Remarkably light in the case of a Western handle with a bolster. How is the balance?
 
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NKS32
Screenshot_20220203-161354.png
 
toddnmd said:
IMO, it’s hard to find a knife < €100 that would have broad support on this forum. Yes, there are some contenders, but they’ll all fall short for a significant part of this population.
Go up to 150 or 200 and there are some good choices for a one and done primary knife that will last a home cook a very long time.
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I can understand that many users wouldn't be quite happy with some budget options where something could be compromised, like fit and finish, the steel choices, etc.

But I do find a lot of specimens that, IMO, offer a lot of value and that, at the end, are really good cutters, which is the real use of a knive.

I have a Tojiro F-303 Nakiri and I can fault it on anything. The knife just performs great. It shaves the produce, fit and finish is clean, it is easy to sharpen and it holds an edge for a good amout of time.

The Kyohei Shindo came with a very special and great performing grind. The handle was crap but that is easy to replace.

The Muneishi came with a great handle and the blade just works great. Fit and finish might not be great to the eyes, but the knife performs great.

Do note that I also enjoy higher end knives and do notice what they offer for the price difference.

We do have to take "diminished returns" into account though. The more you pay, the less "value" you are getting, in the majority of the cases.

We all have different tolerances and tastes though. And that is perfectly fine :) .
 
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