Comparable to a DT ITK

[SpikeC]

Link to bigger pics??

 

[kalaeb]

Trying again, thanks Spike, I think that worked.

 

[DK chef]

sweet handle

 

[SpikeC]

Whoa! That is one cool handle!

 

[Dave Martell]

kalaeb, what is the handle material? It doesn't look stock.

 

[kalaeb]

kalaeb, what is the handle material? It doesn't look stock.

It is a resin impregnated prickly pear cactus. I was not sure how it was going to turn out, but it polished up pretty nice.

 

[Dave Martell]

It is a resin impregnated prickly pear cactus. I was not sure how it was going to turn out, but it polished up pretty nice.

Yeah it looks real nice. Did you do the re-handle?

 

[Eamon Burke]

Holy brisket, a prickly pear handle?! Put that on a D2 barbeque knife and I bet I could sell those like hotcakes here in Texas! Do tell where you got it. Did you make it?

 

[kalaeb]

Dave-I still have a long way to go to get my handles even close to the hiro you did for me, but yes I re-handled this one.

Eamon-I got the scales from Ankrom Exotics, they do some pretty cool stuff with all sorts of cactus and resins. They also have some pretty nice burls and stabilized woods to choose from. In speaking to Pat Ankrom, if I remember right, he has these made for him buy a guy in Texas.

 

[Dave Martell]

Dave-I still have a long way to go to get my handles even close to the hiro you did for me, but yes I re-handled this one.

I don't know about that, this handle looks real good to me.

 

[bob]

Awesome handle, it looks pro quality to me. How long did it take you to do this?

 

[Bryan G.]

If you have a 240 Tojiro but don't want "laser" thin then to fit your desires at the best price/performance I 110% suggest a Carbonext. I have a 270, it's thinner than a 270 Tojiro but thicker than the 270 HD. The 240 CN I am sure is a bit thinner than the 270 but still not a laser like the HD's. The HDs have outstanding profile on the blade IMO. The CN is closer to a Tojiro in profile with a thinner grind and better handle IMO. I am a big fan of the CN but w/ the HD in my possesion and a DM handles Hiro for heavier work I find the CN seeing less work. Still rated best knife I have seen/used in the $100-250 range.

The HD 270 is my favorite blade I have used but definitely not an all rounder like a CN or my heaftier Hiro or Tojiro.

Bryan

 

[kalaeb]

Awesome handle, it looks pro quality to me. How long did it take you to do this?

Bob, they really don't take terribly long, if you have some dedicated days, they could probably be done in a weekend. But I work 65 hours a week, travel a ton and have a three year old boy that loves to "help". I am lucky if I get 15 min at a time to work on handles. This one probably took three or four weeks.

 

[DevinT]

Forum members,

Please contact me pearsonally if you have a problem with one of my knives.

With each batch of ITK's they are getting thinner. With the many comments here I will probably come out with a laser.

I will take any DT ITK as thin as you want.

I think it best that you give me a chance to fix anything that you are unhappy about.

It is difficult to build a knife for the money that these are selling for and the expectation that these are as good as a full custom.

The steel and the heat treat are as good as we know how.

I do understand that my knives will not be a perfect match for everyone.

I encourage everyone to make 10 knives of this size and sell them for the same price, and let me know if your perspective might change a bit.

Love and respect

Hoss

 

[UglyJoe]

Hoss,

I don't think anyone is hating on your knives in particular... if you start making them all thin, some people are going to want a thicker, more "all purpose" knife. Everyone has different tastes, and I'd personally love to own an ITK someday... I just don't know when I'll be able to afford one with all the other stuff I want as well... sigh...

 

[chazmtb]

Good to hear Hoss.

From my perspective, I would have kept my knife and worked on it. However, I already had a great knife with a great custom handle, and I didn't want to keep 2 270mm. It was time for someone else to enjoy, and from all communications, he is.

Thanks for putting out a great product, with awsome fit and finish.

 

[Dave Martell]

Devin has a valid point in that should anyone have an issue with a knife that they buy they should take it up with the maker or the purveyor. I'll add that it's a good idea to do this before posting online about it. Posting on issues/problems with a knife before giving the maker a chance to make it right isn't the right thing to do. I'm not pointing fingers here or saying that anyone did anything wrong, just that this is a good opportunity to mention this.

 

[Pensacola Tiger]

With an unknown time table on when a DT ITK western handled knife will become available...
Matt

BTW, for those who have stopped visiting KF, Mark and Devin have decided to pre-sell the Western handled 240mm gyuto, in the same way the wa-handled versions are already being pre-sold. Mark estimates a 90 day wait.

http://www.**************.com/dethitktr24w.html

 

[WildBoar]

My DT ITK 240 is not too thick, and not too thin for my tastes -- it really is a great all-around performer. It is thin enough to make the Hiros I have look like elephants. I know there are thinner knives out there, but I have not been drawn towards them. And the handle is nice enough that I have not felt the need to upgrade.

I hope to pick up a 270 at some point, probably in carbon steel.

I think it's great that Devin took on the ITK project, and is still hard at it. And I'm looking forward to seeing what Dave M turns out in his new line.

 

[mc2442]

Yep, I ordered one this morning. Even with the wait, I like being able to lock in the order.

 

[Marko Tsourkan]

Yep, I ordered one this morning. Even with the wait, I like being able to lock in the order.

I also want to add that sometimes we see things differently and what is obvious to one person might not be obvious to another. If you can think of ways how a knife can improved and would like to communicate it, contact the maker directly. You might learn something new as well. There are many aspiring knife makers here, so a feedback and input will be very welcome I am sure.

M

 

[kalaeb]

Devin has a valid point in that should anyone have an issue with a knife that they buy they should take it up with the maker or the purveyor. I'll add that it's a good idea to do this before posting online about it. Posting on issues/problems with a knife before giving the maker a chance to make it right isn't the right thing to do. I'm not pointing fingers here or saying that anyone did anything wrong, just that this is a good opportunity to mention this.

Respectfully, I have to disagree. Are the forums not a place where people can voice opinions and talk about certain attributes of knives, likes, dislikes and passions? Do we have to consort all vendors and makers before we get permission to discuss knives? Things like geometry, weight, thickness, edge retention and craftsmanship should all be able to be discussed openly, criticism included. I have much respect for Devin, his knives are beautiful and I drool every time I look at his website. I yearn for a custom knife from Devin.

In addition I have a DT ITK, it is a great knife. Craftsmanship is superb. It is just not my favorite and I should be able to say so. If not then I apologize. I am NOT selling it, nor returning to Devin to fix because nothing is broken or wrong with it. As has been mentioned, every person has different tastes, there are a slew of people for whom this knife works great and I hope they chime in so the views are not biased.

If there was an issue with cracked handles, warped or wavy blades or something that could not be reasonably expected, and was a flaw with a single knife I certainly understand approaching the maker or vendor. But otherwise it is what it is and should be discussed.

I understand the ITK are not custom knives, and are difficult to exactly produce day in and day out, but shouldn’t those variances and subtle differences be able to be communicated to others looking to buy? If a person would only read the reviews from the first batch on KF they would think the knives were miniscule light sabers able to sharpen on a dime and cut thermal paper in mid air with no effort. The simple fact is they are not custom knives made to individual specifications. They are however a great knife, produced by an awesome, caring maker with impeccable fit and finish.

I know the ITK will continue to be a best seller, because Devin cares so much about his products. He is an outstanding guy and will continue to raise the roof with EVERY product he sales. There is MUCH love and respect for Hoss.

 

[Dave Martell]

I may have been somewhat unclear in my statements before but I don't mean to censor anyone, people should discuss their impressions, opinions, dislikes, likes, etc. What I was trying to convey is that should there be an issue of quality (or perception of quality) received by a customer that this person (and maker as well) would be better served to offer the maker the chance to rectify the situation prior to it being made public.

Ex. - Maker X just sent me a knife with a cracked handle....is this normal?

The poster would have been better off asking the maker about fixing this before posting - this is what I'm talking about.

 

[so_sleepy]

I think threads like this are useful to aspiring knife nuts and knife makers. The OP asked about knives that compare to the DT ITK and it is clear that there is a combination of sample variation and diverse opinions out there. He has to decide whether these are 20 opinions about the same knife or did the samples vary that much.

Devin knows better than anyone what is out there. He has to decide whether it is worthwhile to try to make all these guys happy with the ITK line. I would suggest that Devin shoot for consistency and use the ITK design as a benchmark from which to order a custom knife. I.e. order a lazer thin western 240 as a custom option so he can structure his prices according to the effort required.

 

[Cadillac J]

IEx. - Maker X just sent me a knife with a cracked handle....is this normal?

The poster would have been better off asking the maker about fixing this before posting - this is what I'm talking about.

Dave, although I partially agree with you, I think you picked a bad example here to show your point. If a person new to j-knives has heard that a lot of the Japanese makers don't have the best fit/finish and are lacking in the handle department, then that is a perfect and completely valid question to ask everyone on the forum so they can know whether this is a normal or sometimes expected occurrence. The community can then tell this person to contact the maker and get the problem resolved...and this shouldn't give anyone a negative view of the maker just because somebody mentioned their experience they had. I think we are all smart enough to know that things can go wrong and mistakes are all made by the best of us.

These are some of the first 'issues' that I've heard with the ITKs (besides the personal preference observations like my own). In my opinion, these are exactly what need to be addressed for people seeking information on the ITK...why should they be 'hidden' until they are made right? Granted, I'm sure some of the issues can only be perceptual due to lack of experience (people thinking they have a problem, but it is normal), but I still think everyone has the right to voice their own opinions and experiences. You've voiced your opinions about Moritaka's over-grinds based on your experiences with them, and I'm guessing you didn't worry about contacting them first to see if the problem could be fixed first. I'll bet you've steered a lot of people away from purchasing those knives based on that too, but we all understand to take it for what it's worth.

I was lucky enough to get the second ITK that Hoss made....it was a really well crafted knife, some of the best stainless I've had the pleasure of sharpening, and performed really well. However, the weight and thickness was just a bit beefier than I personally liked, so it was only fair to sell it than to let it sit in its box. I am a fan of Devin and the ITK very much so, even though it isn't a knife for me.

My view is we should all be able to freely express our experiences and concerns, as long as they aren't in a derogatory way.

 

[SpikeC]

This makes me wonder what would have transpired had you brought your concern to Devin. Would he have been willing to modify the knife to suit you, and if so for how much? How would it then compare to a full custom? Would he have been willing to exchange it for one that would more suit you, considering that they are hand made and therefore will vary from knife to knife and batch to batch?
These are just some questions that would be nice to have answers for to anyone considering the purchase of one of his knives, and they are answers that only Devin can provide.

 

[Dave Martell]

Please understand that I'm not arguing or stating policies or anything like that, just discussing. I'm feeling weird about talking about stuff like this now that I'm running a forum, it's strange.

Anyway, for my way of thinking I would choose to go the maker first and then go public but I can see that just because I think this way doesn't mean that it's the right way or the only way, it's simply a gut feeling I have on how I'd handle a problem. Now should I receive no satisfaction, well then I may not be so nice.

Now for the Moritaka situation (a good example to discuss - I must say), they've been notified by the knife owners (their customers) directly many (many-many-many) times over and they've had valid returns that they've dismissed as well. With this information they've done nothing and continue to produce the same quality. They deserve to be talked about negatively at this point, as long as it's not derogatory, because they have been given the chance to resolve issues and have chose not to and because people have a right to know.

I like that you guys feel OK with discussing this and that you're all so dang polite too.

 

[Dave Martell]

Here's an example of why I mentioned cracked handle before....

On my first Hiromoto group buy knives I bought some bad wood. Some of this came to light while I was working the knives while some cracked and twisted while in the customer's hands. In every case, these customers came to me first and I made the situations right and none of this has gone public until right now. The reason why this is important is because had they started asking "is this normal" it could have become entered into potential customer's minds as this is the kind of work Dave turns out. People may have only heard of the problem - not the resolve - and associated me with doing bad work and maybe even shied away from doing re-handle business with me as a result. From my side I wasn't looking to contain this and not have it go public but I know that I was thankful for the chance to fix the problems beforehand.

 

[cnochef]

+1 Jon@JKI said that he will be bringing in more western-handled Konosuke HD, I think this will be my 270.

I have a 240 western Ichimonji TKC (not Kikuichi) and I can vouch for it's outstanding performance. I also hate to say that it outperforms my western DT ITK especially on onions and tougher vegetables where I've found the ITK has a slight wedging issue. Anybody else find this a bit of a problem?

Let me get this straight, am I REALLY being called out because I dared to compare two knives on a KITCHEN KNIFE FORUM rather than contact the knifemaker first in private? I believe that there is nothing wrong with telling the truth, and I am sorry if I offended Devin and/or his work. I own three of his knives, so clearly I don't have that much of a problem with them! My goal was merely to inform of differences in the knives in question. I didn't say that they are poorly made, have bad fit and finish or anything like that. I do understand that Devin puts his heart and soul into his knives, but aren't we getting just a bit too sensitive and PC here?

 

[monty]

Let me get this straight, am I REALLY being called out because I dared to compare two knives on a KITCHEN KNIFE FORUM rather than contact the knifemaker first in private? WOW! If so, I hereby apologize for my audacity in discussing the attributes of various knives on a Kitchen Knife Forum. I promise I'll never make that mistake again.

I don't think you are being called out. I think your post just got people thinking. Take that as a compliment!