Could you guys pls check this TF Maboroshi?

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damiano

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So, I've been looking for a new gyuto and today I went to a local shop. There I held the Teruyasu Fujiwara Maboroshi in my hand and it felt good. Of course I did my homework so I knew about its reputation.

Hence, I also knew about the variability of the knives coming out of the TF factory, e.g. overgrind, so I was hoping you guys could help me determine whether this is a good TF knife? See pics. I can still return it until next week.

They don't have another Maboroshi in case this one is not perfect, but I'd be happy to wait or buy something else later. They do have a Denka :)
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Based on those pics I'd return it. Appears to have an overgrind towards the heel based on the penultimate pic. Could benefit from a thinning too. Curious what the price is in NL.
 
western handle....pls let me know which shop if they happen to have the Denka in 210 with a Wa handle that you don;t want...so I can go and have a feel...
 
It's hard to tell from the pics what might be a shadow or what might be an overgrind.
The handle at the bolster is also, uh, less than ideal. My mab had the same issue with the handle (actually, worse); others claim to have spotted properly finished western TF handles in the wild :)

Here's where I would at look closely since, from the pic, these look like overgrinds...
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Lol I think I saw one at Stay Sharp in Montréal (website). That was two weeks ago though and I don't expect you'll go there.
 
The supposed overgrind from the penultimate pic comes from the mat. That pic above has no true enough lighting condition that we can be sure of what we see.
 
This is hard to judge from pictures. But from What it seems to me you got a good one. Have you looked at the edge (from the same perspective as when you look at the choil down the edge towards the tip); Does it look straight or is there a curve somewhere? The only thing I could see was this.
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It looks like more steel is taken off there (though I can be wrong). Whether that’s a problem or not I can’t tell.
 
Oh, I couldn’t watch the pic @McMan reposted from OP. I agree with him; I would look carefully at those areas. It need not be overgrinds, but they could be. Or, it could be a slightly bent edge. Or, it could be light playing tricks on us.
 
Perhaps there's less steel taken out from the shinogi above is what is happening too - different light reflection, and perhaps the grind is really a tad darker because the surface was not grinded on par with the rest. I second you in saying I don't see so much errors that others seem to see - or that the conditions are not great to make any assumption from the pics.
 
Wow what a great community. Some more pics then.

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The shop should have examined the knife with you, pointed out any potential issues and offered to fix them for you.
They should at least check that the blade is straight and that there are no holes in the edge on a board.
That's the whole point of buying a knife from a shop's inventory...
 
It's still hard to tell from the lighting.
Here's what to look for...
  • First drawing below--basically an "undergrind". There is a little portion of the bevel that goes up because there wasn't enough steel removed in that area originally. Think of this as an example of thinning but in one section only.
  • Second drawing below--If the bevel appears to dip towards the edge, this is an overgrind and will/may eventually become a hole in the edge or at least a too-thin edge section. The "smiley" of the overgrind may lead to a "frown" (i.e. hole) in the edge.
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Dont touch the knife and just send it back to the seller. The seller must know that there is a risk of getting so called monday versions from this maker so it shouldnt be suprise for them that some of these get send back to them.
 
Oh, I couldn’t watch the pic @McMan reposted from OP. I agree with him; I would look carefully at those areas. It need not be overgrinds, but they could be. Or, it could be a slightly bent edge. Or, it could be light playing tricks on us.

I bet those are just shadows. They don’t appear in other pics. I don’t
personally see any huge red flags here. It’s worth checking with your fingers how deep the other spot that Carl mentioned is, though. If the knife’s reeeally thin there it’ll be hard to even out the bevel enough to make sure that you can get an even finish. Def check if the edge is straight too.
 
That looks like an expensive project knife. Indeed - hard to judge from photos how serious the issues are, but the different areas point towards a very uneven grind.
 
That looks like an expensive project knife.

Oh, maybe I should have said that too, but I just assumed that the OP knew that TF stands for “totally fixable”, at least usually.

I feel like the only things I can really tell from pictures are “is the handle installed badly or badly finished / is the cladding on the edge / is the blade super bent or cracked / etc...”

Good point about the uneven grind.
 
We all know that many knives in japan are sold dull, with no edge on there. the end user is supposed to put the edge on it. or the retail shop.

now TF just takes this to another level, its the next logical step really. why just leave out the edge when you can leave out the entire actual finishing step of the knife??
 
Thanks everyone so far.. Yikes, I'm seeing lots of differing opinions. That in itself isn't a good sign I'd say?!

Anyway, since the shop also sold me a 150mm Misono petty which turned out to be a 130mm Misono petty (?!) I already need to go back. So I guess I can just take the TF along and ask him about it. I had never been to this shop before, don't know the guy, and he was wearing a mask so not the ideal circumstances to go over a knife in detail.

So, these random finishing issues are also abound with the Denka?
 
Talk to the guy if anythingt to get a feel for his opinion and thoughts, if he knows what he is doing (what I suspect to be true from the website) he should come clear and offer his services to overcome the issues spotted or explain them.

To the best of my knowledge the bigger issue is that we are not used to someone making a product that requires someone else to finish it, in the Japanese culture there is a specialist for every detail and I'm quite sure that TF expects his customers to know what they want from a grind etc and to get that from someone else, he is the blacksmith nothing more, nothing less.
 
get a "straight edge" tool. or anything verified straight, like a ruler.

now put that along the side of the blade near the edge, maybe 10mm up from the edge.

now judge how severe (or not) the "overgrind" is. can you live with that? then just keep it. if you think its too deep send it back.

there is basically only one thing you can't do with a knife. and that is putting metal back on there. everything else is fixable.
 
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