Fujiwara Maboroshi Review

[Infrared]

Complete tier list and the Fujiwara's ranking can be seen here: Japanese Knife Tier List

Thoughts and Observations

• Definitely needs thinning.
• Wedges quite a bit in onions and stops dead in carrots. I get physically tired using this knife after a few minutes.
• Although the steels seem easy to sharpen, the thickness of the blade makes it not very fun to sharpen.
• Steel is similar to Toyama. Very easy to sharpen, but feels almost too "refined".
• Easily the glassiest feeling steel on the stones I've used. Okubo is a distant second.
• Although I'm generally a fan of Japanese handles, this western handle was quite comfortable and felt natural in my hand.
• The more I use this knife, the more I like the steel. Probably my favorite white #1.

Measurements
Length: 185mm (Santoku)
Height: 52.5mm
Spine: 3.3mm/2.4mm/1.5mm
Weight: 205g

Cutting Performance
Potatoes: B (Some resistance and sticking)
Onions: D (Borderline unusable)
Carrots: F (Lots of wedging)

Steel
Edge retention: 2+ weeks (daily home use, large variety of vegetables)
Toughness: No issues (I'm heavy-handed)
Ease of sharpening: B
Edge taking: B
Initial sharpness: D (Extremely sharp, could not cut tomato)

Geometry

• Concave hira.
• Convex kireha.

 

[Infrared]

 

[labor of love]

I highly recommend District Cutlery for thinning the blade if you decide the knife is a keeper.

 

[ModRQC]

Interesting to see your POV.

Feels glassy on stones because the steel is pushed into 64-65RC typically. I've seldom seen a Mabs that was in much better shape than yours OOTB regarding thickness. Your unit otherwise seems one of the "clean" ones, from your report and the pictures. If you were in Canada I'd be happy to work on it for you, but in this case shipping kills the idea.

 

[NickMinton]

I highly recommend District Cutlery for thinning the blade if you decide the knife is a keeper.

Seconding this. I have a TF after district cutlery thinning that is really nice

 

[JASinIL2006]

Ryan at District Cutlery took my Mabs to the next level. Highly recommend.

 

[Genghis_F]

Ryan at District Cutlery took my Mabs to the next level. Highly recommend.

Mr Buzz kill here, but does it seem wrong to buy a knife that you immediately have to substantially modify. Yea I get sharpening is modifying but I’d expect a premium knife to have premium geometry
I don’t have to send my kamon or Shihan to Ryan to make it work as a knife…just curious why so many fans of second rate geometry…after all, geometry trumps hrc any day, esp if you can sharpen

Ok getting off the soapbox…but my confusion is real

 

[ahhactive]

Mr Buzz kill here, but does it seem wrong to buy a knife that you immediately have to substantially modify. Yea I get sharpening is modifying but I’d expect a premium knife to have premium geometry
I don’t have to send my kamon or Shihan to Ryan to make it work as a knife…just curious why so many fans of second rate geometry…after all, geometry trumps hrc any day, esp if you can sharpen

Ok getting off the soapbox…but my confusion is real

i agree. i only got the nashiji line coz its much cheaper and tbh it is is a beater for everything( take great edge, awesome retention, tough MF). would highly recommending the nashiji line for a TF and nothing else of the other series, unless of course you want a Mabs/ Denka

 

[jedy617]

Because then you can have it all for a good price. What's a kamon or shi.han cost these days? Even discounting the money they aren't the easiest to get. You can get a used mab for 300? Less? Regrind for what like 100?

It's quite common to get production pocket knives reground. Lots of custom knifemakers start by offering regrinding services. Interesting that doesn't seem to be a big service provided in the sphere of chef knives. Lets say you have a spyderco PM2 or shaman that you actually want it to cut, you get it reground. You are buying it for the cool steels with good heat treats, locks, actions and ergos. I would assume the same is true for people wanting a TF. If you don't get the geometry lottery win, but still want some great heat treated stainless clad steel with the famous notch, and you like the aesthetics, and the whole story of TF maybe it's your thing.

 

[blokey]

TBH brand new Denka is like $700 these days

 

[M1k3]

TBH brand new Denka is like $700 these days

And playing the "can you take pictures of everything you have, so I can pick the least wavy one?" game.

At least when ordering direct.

 

[jedy617]

I think we are all in agreement that a denka should have a nice grind out the box. Not sure that's the reality though for every knife coming out. I see the value in picking up one used and getting it reground, new...not so much. Even though I think you would have a pretty sweet knife at the end. All I'm saying is I totally understand doing it, either to a new or used knife. I think you would have a really awesome product in the end. That being said the only TF I have is finished by Myojin so there you go, a normal TF isn't my first choice either.

 

[Corradobrit1]

And playing the "can you take pictures of everything you have, so I can pick the least wavy one?" game.

At least when ordering direct.

Yes its a crap shoot. But doing your due diligence usually pays dividends. The real dogs are usually easy to spot.
Avoiding Knifewear is a good place to start if you buy from a retailer.

 

[JoshN]

I got a 240 mab last year. I must have gotten lucky because it was a pretty good performer immediately. However, it did have some low spots and inconsistencies that an hour or so on a shapton glass 500 took care of and now its easily one of my favorites on carrots and celery. Good luck with yours!

 

[dabes]

For those that don't want to regrind, just buy a Sukenari and save yourself a few hundred bucks

 

[Messer Mojo]

I considered selling these knives in my shop, but after hearing about the quality issues, I quickly dismissed that idea.

If other forges/blacksmiths and brands can consistently deliver good quality, why can't Fujiwara?

After all, these knives are not exactly cheap, and at this price point, one should be entitled to demand a good knife without it being a gamble on whether you get a good knife or not.

 

[dabes]

I considered selling these knives in my shop, but after hearing about the quality issues, I quickly dismissed that idea.

If other forges and brands can consistently deliver good quality, why can't Fujiwara?

After all, these knives are not exactly cheap, and at this price point, one should be entitled to demand a good knife without it being a gamble on whether you get a good knife or not.

90% of the retailer photos for their "top of the line" knife have extremely rusty hira and that's with the retailers cherry picking the best of the bunch, I think you dodged a bullet on all the customer service issues it would have brought on to you.

 

[miggus]

If other forges/blacksmiths and brands can consistently deliver good quality, why can't Fujiwara?

Of course they can. But they don't have to... their knives are selling like crazy as is, so I believe they just decided to leave their process as is and outsource like 50% of the working hours of the knife to the customers who buy their knives anyways.
At least, in part. I shelled out and got a 240 + 150 Denka from them. In the end, I really like using the knives, they didn't need reworking at all. But of course the aesthetic quality of the FnF is put to shame by knives half the price.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Mr Buzz kill here, but does it seem wrong to buy a knife that you immediately have to substantially modify. Yea I get sharpening is modifying but I’d expect a premium knife to have premium geometry
I don’t have to send my kamon or Shihan to Ryan to make it work as a knife…just curious why so many fans of second rate geometry…after all, geometry trumps hrc any day, esp if you can sharpen

Ok getting off the soapbox…but my confusion is real

Not a buzz kill at all in my opinion. I think it's ridiculous.

Because then you can have it all for a good price. What's a kamon or shi.han cost these days? Even discounting the money they aren't the easiest to get. You can get a used mab for 300? Less? Regrind for what like 100?

It's quite common to get production pocket knives reground. Lots of custom knifemakers start by offering regrinding services. Interesting that doesn't seem to be a big service provided in the sphere of chef knives. Lets say you have a spyderco PM2 or shaman that you actually want it to cut, you get it reground. You are buying it for the cool steels with good heat treats, locks, actions and ergos. I would assume the same is true for people wanting a TF. If you don't get the geometry lottery win, but still want some great heat treated stainless clad steel with the famous notch, and you like the aesthetics, and the whole story of TF maybe it's your thing.

Nah, bad comparison. First, everything else on a Spyderco is going to be solid. No big gaps, cracks, or crooked *h1$ and if there are, they get fixed or replaced without much fuss. Regrinds are a personal preference thing and not a necessary one. And, Spydercos, while not exactly cheap, aren't $700+ either. A couple hundred or so on a PM2 will get you a very well made knife, likely in a high-alloy steel and backed by a lifetime guarantee.

 

[Messer Mojo]

Of course they can. But they don't have to... their knives are selling like crazy as is, so I believe they just decided to leave their process as is and outsource like 50% of the working hours of the knife to the customers who buy their knives anyways.
At least, in part. I shelled out and got a 240 + 150 Denka from them. In the end, I really like using the knives, they didn't need reworking at all. But of course the aesthetic quality of the FnF is put to shame by knives half the price.

But they have also other issues that can't be fixed easily (bent blade etc) and have nothing to do with outsourcing work to your customers (which is bad enough), but is just bad manufacturing practice.

And since some of their knives are good from the beginning, I believe it has more to do with bad manufacturing practice/quality control, rather than outsourcing work to your vendors/customers.

And "selling like crazy" is always relative. I don't know how large their forge is and how many knives they produce in a year, but I would put it that way:
The demand is probably bigger than their production capacities.

I get these can be great knives if everything is on point, but for me as a vendor, its not worth selling them to my customers.

 

[Corradobrit1]

I considered selling these knives in my shop, but after hearing about the quality issues, I quickly dismissed that idea.

If other forges/blacksmiths and brands can consistently deliver good quality, why can't Fujiwara?

After all, these knives are not exactly cheap, and at this price point, one should be entitled to demand a good knife without it being a gamble on whether you get a good knife or not.

One must embrace the Wabi Sabi to achieve enlightenment.

Personally, most complain because they don't get the ethos. Most people are very happy with their TF or TF/Morihei's, as evidenced by how few hit BST. If F/F and minimal WS are required consider stocking the Morihei version, both iron clad and SS Fine Finish variants. Great HT without the critique. Ask Tetogi if his TF's sit around or get returned? Pretty sure they are excellent sellers or he wouldn't continue to restock.

I've ordered 5 TF's direct plus a used Denka 240, 2 ironclad TF/Morihei's 210's used and 2 iron clad TF/Morihei's, a 210 and a 240 new. Sold the 240 Morihei as the oversized dimensions were too big, one new 210 FF was returned as it arrived bent (pretty sure it didn't leave Morihei like that) and the used Denka 240 was returned as it was a total wedge monster, abused and put away wet.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I have bought three TF knives, two directly from TF (210 Denka and 150 Mabs) and one from BST (210 Mabs). F&F on all three was good.

The 210 Denka with a regrind from District Cutlery was less than $550. For that amount of money, I have an excellent knife that I suspect would outperform many more expensive blades. I bought my TF knives knowing that they might need a re-grind, and I factored that in. I still think they were a good value.

 

[labor of love]

I have bought three TF knives, two directly from TF (210 Denka and 150 Mabs) and one from BST (210 Mabs). F&F on all three was good.

The 210 Denka with a regrind from District Cutlery was less than $550. For that amount of money, I have an excellent knife that I suspect would outperform many more expensive blades. I bought my TF knives knowing that they might need a re-grind, and I factored that in. I still think they were a good value.

How long did the direct ordered TFs take to arrive?
And I agree, my Denka 210mm is likely the best gyuto I’ve ever owned

 

[JASinIL2006]

The TFs that I ordered direct each took about a month to get to me.

 

[labor of love]

. Most people are very happy with their TF or TF/Morihei's, as evidenced by how few hit BST.

The struggle is real. I just want someone to put up a Denka western for sale so I don’t have to make a direct order and save some time. Of the hundreds of items that gets put up in BST every month maybe 1 TF is in the mix.

 

[mengwong]

One must embrace the Wabi Sabi to achieve enlightenment.

Around the time that Jobs, Wozniak, Gates, and Allen were dreaming up these unlikely schemes, I was a teenager living in Ames, Iowa. One of my friends' dads had an old MGB sports car rusting away in his garage. Sometimes he would actually manage to get it running and then he would take us for a spin around the block, with a memorable look of wild youthful exhiliration on his face; to his worried passengers, he was a madman, stalling and backfiring around Ames, Iowa and eating the dust of rusty Gremlins and Pintos, but in his own mind he was Dustin Hoffman tooling across the Bay Bridge with the wind in his hair.

In retrospect, this was telling me two things about people's relationship to technology. One was that romance and image go a long way towards shaping their opinions. If you doubt it (and if you have a lot of spare time on your hands) just ask anyone who owns a Macintosh and who, on those grounds, imagines him- or herself to be a member of an oppressed minority group.

The other, somewhat subtler point, was that interface is very important. Sure, the MGB was a lousy car in almost every way that counted: balky, unreliable, underpowered. But it was fun to drive. It was responsive. Every pebble on the road was felt in the bones, every nuance in the pavement transmitted instantly to the driver's hands. He could listen to the engine and tell what was wrong with it. The steering responded immediately to commands from his hands. To us passengers it was a pointless exercise in going nowhere--about as interesting as peering over someone's shoulder while he punches numbers into a spreadsheet. But to the driver it was an experience. For a short time he was extending his body and his senses into a larger realm, and doing things that he couldn't do unassisted.

In the Beginning was the Command Line
by Neal Stephenson

 

[miggus]

How long did the direct ordered TFs take to arrive?

I waited almost a year for 2 Denkas.

 

[labor of love]

I waited almost a year for 2 Denkas.

Were they customs?

 

[miggus]

Yes, they were. It wasn't a problem for me. They told me when I ordered it would take more than 6 months. It took longer than I expected and they deviated a bit from the mentioned specifics (height was 54mm instead of 60mm - but that was a bit extreme to begin with).

But the important part, to make the 240 thin and comparatively tall, were respected, and I like the knife very much.

 

[Genghis_F]

My favorite is still Snowcrash