Gihei direct orders?

[deskjockey]

I have been given a guess-timate of 2 years to restock the knife I am trying to buy, Gihei 240mm Blue #2 Gyuto. Being such a small shop, 2 years seems reasonable for a dealer order to restock this knife line.

Gihei Hamono

Has anyone ordered directly from this maker? How did your order go? If I order direct, any thoughts of ordering something other than the "bespoke blue paper series (Yoshihira Bessho Aogami Series)"? I am thinking about the Pear Skin option over the HAP40 and SLD versions but, I am open to all thoughts Pro and Con of the knife options at this shop.

TIA,
Sid

 

[Luxusborg]

Maybe worth it to buy it TAX free from Finland with free shipping and pay the import custom charges?

271$ here Gyuto Japanese kitchen knife Gihei Hamono Aogami 2 GH-405 24cm for sale | Buy online at MyGoodKnife

 

[deskjockey]

Finland for a Japanese Gyuto! Lamnia has treated me well over the years but, generally, I'm looking for axes, and "tactical" soft gear from Poland on their site (in fact I have a new rifle soft case waiting for me at the local Post Office right now). Varusteleka is another Finnish gem too!

~$20USD in local sales tax isn't enough to significantly affect my purchase decision though it is a consideration in some cases (especially since it isn't as high as VAT in Europe). In terms of customs duty, I'm under the impression there is an $800 threshold before Import Tax becomes due on personal use items when the company purchased from (or payment processor) does not have a business presence in the USA.

 

[EShin]

I have been given a guess-timate of 2 years to restock the knife I am trying to buy, Gihei 240mm Blue #2 Gyuto. Being such a small shop, 2 years seems reasonable for a dealer order to restock this knife line.

Gihei Hamono

Has anyone ordered directly from this maker? How did your order go? If I order direct, any thoughts of ordering something other than the "bespoke blue paper series (Yoshihira Bessho Aogami Series)"? I am thinking about the Pear Skin option over the HAP40 and SLD versions but, I am open to all thoughts Pro and Con of the knife options at this shop.

TIA,
Sid

I don’t think you can order directly as they don’t have a shop, but only indirectly via shops that stock their knives. Of course, you can try to send them a message asking if it would be possible.
As for the knives, only tried knives made of HAP40 and I didn’t really like how they felt. Sharpness and edge retention are good though.

 

[EShin]

I checked with them, they don't sell their products directly. Also, it seems like their blue 2 Gyutos don't sell in Japan. Of course, you can still try to contact them and maybe something works out, but I think the link that Luxusborg posted above might be much easier to get the knife.

 

[deskjockey]

Thank you!