Sorry for the delays guys.
I got the knife two and a half weeks ago, and put it through it's paces.
Last October, I ordered this as a birthday present. I asked Heiji to make it extra thin ground, and patterned off a Sugimoto #6. Chanop was one person that heavily influenced me.
It came in late March.
My first impression is that this is one heavy beast of a knife. My normal chukabocho is 298 g. This "extra thin" Heiji is 525 g. I even contacted Heiji to inquire about a refund since this felt so huge!
I tested this for week, and it was a bit cumbersome and heavy. My muscles weren't too developed. The handle would cut into the web of my hand.
The second week, the weight was fine. The blade is extremely nimble, but has authority. It is extremely well balanced. The handle still digs into my hand.
Third week--the Akitada Hontanren chukabocho came in from Japan woodworker. These were listed as 340 g, and are in clearance. Japan woodworker accidentally sent two. These were noticeably thicker behind the edge and more poorly balanced than the Heiji. The choil a were extremely sharp too.
Anyways, onto the actual review:
1. Blade: 9/10
The blade cuts like a Heiji should. It sharpens like excellent white steel and holds an edge well. Food release is not an issue, as it has the Heiji recurve forged subtly into it. Choil is nicely rounded
Only downside--this is the "extra light" version #6. It weights as much or more than some #7 chopper versions. Don't get the regular weight version!
2. Handle: 6/10
I've been using a Chinese cleaver since I was 10. A Chinese cleaver handle should not have sharp edges, and should encourage a good pinch grip.
This is a slab handle that has no gaps or checks. It is solidly riveted and (I'm assuming epoxied) in place. This is a nice peice of gaboon ebony (and I should know, as a luthier).
Downside--the whole handle has just a slight chamfer. There are a bunch of hot spots. While this may look nice, it makes it a poor user. This is one of the most uncomfortable handles that I've used, and I suspect that Heiji has never used a chukabocho. (In contrast, his gyuto handles are extremely comfy).
However, I plan to reachable the handle with hand planes, rasps and spokeshaves. There's plenty of meat to fix this.
3. Saya. 3/10
I also ordered a saya from Heiji, since I tend to be too busy. It's cedar. It smells nice. The lamination looks properly glued. That's about all I can compliment on the saya.
In contrast to the saya that I make, this one is ill fitting, roughly finished, and generally pisses me off that I paid $85 for this.
The retention is nonexistent. It looks like some guy gouged out the inside of this saya for a nata, and resized it for this chukabocho. The slot is 6-7 mm wide, but the blade is 4 mm at the base of the blade. There is a solid 2-4 mm of slip all across the inside! There is no friction fit. The knife slides in and out loosely goosey...until you actually try to remove it normally.
When you try to sheathe/unsheathe the knife, it will snag---either on unfinished cedar or huge beads or residual glue. This sheathe will snag when the knife is halfway out...which is dangerous.
Knife review overall. 8/10
This is an expensive knife. I paid around $525 for the knife, $85 for saya, $28 shipping, $27.8 for PayPal.
If I had to do it again, I'd probably order the knife without the saya. I'd also consider making my own handle instead.
This is a very worthy knife, but a bit crude and rough around the edges. The saya sucks.
Pics to come, not sure how to upload them?
The forum interface says that I need to link to a url to share these?
