Help with left handed

[Anjin47]

Hello
Im a newbie here
Ive been bitten with the knife bug.
Ive been trying to look for a good maker, old or new that has a good left handed knife.
not really seeking shun or anything but a good japanese smith'ed knife.
Just for my home. max prolly to start 400/500 USD
Ive searched a good bit but so much is in Japanese. Im hoping to get a few good suggestions.

Any names i can look for that could be collector knifes too? I know thats a separate category.

I appreciate any help

Thanks!
CJ

 

[esoo]

You will have a challenge as many Japanese makers bias their knives for the right handed.

I've asked stores in the past for the knife best suited for a left handed when I've purchased (either in the notes or as a reply to the receipt)

I've had good luck with gyutos sharpened by Myojin - they have been neutral enough to make me happy. I'd buy either Nakagawa or Tetsujin sharpened by him. However his nakiris are strongly right biased.

Ive never ordered from Heiji or Tadakoro but since you order direct with both I'd assume you can request something left biased.

 

[Vertigo]

JCK carries a few brands (Misono, Carbonext, Fujiwara off the top of my head) with lefty versions for a small upcharge, often already in stock.

 

[Moooza]

I'm a lefty. I have to ask why get a lefty knife? I mean a lefty kiritsuke is fun, but a hard knife to use... If you are slicing fish regularly, I can see a use case with a yanigiba. But general home prep, I would stick with 50/50 grind. There are some gyuto's which have a slight lefty bias, for example Kippington will take handedness into account when finishing a knife, but the effect is slight (and great).

 

[esoo]

I'm a lefty. I have to ask why get a lefty knife? I mean a lefty kiritsuke is fun, but a hard knife to use... If you are slicing fish regularly, I can see a use case with a yanigiba. But general home prep, I would stick with 50/50 grind. There are some gyuto's which have a slight lefty bias, for example Kippington will take handedness into account when finishing a knife, but it is slight.

The issue is that many J-knives aren't 50/50 - they're right biased. What you'll get is a knife that will be convex on the right side with a near flat grind on the left. Sure we as lefty's can use them, but they are no very great for performance.

And Kipp's geometry is far more complex than it seems.

 

[Qapla']

Misono, Masahiro, and Ichimonji Mitsuhide are "the usual suspects" here.

Some examples:

https://japanesechefsknife.com/coll...-180mm-to-360mm-8-sizes?variant=8134572114017

https://global.ichimonji.co.jp/coll...chef-knife-left-handle?variant=37091515990172

https://knifemerchant.com/masahiro-carbon-9-5-in-240mm-left-handed-gyuto.html

https://japanesechefsknife.com/coll...0mm-to-gyuto300mm-5-sizes?variant=29222090243

And in case you're also looking to add a bread-knife to your set, here's a lefty Japanese-made one:
https://item.rakuten.co.jp/houchouno-toginon/100-12p-lefty/

Another possibility is Sakai Takayuki's Grand Chef line, which also offers lefty models.
For some examples, here are a lefty 240mm gyuto and a lefty hankotsu.

 

[Anjin47]

I found an ashi ginga lefty. Is that a pretty good smith?

 

[stringer]

I found an ashi ginga lefty. Is that a pretty good smith?

A+

 

[Benuser]

JCK carries a few brands (Misono, Carbonext, Fujiwara off the top of my head) with lefty versions for a small upcharge, often already in stock.

A right-biased yo–knife comes with the right face convexed, the left one essentially flat, and the edge off-centred to the left.
For left-handers two solutions are presented: a truly inverted geometry: left face convexed, right one flat and edge off-centred to the right. That's available with Misono and Masahiro.

The other option, as proposed with the Carbonext and Fujiwara Kanefusa, is in reworking the edge. From JCK:

It may work for some time. But the fundamentals, with the flat left face, won't change. Expect from day one poor food release, and produce sticking to the left face.
When the blade gets thicker, serious steering and wedging issues appear, unless you rework the entire geometry at every sharpening. No touching-up. Far from convenient.

 

[Anjin47]

Is carbon knife co reputable place to buy knives?

 

[Stevem627]

Carbon Knife Co is a good retailer for sure

 

[kujaku]

A+

Is there an A++ or S above A+?

 

[Qapla']

I found an ashi ginga lefty. Is that a pretty good smith?

I'd never heard of Ashi Hamono offering lefty models, but if this is true, then it'd definitely be a good choice. You might want to check the overall body of the blade to be sure; as others upthread (e.g. @esoo, @Benuser) pointed out, you will want to check if it's actually more convex on the side that's leftward in use.

Hiroshi Ashi is very well-reputed on the forum.

Is there an A++ or S above A+?

In which language's alphabet does S precede A?

 

[kujaku]

In which language's alphabet does S precede A?

In games, it's common for S to come above A tier, and since the S-class in brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Tesla seems quite high-end, I thought that was the global standard. the Ashi knives are highly regarded here, so when he said A+, I wanted to know if that belonged to the top tier, or the second or third tier. I didn't mean to ask in a joking manner, but if I offended you, I apologize.

 

[Qapla']

In games, it's common for S to come above A tier, and since the S-class in brands like Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and Tesla seems quite high-end, I thought that was the global standard. the Ashi knives are highly regarded here, so when he said A+, I wanted to know if that belonged to the top tier, or the second or third tier. I didn't mean to ask in a joking manner, but if I offended you, I apologize.

Didn't take offense at all; just wondering what it was about. No need to apologize.

 

[McMan]

Paging a notorious lefty
@labor of love

 

[esoo]

Paging a notorious lefty
@labor of love

What does that make the rest of us?

 

[labor of love]

https://www.globalkitchenjapan.com/...8&_sid=045f8daf5&_ss=r&variant=40621306478675

Not sure I even want to spend more than $300 again after enjoying this Masa everyday since I purchased it.

Can’t help you with lefty collector knives.

Would suggest speaking with vendors about what they have instock that you like. There’s always a pretty good chance with hand made items a couple of lefty friendly knives are available. Done this a hundred times, I’ve never been disappointed with the results.

 

[labor of love]

Also, @Benuser comments above are spot on as usual.

 

[Hassanbensober]

I’m a lefty. I am as also a busy chef that uses tons of different knives every single day I work.

I’ve been through several phases where I was seeking to build my collection to facilitate being left handed. Have a nearly complete collection of Japanese single bevels. These are great tools but highly specific so they almost never get used save for a couple favorite beaters.

I’ve also bought and custom ordered left handed grinds by several of the most accomplished makers. Tsourkan Kippington Leder Isasmedjan. Although the customs all turned out fine and I was ultimately happy with them I really don’t notice any significant differences in my daily use with these compared to a 50-50 grind from the same makers. It is at least for me something that doesn’t matter anymore and I won’t be going out of way to acquire anymore. I just adapt to whatever is in my hand and move forward.

Just some personal perspective from a habitual knife hoarder.

 

[Benuser]

I’m a lefty. I am as also a busy chef that uses tons of different knives every single day I work.

I’ve been through several phases where I was seeking to build my collection to facilitate being left handed. Have a nearly complete collection of Japanese single bevels. These are great tools but highly specific so they almost never get used save for a couple favorite beaters.

I’ve also bought and custom ordered left handed grinds by several of the most accomplished makers. Tsourkan Kippington Leder Isasmedjan. Although the customs all turned out fine and I was ultimately happy with them I really don’t notice any significant differences in my daily use with these compared to a 50-50 grind from the same makers. It is at least for me something that doesn’t matter anymore and I won’t be going out of way to acquire anymore. I just adapt to whatever is in my hand and move forward.

Just some personal perspective from a habitual knife hoarder.

On a side note, and not at all about customs or semi-customs. Some retailers sell strongly right-biased knives as ambidextrous or 50/50. Sometimes there's a symmetric edge. But it doesn't suit the blade's geometry.