Media Hiromoto Honyaki

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I noticed that too. The hamon hasn't patina'd like the rest of the blade.
 
My other honyakis from other brands do the same thing
 
Similar behavior on the Muzino.

image.jpg
 
Nemo said:
Salty, in that shot, the patina all looks to be on one side of the hamon. Does the harder steel patina more or is it a trick of the light?
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hard to say, on my 180mm hiromoto honyaki it has patina even on the hamon (maybe less so since it's higher up the blade). Can't wait to get my 270 this week!
 
off topic but hey chucks, i see that you're using the miz outside of work. i've noticed i don't reach for mine very often because i find it annoyingly short (perhaps because i'm so used to the KS and my miz is so tall that it feels this drastic, i'll probably never get over my KS obsession lol). what is strange is that when i want a shorter knife i use the 210 munetoshi instead. so this lead me to think, hey this would be the ultimate home knife, except i never cook at home. as amazing as i think this knife is, i can't justify keeping it if i never use it. waiting for its replacement(sukenari honyaki 270 that runs short) to arrive before i make my peace with it and say goodbye.

back on topic: yes patina definitely behaves differently near the hamon.
 
White Steel. I really don't use it at home all that much and to be honest I can't find my KS. It's gotta be somewhere but I haven't run accross it in a while.
 
@Salty: as you have both the Hiromoto Honyaki and the Mizuno Honyaki, how would you say do the two white #2 differ? What do you like and dislike about them? Which of these do you prefer and why?
 
The Miz is heavy duty. It was a surprise when I got it. I was expecting something similar to my Miz suminigashi which is a small gyuto. The obvious difference is the handle, the Hiro being Western. I don't know if they all come with the linen micarta handle but mine did and I really like it. (Koki said he hooked me up.) The Hiro has a more typical profile, geometry and balance that you find on Western style knives. The Miz being a little blade heavy because of the blade thickness and wa handle. The Miz is also a little shorter. The Miz has an impressive hamon and I've always liked their profiles with a nice mix of flat spot that gently transitions into the tip. The thickness of the blade bothers me a little bit. I can't really give you an opinion on the steel difference as I haven't had the Hiro that long.

As I said, I like the handle on the Hiro and in general is a very comfortable knife to use. The hamon isn't fancy so it doesn't have the sex appeal most honyakis have. I like the grind with the mid blade bulge mostly on the right side of the blade running most of the blade's length. The left side being mostly flat. My only complaint with the profile is that I would like more of a flat spot on the blade toward the heel. There is very little as the edge has a subtle belly eventually curving up to the tip.

Both knives are good "workers", built to take care of business. I think a fair comparison would be the difference between a Ford Explorer (the Miz) and a Taurus. (Hiro)
 
Salty, thank you very much for your detailed response, even though I don't really understand the Taurus/Explorer comparison as I live in Europe and neither of these is available over here... ;) No, I understand what you mean! Thanks for your explanation!
 
OT: Speaking of the Mizuno Honyaki gyutos, if my interpretation of your video on YouTube is correct, then you slightly preferred the Blue #2 version, right? Was this only valid for this particular knife comparison or do you generally prefer Blue #2 over White #2, and if so why?

Sorry for being off-topic, I am trying to figure out if the Hiromoto fits my bill or if I should go with a Mizuno, and if so which...
 
Honestly, if I pulled them out of the drawer today I doubt I'd be able to tell the difference. As far as deciding between the Miz or Hiro it depends where your priorities are. They'll both work well. The Miz has the "look" and the Hiro is more traditional in the Western sense. A valid consideration is people will notice the Miz because of the unique look.
 
Salty dog said:
The Miz is heavy duty. It was a surprise when I got it. I was expecting something similar to my Miz suminigashi which is a small gyuto. The obvious difference is the handle, the Hiro being Western. I don't know if they all come with the linen micarta handle but mine did and I really like it. (Koki said he hooked me up.) The Hiro has a more typical profile, geometry and balance that you find on Western style knives. The Miz being a little blade heavy because of the blade thickness and wa handle. The Miz is also a little shorter. The Miz has an impressive hamon and I've always liked their profiles with a nice mix of flat spot that gently transitions into the tip. The thickness of the blade bothers me a little bit. I can't really give you an opinion on the steel difference as I haven't had the Hiro that long.

As I said, I like the handle on the Hiro and in general is a very comfortable knife to use. The hamon isn't fancy so it doesn't have the sex appeal most honyakis have. I like the grind with the mid blade bulge mostly on the right side of the blade running most of the blade's length. The left side being mostly flat. My only complaint with the profile is that I would like more of a flat spot on the blade toward the heel. There is very little as the edge has a subtle belly eventually curving up to the tip.

Both knives are good "workers", built to take care of business. I think a fair comparison would be the difference between a Ford Explorer (the Miz) and a Taurus. (Hiro)
Click to expand...

Full of insights and that is why we all love reading your thoughts and watching your videos! haha. Yes, the mircata handle is definately not standard on the hiromotos and I would have loved it on mine! Guess this will leave me open for a rehandle down the road lol... And i totally echo your thoughts on the hamon and the overall feel of the hiromoto, off the radar but does all the work kind of image.
 
so, I jumped on this as well. Koki shipped on Monday, knife arrived on Friday. First look was good, I went for the micarta handle which was a good choice. Blade is longer than 240, spine and choil have rather sharp edges, but nothing a little sandpaper can't fix. First use was good, I cut a couple of vegetables. Knife struggled with thick carrots and it flexes a bit, my Kato workhorse doesn't, neither struggle with thick carrots nor flex... :angel2: Overall the performance is good, it's a Western-handled Honyaki, what more do you want?
 
daddy yo yo said:
so, I jumped on this as well. Koki shipped on Monday, knife arrived on Friday. First look was good, I went for the micarta handle which was a good choice. Blade is longer than 240, spine and choil have rather sharp edges, but nothing a little sandpaper can't fix. First use was good, I cut a couple of vegetables. Knife struggled with thick carrots and it flexes a bit, my Kato workhorse doesn't, neither struggle with thick carrots nor flex... :angel2: Overall the performance is good, it's a Western-handled Honyaki, what more do you want?
Click to expand...

makes me kind of wanted to have gone with the micarta handle haha but i guess i'll have the option to rehandle it down the road! took mine (270mm) for a spin last night, did some carrots (medium sized ones, certainly no mutant ones) and it went just fine, feels abit the same cutting ability as my Kato original - not crazy sharp out of the box but serviceable edge for sure. Love the length and shape and overall feel. Not that much longer than my 240 Kato so overall dimensions are very workable at home. Honyaki + western handle, can't lose for the price.
 
Comparing the Mizuno to the Hiromoto has to come down to the price. I got a hiro w/ a rosewood handle for 370, and the Mizuno is around 1000. In my experience the Hiro withstands commercial abuse and retains it's edge longer than any other white steel knife i have owned, and takes a wicked sharp edge. Best knife in my bag - they are out of production but if you can get your hands on a used one snap it up
 
Chris Robinson said:
Comparing the Mizuno to the Hiromoto has to come down to the price. I got a hiro w/ a rosewood handle for 370, and the Mizuno is around 1000. In my experience the Hiro withstands commercial abuse and retains it's edge longer than any other white steel knife i have owned, and takes a wicked sharp edge. Best knife in my bag - they are out of production but if you can get your hands on a used one snap it up
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I have the same Hiro and I use it as my beater. Miz is 10x sexier knife. Only reason I got rid of mine is because they run short, I had it before the price hike. I will get a custom length one someday.
 
i got two hiros, just in case one would ever break and sure enough, one developed a small fracture on the spine, still cut the same.. one has a stamped kanji and the other chiseled, once I polished choil and spine and thinned a bit these two are sheer force, but my Miz honyaki feels better and has a better profile.

Panda - I'm very happy that Miz didn't fit you... thanks
 
Hiros should have come with a caveat......... A lot of work required!!!!!! I looked at mine, and then sold it.
 
Chicagohawkie said:
Hiros should have come with a caveat......... A lot of work required!!!!!! I looked at mine, and then sold it.
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lol it's not for faint of heart thats for sure, but once you fix er up it's a really good laserish knife. it's the only thin spine knife i've ever kept. admittedly my yoshihiro western in ginsako is a better cutter because it is a thicker knife and i've done a lot more work to it. but the hiro is great for quick tasks.
 
panda said:
lol it's not for faint of heart thats for sure, but once you fix er up it's a really good laserish knife. it's the only thin spine knife i've ever kept. admittedly my yoshihiro western in ginsako is a better cutter because it is a thicker knife and i've done a lot more work to it. but the hiro is great for quick tasks.
Click to expand...
Picked up a Teshu Shiraki Honyaki that blew it away performance wise! Those old teshu Shiraki Honyakis were the absolute best bang for buck!
 
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