Honyaki tell me more please!

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shauk

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Hello KKFers,

Thinking about purchasing my first Honyaki's got a couple of questions, given all things being equal Grinds, Length, Height, Handle, and Taper.

Is there any noticeable difference between a Honyaki vs Blue/White steel? In terms of cutting feel, ease of sharpening and maintenance.

Japanese chef knife have said the following on their website, which makes me a tad worried to jump into it.

Is it worth the premium?

'Please note that while Honyaki knives offer truly remarkable hardness, edge sharpness and edge retention, they are also difficult to sharpen and can be easily damaged by incorrect usage. In Japan, they are normally only used by very experienced top-star Chefs, so we similarly only recommend them for people who have extensive experience with traditional Japanese knives, or to knife collectors.'
 
Some people think there's a meaningful difference in cutting feel between honyaki vs clad knives; I think this is basically down to hardness not construction, but I could be wrong. The big thing to consider is toughness (or lack thereof) - running simple steels to 65-66HRC means a pretty delicate edge. It's not made of glass but does require more careful technique than a typical sanmai white/blue at 61-63 let alone something like 52100 or AEBL.

The two honyaki I've used were not particularly challenging to sharpen. One was quite easy (Spare), the other was more middle of the road but still not bad (Isasmedjan).
 
timebard said:
Some people think there's a meaningful difference in cutting feel between honyaki vs clad knives; I think this is basically down to hardness not construction, but I could be wrong. The big thing to consider is toughness (or lack thereof) - running simple steels to 65-66HRC means a pretty delicate edge. It's not made of glass but does require more careful technique than a typical sanmai white/blue at 61-63 let alone something like 52100 or AEBL.

The two honyaki I've used were not particularly challenging to sharpen. One was quite easy (Spare), the other was more middle of the road but still not bad (Isasmedjan).
Click to expand...


Yeah, this is what I was told too, but if all things given the same (Hardness grind etc) if there's no noticeable difference I am just paying for the craftsmanship which I don't mind of course.

Do honyakis require a wipe-down like full carbon-clad knives in your experience?
 
shauk said:
Yeah, this is what I was told too, but if all things given the same (Hardness grind etc) if there's no noticeable difference I am just paying for the craftsmanship which I don't mind of course.

Do honyakis require a wipe-down like full carbon-clad knives in your experience?
Click to expand...
Honyaki will be about as reactive as any simple carbon monosteel, which is to say yes but not as bad as ironclad knives. You definitely don't want to let a honyaki rust, as refinishing it would be a more laborious process than with sanmai.
 
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timebard said:
Honyaki will be about as reactive as any simple carbon monosteel, which is to say yes but not as bad as ironclad knives. You definitely don't want to let a honyaki rust, as refinishing it would be a more laborious process than with sanmai.
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Yeah that ain't happening !!!
 
Nope. It's marketing fluff. Differential hardening is really only a useful feature on some large blades things designed for heavier impact. The idea being that chips will be less severe and the blade both easy to straighten, and less likely to break all the way through. In kitchen knives the performance difference is moot. Steel, hardness and geometry being equal, it makes no difference whether a blade is through hardened of differentially hardened. That said, aesthetically honyaki are about as nice as it gets if you know how to polish them. I've made maybe a dozen or so. One of my favourite projects to make really.

Much of their price is the result of the extensive polishing process that goes into revealing the activity of the hamon.
 

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Honyaki all day every day boiiii

Both blue and white are fine choices. I'm chasing blue now because they are more unique/rare and harder to make.

Using and sharpening won't be that different to a normal san mai knife. They are often mirror finished which look awesome but tend to show scratches much easier.

I don't think they are more fragile, or harder to sharpen compared to sanmai. They do feel a bit harder on the cutting board...may or may not be placebo.

If you like em, go for it. Don't be scared off.


honyaki.jpg
 
MSicardCutlery said:
if you know how to polish them
Click to expand...

This is the part that scares me...

I'd really like the Hamon look, gives off that Samurai vibe...

MSicardCutlery said:
. Steel, hardness and geometry being equal, it makes no difference whether a blade is through hardened of differentially hardened.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought as well, thanks for your input.

jedy617 said:
honyaki.jpg
Click to expand...

WOW WHAT A COLLECTION, I know the top one get some use based on the patina what about the bottom ones?
 
shauk said:
This is the part that scares me...
Click to expand...
Don't be intimidated, it's more labor intensive than complex. Just don't overthink or or get too heavily caught up in tradition for tradition's sake.
 
That bottom one is a shiraki, long gone, it did see a little bit of use and I did sharpen it, sharpened up beautifully just like any white 2.

I use the top one a ton, my togashi x tosa blue 1. The others I haven't gotten around using yet...more because I have 20+ gyuto and I rotate very slowly...I'll get around to it eventually, just having fun playing with my newer acquired westerns at the moment
 
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