Is this an acceptable tf wonkyness?

[mmiinngg]

Hi all,

Finally succumbed to tf ...and wanted to try his magic.
I opted for this morihei hisamoto with fine finish, thinking I would avoid maximum wabi Sabi....
And there it is
The bladeroad at the tip and heel seems slightly overground and I'm not even mentioning the handle gap which I don't really care of....
My main concern is really about the grind...
It will probably disappear at first or second sharpening, but according to you is this an honourable tf blade ?
Or should I try and get an other one?

Thanks !

 

[Corradobrit1]

Those little tip and heel flourishes are completely normal. Enjoy it.

 

[Dhoff]

Wonder if TF is an abbreviation for the first thing the first customer said: "The Fu*k?"

Dono how big a deal it is honestly. Even Ive felt the strange allure pf TF

 

[mmiinngg]

Exactly ! The f****uck!
I can't imagine what it would have been without the fine finish ,

 

[tostadas]

Is it acceptable? It depends, but in general I'd say no.
Expected? Yes, this looks to be on par with the Hisamoto I got.

Grinds are easier to gauge when you look at them edge straight on, rather than from the side of the knife. But judging only from your photos, it doesn't look that bad.

I recently turned one into a full project, and it holds a spot in my current rotation for what it's worth. The blade is excellent, grind can always be fixed, but a big gap in the handle is very annoying to me. I've never seen such handle problems on my Maboroshis, or even on the older Morihei Hisamotos. Maybe it depends on the batch. I'd say if you can deal with it, it'll be a great knife. Hey, maybe you can even turn it into your own project.

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/a-small-tf-project-round-2.61030/
edit: I just noticed you mention it's a fine finish. That's disappointing for a fine finish, but should mean that at least 90% of the wonky has been addressed.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Is it acceptable? It depends, but in general I'd say no.
Expected? Yes, this looks to be on par with the Hisamoto I got.

Grinds are easier to gauge when you look at them edge straight on, rather than from the side of the knife. But judging only from your photos, it doesn't look that bad.

Its not a typical overground in the blade road from what I'm understanding, more an exaggerated tip and heel grind along the edge. OP correct me if I'm wrong

 

[Delat]

Some people do that heel grind intentionally to their Yoshikane. You probably won't be cutting anything with those last 5mm and it might make rocking a little easier.

 

[Matt Jacobs]

These are so strange to me. I am no expert in Japanese culture but I would think there would be a little more pride taken in these knives. Especially when you can get gyutos in the same steel with substantially better fit and finish for so much less money. I have never owned a TF (dont plan to) so I am not questioning how good they are, they may be the best knife on the planet. I am just blown away that they could send a knife out where the handle looks like that. I have received 2 knives from western makers that had this issue. One was old stock that was sitting in a window getting hammered by the sun all day.
Both makers/retailers instantly took care of the issue at their expense. Both of these knives were cheaper than a TF.

 

[mmiinngg]

Its not a typical overground in the blade road from what I'm understanding, more an exaggerated tip and heel grind along the edge. OP correct me if I'm wrong

Correct, tip and heel are slightly exaggerated, otherwise the blade road is nice

 

[mmiinngg]

These are so strange to me. I am no expert in Japanese culture but I would think there would be a little more pride taken in these knives. Especially when you can get gyutos in the same steel with substantially better fit and finish for so much less money. I have never owned a TF (dont plan to) so I am not questioning how good they are, they may be the best knife on the planet. I am just blown away that they could send a knife out where the handle looks like that. I have received 2 knives from western makers that had this issue. One was old stock that was sitting in a window getting hammered by the sun all day.
Both makers/retailers instantly took care of the issue at their expense. Both of these knives were cheaper than a TF.

This is also why I asked if this was ok....
I have tried around 10 makers, both western and Japanese, and some of them known for not being fit and finish friendly (munetoshi, moritaka) but none of them had this kind of issue...

Anyway, made my decision and decided to prepare dinner with it ...so I will make it a "project" as said previously...

For what I can say from this first date......dammmmn she cuts !

 

[Corradobrit1]

These are so strange to me. I am no expert in Japanese culture but I would think there would be a little more pride taken in these knives. Especially when you can get gyutos in the same steel with substantially better fit and finish for so much less money. I have never owned a TF (dont plan to) so I am not questioning how good they are, they may be the best knife on the planet. I am just blown away that they could send a knife out where the handle looks like that. I have received 2 knives from western makers that had this issue. One was old stock that was sitting in a window getting hammered by the sun all day.
Both makers/retailers instantly took care of the issue at their expense. Both of these knives were cheaper than a TF.

Makes it an easier decision to whip off the agricultural scales and install a couple of nice custom timber ones instead. Lack of a bolster makes it even easier.

 

[RDalman]

He was on my mind today (on topic of knifeboxes) and then this thread is up on kkf

 

[tostadas]

Anyway, made my decision and decided to prepare dinner with it ...so I will make it a "project" as said previously...

Yess!!

 

[Matt Jacobs]

This is also why I asked if this was ok....
I have tried around 10 makers, both western and Japanese, and some of them known for not being fit and finish friendly (munetoshi, moritaka) but none of them had this kind of issue...

Anyway, made my decision and decided to prepare dinner with it ...so I will make it a "project" as said previously...

For what I can say from this first date......dammmmn she cuts !

Have fun!!! I hope I didn't come across negatively about your purchase. Everyone seems to love them and I sure you will love yours as well. Project knives have a way to really turn into a favorite.

 

[miggus]

I have a few TFs and would say that this is a solid performer without big flaws. I'd be bugged out about the handle gap, but it's not uncommon, even on the Moriheis. I'd bet that the cutting performance of this knife is great - that was true for all my TFs so far. It can be an advantage that the heel is not super flat actually. Enjoy her!
I actually had been eyeing a 240 Morihei recently. Would have gotten it if I weren't so keen on wa handles

 

[M1k3]

These are so strange to me. I am no expert in Japanese culture but I would think there would be a little more pride taken in these knives. Especially when you can get gyutos in the same steel with substantially better fit and finish for so much less money. I have never owned a TF (dont plan to) so I am not questioning how good they are, they may be the best knife on the planet. I am just blown away that they could send a knife out where the handle looks like that. I have received 2 knives from western makers that had this issue. One was old stock that was sitting in a window getting hammered by the sun all day.
Both makers/retailers instantly took care of the issue at their expense. Both of these knives were cheaper than a TF.

I was told it's the age ole tradition of "wabi-sabi" that Japanese companies take pride in.

Still trying to find it in Toyota and Sony products though.

 

[Corradobrit1]

Still trying to find it in Toyota and Sony products though.

Well thats because they're made by robots and not 'artisans'

 

[Delat]

This is also why I asked if this was ok....
I have tried around 10 makers, both western and Japanese, and some of them known for not being fit and finish friendly (munetoshi, moritaka) but none of them had this kind of issue...

Anyway, made my decision and decided to prepare dinner with it ...so I will make it a "project" as said previously...

For what I can say from this first date......dammmmn she cuts !

There’s something very freeing about taking an expensive but not perfect-for-you knife and irreversibly altering it to meet your needs.

In my case the alterations are done in an amateurish and ham-handed way which just adds to the overall level of entertainment. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

 

[zizirex]

I was told it's the age ole tradition of "wabi-sabi" that Japanese companies take pride in.

Still trying to find it in Toyota and Sony products though.

Ever heard of Sony Timer? it's a Cult that is known by the japanese.

 

[M1k3]

Ever heard of Sony Timer? it's a Cult that is known by the japanese.

Nah, I'm more into the Occult.

 

[tostadas]

There’s something very freeing about taking an expensive but not perfect-for-you knife and irreversibly altering it to meet your needs.

Not necessarily. You can always over grind it again

 

[lemeneid]

He was on my mind today (on topic of knifeboxes) and then this thread is up on kkf

When are you putting your face on your knife boxes? The golden pubes don’t cut it for me anymore

 

[Delat]

Not necessarily. You can always over grind it again

Then you could sell it as “like new”.

 

[Jovidah]

I've seen that level of handlemaking before.... on 10 euro Vietnamese knives. Personally I'd consider that level of fit and finish completely unacceptable at the pricepoint. How can any selfrespecting maker send stuff out like that?

 

[Dhoff]

Maybe just throw an email, just as information to the vendor. You might get some out of it even if you have chosen to keep the knife

 

[Jason183]

Did you bought it new? Looks liked it’s been used/resharpened/refinished.

 

[Bear]

They must have run out of the black epoxy that my FF has all around the handle.

 

[Dan-]

What’s funny is I just picked up a TF nashiji and it’s got basically all the same wabisabi as the Denka. It’s like they are very consistently bad and don’t care what the knife is.

As for thickness behind the edge people complain about, are y’all talking about how the part where the cladding meets the core (shinogi line?) is quite thick?

 

[Pisau]

Did you bought it new? Looks liked it’s been used/resharpened/refinished.

Morihei Hisamoto comes in either standard or fine finish (jnat) at fifty bucks premium. OP said that the blade road is good, so this is actually the less "wonky" version.

 

[ReiHamono]

JFC!

IMO Japan is supposed to be about quality, otherwise you should just order a custom knife for the same price

I would not put up with that unless it’s an insanely low price and all is understood

Is that really the best he can do, and is that actually a good representation of his work?

Now you need to spend hundreds more having a sharpener and handler fix all of that BS