Kato Kurouchi vs. Kasumi

[Logan A.]

Hey guys! I have a quick question pertaining to some of the very popular yet elusive Kato knives. I’ll put it simply in the context of Gyutos to make things easy.

I’ve noticed that most knife makers will price their Kurouchi knives lower than their polished Kasumi knives. This is due to the lack of finishing work required. But with Kato gyutos it seems that it’s the opposite in terms of the second hand market. A Kurouchi Kato goes for far more than a Kasumi Kato, sometimes nearly $1000 more. Why is the price so different? I’m sure there’s plenty of reasons and factors that I haven’t considered. I’m just hoping some of my fellow KKF members on here can clear it up. Thanks!

 

[khashy]

Very simple reason; There are far less KU Katos around. The usual sources of these blades also price them higher, so the KUs end up at the price they’re at

 

[Logan A.]

Very simple reason; There are far less KU Katos around. The usual sources of these blades also price them higher, so the KUs end up at the price they’re at

Ahhh Classic case of exclusivity. I thought maybe there could have been a functional reason. Good to know. thanks for the info!

 

[Iggy]

Performancewise... Kasumi...

Looks and aesthetics (at least for me)... Kurouchi

 

[Gjackson98]

Based on the few Katos I have owned, performance-wise:
KU WH > Kasumi STD > Kasumi WH > KU STD
For looks, you deserve better

 

[Iggy]

Based on the few Katos I have owned, performance-wise:
KU WH > Kasumi STD > Kasumi WH > KU STD
For looks, you deserve better

Interesting, how you would define performance? From my perspective, it would be:

grind/profile:

WH > Morihei > STD

edge retention and stability

BLUE (morihei) > STD White >>>> WH

Edit: My WH were 4 years+ old...

 

[Corradobrit1]

Everyone has different experiences. Personally I found the B#2 (Ku STD and Ku WH) much chippier than the original mystery white WH Migaki. Haven't used my B#2 Migaki yet.

 

[big_adventure]

I have but one Kato, a kasumi Morihei in blue #2, and it's my favorite knife to use, bar none.

I generally like the look of kurouchi knives, but don't like the fragility of the surface in use. Some ku finishes are more durable than others, but none are remotely as durable or as fixable as a kasumi finish. That said, I believe that I don't care as much about the nonfunctional appearance of my knives as many others do. I groud the ku completely off of a Shig to thin that pig massively.

 

[ynot1985]

Hey guys! I have a quick question pertaining to some of the very popular yet elusive Kato knives. I’ll put it simply in the context of Gyutos to make things easy.

I’ve noticed that most knife makers will price their Kurouchi knives lower than their polished Kasumi knives. This is due to the lack of finishing work required. But with Kato gyutos it seems that it’s the opposite in terms of the second hand market. A Kurouchi Kato goes for far more than a Kasumi Kato, sometimes nearly $1000 more. Why is the price so different? I’m sure there’s plenty of reasons and factors that I haven’t considered. I’m just hoping some of my fellow KKF members on here can clear it up. Thanks!

The scarcity., my Kasumi gyutos outnumber my KU
Gyutos. The ratio is about 2-3 for every KU.

The Morehei Kato knives are basically the same as a standard except the Kao is different on the kanji. Morehei openly tells people that the kanji is special. Don’t believe any talk of special grind, etc cause it’s not

 

[Bensonhai]

Based on the few Katos I have owned, performance-wise:
KU WH > Kasumi STD > Kasumi WH > KU STD
For looks, you deserve better

Thanks for sharing this