Kiyoshi Kato 240 Standard Gyuto Passaround

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It is very interesting to see the positive feedback and how hearts can change when there's a general consensus about something and I guess that this is how hype builds up.
I own quite a bunch of Kato knives from 240 wh's to several 240 ku to several types and sizes of nakiris. You could say I have grown fond of the simple and rustic feel of this smith. But lately i have been playing with other knives with more humble origins and price tag and asked myself if it's worth spending a small fortune in buying kato. The munetoshi gyuto and nakiri experience of late ( though not so perfect and aclaimed as a tool) has proved me a snob asuming that a knife worth 150$ must be cheap and not taken for serious. But it was funny that while i was using these humble tools I found the same joy and 99% of the same feel as using a kato. So before writing your reviews, grab your Watanabe or your Kochi, your Kurosaki or Yoshikane, your Wakui or Hinoura, your Shiraki or your Munetoshi or any of the Enchizen or Sakai knives and ask yourself if the Kato cuts 5 times better or 10 times better then the knife you are currently using. Stop thinking about the value and think just about the knives. Common sense will guide you.
 
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danemonji said:
So before writing your reviews, grab your Watanabe or your Kochi, your Kurosaki or Yoshikane, your Wakui or Hinoura, your Shiraki or your Munetoshi or any of the Enchizen or Sakai knives and ask yourself if the Kato cuts 5 times better or 10 times better then the knife you are currently using. Stop thinking about the value and think just about the knives. Common sense will guide you.
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I actually did this. Kagekiyo arrived the same day as Kato. I used them side by side through the week.
 
Corradobrit1 said:
Shoulda waited to do a comparo with the WH's. Shootout at the OK Carrot....
There'll carrot juice everywhere....
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Yeah I wanted to compare to WH but I can’t slow down the passaround. First one arrives today. Maxim just shipped the second.
Compared to the standard the workhorse I’m getting is 20 grams heavier, but 3mm taller and 16mm longer.
 
Yeah. Kagekiyo is the complete opposite of Kato. But that’s also kinda the reason I wanted to use them side by side. The shinogi is 27mm tall (a little over half the blade) much much higher than what is normal.
 
danemonji said:
It is very interesting to see the positive feedback and how hearts can change when there's a general consensus about something and I guess that this is how hype builds up.
I own quite a bunch of Kato knives from 240 wh's to several 240 ku to several types and sizes of nakiris. You could say I have grown fond of the simple and rustic feel of this smith. But lately i have been playing with other knives with more humble origins and price tag and asked myself if it's worth spending a small fortune in buying kato. The munetoshi gyuto and nakiri experience of late ( though not so perfect and aclaimed as a tool) has proved me a snob asuming that a knife worth 150$ must be cheap and not taken for serious. But it was funny that while i was using these humble tools I found the same joy and 99% of the same feel as using a kato. So before writing your reviews, grab your Watanabe or your Kochi, your Kurosaki or Yoshikane, your Wakui or Hinoura, your Shiraki or your Munetoshi or any of the Enchizen or Sakai knives and ask yourself if the Kato cuts 5 times better or 10 times better then the knife you are currently using. Stop thinking about the value and think just about the knives. Common sense will guide you.
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I find that my best cutters span the entire price range from $250-$1400. I think under $250 you're hard pressed to find truly good options, but they exist. But a lot of the cost seems to be extra hand labor for extra elegance. A bare bones cutter ain't gonna break the bank.
 
I’ve only kept the very best cutters, all of them are in the $300 range or less now, the more expensive knives all have been sold.

These Bang for the buck keepers all performs on par with the Kato WH that has been sold.

The extra cost on more expensive knives tend to have justifications out side of the realm of performance.
 
ma_sha1 said:
I’ve only kept the very best cutters, all of them are in the $300 range or less now, the more expensive knives all have been sold.

These Bang for the buck keepers all performs on par with the Kato WH that has been sold.

The extra cost on more expensive knives tend to have justifications out side of the realm of performance.
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What are some of your keepers?
 
dafox said:
What are some of your keepers?
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Only 5, for the 5 slots in my knife block:
1, Toyama 210 iron clad, Gate Keeper that all incoming knives are being judged by.
2, TF Maboroshi 210, dedicated meat slicer with the most tenacious edge, breeze through semi frozen meat without ever chipping.
3, Tanaka Sekiso B2 damascus 210 with custom Western handle, cut as well if not better than Toyama but a bit more delicate
4, Kurosaki AS Fujin 180, one of my very first J knive, the beauty queen, cuts quite well with concave bevel, but also a bit delicate.
5, Vintage Japanese Santoku re-profiled to 6” Gyuto, dedicated chicken disassembler
 
ma_sha1 said:
I’ve only kept the very best cutters, all of them are in the $300 range or less now, the more expensive knives all have been sold.

These Bang for the buck keepers all performs on par with the Kato WH that has been sold.

The extra cost on more expensive knives tend to have justifications out side of the realm of performance.
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Just curious, what changed your mind? As far as I remembered, you were coveting a Kato for quite a bit, just surprised you do not have one now.
 
lemeneid said:
Just curious, what changed your mind? As far as I remembered, you were coveting a Kato for quite a bit, just surprised you do not have one now.
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You sure it was me?

I did a catch & release of 210 WH, & a quick review, that’s about it. I was positively surprised that it cut as well as Toyama despite appears thicker behind the edge, gave it a few good words.

I’d take it over Toyama if it was the same cost, but not when it’s but it 3x the cost, tied up too much funds.
 
I’ve always thought this forum was too obsessed with price and ‘value’, both good and bad varieties. They’re both such subjective and individual measurements that while I find it interesting on occasion to hear people’s opinions, I rarely read threads revolving around these topics or let them sway me.

Performance at least is more measurable, even if we all know that for all the parsing and analyzing we do, in the back of our minds we know a non-description simple carbon blade could do all the things we need.
 
I heard Kato knives are very powerful. That needs to be factored into the equation.
 
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I used the Kato to make Japanese curry the other day. Perhaps @labor of love and I prefer different sharpness (if he touched the knife up at all), but I think I prefer my knives finished on a higher grit. I'm not confident in my sharpening abilities to strop the knife on a higher grit stone though.

I like how the knife feels in my hand, the weight and profile seem just right. However, I don't think I would spend anywhere near 1000 USD on it, so I'm really glad I got to try it out. Thanks again for the opportunity @tgfencer
I'm planning to cook one more meal with it and send it out mid-week next week.
 
CiderBear said:
I used the Kato to make Japanese curry the other day. Perhaps @labor of love and I prefer different sharpness (if he touched the knife up at all), but I think I prefer my knives finished on a higher grit. I'm not confident in my sharpening abilities to strop the knife on a higher grit stone though.

I like how the knife feels in my hand, the weight and profile seem just right. However, I don't think I would spend anywhere near 1000 USD on it, so I'm really glad I got to try it out. Thanks again for the opportunity @tgfencer
I'm planning to cook one more meal with it and send it out mid-week next week.
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show us your curry!! i only enjoy japanese/korean style curry. not a fan of coconut based versions what so ever.
and what grit do you finish your edges on?
 
panda said:
show us your curry!! i only enjoy japanese/korean style curry. not a fan of coconut based versions what so ever.
and what grit do you finish your edges on?
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Haha, it was just from an Extra Hot Golden Curry box. I put potatoes, carrots, raisins and peas in it. Normally I make it without peas but I thought "eh why not" and it turned out alright. Served it with some chashu pork shoulder on top. I used to throw some beef into Japanese curry, but we had this amazing curry topped with chashu at a spot in Tsukiji fish market a couple years back and I've been doing the same thing since.



As for the knife, it was a very nice knife. I just didn't think I would ever bring myself to spend that amount of money on a knife though. I don't think it'd be fair to compare performance, since my Wat gyuto and the Kato probably were finished at different grits, but somehow I just... enjoyed cutting things with the Wat more, if that makes any sense. Last time I stropped the Wat was on a hard Aiwattani from Bernal, I think.

I only brought 4 knives over to my temp place (Wat 240, Heiji nakiri, Bernal Y Ikeda since it was my newest knife, and Ikazuchi petty because girl needs a glorified steak knife) and I really keep reverting back to the Wat for almost everything now.

Knife is on its way to @Barclid now. Once again, I want to thank @tgfencer and everyone who participated in this in order for the passaround to happen. I appreciate the opportunity to try a knife that I never would have a chance to otherwise, and I'm truly grateful for that.

Finally, curry pic!

f3Plii8l.jpg
 
CiderBear said:
Haha, it was just from an Extra Hot Golden Curry box. I put potatoes, carrots, raisins and peas in it. Normally I make it without peas but I thought "eh why not" and it turned out alright. Served it with some chashu pork shoulder on top. I used to throw some beef into Japanese curry, but we had this amazing curry topped with chashu at a spot in Tsukiji fish market a couple years back and I've been doing the same thing since.



As for the knife, it was a very nice knife. I just didn't think I would ever bring myself to spend that amount of money on a knife though. I don't think it'd be fair to compare performance, since my Wat gyuto and the Kato probably were finished at different grits, but somehow I just... enjoyed cutting things with the Wat more, if that makes any sense. Last time I stropped the Wat was on a hard Aiwattani from Bernal, I think.

I only brought 4 knives over to my temp place (Wat 240, Heiji nakiri, Bernal Y Ikeda since it was my newest knife, and Ikazuchi petty because girl needs a glorified steak knife) and I really keep reverting back to the Wat for almost everything now.

Knife is on its way to @Barclid now. Once again, I want to thank @tgfencer and everyone who participated in this in order for the passaround to happen. I appreciate the opportunity to try a knife that I never would have a chance to otherwise, and I'm truly grateful for that.

Finally, curry pic!

f3Plii8l.jpg
Click to expand...
I always add peas and sometimes potato. The raisins are a nice touch, I'll have to give that a try next time. Indians do it all the time. My local Izakaya restaurant serves their curry with Fukujinzuke. Very hard to find even in the specialist Asian stores.
 
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