DCs recent KU posts got me thinking that I need to write acouple of reviews.
Ive been using the 240 mm kuro-uchi finished Kochi for acouple of weeks now and I am very impressed. If my memory serves me, it is thebest pure cutter I have ever used. That is, the amount of resistanceencountered by the user is the least of any similarly sized gyuto I have everused. This maker utilizes a slightly concave grind to achieve a geometry thatis surprisingly thin (I dont get surprised too often anymore.) behind the edgebut substantial at the spine and flexes very little compared to knives groundin the pointier Masamoto style that tend to be quite flexible toward the tip.The drawback is that the tip on the Kochi is less pointed, like a santoku. Mymajor concern with this knife was the strength of the blade near the edge. Icut pretty steep bevels (perhaps 10 deg on a side) into this knife and they arestill merely a hairs width. (It sharpens very easily to a VERY keen edge,btw.) I can see the edge flex a good 3+ mm from the edge (this is a long wayfrom the cutting edge) as I run my nail down the length of it. Yet, it flewthrough everything I threw at it and I cannot detect any deformation in themetal behind the edge. Food release was also outstanding(not the absolute best but pretty close) considering it is a fairly tall knife(53 mm over the heel). I had to chuckle to myself as I tried to chop potatoes,etc. nice and slow to allow them to adhere properly. I was impressed with the edgeholding although I did manage to microchip a little in the curved area towardthe tip. This is probably the place where I tend to do the most chopping and I purposefully tried to be a little rough with it. Thekuro-uchi finish was even and stable. Neither the steel nor the cladding were particularly reactive. The handle was nice and substantial and although I dont like that look,the burnt chestnut does afford a very stable-feeling grip. The fit and finishis excellent, as well. The spine and choil are eased toward the handle and completelyrounded toward the tip. As far as I can tell, there are no bends or twists inthe blade.
Overall, Im very impressed with the quality of this knifeand the cutting ability, in particular. While I didnt have any trouble withdeformation, I would hate to put this knife in the hands of someone that mightthrow it into a sink or cut a bone with it, etc. due to the thinness near theedge. Over a long period of time, in my hands, this knife would lose someperformance since I cannot hollow grind the secondary (non-cutting) bevel butit would clearly be a while before it got to that point and even so, I think it would continueto be a very good cutter. At $280, I think this knife might win the smiles per dollar category.
Ive been using the 240 mm kuro-uchi finished Kochi for acouple of weeks now and I am very impressed. If my memory serves me, it is thebest pure cutter I have ever used. That is, the amount of resistanceencountered by the user is the least of any similarly sized gyuto I have everused. This maker utilizes a slightly concave grind to achieve a geometry thatis surprisingly thin (I dont get surprised too often anymore.) behind the edgebut substantial at the spine and flexes very little compared to knives groundin the pointier Masamoto style that tend to be quite flexible toward the tip.The drawback is that the tip on the Kochi is less pointed, like a santoku. Mymajor concern with this knife was the strength of the blade near the edge. Icut pretty steep bevels (perhaps 10 deg on a side) into this knife and they arestill merely a hairs width. (It sharpens very easily to a VERY keen edge,btw.) I can see the edge flex a good 3+ mm from the edge (this is a long wayfrom the cutting edge) as I run my nail down the length of it. Yet, it flewthrough everything I threw at it and I cannot detect any deformation in themetal behind the edge. Food release was also outstanding(not the absolute best but pretty close) considering it is a fairly tall knife(53 mm over the heel). I had to chuckle to myself as I tried to chop potatoes,etc. nice and slow to allow them to adhere properly. I was impressed with the edgeholding although I did manage to microchip a little in the curved area towardthe tip. This is probably the place where I tend to do the most chopping and I purposefully tried to be a little rough with it. Thekuro-uchi finish was even and stable. Neither the steel nor the cladding were particularly reactive. The handle was nice and substantial and although I dont like that look,the burnt chestnut does afford a very stable-feeling grip. The fit and finishis excellent, as well. The spine and choil are eased toward the handle and completelyrounded toward the tip. As far as I can tell, there are no bends or twists inthe blade.
Overall, Im very impressed with the quality of this knifeand the cutting ability, in particular. While I didnt have any trouble withdeformation, I would hate to put this knife in the hands of someone that mightthrow it into a sink or cut a bone with it, etc. due to the thinness near theedge. Over a long period of time, in my hands, this knife would lose someperformance since I cannot hollow grind the secondary (non-cutting) bevel butit would clearly be a while before it got to that point and even so, I think it would continueto be a very good cutter. At $280, I think this knife might win the smiles per dollar category.
