Citizen Snips
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This will be my reviews for my special order Konosuke cutlery all of which are custom made with ebony octagon handles with blond buffalo horn and custom kanji engraving.
300mm yanagiba-white #2
270mm gyuto-HD
210mm mioroshi-deba blue #2
Before I get into the reviews I would especially like to thank Jon Broida and his wife Sara for all their help and patience in helping me get a most perfect set of knives I will treasure for a long time to come. I cannot say enough about how their professionalism and passion really shine through what they do and I would recommend doing business with them any chance you get.
I would like to mention the stones lineup I use as well.
Bester 500
Beston 1200
Blue Aoto 2k
Suehiro Rika 5k
Arashiyama 6k
Kitayama 8k
Leather Strop
Felt Strop loaded with CrO2
On to the knives. I will break up the review into three sections, initial impression and visual stimulation, use of knife out of the box and after sharpening and finally sharpening itself. I believe this way, readers will get as close to my feelings about this cutlery as possible.
Yanagiba 300mm White #2
Out of the box, this knife gave me the best first impression. It looks beautiful and feels great in your hand. The edges are clean and although it has some weight feels very balanced. I have never seen such a beautiful yanagi in person and believe it could hold its own in performance to almost any out there. Using the knife without sharpening it was not too difficult as it was very sharp out of the box. It held its edge for days of use and still cut like a scalpel. The weight helps cut through fish flesh but is surprisingly agile for a 300mm knife. After sharpening though, the quality of this knife came through. I was able to get it way sharper and pushed it to the limits and it kept a stellar edge by only stropping on leather at work. It responded well to the stones of which i left out the Bester. This knife has enough heft to be useful while being very nimble and is a joy to use. In its first two weeks it saw multiple kinds of fish as well as some duck breast and roasted tenderloin. I couldn't ask for more!
Gyuto 270mm HD
My favorite of all knives (along with a lot of other people) is a gyuto. I traditionally have used 240mm but felt as though I wanted the extra length and knew I could handle it. Upon taking this knife out of the box I felt as though I made the right choice. Although it seemed a little big it felt great in my hand. The handle was the right size for the knife and felt comfortable. The first thing I noticed was not the handle though, it was how thin this knife is. It gives a new definition to the term "laser". Getting used to how thin this knife is took me a few hours but the quality of cuts i was getting made this process very enjoyable. It saw work on all sorts of vegetables from potatoes, tomatoes and onions to butternut squash and carrots. It cuts like a dream. I was a little nervous about sharpening this knife but after hitting my stones, it was easier to sharpen than I anticipated. I have to say the AEB-L steel i was used to seems to sharpen easier than the HD but the quality and sharpness potential outweighs that by a a longshot. I stopped at the suehiro 5k the first session but took it all the way through the kitayama on the second and it held its edge well. Normally I stop at 5k for all gyutos but I feel like this knife could support something with a much higher grit. This knife is exactly what I was looking for and came through on all expectations I had for it.
Mioroshi Deba 210mm Blue #2
This was the knife that I honestly had the most concern about. I had never used a Mioroshi Deba and was used to the traditional style and a length of 180mm. Out of the box it was very beautiful but felt as though the handle was a little larger than needed to be for the size of this knife. This actually felt different but good as I have larger hands. It was strange that it fit my hand even though the knife was slimmer and not as tall as the deba I was used to. A few tasks such as black cod and mahi mahi were all it took to get used to this mioroshi. I can see why some people prefer a traditional deba but I think this style is for me. This feels more nimble and not as hefty which can be good and bad. I believe this knife fits my cutting style and needs more accurately. Breaking down fish and chicken has been very easy and this knife has had no problems with either. It is nimble enough to get the oyster from a chicken and thick enough for the backbone as well as being able to completely fabricate a whole fish. This knife is for me!! It began to take the beautiful blue and purplish colors within the first hour and I cannot wait to see what it looks like in a few months. Sharpening this knife was a breeze and it took to the stones very well. I must admit, I am not as experienced with microbeveling and have not unlocked its full potential but this is a knife I am going to work on that skill with. I think this version of the deba knife is wonderful and would recommend it to anyone who wants more out of a deba.
My final thoughts...
I think my reviews pretty much say it all. Trying to be objective, I could not come up with any real negative points about these knives. I am a meticulous person and researched this purchase very carefully and appreciate all the opinions of everyone who wrote about Konosuke. That being said, I believe the quality of this company comes from passion and you really can see and feel that when observing, holding, and using these pieces of art. They are an absolute pleasure to use and I am very honored and excited to have them be my cutlery of choice for years to come.
I will be doing a shorter updated review within a month to articulate how the knives are holding up for me. In the mean time I will be happy to answer any questions about anything in my reviews.
Thank you for reading
Here are some links...
As you can probably tell, i'm a chef and not a photographer
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
(i moved this post and dont see a review section or somewhere to put reviews)
300mm yanagiba-white #2
270mm gyuto-HD
210mm mioroshi-deba blue #2
Before I get into the reviews I would especially like to thank Jon Broida and his wife Sara for all their help and patience in helping me get a most perfect set of knives I will treasure for a long time to come. I cannot say enough about how their professionalism and passion really shine through what they do and I would recommend doing business with them any chance you get.
I would like to mention the stones lineup I use as well.
Bester 500
Beston 1200
Blue Aoto 2k
Suehiro Rika 5k
Arashiyama 6k
Kitayama 8k
Leather Strop
Felt Strop loaded with CrO2
On to the knives. I will break up the review into three sections, initial impression and visual stimulation, use of knife out of the box and after sharpening and finally sharpening itself. I believe this way, readers will get as close to my feelings about this cutlery as possible.
Yanagiba 300mm White #2
Out of the box, this knife gave me the best first impression. It looks beautiful and feels great in your hand. The edges are clean and although it has some weight feels very balanced. I have never seen such a beautiful yanagi in person and believe it could hold its own in performance to almost any out there. Using the knife without sharpening it was not too difficult as it was very sharp out of the box. It held its edge for days of use and still cut like a scalpel. The weight helps cut through fish flesh but is surprisingly agile for a 300mm knife. After sharpening though, the quality of this knife came through. I was able to get it way sharper and pushed it to the limits and it kept a stellar edge by only stropping on leather at work. It responded well to the stones of which i left out the Bester. This knife has enough heft to be useful while being very nimble and is a joy to use. In its first two weeks it saw multiple kinds of fish as well as some duck breast and roasted tenderloin. I couldn't ask for more!
Gyuto 270mm HD
My favorite of all knives (along with a lot of other people) is a gyuto. I traditionally have used 240mm but felt as though I wanted the extra length and knew I could handle it. Upon taking this knife out of the box I felt as though I made the right choice. Although it seemed a little big it felt great in my hand. The handle was the right size for the knife and felt comfortable. The first thing I noticed was not the handle though, it was how thin this knife is. It gives a new definition to the term "laser". Getting used to how thin this knife is took me a few hours but the quality of cuts i was getting made this process very enjoyable. It saw work on all sorts of vegetables from potatoes, tomatoes and onions to butternut squash and carrots. It cuts like a dream. I was a little nervous about sharpening this knife but after hitting my stones, it was easier to sharpen than I anticipated. I have to say the AEB-L steel i was used to seems to sharpen easier than the HD but the quality and sharpness potential outweighs that by a a longshot. I stopped at the suehiro 5k the first session but took it all the way through the kitayama on the second and it held its edge well. Normally I stop at 5k for all gyutos but I feel like this knife could support something with a much higher grit. This knife is exactly what I was looking for and came through on all expectations I had for it.
Mioroshi Deba 210mm Blue #2
This was the knife that I honestly had the most concern about. I had never used a Mioroshi Deba and was used to the traditional style and a length of 180mm. Out of the box it was very beautiful but felt as though the handle was a little larger than needed to be for the size of this knife. This actually felt different but good as I have larger hands. It was strange that it fit my hand even though the knife was slimmer and not as tall as the deba I was used to. A few tasks such as black cod and mahi mahi were all it took to get used to this mioroshi. I can see why some people prefer a traditional deba but I think this style is for me. This feels more nimble and not as hefty which can be good and bad. I believe this knife fits my cutting style and needs more accurately. Breaking down fish and chicken has been very easy and this knife has had no problems with either. It is nimble enough to get the oyster from a chicken and thick enough for the backbone as well as being able to completely fabricate a whole fish. This knife is for me!! It began to take the beautiful blue and purplish colors within the first hour and I cannot wait to see what it looks like in a few months. Sharpening this knife was a breeze and it took to the stones very well. I must admit, I am not as experienced with microbeveling and have not unlocked its full potential but this is a knife I am going to work on that skill with. I think this version of the deba knife is wonderful and would recommend it to anyone who wants more out of a deba.
My final thoughts...
I think my reviews pretty much say it all. Trying to be objective, I could not come up with any real negative points about these knives. I am a meticulous person and researched this purchase very carefully and appreciate all the opinions of everyone who wrote about Konosuke. That being said, I believe the quality of this company comes from passion and you really can see and feel that when observing, holding, and using these pieces of art. They are an absolute pleasure to use and I am very honored and excited to have them be my cutlery of choice for years to come.
I will be doing a shorter updated review within a month to articulate how the knives are holding up for me. In the mean time I will be happy to answer any questions about anything in my reviews.
Thank you for reading
Here are some links...
As you can probably tell, i'm a chef and not a photographer
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
http://i993.photobucket.com/albums/...
(i moved this post and dont see a review section or somewhere to put reviews)
