konosuke x tosho info?

[dsk]

the site is pretty vague, 230 cad for 225mm made by (in partnership with?) konosuke sounds enticing but molybdenum is about as non specific as you can get.

 

[cheflife15]

Yeah, sounds like a very eh knife with a kono mark to help it sell. 59 hrc laser knife, sounds like you'd spend a lot of time keeping it sharp

 

[dsk]

Yeah, sounds like a very eh knife with a kono mark to help it sell. 59 hrc laser knife, sounds like you'd spend a lot of time keeping it sharp

ur right, 59+laser sounds kind of like a disaster.

 

[Godslayer]

Honestly I just looked at them, I'd probably splurge and get a gesshin ginga if you wanted that style of blade or one of blueways ginga knives. Like most konosuke knives I feel like your paying a pretty decent premium for the stamp, crap steel and what looks like a barebones blade.

 

[Chicagohawkie]

Check out a Tanaka ginsan or blue stainless. Will blow this out of the water for less money. Probably smoke the new Fuji knives or whatever they call em now as well.

 

[Godslayer]

I can vouch for the Tanaka ginsanko, it's wide bevel and lower mid weight, not a true lazer but it's a stunning knife, crazy sharp, feels like white steel but is basically stainless. I think ginsanko is 11% chromium

 

[dsk]

Yeah I have a 210 Tanaka Ginsanko with the ebony/brass handle. I want to buy an En ginsanko from JKI and see which I prefer, or just keep both. After trying and selling most of my initial setup I've figured out roughly what properties I'm interested in (steel, finish, profiles, size, etc). I was just curious if there was anybody who tried out the kono/tosho as there is almost no talk on any forum and the site is minimal in descriptions.

 

[BrianT]

I was at Tosho a few days after I saw their post on Instagram for the Konosuke x Tosho. They had the knife out on the table so I had a chance to play around with it. Disclaimer: I don't have any experience with Tanaka knives so I can't make a comparison.

They guy I talked to told me the steel was AUS-8, hardened to around 59HRC. The blade is pretty basic looking, vertical scratch marks (confirmed it was a stamped blade) and ho wood handle. The crazy thing is how well this cut. The grind was super thin. Albeit, they only had thick carrots to cut, it went through like butter.

I compared it side-by-side with the HD2 knives are they're the same in cutting performance, they claim the sharpener worked on the HD2 line so I'm not surprised. Though I would expect the edge retention to be worse on this one. For the price it's pretty impressive.

 

[dsk]

I was at Tosho a few days after I saw their post on Instagram for the Konosuke x Tosho. They had the knife out on the table so I had a chance to play around with it. Disclaimer: I don't have any experience with Tanaka knives so I can't make a comparison.

They guy I talked to told me the steel was AUS-8, hardened to around 59HRC. The blade is pretty basic looking, vertical scratch marks (confirmed it was a stamped blade) and ho wood handle. The crazy thing is how well this cut. The grind was super thin. Albeit, they only had thick carrots to cut, it went through like butter.

I compared it side-by-side with the HD2 knives are they're the same in cutting performance, they claim the sharpener worked on the HD2 line so I'm not surprised. Though I would expect the edge retention to be worse on this one. For the price it's pretty impressive.

Awesome, exactly the details I was interested in.

 

[Omega]

Having used a few Tanaka, and a few FMs- performance is no where close. FM beats them in every way- way better forging and much better geometry. Shigeki Tanaka and Yoshikazu Tanaka may share the same last name, but that's pretty much the end of their similarities.

The new Konosuke KTs are forged in AUS-8 steel. Not sure why they didn't list that in the IG post.. but its in the details for the knife on Tosho's website.
Geometry looks good, and indeed looks very, very much like the HD2s. If you like lasers, you'll like the KTs.

 

[never mind]

Omega! Thanks for the anatomy & history of kono fuji that you posted!

Respect your passion.

Few questions. I’m curious that do you consider kono x tosho a konosuke equal to other series? Do you approve it as a kono fan? And if it is up to you, what is the dream series for you to make, what steel, profile, and hrc? Let’s say kono x omega? thanks again for your contribution to our better understanding of konosuke!

 

[Omega]

@never mind Sorry for the delay!

Always happy to try and answer question.

...I’m curious that do you consider kono x tosho a konosuke equal to other series?

Do you mean.. what other series from Konosuke do I think the KT is most on par with, from a quality stand point?
If I'm understanding you right, then I'd say.. hmm.. Grinding is going to be on par or perhaps a shade better than the HD2. You won't get the same hardness as seen on the HD2 or GS+, but as with all things, this is a trade off rather than the straight negative some people paint it to be. Lower hardness means it will lose its edge a little quicker, but in its stead, it should be more resistant to chips and cracks.

I'll say, from the sharpening alone, I'm a fan of it. And I appreciate what they're trying to do-
One of the recent criticisms of Konosuke is the price point. I think it is unfairly purported to be exclusively a case of greed, when in reality there are a lot of moving parts. The craftsmen have increases prices (as well I think they should- it just hurts when suddenly they increase their per-blade-rate by 15-20%). Steel prices have gone up. And for some countries, the exchange rate isn't as favorable. Lots of things play into pricing.

So with this blade, I think they're trying to release a price competitive knife, without sacrificing performance.
And I think they've done an excellent job.
Does that mean this blade will be for everyone?
Not by a long shot.
Laser style knives aren't everyone's cup of tea. I personally really enjoy them. But I also totally get by people might resonate more with Mazaki or Kato.

... And if it is up to you, what is the dream series for you to make, what steel, profile, and hrc? Let’s say kono x omega? thanks again for your contribution to our better understanding of konosuke!

Mmmmmm... that's a hard one.
Dream knife...
Probably a mizu Honyaki . I've heard rumor that is possible to do mizu Honyaki Togo Reigo, but I don't know who would ever try. So either Togo Reigo, or something like.. a ZDP189 or R2. I know there exist monosteel zenko ZDP189, but I've never heard or seen mizu Honyaki of them. I think that'd be sick.
If it could have the polishing style and shark-tooth-hamon of Ashi's honyaki, that'd be my favorite.
For hardness.. I'm not too picky. I've liked knives from 59HRC to 66+
Profile? I'd have to divide my pick into two-
One would be a Kiyoshi Kato-like 4mm+ thickness at the spine, HD2 profile, 52mm heel height, with a grind like the Togo Reigo Kasumi.
The other I'd like to see... <3mm spine thickness, Funayuki profile, 50-51mm heel height, with the wide bevel grind.

Yeah. If I could do ANYTHING..? That's what I'd do.

....I'm not gonna hold my breath though

 

[Chicagohawkie]

Having used a few Tanaka, and a few FMs- performance is no where close. FM beats them in every way- way better forging and much better geometry. Shigeki Tanaka and Yoshikazu Tanaka may share the same last name, but that's pretty much the end of their similarities.

The new Konosuke KTs are forged in AUS-8 steel. Not sure why they didn't list that in the IG post.. but its in the details for the knife on Tosho's website.
Geometry looks good, and indeed looks very, very much like the HD2s. If you like lasers, you'll like the KTs.

Whoa whoa whoa! So what sorta metrics are we using to compare? Conversely, I have 200 Tanaka’s that will out perform much of the kono knives I have used previously. Tanaka provides forged blanks to Morihiro and he turns them in to konos. Shigeki tananka is a pretty good Smith and makes some incredible knives. Dollar for dollar some of the best.

 

[never mind]

Maybe the tanaka for kono fuji line is “Yoshikazu Tanaka”? Let Omega the historian chime in. Tanaka knives are amazing, too.

 

[Chicagohawkie]

Imagine your seeing the good fellas meme where they're all laughing!

 

[Ivang]

I really like my konos, and they are some of the best knives out there. Some of them can keep up with my tanakas, some dont, some flat out outperform them. They are different animals, but both makers are extremely talented, and while the fujiyama steel (any flavour) is up there with TF and shigefusas steel as my favorites in the stones, i find that shigeki tanakas b2 is not far, and his r2 is just amazing.

Ive sold tanakas and fujiyamas in the past, and probably will again, but you would have to pry my tanaka r2 210 out of my dead cold hands if you wanted to take it from me.