Konosuke ys-m vs masakage koishi

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Giovanny Torres

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Hi, is it a big difference between these two?
I love the look on them, but is performance better in any of them? I'm not looking for a laser, more into a beater/workhorse.
Also I've look a yoshikane and a mazaki but a bit worried about reactivity as I work as a chef and not sure if it will be an issue.
Thanks for your input.
 
I would recommend the Yoshikane in white 2.
Certainly not a beater, but it can definitely put in good work. I know a lot of pros that use it. Very even grind and super easy to sharpen.
Not sure off hand, but probably going to save you some cash off the two others as well.
 
KnS just launched a Yoshikane White 2 with stainless WITH saya it comes to 300usd
 
Thanks for your replies guys, but I'm looking for a 210 and I see the yoshikane is a 240.
I looked and the
MAZAKI W2 NASHIJI GYUTO 210MM
From knifewear is a Canadian website I think.
I'm based in London, how are the shipping costs? Anyone bought from them before shipping to europe?
The konosuke ysm and koishi are in cutting edge and I bought from them before, both come at around 300usd.
And I saw the yoshikane kuroichi tsuchime in carbonknifeco looks lovely but is out of stock, I saw it in cleancut but not the same handle.
Any experience with any of those?
Thank
 
ive used/owned both. Both very good knives. Neither i would describe as a beater. The kioshi was more stout and the ys feels a little more laserish in use, although it's thick enough at the spine to not be classified a laser. Both excellent steels. The kioshi AS felt on par with moritaka in edge retention. The ys came blazing sharp ootb, one of the best ootb edges I've had, a also has seemed to hold edge really well. I would lean towards the ys in overall cutting concerning wedging. It is a really smooth cutter. The shorter heel height of the ys might bother some but not me. The ys is easily the nimbler of the two. Both i feel benefit from technique rather than thor type bashers. Although i miss my kioshi and wouldnt mind giving it a go head to head with the ys, my gut says id prefer the ys. But of course, personal preferences can differ.
 
Thanks for your reply Jville, Is not that I abuse my knifes but I own a shibata bunka and a konosuke gs+ and with both I feel i can't cut trough a butternut squash or similar hard foods without damaging the knife. Maybe I'm looking into the wrong knives?
Is the mazaki or yoshikane more robust?
I ask about those based on looks and reading they are good maker, but perhaps I should look for something else?
 
I think Toyama/Watanabe may be a good consideration as well, as we’re talking quite different from Kotetsu or Kono all around. The term “Workhorse” gets thrown around a lot, and I am a home cook so usually steer clear of commenting on those threads as such, but it does seem consensus that these qualify.
 
Giovanny Torres said:
Thanks for your reply Jville, Is not that I abuse my knifes but I own a shibata bunka and a konosuke gs+ and with both I feel i can't cut trough a butternut squash or similar hard foods without damaging the knife. Maybe I'm looking into the wrong knives?
Is the mazaki or yoshikane more robust?
I ask about those based on looks and reading they are good maker, but perhaps I should look for something else?
Click to expand...

mazaki will be more robust, but i think you could take a ys through butternut. i took it through a large watermelon with no issues. the older mazakis i did not find great through dense product, but the newer ku one was.
 
also the gs+ was the flimsiest laser ive come across. the ys is not like that. its just that with its light weight and shorter heel height it comes off super nimble and feeling laserish in hand/practice.
 
Giovanny Torres said:
Hi, is it a big difference between these two?
I love the look on them, but is performance better in any of them? I'm not looking for a laser, more into a beater/workhorse.
Also I've look a yoshikane and a mazaki but a bit worried about reactivity as I work as a chef and not sure if it will be an issue.
Thanks for your input.
Click to expand...
The koishi I used recently wasnt nearly as thin behind the edge as the one I owned a few years ago. Either way, its not a thin blade at all. The YS is certainly thinner overall, but not flimsy. Pretty stiff actually, really cool core steel.
Im not sure either knife really qualifies as beater/workhorse, can you elaborate a little more about the kind of knife youre looking for?
 
perhaps a stalinless clad toyama/watanabe is what you are looking for. The more i hear you talk, the more it sounds like thats what you are looking for. But ill iterate that the ys is a really great knife that I like alot. It just sounds like you are describing a stainless toyama/wat.
 
labor of love said:
The koishi I used recently wasnt nearly as thin behind the edge as the one I owned a few years ago. Either way, its not a thin blade at all. The YS is certainly thinner overall, but not flimsy. Pretty stiff actually, really cool core steel.
Im not sure either knife really qualifies as beater/workhorse, can you elaborate a little more about the kind of knife youre looking for?
Click to expand...
Hi Labor of love, I'm looking for a gyuto 210mm to go trough most product, squashes, herbs, etc. Something I can feel I'm not gonna break or chip easily cutting hard foods.
I know is not gonna be like the lasers I own but that still cuts nice trough onions, and soft product.
The ysm sounds good as it seems thicker than my current gs+, shibata.
 
Jville said:
perhaps a stalinless clad toyama/watanabe is what you are looking for. The more i hear you talk, the more it sounds like thats what you are looking for. But ill iterate that the ys is a really great knife that I like alot. It just sounds like you are describing a stainless toyama/wat.
Click to expand...
Thank you for your time replying to me Jville, I would love a toyama or Watanabe after doing some research on them. The price just seems out of my reach at around 500usd each. Maybe in the future but for now I can afford a 300usd knife.
Is anything at that price range I can look for?
Best regards
Giovanny
 
Tanaka stainless clad could be an option here. They’re thin but not crazy thin at the edge. You could always just put a microbevel on the edge for better toughness.
 
Giovanny Torres said:
Thank you for your time replying to me Jville, I would love a toyama or Watanabe after doing some research on them. The price just seems out of my reach at around 500usd each. Maybe in the future but for now I can afford a 300usd knife.
Is anything at that price range I can look for?
Best regards
Giovanny
Click to expand...

Ys-m can be had for 285 USD right now.
 
Giovanny Torres said:
...I'm looking for a gyuto 210mm to go trough most product, squashes, herbs, etc. Something I can feel I'm not gonna break or chip easily cutting hard foods.I know is not gonna be like the lasers I own but that still cuts nice trough onions, and soft product. The ysm sounds good as it seems thicker than my current gs+, shibata.
Click to expand...

I think the YS (on paper) is pretty similar in its overal design philosophy to current Konosuke's like MM, FM, etc.

They all have stiff spines and thin behind the edge grinds...For limited quantities of product they will cut thru almost anything, but that's not saying they are great for plowing through crates of butternut squash....they are arguably a little too thin BTE to feel genuinely planted or safe to use indiscrimaintly.

This latter point is expecially true in hard product (that might trap or torque the edge) or uneven consistency (hard seeds, rinds, deadwood, etc).
 
Thanks all for the helpful replies.
I'll look for 1 more week or so and decide what's right for me.
@labour of love, at the moment I'm really biased towards the konosuke ys-m, the price is right for me, I love how it looks and after the comments seems a really good knife and more robust than what I own.
I was also looking at the Tanaka and seems what I'm looking for by the description, is an excellent recommendation, I will look more into it and the will decide.
@Ryndunk, I've been eyeing a paring yoshikane kurouchi in white steel, but will be my next buy probably. I also was looking for the skd gyuto but couldn't find it in 210mm unfortunately.
@HRC-64 Thanks for the helpful explanation, I don't go trough a lot of foods that can damage my knives at work and neither I abuse them but just to be on the safe side I would like a knife more substantial when I require.
 
Btw is Mazaki really inconsistent between knifes? I seems people loves them but is many differences between what he produces.
I looked at the one on knife wear, mazaki w2 nashiji, any experience with that one?
 
I'd agree with much of what has been said. I own both in a 240 and like both of them. Neither are exactly robust knives though. While not lasers (I own numerous Shibatas and Kono lasers like yourself as well) they're not significantly more robust at the edge. The Shibata would be the most delicate by feel. If you're interested in the theory of a Toyama or Watanabe, but would like to spend a little less to stay in budget, I have a feeling a Gihei in B2 would be a stellar knife to offset your lasers. Although, it is without a KU finish you seem to be going for, but the Toyama and Wat are already and the Gihei is stainless clad as well. Maybe 80% of the performance of the others for half the price. They're all solid though, I'd go with whatever fits in your budget and/or taste.
 
Take a look at an akifusa srs15, great goldilocks pro grind, not too thin not too thick. As is the yoshi skd hammered. Both srs15 and skd steels are top notch, easy to sharpen with great retention, the skd stuff from yoshikane is super bitty.

The kono ys is a more refined version of the skd, better harder cladding, higher more subtle grind, incredible distal taper, and is pretty much a laser from the mid point to the tip, it is actually ground thinner than other lasers I've had. the steel is something special, super easy to sharpen, will take and hold a fine edge, and keep loads of bite.
 
a note on the heat treat of the koishi - for a slightly thinner than mid-weight knife it's very forgiving. i've beat mine pretty hard and never had any chipping.
 
Thank you all for your recommendations, you are giving me a tough decision to make after looking at those last knives.
@Ryndunk this is a knife I've been eyeing for some time but not sure anymore if is what I'm looking for.
@davidg Gihei looks like an stellar knife and is in my shortlist now, you got it absolutely right. I'm looking for a knife to complement my lasers, I'm aware is not gonna perform like them in some aspects like wedging, but I want something that I can do more aggressive chopping and still slice a tomato without bruising it, Gihei looks like that knife.
@Ivang Akifusa looks like another good contender, I read extensively about it including a passaround of one between forumers and the feedback is excellent, I will check websites for pricing.

Right now I'm having trouble accessing knife selling websites because is an age restriction in the UK to watch adult content. I tried switching the filter off calling my internet provider but was no success, looks like I will need to go to a physical shop to do it.
As soon as I sort this out I will check different websites to place an order, so for know I'll keep researching.
 
HRC_64 said:
I think the YS (on paper) is pretty similar in its overal design philosophy to current Konosuke's like MM, FM, etc.

They all have stiff spines and thin behind the edge grinds...For limited quantities of product they will cut thru almost anything, but that's not saying they are great for plowing through crates of butternut squash....they are arguably a little too thin BTE to feel genuinely planted or safe to use indiscrimaintly.

This latter point is expecially true in hard product (that might trap or torque the edge) or uneven consistency (hard seeds, rinds, deadwood, etc).
Click to expand...

In practice both the mm and FM are stiffer than the ys. They don't feel or handle similar to the ys imo.

Ivang said:
Take a look at an akifusa srs15, great goldilocks pro grind, not too thin not too thick. As is the yoshi skd hammered. Both srs15 and skd steels are top notch, easy to sharpen with great retention, the skd stuff from yoshikane is super bitty.

The kono ys is a more refined version of the skd, better harder cladding, higher more subtle grind, incredible distal taper, and is pretty much a laser from the mid point to the tip, it is actually ground thinner than other lasers I've had. the steel is something special, super easy to sharpen, will take and hold a fine edge, and keep loads of bite.
Click to expand...

This is pretty much how I feel about the ys. I don't classify it as a straight up laser but it sure blurs the line some.
 
HRC_64 said:
This seems to emphasise the point about it being unsuiable for the OP.
Click to expand...

Agree, kanehiro would also be a good one to check out. I personally prefer it over the gihie.
 
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