Konosuke YS

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labor of love

labor of love

Cowboys from Hell
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Has anybody tried one here? I’m looking for some insight. This line is so overshadowed by other kono offerings I haven’t really found much info about the knife other than what vendors have to say.
On a related note I’ve been using a Yoshikane SLD dammy KU gyuto the last couple of days and I’m curious how similar or different these 2 knives are.
 
I don't have a Yoshi sld to compare it to. Also the YS is still on the newer side, so I don't have a ton of experience with it yet. What comes to mind in my initial impression is a love child between a kioshi and a kono ginsan. The steel feels hard but stable. It has just enough spine to not feel frail in the cuts, but it's still ultra nimble and light. Profile has a huge flat like my kono ginsan had. It has some decent distal taper and the tip is thin and works well, but it's not as wispy as the kono ginsan. Altough, if I remember correctly the tip still blazes through product. It feels like a better pure cutter than the kioshi I had, but has that cool look to it. It a short gyuto gives a suji/gyuto like feel similiar to a KS or the kono ginsan. The steel hasn't reacted much at all, maybe some slight patina, I'd have to check. But no initial reaction to food or kicking off any smells. Ootb edge was fantastic, easily one of, perhaps best, I've had. Food release seems pretty decent. It feels like a knife that you want to pay attention to technique and not get to heavy handed with. Even though it's flat, it feels like one that does better with a little motion. I have to remind myself of this. Im really digging it initially. I think it's going to be one I use a ton. Let me know if there is something specific you are looking for. Just a little rambling to get the conversation started.
 
Definitely a suji/gyuto, not reactive at all, intentionally left it for 15 mins after slicing beef and nothing happened, very nice distal taper and like most konosuke, it has a nice fit and finish. I prefer it over my HD2 in terms of profile. The initial batch had this gold/greenish residual on the kuruochi which makes it super cool, the newest ones don’t have it anymore.
 
Mine has that goldish/ greenish effect on the kurouchi. I'm curious how it got changed? Also when I say kono ginsan, I'm referring to fujiyama ginsan.
 
Cool cool. Yeah, I’m sorta looking for something thin but also wanted to try something new(instead of just another wakui or something) with good/great retention.
 
Somewhat of an aside, but what are your thoughts on that yoshi damascus?
 
Furthermore I’ve only been using the Yoshikane for a couple of days so I can’t really elaborate. I will say it has a certain smoothness about it, like the way it moves through food that I really enjoy.
 
I'm not sure if Tosho still lists it as such, but the Konosuke YS are made by Yoshikane; so if you're liking your other Yoshi knife, this one might be a winner for you too.

I don't own one, but got a good chance to cut with one while at Tosho a few months back. Feels thin and light, very nice geometry. They had stupid-thick carrots as test-cut-produce, and it was super easy. Thicker overall than the HD2s- a little more substantial geometry, but still nice and thin behind the edge I thought. The one I used seemed a hair shorter than the HD2s.. so maybe 48-49 for the 240mm. Tip was nice- I could do horizontal cuts on the carrot no problem. All in all, I really enjoyed it.
 
labor of love said:
Furthermore I’ve only been using the Yoshikane for a couple of days so I can’t really elaborate. I will say it has a certain smoothness about it, like the way it moves through food that I really enjoy.
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+1 moves through product incredibly well while still being nice and strong
 
Interesting....my YS is actually longer than the HD2
IMG_0161.jpg

Omega said:
I'm not sure if Tosho still lists it as such, but the Konosuke YS are made by Yoshikane; so if you're liking your other Yoshi knife, this one might be a winner for you too.

I don't own one, but got a good chance to cut with one while at Tosho a few months back. Feels thin and light, very nice geometry. They had stupid-thick carrots as test-cut-produce, and it was super easy. Thicker overall than the HD2s- a little more substantial geometry, but still nice and thin behind the edge I thought. The one I used seemed a hair shorter than the HD2s.. so maybe 48-49 for the 240mm. Tip was nice- I could do horizontal cuts on the carrot no problem. All in all, I really enjoyed it.
Click to expand...
 
The YS is the favorite knife of the owner of Ai & Om knives. He's a former chef turned knife retailer if that helps. His go to was an HD for years until the YS was released. He convinced me to buy it but I didn't have the coin. It's a stiff stout blade compared to the much thinner Konosukes.
 
rogue108 said:
The YS is the favorite knife of the owner of Ai & Om knives. He's a former chef turned knife retailer if that helps. His go to was an HD for years until the YS was released. He convinced me to buy it but I didn't have the coin. It's a stiff stout blade compared to the much thinner Konosukes.
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Yep, Doug loves the YS, and always bugging me to buy it. it is a wonderful blade, I have tried and it blew my mind on how effortless to cut with it. too bad it comes with a crazy price tag.

what makes it different than the normal Yoshikane is the grind is a little bit better and have a more pronounced distal taper, and the steel.
 
Does anyone know the steel? I know kono doesn’t disclose this, but I remember tosho disclosed it initially. Anyone remember. SKD, SLD?
 
Chicagohawkie said:
Does anyone know the steel? I know kono doesn’t disclose this, but I remember tosho disclosed it initially. Anyone remember. SKD, SLD?
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Well, SLD is basically stainless and SKD will pick up patina fairly easily. If anyone can chime in about how reactive the core steel is-that would be tell tell sign.
 
I didn't finfd the core steel to be very reactive at all. No smells, no initial reaction to onions etc., maybe a little patina and that's about it. I know semi does not often react with onions and such, but some semi can have an initial reaction.
 
I think Mark said the YS is a semi stainless steel similar to Kono HD steel. I would expect YS steel to have much better retention, with it being a much harder steel.
 
YS seeems awefully flat and not very tall, so i'd be curious to hear more comments on the best ways to cut with it.
i'd be concerned its a niche knife, not a main knife (user/workhorse type), which also makes its expense more tricky to justify.
So, I guess I can see why its a model for Kono that has been a little slower on the uptake, people are gunshy to jump in on it...etc.
 
Interesting. Looking at the YS and a dammy SLD Yoshi. Don’t mind the flatness, but like over 50mm at the heel and max 240 length. Craig, hows the length on your SLD? I may have asked you this already, but can’t recall.
 
My sld western is oversized in length. Maybe 247mm. It also has quite an upsweep before the tip with majority of the blade being pretty flat, like a less extreme masashi profile. I enjoy it a lot.
 
My YS is 49.6 mm tall, 243 mm from heel to tip. Thecprofile is not as flat as it may seem, especially for a sanjo knife, if anything, its curvier than the 2 skds ive had. The grinds are also taller and thinner than my other yoshikanes. I really like this knife, would love to compare to a yoshi sld
 
I’m gonna hit up Bernal and epic to see what the shortest length is available on the SLD. How’s the taper to the tip and how thins the tip Craig? Not super excited about the cost vs the YS but starting to think the SLD May be the better choice. Probably gonna get 2 knives this year, one being a Heiji and leaning towards this as well.
 
Ivang said:
My YS is 49.6 mm tall, 243 mm from heel to tip. Thecprofile is not as flat as it may seem, especially for a sanjo knife, if anything, its curvier than the 2 skds ive had. The grinds are also taller and thinner than my other yoshikanes. I really like this knife, would love to compare to a yoshi sld
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Maybe we can borrow each other’s knives soon?
 
Chicagohawkie said:
I’m gonna hit up Bernal and epic to see what the shortest length is available on the SLD. How’s the taper to the tip and how thins the tip Craig? Not super excited about the cost vs the YS but starting to think the SLD May be the better choice. Probably gonna get 2 knives this year, one being a Heiji and leaning towards this as well.
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Uhh...good taper but not extreme. Thin tip but not delicate. Phenomenal edge retention, but I’ve never messed w PM steels or the like. I did notice microchips today when sharpening. This would be the first time I’ve had micro chips in maybe 6 years. Might’ve been used by a co worker when I wasn’t looking.
 
BTW the wa version is readily available. Bernal even has the 270mm on sale for a great price. For reference
My 240mm western was $588 and the wa 270mm is $496 right now.I’m curious if they’re ground the same. Bernal says they are but I’m skeptical, this knife is overall a little thicker than I was expecting, however I like it just the way it is.
 
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