mazaki knives

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ian said:
Fwiw, whenever I hear

“This knife is the best because it’s so sharp!”

I think

“This car is the best because it has the most gas in it!”

Sharpness is an ephemeral thing that speaks of the quality of the most recent sharpening and the amount of use the knife has seen since then. It’s not an indication of the knife’s quality, although some knives are easier to sharpen or will retain a good edge longer.

That said, Heiji carbon is freakin awesome and is so easy to sharpen, so I’m not disagreeing with you that Heiji is on another level steelwise. (Though many often complain about the grind.) Personally, I’d be happy if all my knives were from Heiji... he’s the only maker I have two knives from atm. Seems like you’re making some really wise purchases. 🥳
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I feel the same way when people show how the knife cuts toilet paper or whatever and claim how great the knife is. Shows the skill of the sharpener for sure, but has nothing to do with the knife.
 
Has anyone used the 270 Sujihiki? One has a 3mm spine out of the handle and new ones running around 5mm. Use it mostly for cooked meat....preference?
D.
 
jacko9 said:
I have to comment on the love for KU knives. These blades require much less work from the blacksmith so why isn't the price reduced to reflect this reduced labor?
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They were/are cheaper is what I was tracking.
 
labor of love said:
Mazaki KU offerings from carbon are cheaper.
Where is this not a thing?
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I think the comment is influenced by Mazaki's Sensei, Kato. Kato Ku commands more on the secondary market. Supply and demand thing.

But I did read somewhere that there was more work involved to get a proper genuine forge formed Kurouchi. Its not as simple as skipping the blade face grinding stage. TF refers to it as requiring multiple rounds of 'pickling' at low temp leading to their signature smooth satin finish on the Denka. There is also a matt Ku finish on their soft iron clad blades eg Morihei Hisamoto, which seems to have about the same durability with a little more drag. I can also see more work in the forging process as the maker can't grind away metal to get the desired distal taper and geometry.
 
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I too was able to snag a Mazaki 180 petty from CKC. I have only used it to trim some raw chicken and deal with garlic and shallots in the past week. I feel that it is a good all around & useful utility knife. It has a great distal taper and I like its overall feel. Having said that, I would not buy it if I had to do it over. This is my first knife with a nashiji kurouchi finish and I do not like it. My dislike is mostly aesthetic and not functionally related.
 
Finally got around to doing a Maz family portrait. Top to bottom: 240 gyuto, JNS, bullnose; 215 gyuto, cleancut; 180 petty, Carbon knife co, nash; 180 petty, lefty d-handle, JNS. My fave is the 240 bullnose profile.

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So this is the most expensive Mazaki out there - the 240 at Knifewear sold for the same price as a Shigefusa Kitaeji that I landed (unbelievably) last week

I just could not justify paying the Shig price for a Mazaki. Maybe I was wrong. Would love to hear about your experience with this one

What is the weight and specs?
 
Yes, stand corrected, one of the most expensive mazaki’s would have been more appropriate. The 240 Gyuto on KTH is USd 2,100. That sort of illustrates my point
 
Mazaki 210 damascus data from KTH Facebook post. Weight was measured by myself.

Weight: 203g
Hardness: ~HRC65
Blade length: 215mm
Blade height: 49mm
Spine thickness: 6mm down to 1mm

According to KTH, these damascus knives are truly 100% hand-forged by Naoki Mazaki alone, and each batch can only produce 6 pieces! So the low output seems to contribute to it's rarity and pricing.
 
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Great specs - very Mazaki, strong distal taper, a knife with some substance and heft

I know some on the forum say “meh”zaki, but his KU line at CKC is the best value for money. I used it over the weekend, and it performed really well. Really impressed. I think he is getting better each year.

Would love to see how this one compares with knives of similar price ranges
 
You need to confirm whether the 240 is blue #1 or blue #2. Seems to come in both versions. The recent 240mm from KTH HK is Blue #1 but there is another Blue #2 elsewhere.
 
From what Has been relayed to me. His process of making the Damascus knives is very similar to Hinoura’s. He takes his time and makes just a few each batch.

The available models are:
B2 210, 240 Gyuto and 270 Sugi
B1 240, 270 Gyuto, 300 Sugi and 300 yanagi

KTH requested the B1s, and they got the first batch. Personally, I would love to see a 180 petty or Nakiri.
 
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JoBone said:
From what Has been relayed to me. His process of making the Damascus knives is very similar to Hinoura’s. He takes his time and makes just a few each batch.

The available models are:
B2 210, 240 Gyuto and 270 Sugi
B1 240, 270 Gyuto, 300 Sugi and 300 yanagi

KTH requested the B1s, and they got the first batch. Personally, I would love to see a 180 petty or Nakiri.
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the KTH Damascus Gyuto is on sale for $2,100. This is $700 more than my 210 mm Shigefusa Kitaeji that I got yesterday. I cannot compute this. Just don’t understand his pricing. I paid 280 for a Mazaki KU gyuto from CKC, but 2,100 for a blue Damascus? I can’t justify it. I got my Toyama 270 mm Blue Damascus for $1,000 so that’s my reference point - maybe Mazaki is worth more that a Shig - this forum will have to convince me
 
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