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i just got one today a 240 gyuto. though this one is listed at 250mm which was a big part of the reason i chose to pick one up.
didnt want to post in the JNS thread for this because i got it from cleancut. they also offer a KU version.

i am blown away by it. mind you this is just initial impressions.

profile is not nearly as good as it looks in photo but it's fine and can also be adjusted. but good news it does run long and tall. each flat section is about an inch which is fine because the curve is gradual and not belly. stock starts off fat at the handle but tapers aggressively at the start then gradual taper and then aggressive again at the tip. spine to edge tapering is there as well, quite thin behind the edge as in a lot of meat taken off as you get closer to the edge. because of that it's not hefty feeling yet it kinda does, hard to explain. i would say it's in between a mid and workhorse. from initial cutting (30 seconds) i'd say the grind is fully convex right face, with a very tall wide bevel left face but the shoulder smoothed out, it's pretty good. not watanabe good but it cuts nice. spine and choil are eased quite well, but not rounded. the handle, oh man it's #$%#$%#$^**#& sweet! it looks to me like some kind of cherry wood, D shape and already oil treated, perfectly flush/shaped buffalo horn. this is an extremely good knife, i can't believe it only cost $260 us and arrived in 3 days. i will go on and say this is the best buy out there by far.
too early to really say but this might be replacing my watanabe even. i will comment about the steel once ive used it more and put on stones.

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Nice looking knife! I've come to realize that I really suck at being able to tell much about profile from online pics...looks to me to have a pretty decent flat spot. Looking forward to some follow-up once you've used it a bit.
 
Love the thickness of the spine at the handle! Reminds me of the Kato...
 
this is pretty unique, it doesnt stand out at any one thing but the sum of its parts is what makes it so good. like the legendary KS in its own way. if i were to put a generalization on it, it would be a thinner white steel watanabe with a pointier tip and a little more curve in the profile. this shape suits my technique more than a straight up push cutter like a wat because i am more of a slicer and push/pull than anything else.
 
I purchased the 180mm and 240mm when JNS had sale few weeks back. I never used or own Toyama, Kato, Shigefusa, or watanabe but thus far Mazaki has blown my other purchases out of the water. I only used the 180mm past week and it has been a joy to use. Surprisingly, it is not very reactive and acts like a semi-stainless steel knife.
 
maybe it could be the ghetto looking finish :D i am 100% all about this, want to keep it like this if possible.

curious, if you havent tried any of the other classics, what made you choose to try this brand new maker?? was it simply because of its value based price?
 
My first purchase last year was few lasers and I was in shock how well those things cut vs $50 target set our family used for many years. In few month I learned that there are other types of knives vs. lasers and purchased Tanaka blue 2 240mm gyuto. I was in awe how little bit of heft made the knife feel more substantial. I was going to purchase toyama gyuto looking for more heft but when I saw the sale on Mazaki, purchased two for almost price of one. Thus far, best knife I have used.
 
That's a gorgeous gyuto, very distinctive profile. I've never heard of Cleancut, just checked out their website—the Kurouchi version of the Masakis look pretty sweet! Looking forward to your observations on the Masaki after you've used it for a while.
 
How about the weight? It seems like thinner than the newer JNS version.
 
Nice write-up and pics! Glad you're enjoying yours.

My 220 arrived today as well. Specs are...

Length: 220mm
Height: 51mm
Weight: 6.49 oz / 184g

Gotta say I really enjoyed using it tonight. Has good weight and feels great in the hand. The handle is simple and flawless - one of the best stock d handles I've seen. I'd love to have it reprofiled to bring the tip up a little higher, but for now it's definitely a keeper.

Thanks to preizzo for posting his on IG. His post was the reason I purchased one.

Hope you both continue to enjoy your Mazakis, I know I will.
 
Look nice.
BTW how do you comunicate with Cleancut ? Is ther any EN website ?
 
The person I spoke to, Chris, was super friendly and very helpful. His English was also very good. Also, on a side note, their shipping is RIDICULOUSLY fast. Sweden to Los Angeles in 2 days!
 
Panda, maybe a photo comparison of Mazaki next to watanabe for scale would be cool. Just curious what they look like next to each visually.
 
i just got one today a 240 gyuto. though this one is listed at 250mm which was a big part of the reason i chose to pick one up.
didnt want to post in the JNS thread for this because i got it from cleancut. they also offer a KU version.

i am blown away by it. mind you this is just initial impressions.

profile is not nearly as good as it looks in photo but it's fine and can also be adjusted. but good news it does run long and tall. each flat section is about an inch which is fine because the curve is gradual and not belly. stock starts off fat at the handle but tapers aggressively at the start then gradual taper and then aggressive again at the tip. spine to edge tapering is there as well, quite thin behind the edge as in a lot of meat taken off as you get closer to the edge. because of that it's not hefty feeling yet it kinda does, hard to explain. i would say it's in between a mid and workhorse. from initial cutting (30 seconds) i'd say the grind is fully convex right face, with a very tall wide bevel left face but the shoulder smoothed out, it's pretty good. not watanabe good but it cuts nice. spine and choil are eased quite well, but not rounded. the handle, oh man it's #$%#$%#$^**#& sweet! it looks to me like some kind of cherry wood, D shape and already oil treated, perfectly flush/shaped buffalo horn. this is an extremely good knife, i can't believe it only cost $260 us and arrived in 3 days. i will go on and say this is the best buy out there by far.
too early to really say but this might be replacing my watanabe even. i will comment about the steel once ive used it more and put on stones.

20180215_131345_zpspzagazy9.jpg~original

20180215_131414_zpsed140txo.jpg~original

20180215_131612_zpszmboichl.jpg~original

20180215_133239_zps9a7xlu1y.jpg~original

What kind of steel is it clad in?
Thanks
 
Iron(carbon cladding), but I’ve already heard from 2 diff members that it’s very unreactive compared to other iron cladding
 
Oh man ooohhhh mann the Ku version loooks so sick!!! Plus its a bit cheaper :). Was there any kind of tax or expensive shipping from cleancut to the US?
 
Oh man ooohhhh mann the Ku version loooks so sick!!! Plus its a bit cheaper :). Was there any kind of tax or expensive shipping from cleancut to the US?

No, it was a wash. They adjusted the price to cover the shipping. In fact I paid less because they sent over a PayPal request and I selected to have my credit card due the conversion (make sure your credit card doesn't have foreign transaction fees)... $245 to my door in my case (kasumi)
 
Oh man ooohhhh mann the Ku version loooks so sick!!! Plus its a bit cheaper :). Was there any kind of tax or expensive shipping from cleancut to the US?

I thought the same thing but ordered the kasumi version because the grind was thinner. That doesn't mean I won't order the KU version later. :doublethumbsup:
 
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