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bkultra said:
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)
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Ahh I see. Sweet, I probably would have accidentally ordered the knife with my card that charges transaction fees; thanks for the heads up! Should probably get on this thing called PayPal... Haha
 
bkultra said:
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)
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And.... how about knife impressions?

Thank you.
 
ashy2classy said:
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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Is this for sure?

The handle is not actually Ho-wood is it? Looks very different.

I know everyones been comparing it to Katos and Toyamas, but what about the Kochi? OP called it an in between a middle weight and a workhorse.
 
Mine comes in at 229g but feels more like 200, it's very nimble. My initial impressions were confirmed with a full shift of usage, this knife hits all of my check points. It feels like two different knives because of the tapering. Front half cuts like my laserish yoshikane and back half is a beast like my Watanabe. Wedges slightly on cold potatoes but thsts not really important to me. The finish is good because food slides right off, I would like to try and mimic this on my other knives. I wanna say it's around 3k polish.

I hope someone tries the KU version, it looks dope.

The handle is not ho, more like cherry.

This is replacing my Watanabe which is going to a friend (sorry guys)
But I will be keeping the hinoura because it's like a fat KS and that has it's place in my kit for when I want extra blade heavy. I asked clean-cut to offer up these mazaki handles for sale so I can put one on my hinoura.
 
I have a Mazaki Kiritsuke 240mm on its way. Will post family picture when it arrives.
 
i took it to aizu for a quick touchup and i'm sad to say i didn't love it. i think the heat treat is a bit too high, there is a sweet spot for white steel that ive only experienced one knife hit right on the money (yoshikane migaki stainless clad - i wish i could find iron clad version of this knife) for reference masamoto ks is too low, and my hinoura is a bit too high with this one being way above. the hardness feels pretty much like watanabe steel which is like 64ish HRC. what this means is that it took quite a bit longer for me to achieve the sharpness i wanted but being white steel it still didnt take as long as other steels. also the feedback on stones is not really there, it doesnt feel good or bad, just ok.
 
Does the knife stay sharper longer than other wh2 knives you've tried? Did you experience any micro chipping with the knife? Or is it just the sharpening effort that is different from the ideal?
 
panda said:
i took it to aizu for a quick touchup and i'm sad to say i didn't love it. i think the heat treat is a bit too high, there is a sweet spot for white steel that ive only experienced one knife hit right on the money (yoshikane migaki stainless clad - i wish i could find iron clad version of this knife) for reference masamoto ks is too low, and my hinoura is a bit too high with this one being way above. the hardness feels pretty much like watanabe steel which is like 64ish HRC. what this means is that it took quite a bit longer for me to achieve the sharpness i wanted but being white steel it still didnt take as long as other steels. also the feedback on stones is not really there, it doesnt feel good or bad, just ok.
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Yeah, I’ve been there before too. I will say that sometimes with brand new knives it helps to run through the full progression for the first sharpening. That ensures that you’re sharpening the edge at your own angle, not someone else’s. But you know what you’re doing. I agree, good ole sanjo wh2 60-61 heat treat is my fave (non honyaki) shirogami heat treat.
 
panda said:
i took it to aizu for a quick touchup and i'm sad to say i didn't love it. i think the heat treat is a bit too high, there is a sweet spot for white steel that ive only experienced one knife hit right on the money (yoshikane migaki stainless clad - i wish i could find iron clad version of this knife) for reference masamoto ks is too low, and my hinoura is a bit too high with this one being way above. the hardness feels pretty much like watanabe steel which is like 64ish HRC. what this means is that it took quite a bit longer for me to achieve the sharpness i wanted but being white steel it still didnt take as long as other steels. also the feedback on stones is not really there, it doesnt feel good or bad, just ok.
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Panda, besides how it feels on the stones, does steel heat treated too high affect a knife’s performance? What’re the drawbacks of heat treating too high or too low? I’ve been collecting j-knives for about 8 years, and still a novice regarding the nuances of heat treatments—and wouldn’t be able to tell which HT is too high/low with the knives I use most (KS, Watanabe, Kato, Kochi)—just know they work/cut well for me. How does HT impact you’re overall view of the Mazaki? Apologies for so many questions in one post.
 
labor of love said:
Yeah, I’ve been there before too. I will say that sometimes with brand new knives it helps to run through the full progression for the first sharpening. That ensures that you’re sharpening the edge at your own angle, not someone else’s. But you know what you’re doing. I agree, good ole sanjo wh2 60-61 heat treat is my fave (non honyaki) shirogami heat treat.
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I tough that for large bevel you just folow the bevel angle. How do you sharpen a knife like that ?
 
too low = edge retention suffers but easier to sharpen
too high = can be more prone to chip and harder to sharpen but longer lasting edge and can take a lower angle (which i don't utilize because i prefer toughness over ultimate sharpness)

mazaki is not wide bevel, it only appears that way because of the finish. top half of the blade is horizontal polish, bottom half is a hazy finish. but even wide bevels i dont follow the big bevel angle because that would result in 'zero edge' which feels amazing but does not last what so ever plus it takes forever, meaning i still cut my own higher angle into it. think of it like making a micro bevel but in a wide bevel it becomes your primary cutting edge.
 
I know what you meen, Panda. I had kind of the same feeling when I took it to a finishing stone OOTB. But as LOL wrote I did and with a start at a coarser stone the knives responded really well. Both a gyuto, petty and the mini yanagi.
- Kim
 
I have to learn a lot. I thought that a knife was more prone to chip with low angle and less with high angle.
 
@bolek, don’t over think it. The only point I’m making is that we sharpen edges at angles that we find comfortable. The edge may be sharpened ootb at a slightly different angle than what the user may normally use. Thus a touch up might not be work as well on a knife that you didn’t already put your own edge on initially.
 
Bolek said:
I have to learn a lot. I thought that a knife was more prone to chip with low angle and less with high angle.
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I think you have the correct idea... High bevel angle=more robust, low bevel angle=thinner, unless I'm missing something?
 
Geez, I bloody hate this thread! I was all set order a knife direct from another maker, then I came across this thread and can't stop thinking about the Mazaki. Very distinct looking gyuto.
 
panda said:
what was the other knife you were looking at? get them both and sell the one you dont prefer.
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I’ve been seriously looking at ordering a Nakaya Heiji—drawback being e four month wait. Unfortunately can’t afford both at the moment. Have you had a Heiji?
 
i own heiji suji and petty. love the steel, don't love the grind. but when ordering you can ask him to raise the shinogi line which in turn i think improves the grind.

heiji and mazaki are very different, what exactly are you looking for?
 
panda said:
i own heiji suji and petty. love the steel, don't love the grind. but when ordering you can ask him to raise the shinogi line which in turn i think improves the grind.

heiji and mazaki are very different, what exactly are you looking for?
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Yes, I know that Heiji and Mazaki are markedly different from what I’ve gathered—never have had the opportunity of using either of them. I certainly don’t “need” another gyuto, I “want” another gyuto, and owe a birthday present to myself.

Hard to describe exactly what I’m looking for, kinda know it when I see it (on KKF).

What I’m looking for? Hard to define, elusive—something about the Heiji and Mazaki catches my attention. I’m attracted to gyutos that have a uniqueness/character, well crafted, great performers, mid-weight, not to delicate or precious. Of the gyutos I own, I respond best to gyutos with a bit of heft, and distinctive personalities—namely my Kato, KS and Kochi possess those qualities. For instance, my 240 Konosuke Fujiyama is flawlessly produced, well designed, and beautiful gyuto—but I’ve never used it much, doesn’t fit my cooking style, too light—sits in the box it was purchased collecting dust.

Heiji got my attention because of much that has been said about the carbon steel used; love the defined bevel shoulders on the knife. There’s a rustic beauty to them, a look and design that’s distinctly Heiji.

Mazaki caught my eye—from preizzo’s post and thread—love the overall design of the knife; the wide spine width at the spine; 250mm length; profile is very different to anything I have, slightly santoku-ish; that high hazy finish is very cool looking. I liked your description of the Mazaki forward half feeling laser-ish, while the back more robust.

Heiji vs Mazaki. Again, I know they’re massively different, but those are the two contenders for my b-day present to myself.

Pro/Con. When I emailed Nakaya Heiji, he said it’ll be a four month wait; Mazaki is a mouse click away, but since I’m a lefty the d-handle’s an issue, Cleancut doesn't have lefty d-handles for it (I also don't have tools or space in my NYC apartment to re-handle myself, and Korin ships knives to Japan for re-handling).
 
I was just going to say that the mazaki looks pretty similar to my heiji with higher grind.
From the pictures it looks like the Mazaki has better f&f.
 
I'd heard a rumor that the hairline yahiko on cktg was also a Mazaki in disguise. Did a couple screen pulls for side by side with the jns, cleancut, & cktg yahiko and your choil shot from the first post. A lot lines up here. Even the price across the board. Anybody got the inside track?
 
ditmas, also consider mutsumi hinoura it's quite good i especially like the profile, a tall wide bevel with a fantastic KU finish. http://bernal-cutlery.shoplightspeed.com/mutsumi-hinoura-shirogami-240mm-wa-gyuto.html
maybe you could ask them to flip the handle 180deg.

just read up on yahiko, it states he trained under yoshikane where as jns states mazaki trained under kato. specs do look quite similar though. i hope someone tries it and offer impressions. *cough ditmas, it has octagon handle!
 
Awesome. So many things line up I had to see if anyone else knew. It's really piqued my interest. Especially at the price[emoji33]

Another knife that falls in that category that's blowing my mind is the tsukasa hinoura kasumi that jww put up for sale (250) a while back and just did again... Also a white 2 with similar profile, shinogi looks crazy pronounced from the polish, but in hand it makes a ton of sense, and also doesn't show up so dramatically in the choil. Has a decent middle weight vibe with a decent spine, nice taper, and came out of the box screaming sharp (one of the sharpest ootb in recent memory for sure). Super smooth cutter as well- no real wedging to speak of, glided through about everything I threw at it. We'll see about retention, but I've heard these guys own that w2 and so far I'm super impressed. It's a great feeling when it all lines up.
 
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