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?
Yes, I know that Heiji and Mazaki are markedly different from what Ive gatherednever have had the opportunity of using either of them. I certainly dont need another gyuto, I want another gyuto, and owe a birthday present to myself.
Hard to describe exactly what Im looking for, kinda know it when I see it (on KKF).
What Im looking for? Hard to define, elusivesomething about the Heiji and Mazaki catches my attention. Im 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 personalitiesnamely my Kato, KS and Kochi possess those qualities. For instance, my 240 Konosuke Fujiyama is flawlessly produced, well designed, and beautiful gyutobut Ive never used it much, doesnt fit my cooking style, too lightsits 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. Theres a rustic beauty to them, a look and design thats distinctly Heiji.
Mazaki caught my eyefrom preizzos post and threadlove 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 theyre massively different, but those are the two contenders for my b-day present to myself.
Pro/Con. When I emailed Nakaya Heiji, he said itll be a four month wait; Mazaki is a mouse click away, but since Im a lefty the d-handles 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).