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I'd be interested to hear if anyone has got one of the pointy-triangle Mazs, what they think of it, and how they compare to previous...

The two I have are 2019-ish profiles (I think), and I love them - really excellent knives. Though both I did thin a bit to suit my tastes.

210 Ku Gyuto & 150 Kas Petty:

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cotedupy said:
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has got one of the pointy-triangle Mazs, what they think of it, and how they compare to previous...

The two I have are 2019-ish profiles (I think), and I love them - really excellent knives. Though both I did thin a bit to suit my tastes.

210 Ku Gyuto & 150 Kas Petty:

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I got an aogami super this year. It’s actually very nice. I didn’t like the triangle profile before but changed my view after getting the Kamon massdrop knife. The profile of 225 Kamon MD is slightly less flat but still triangle-ish. After using it I got the Mazaki and didn’t get disappointed. It is actually very comfortable in use and makes a very thin tip.

Edit: forgot to mention I had 2 original profile Mazakis in the past and still prefer that profile because it looks so handsome, but the triangle profile is also nice to use.
 
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I have a pointy 270 suji and a pointy 240 gyuto. Never used an old Maz.
For a suji I think it's preferably anyway to have as straight a profile as possible. For a gyuto I don't really mind - but I have plenty of flatty knives and don't really rock with J-knives. I think it's one of those things that depends a lot on how you cut whether you like or hate it, but so far I have no complaints about it.
 
I have a migaki 240 pointy triangle. I love it. Could use some more thinning but it goes through product relatively easily for its weight and feel. The taper is nice.

I’ve since cooled a little on the ultra flatness, but there’s a time and a place for it in common use. Bevels and shinogi may not come perfect, but the convex is nice. Unfortunately I don’t have an older generation to compare it to.
 
I think the triangle is good for starters, not the guys using rocking motion. Superb for push cut, and chopping.

What i don`t like on Maz knifes is the edge retention, it feels like 55 HRC. I love the looks of the KU, taper at the old models etc. the only one really good i had from him was a KU Yanagiba. TThe other good i only sharpened and it was an 1,5k modell with "handmade" damascus clad ;).

SirCutALot
 
SirCutAlot said:
I think the triangle is good for starters, not the guys using rocking motion. Superb for push cut, and chopping.

What i don`t like on Maz knifes is the edge retention, it feels like 55 HRC. I love the looks of the KU, taper at the old models etc. the only one really good i had from him was a KU Yanagiba. TThe other good i only sharpened and it was an 1,5k modell with "handmade" damascus clad ;).

SirCutALot
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White steel + rockchop = meh retention. Push cutting isn't just for starters... nor is there anything 'pro' about rockchopping; it's easy as pie.
I think most people here actually go in reverse; they start rockchopping and then go to push or pull cuts later.
 
Jovidah said:
White steel + rockchop = meh retention. Push cutting isn't just for starters... nor is there anything 'pro' about rockchopping; it's easy as pie.
I think most people here actually go in reverse; they start rockchopping and then go to push or pull cuts later.
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Yep this might be my problem :). But i like white steel a lot, just don`t rock chop any more and do only the pricey slices at in service.
This was not my intention, i just want to say that any other white steel is better then Mazaki, and of coarse Kato (WH what a baaaad edge retention, like Kiwi Brand) ....

Jiro does it quite well, as Munetoshi and Y.Tanaka. So i like the steel, and i know what is it is for.. So no Gyuto work ;). Slicing yes sir that is what this steel is meant for.

SirCutALot.
 
SirCutAlot said:
Yep this might be my problem :). But i like white steel a lot, just don`t rock chop any more and do only the pricey slices at in service.
This was not my intention, i just want to say that any other white steel is better then Mazaki, and of coarse Kato (WH what a baaaad edge retention, like Kiwi Brand) ....

Jiro does it quite well, as Munetoshi and Y.Tanaka. So i like the steel, and i know what is it is for.. So no Gyuto work ;). Slicing yes sir that is what this steel is meant for.

SirCutALot.
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Have you tried more than one Mazaki? I always read about relatively big variance in heat treat among Mazaki. Some people swear edge retention is great for use in a pro kitchen (for white 2) and some people say edge retention is only so-so.

Also, agree Munetoshi works nicely, even with heavy use.
 
I tryed some.

I think at least 10 gyutos, starting with the JNS era, in 240-270 lenght. I was never satisfied. and it is not the steel for sure. But dawn i liked the taper, the profile and the feeling. Just not good enough for pro use in my honest opinion.

Beneath the gyuots i had some pettys, deba and sujihikis, but they all got presents for my aprentices.

SirCutALot
 
Jovidah said:
For a suji I think it's preferably anyway to have as straight a profile as possible.
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I was going to say this as soon as I saw @capt4inslow 's picture above. That Suji profile looks pretty much ideal, and not at all weird.


SirCutAlot said:
I think the triangle is good for starters, not the guys using rocking motion. Superb for push cut, and chopping
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This was actually what got me wondering about them. I don't rock chop ever, so I imagine the triangle versions would suit me just fine in use.


superworrier said:
I think it’s very functional and most of the hate is probably because its pretty ugly.
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This probably hits the nail squarely on the head I think. I'm sure they're at least as functional as mine above, but yeah I'm with the majority consensus - I don't think they look very nice at all.

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What do people think about the grinds? Has he thinned them out a bit to match the 'sleeker' profile?

Both of mine had very heavily convexed bevels and were, what I would consider, too fat behind the edge. I like the thick spine and distal taper, and I quite enjoy tinkering and thinning a bit to get something exactly where I want, so was no problem for me. But for someone less confident on that I could definitely see it being annoying, particularly on the petty.
 
KDSDeluxe said:
I have a 210mm migaki and a 240mm kurouchi triangle. Love both of them. And have also no compares to the old one.
But I heard in a german forum that the most peoples like more the older profiles...

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Loving the dark wood / blonde horn combi, works well on these knives I think :).

My petty handle above was the first rehandling I did for a 'smart' knife back in the day, and still looks pretty swish I think. The result of a lot of good advice and encouragement from our feline friend @Carl Kotte.
 
@cotedupy the grind on my suji is pretty good, it probably helps that it's an enormous knife but i've chopped through some onions and other basic garnish-type produce and never felt that the grind got in the way.
 
cotedupy said:
Loving the dark wood / blonde horn combi, works well on these knives I think :).

My petty handle above was the first rehandling I did for a 'smart' knife back in the day, and still looks pretty swish I think. The result of a lot of good advice and encouragement from our feline friend @Carl Kotte.
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The Kurouchi was my first japanese knife. The profile is really good for push and chopping.

I agree. The edge retention is not so good in my opinion. But ideal for home cooking and people who like to sharpen ok.

Your handles looking awesome.
 
if i compare the white 2 with the kaeru workhorse, the mazaki falls a way behind. I already thought that the kaeru has a different steel...

My 210mm has a workhorse grind and the 240mm is more fragile.
 
cotedupy said:
I'd be interested to hear if anyone has got one of the pointy-triangle Mazs, what they think of it, and how they compare to previous...
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I have the 2021 profile triangle Mazaki KU 240. I like it. It's on the heavier side but retains a nice balance in hand. Thick at the spine for pinch grip. It's got a huge flat spot for push cutters like me. Combined with the heft it's just goes up down up down up down.

I do think it might be a little bit too pointy. I do use a little bit of rocky motion to make sure I don't get accordion cuts. With the pointy and low tip, I am always a little afraid of the tip digging into the board. It's probably purely psychological but it does make me mindful of the way I use the knife instead of it being automatic. Some extra height and curvier profile might solve this "problem". But generally I like how it cuts and is a fan of the look.
 
Hz_zzzzzz said:
I got an aogami super this year. It’s actually very nice. I didn’t like the triangle profile before but changed my view after getting the Kamon massdrop knife. The profile of 225 Kamon MD is slightly less flat but still triangle-ish. After using it I got the Mazaki and didn’t get disappointed. It is actually very comfortable in use and makes a very thin tip.

Edit: forgot to mention I had 2 original profile Mazakis in the past and still prefer that profile because it looks so handsome, but the triangle profile is also nice to use.
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What’s your thoughts on the AS. Would love to grab one myself
 
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budgingllama said:
What’s your thoughts on the AS. Would love to grab one myself
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The grind especially the distal taper are very good. Comfortable and natural to hold and cut with. Overall a good feeling tool. I really appreciate strong distal taper like on Katos or vintage Sabs and it is where Mazaki wins. The fit and finish is just typical Mazaki.

Regarding the steel, it’s relatively easy to get super sharp (not the easiest but easier than many AS I’ve tried). But the edge retention is just average for AS steels I’ve tried and noticeably not as strong as Denka’s and Moritaka’s.

In my experience the Mazaki white 2’s edge retention on my 2019 yoshihiro Ku version was actually decent for white 2. White 2 all suck at edge retention but the Maz was comparable to Munetoshi and Wakui in my experience.
 
He cranks out so many, I think the grinds have always been a bit variable. I have an older JNS with a wonderful grind, one of the best I've ever gotten. Then I got one from KnS that has a great profile but came fat behind the edge. For both, retention has been quite good.
 
I was a little surprised to read people's comments about edge retention here, as I'd always thought it pretty reasonable, so decided to do a test this week with my Shiro 2 gyuto.

What will come as a surprise to no one is that I am not a professional chef. I am not hacking up 20kg of pumpkin at a time &c. But 5 or so days of reasonable home use; and it's still going through kitchen roll well enough after stropping on a sleeve. Which I'd call pretty good.

The only knives I have which I think have noticeably better edge retention are both from Aogami Super (Blenheim Forge Funayuki and Shibata Tinker Tank).

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My Mazaki and Wakui in Shiro 2 have good edge retention, no complaints. The Shiro 2 in my KS(circa 2013) sucks, I all but quit using it years ago. My Shiro 2 monosteel Konosuke's aren't much better than the KS.
 
Interesting to see the range of responses. My Mazaki's feel quite hard and hold the edge very well for white steel. To be honest, I'm not sure I could tell the difference between it and my B2 Wats blindfolded. I have a newer vintage KS, which is not quite as hard but holds fine. None of them holds anything like my Denka, or R2 knives, but more than long enough for me as a home cook.
 
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