Misono UX10

[Jordanp]

Love it? hate it? Whats your guys opinions on this line of knives? Easy to sharpen? edge retention? etc. etc.... Looking for a no frills 210 gyuto for work and would love opinions on this knife good or bad.

 

[stringer]

I had one many years ago. Tough, takes a nice edge pretty quick, reasonable retention, comfy in the hand, extreme corrosion resistance. The only negative, I found it very difficult to sharpen evenly. After a few years the edge had developed waves that were visible to the eye and noticeable when cutting. I attribute most of that to my sharpening abilities at the time, which have since improved. 210 is too short to be of much use to me, but I am considering buying this knife again at 240 or 270 to use as a prep knife in a professional environment.

 

[DitmasPork]

Love mine, one of the first J-knives I bought, this is a lefty version from JCK—been a good travel knife since it's stainless. Doesn't carry the same cache and buzz it once had—it was a beautifully designed, nicely balanced knife when it came out and is IMO still a formidable knife. F&F is superb, distinctive handle, not the easiest to sharpen, not as stiff a blade as I prefer—although I've since moved on to carbon wa-handles, I still dig the UX10.

 

[pennman]

Years ago I saw a discussion that these are Sandvik 19c27 steel. I like the balance on mine. Holds an edge like a Henkels.

 

[ian]

I have the santoku. It’s pretty slow to sharpen, I’d say. Decent edge retention.

Man, I know you’re looking at gyutos, but I have to gripe that the balance on the santoku just seems way too far back. Way too much effort required to cut. It’s also the only santoku I’ve owned, though...

 

[stringer]

A western handle santoku will generally be very handle heavy. Wa santoku is the way to go. UX10 210 is balanced at pinch grip. Excellent factory grind with a crummy factory edge. Laserish, but still tough.

 

[rick alen]

Years ago I saw a discussion that these are Sandvik 19c27 steel. I like the balance on mine. Holds an edge like a Henkels.

I can't believe 19C27 is only as good as a Henckles "crap Krupp steel"at edge retention. This is Sandvicks edge-retention steel. Not as fine-grained as 13C26, but better edge retention.

 

[HRC_64]

ux10 is harder than henkels, and its good (enought) steel...
so it must be how its setup the edge/geometry

19c27 and gin3 are supposed to be kissing cousins
but heat treatment on ux10 doesn't seem to yield
similar reviews re: sharpenabilty

http://www.zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=19c27,gin3

 

[Evan Estern]

I have a 270mm UX10 gyuto. I wanted a stain resistant western handled knife in that size and when I handled all the offerings available at Korin in NYC, the UX10 really stood for me out in terms of balance and fit/finish. I never saw the factory edge as I had them convert it to lefty for me, so I can't comment on that. As for edge retention, it consistently stays sharp through an 8 hour shift with lots of cutting on poly boards. A quick strop on leather is all it usually needs to bring it back. After about 9 months of pretty regular use, I've only sharpened it on stones once.

 

[Benuser]

Misonos come out of the box with a weak, overly convexed edge, due to the factory buffering. First thing to do is getting rid of it. When you get it in the States, go with Korin and ask for their free initial stone sharpening. By the way, they are quite asymmetric. If you were a left-handed, order the inverted version. It's worth the premium you pay. Better solution than having only the edge neutralised.
Haven't handled the 210 from this series, but I expect it to be quite narrow. Please verify.
One of the UX-10 qualities is the bite it keeps even after some dulling. Some will experience this as good edge retention. The work of the large, evenly distributed carbides. The same that give it its abrasion resistance.
Sharpening is no fun. Forget about polishing, above 2k for deburring only.
As usual with Misono F&F are excellent. I do like the unusual design, but that's very personal.