Miyabi 5000mcd 67 not easy to pull through a potatoes

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Martybli

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just bought a Miyabi 5000mcd 67 and although sharper than my Global G2 it is much harder to pull through potatoes when cutting in half. The knife seems to stick to them. Any ideas?
 
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the black Damascus finish is causing the drag. Either keep using it until smooth out or use high grit sand paper to polish out .
 
The ones I’ve seen have been thick. That causes issues with dense food. 5000MCD seems to have way better geometry.
 
Try push-cut instead of pulling. Should behave a bit differently. Though as others note, the issue is a combination of grind and blade finish.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
I draw cut with the tip for a lot of things but I guess here I'm picturing a whole or half of a raw potato. For me that's push cut territory.
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I use drawcuts on whole potatoes when I want cubes; it's a lot more efficient when your planks and sticks stay on the board. Same when i'm finely slicing apple; start with drawcuts, finish with pushcuts.
 
The best solution is to buy a nice nakiri, perhaps something by Toyama or TFTFTF.
 
Aside from the Damascus causing some drag, the geometry of these knives let's them down.

They are thick behind the edge and then very flat ground. This creates a lot of surface area for sticking. A good thinning should help that out immensely. I sold the one I had before doing that so don't know this from practice, but based.on other knives I've held I would suspect it to work.
 
Martybli said:
I’ve spent all morning looking at Nakiri knives. I only bought the other as it came up in an offer. I do feel the Nakiri would suit my needs better.
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If you want a nakiri, I'd personally recommend skipping straight to the front of the line and getting a Watanabe Pro, especially in 180mm. While there are some who like other offerings more, there is a large faction of the forum who will tell you this is the best one you can get.

Now, don't get caught up in Shinichi's blade smithing lore (marketing) as there is active debate of whether or not he actually makes these knives but that doesn't change the fact that they are outstanding. Yes, it might seem expensive at first but this is a top tier knife that will last many, many years.

Not sure how the Yen is fairing against the Euro but it's well down to the dollar so you might do well right now.

https://www.kitchen-knife.jp/pro/
Perhaps @nakiriknaifuwaifu can give some good alternates to consider.

Of course, this will lead to a need to maintain your knives but that need is already present. I'd argue a sharpening plan should come first. :)
 
Not a surprise. The zkramer dammy SG2 (made by the same factory) has the same sticking issue. Potatoes can stick to the knife so hard that it’s difficult to get it off with one hand. It’s caused by the combination of etched finish, flat grind and being thick behind the edge. Thinning and/or polishing will reduce it.

IME, Miyabi knives are in general thick behind the edge including the birchwood handle ones. The only exception might be zkramer 52100.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
If you want a nakiri, I'd personally recommend skipping straight to the front of the line and getting a Watanabe Pro, especially in 180mm. While there are some who like other offerings more, there is a large faction of the forum who will tell you this is the best one you can get.

Perhaps @nakiriknaifuwaifu can give some good alternates to consider.
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Give alternatives for what, the Watanabe 180mm? :p There are none.
It's an excellent knife and I recommend it without reservation.

@BillHanna gave me a start on carbon rectangles with a moritaka nakiri blue 2. A toyota camry of nakiris if there ever was one - reliable, comfortable, cut without fuss. Only a little reactive, but whatever. Incentive to practice sharpening skills. I would say for a daily driver I prefer the 180mm size to the 165mm size, but I did daily the 165mm so it's possible.
 
If it really feels like the knife is dragging or the potato is sticking to the blade, then try a few light swipes with sandpaper. Depending on how glossy the finish is, something in the 600 - 4k range. You can buy a set of micro mesh on Amazon for about $20 and try the 4k first.

If it feels like the knife is wedging, i.e. you have to force it through and you hear a lot of crunching, then the blade is too thick. In that case you probably want to send it out for some professional thinning + refinishing (to restore the damascus after thinning). Or just buy a Yoshikane; honestly that’s what I’d do if you can afford it.

Wat Pro nakiri looks like a steal right now for <$300 with the current exchange rate. Last year when I looked at them I think they were running closer to $400 when the yen was stronger so I ended up with a Wakui nakiri which I love; the Wakui was around $250 last year but looks like it’s taken a significant price jump so I’d probably go with the Wat today.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
If you want a nakiri, I'd personally recommend skipping straight to the front of the line and getting a Watanabe Pro, especially in 180mm. While there are some who like other offerings more, there is a large faction of the forum who will tell you this is the best one you can get.
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I love the look of this knife. I followed the link and it said 40000 yen. Does that come with a stock handle or do you have to select one of the handles? Also are these okay for left handed users?
 
Martybli said:
I love the look of this knife. I followed the link and it said 40000 yen. Does that come with a stock handle or do you have to select one of the handles? Also are these okay for left handed users?
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That price is for and will come with the standard handle.

Being a lefty complicates things. I'm not at home just now but I'm fairly sure these have a right hand bias. This is very common among the hand forged knives out there.

Look to brands like Akifusa and Tsunehisa for neutral grinds.

@labor of love is a lefty who might be able to help with some other suggestions.
 
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