mizuno hontanren

[karloevaristo]

Anybody here who has a Mizuno Hontanren Blue 2? Care to share your experience with it?

how's the profile and how reactive is it? Would you recommend using it in a professional kitchen as a workhorse?

Thanks in advance!

 

[fimbulvetr]

I'm sure you're asking about a gyuto, but I have a Mizuno Hontanren petty that is not particularly reactive at all. I bought it to trim silver skin, gristle, and fat at a butcher shop, which it's great at. I've also been using it at home recently to prep dinner, and I've diced garlic and shallots, cut citrus, and even left it dirty on the board once or twice while I took a moment to pull a kitten out of the washing machine or the trash can or whatever they were in this time.
Ive had the knife about three weeks, been using it as described the whole time, and it hasn't yet gotten super dark or funky smelling or transferred off odors, and it's taken on just a faint patina.

 

[JohnF]

I have had a santoku for about 6 months now. It is probably my most used knife, although only in the home environment. It isn't reactive at all compared to my other carbon knives. I tried to force a patina by cutting up tons of beef and it didn't take at all.

It also is the easiest knife I have to sharpen...and it holds its edge very well. I'm not sure how it would hold up in a pro kitchen, but in comparison to my other carbons, it's easy to maintain.

 

[Chuckles]

Had to check this thread out. I love Mizuno.

Reactive but no more than Shigefusa or Watanabe which I would consider its biggest rivals. At its price point it is what I would recommend first. If you don't leave your knife sitting in the sink or with tomato slices on it you will be fine.

They run a little short on length but the 240 is still the one to get. I like about 260 on the edge but still prefer the 240 Mizuno over the 270. The grind has well blended, gentle convexity that carries into the belly more than most other knives. It is very well done on the knives I have seen. I have used two Blue Honyakis, one white Honyaki, two 240 Hontanren, and one 270 Hontanren.

A similar knife to also check out would be the Gesshin Ittestsu at Japanese Knife Imports.

Here is a pic of a few Mizunos. Bottom two are Honyakis white and blue, top one is a well used 270 Hontanren and the second from the top is a 240 Hontanren.

 

[karloevaristo]

how's the edge retention? I'm guessing "blue steel" good?

 

[Miles]

Mine has very good edge retention but imho, the sides are quite reactive. Far more so than my monosteel carbons.