Morihei haul review (text and pic heavy!)

[Smashmasta]

This one's for you, Badger -

~So I found out you can only post 10 attachments per post, so I gotta break this into two~

I picked up some stones from Morihei - Hyotan (thanks, Asteger) Numata , Iyo, blue Aizu, and an Izumi (or as Badger called it, "the big soft beast.")
Sorry about the potato-ish pic quality - the wife has the good camera on her trip in Germany, and I lack the skills to properly use my iphone camera; I can do some follow up shots if requested when she gets back in a couple days. I unfortunately couldn't get a close-up of the edge because the camera wouldn't focus properly. Color probably isn't that accurate, either. Sorry!

Alright, let's do this! In (what I think is) ascending order of fineness (pictures first):

- Iyo




- A pleasant white (I personally like shiro stones better than kiita, than again, I don't have any kiita stones), with what sometimes look blue and sometimes look black specks (goma?) When wet, just smells like rocks or cement.

- Hard! Much harder than I thought it would be. It doesn't want to give up any slurry. I had to break out the atoma to raise some slurry, but once I did, things went into hyperdrive. Made quick work on a Tanaka aogami 2 damascus petty. Made even quicker work on a petty with an SLD core.

- Action is way smoother than I expected. Almost glassy at times. Without raising a slurry, it's very slippery. Feedback is certainly increased with the slurry. Loud! Crazy loud!

- The edge is definitely tooth heavy, but with a but of refinement to it. Definitely the coarsest of the lot, and will use this when I want solid teeth.

THOUGHTS: A fun stone that's looking to be my go-to for toothy edges. A little annoying that I have to raise a slurry, but once I do, it's going plaid (Spaceballs, anyone?) from there. Glad I have it. Pick one up if you see one laying around, but somewhat rare.
PROS: Fast once you raise a slurry, interesting looking, smooth action, pretty rare.
CONS: Have to raise a slurry, loud like my dorm neighbor during finals back in college, pretty rare.



Hyotan Numata -




- It took me a couple days to recognize this stones' aesthetic beauty. At first I thought it was just a pleasant white with larger blue specks (goma? momiji?). Then I used it a couple times and realized its full of beautiful red momiji on the top half (in retrospec, no idea how I could've missed this, probably overwhelmed with taking the steel to 4 new stones). The red, coupled with the light blue and the pleasant white, make for a startling look. When wet, it almost looks like marble if you look at it from an angle in the light. When wet, smells like drywall.

- Harder than I thought it would be (but than again, I didn't really know what to expect). Doesn't really give up much slurry, but goes to work on the steel. It's fast! It's the least finicky of the lot in terms of being thirsty (although the iyo is similarly not thirsty) and raising a slurry. Made quick work on a Tanaka aogami 2 damascus petty. Made even quicker work on a petty with an SLD core.

- The action is somewhat smooth, with some graininess to it, but not overly annoying. Just like the Iyo, the sound isn't too pleasant though, very gritty sounding.

- The edge is actually a bit finer than I would've thought (this I did have a preconceived notion going in). There's definitely teeth, but not a ton. Well balanced. Oddly enough, the iyo was far smoother, but left a much toothier finish. Interesting.

THOUGHTS: I like it a lot. It's a close second to the blue aizu. Great to have, and makes quick work of everything, and with a well balanced edge. I'd grab one if you see it laying around. Not all that easy to find, though.
PROS: Super fast, easy to use, gorgeous, pretty rare.
CONS: Sound is abrasive (haha), pretty rare.

 

[Smashmasta]

Blue Aizu
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- Somewhat similar shade of white as the iyo and numata (I had difficulty telling them apart for a couple days, haha), but with a blueish tint. It's the least visually ordained of the lot. Actually somewhat thirsty. Nothing crazy, but thirstier than the iyo and numata. When wet, smells like wet cardboard in a dank basement.

- Also harder than I thought. I'm a bit confused, because when I first tried out the lot, the aizu was above and beyond my favorite (and it still is) - it was crazy fast, and easy ie, just put the steel to the stone and go. But when I just tried it out, it didn't give up anything, somewhat like the iyo. So I had to raise a quick slurry, but then it was game time. Super duper fast, makes quick and easy work of everything I threw at it. I'll obviously go back and see what's up with the slurry situation, but this time around, it was needed.

- Action is crazy pleasant. No grit, but not too glassy, and quiet (haha). Once you raise a slurry, it's the easiest and most pleasant to use.

- The real magic in aizus (at least this aizu) is the edge. I said the numata left a great balance, but the aizu somehow goes beyond. It's everything you've ever wanted. It's toothy when it needs to be, and super refined when you want it to be. Unbelievable.

THOUGHTS: Fantastic! My favorite of the lot, and one of my favorite in my lineup. I've got to figure out the slurry issue, but besides that, there's nothing negative to say. This is one to go actively looking for. I thought I read somewhere that there might be a difference between white and blue aizus, but I'm not positive - does anyone know? I'm going to try and find out if there is, and if there is, I'm going to grab a white one, because if it's anywhere near as good as this one, it will be a great addition, even if the results are nearly the same.
PROS: Badass. Rare in good quality.
CONS: Gotta figure out the slurry situation, but if I do, pretty much no cons.



Izumi AKA 'The Big Soft Beast'
- Alright, the moment everyone's been waiting for. I had to go extra detailed here because there's so much going on with it.


- This thing is SO BIG, it won't fit my Suehiro stone holder. It makes my khao men look like a puny teenager. I don't have a scale that goes above 10 pounds (4.5kg), which it maxes out, but I think it's close to 15+ (6.8kg) pounds, maybe even 20 pounds (9kg) . No joke. I'm fairly athletic, and I struggle to grip this thing with one hand. Placing it back in it's lineup delicately is not easy task. Add water, and it's not very fun.

- Besides being humongous, it draws even more attention to it by being an unpleasant drab green, that turns olive green when wet; but not like a nice olive green, like a mucky pond scum olive green. When wet, it smells like soon-to-be decomposed wood pulp.

- It is the THIRSTIEST thing I have ever seen. It must be part camel. It's a lesson in tending to your stones when using them. It's nearly to the point of frustrating. It requires so much water, so frequently, that it's startling. It soaks it up like a sponge. I don't know where it's going. It's a bit concerning because I sealed it on all sides, so I don't know if the water is just getting soaked up and having only one side to evaporate from. I sealed it because it was so thirsty and seemed it would turn to mush and fall apart if I hadn't. I haven't had any issues with my worry, yet...

- It's the MUDDIEST thing I have ever seen. It's like if the swamp-thing turned into a stone - it smells like rotting wood, looks like pond scum, soaks up water, and gets covered in mud. It's almost a good thing that it's so thirsty and requires constant water, because I'd be adding water anyways to remove the mud, so at least I'm killing two birds with one stone.

- I can't find ANY info on it (if anyone knows anything about, please let me know). So I had to go in blind. After quite some time, I think I've somewhat honed in on its ideal uses (although this too might change over time). It's slow. It doesn't like to move metal. Bringing back a dull, but already defined edge takes several minutes. So it smells and looks weird, is super thirsty and muddy, AND it doesn't like to move metal? So what is it good for? It's good for two things (as of now) - Super easy to get a kasumi finish. Picture didn't come out well, but it's hard to mess up when it's so muddy and fine. Second, it's an incredible finisher. Like incredibly incredible. I was sooooo relieved when I realized this because all the previous experiments with it failed, and finishing was one of the last things I was going to try with it; and this killed my shipping costs from Morihei. The edge, no matter the steel, comes out super duper crisp. Just like the aizu works magic on the edge, so does this (albeit it's much more finicky). It's a sublime combination of super sharp teeth, with a laser-like edge. I'd say the aizu is slightly more toothy in the balance, and this is more refined, but it's teeth are screaming sharp and present. It's one of the most unique edges I've come across.

THOUGHTS: It's got to be one of the more bizarre stones I'll ever come across. It's unique in so many ways. I think I'm just beginning to realize it's abilities. Is it finicky? Yes. But, it excites me every time I see it because I know that there might be something new it will share with me, but I've got to be on my game. Am I happy to have it? Definitely. Would I get another one? Probably not. I've only ever seen one, and that's why I bought it, and the shipping crushed me. It is really finicky, but now that I have it, I really do like it. I thought at first it was a huge (haha) mistake, but it's really, really fun. I would say that if you come across one and don't mind the shipping, that you should consider getting it. But if there are other, more 'useful' stones on your list, I might pass it up. It's very special (and it knows it) and temperamental, but I think we're going to get along in the end...

PROS: The most unique stone I'll likely ever own. Wicked, wicked edge. Super easy for kasumi finish. I know that's there's more to it. Rare and oh-so-special.
CONS: Extremely finicky - friggin huge, stupid thirsty, wildly muddy, smells weird, and has the same color of something my dog would cough up. Rare.

All-in-all, I'm super happy with the stones. I've got 3 very useful workhorses, each with their own specialties, plus one heck of an entertaining brick. Let me know if you want anymore detailed pics or have questions. If and when I open another mystery door with the 'big soft beast', I'll update this thread.

Some additional observations:
I'm not sure if this is a thing or not, and if it's confined to Morihei, but all the stones (except the izumi, obviously) were not very wide; all around ~55-60 mm. My thoughts are that they're cutting them to less width to preserve reserves. Not sure if that's a far assumption, but out of all the vendors I've shopped from, these were definitely the least wide. Depth is great (all over 60mm), though, so they make up for it. It's totally manageable, and nothing to be upset about, but just an interesting note.


Thanks for reading!

 

[Smashmasta]

Not sure why the aizu pics loaded as attachment links, but they still work.

 

[Badgertooth]

Massive sellers regret now about my Numata. @bluesteel is in for a treat. Great review Smash. FWIW that Tanaka is really great on naturals. You can really push the refinement with it.

 

[Smashmasta]

Massive sellers regret now about my Numata. @bluesteel is in for a treat. Great review Smash. FWIW that Tanaka is really great on naturals. You can really push the refinement with it.

Yeah, it's a good one. You'll get another one day. Don't kick too many players of team midgrit.

The Tanaka has been great. Great deal from MM.

 

[Badgertooth]

I must have posted between your first and second posts. That Aizu sounds very typical of its type. that is to say, very good. And your Izumi is truly a treat to read about, thank you!

 

[BlueSteel]

Massive sellers regret now about my Numata. @bluesteel is in for a treat. Great review Smash. FWIW that Tanaka is really great on naturals. You can really push the refinement with it.

Thank you, sir - I look forward to becoming the new guardian of the Numata, and to learning its traits through using it a bunch! If I should ever decide it is not for me, or I'm no longer making good use of it, I'll reach out to you first.

Cheers,
Blair