Moritaka AS vs Shiro kamo AS vs Hinoura AS??

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HappyamateurDK

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Hi all.

A friend of mine has come to the point where he feels like trying carbon knives.

He's bin looking at 3 different knives and is asking for my opinion. The knives are following.

1. Moritaka AS 210 mm Gyuto.
2. Shiro Kamo Akuma 210 mm Gyuto AS
3. Mutsumi Hinoura 210 mm Gyuto in AS

The Moritaka and the Hinoura are similar priced, while the shiro kamo is about 30% cheaper.

I have never tried a Moritaka AS, only a Blue#2. And I honestly wasn't that impressed. Are there any major differences between there blue#2 and AS? Anyone who knows if the AS is stainless clad?

I own a Mutsumi Hinoura AS myself in 240. I love mine. Bit they do tend to be on the beafy/heavy side. And I'm not sure he would like that. It's a plus for him they are stainless clad.

I'm leaning towards recommending him trying the shiro Acuma. I just think shiro kamo's are often very good cutters for the price. Usually with a good heat treatment. Like the Hinoura it's also a plus it's stainless clad.

But what do you guys think? Am I missing any points? What would you choose?

Thanks 😊
 
I’ve got knives from all 3 and they’re all a solid pick. Kamo does stand out owing to the lower price of that line for the cutting quality and is the thinnest and lightest. I was worried about durability but that proved unfounded; never had a chip or deflection. Moritaka had some grind issues a few years ago but that seems to be a thing of the past; I’ve had 3 that were all good. They also have a good price point for working chefs, excellent steel and cutting performance. Of note is that it is not stainless clad and also the black finish does start to come off eventually.
 
Is this shortlist based on any specific preference in their profile, grind or cutting style or did he basically just look only for aogami super knives?
 
Jovidah said:
Is this shortlist based on any specific preference in their profile, grind or cutting style or did he basically just look only for aogami super knives?
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I guess he's focus on AS knives comes from the understanding that it's a pretty easy carbon steel to handle. Other then that I doubt he is deep enough down the rabbit hole to have any preferences on profile or grind.
 
I just got the 180mm Akuma bunka and I'm super pleased with it. It's thin and hard, cuts really well, and came with one of the better OOB edges I've seen. Obviously the choil from the bunka won't be a perfect comparison to the gyuto but Shiro Kamo is fairly consistent across lines for his tall and thin style. I also have his blue damascus (Tora) gyuto 210 from Cleancut and it's a wonderful cutter.

20221120_101525.jpg
 
SwampDonkey said:
I just got the 180mm Akuma bunka and I'm super pleased with it. It's thin and hard, cuts really well, and came with one of the better OOB edges I've seen. Obviously the choil from the bunka won't be a perfect comparison to the gyuto but Shiro Kamo is fairly consistent across lines for his tall and thin style. I also have his blue damascus (Tora) gyuto 210 from Cleancut and it's a wonderful cutter.

View attachment 210066
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Sounds good. How would you rate the finish on the knife?
 
HappyamateurDK said:
Sounds good. How would you rate the finish on the knife?
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The walnut handle is good quality and I love the coloring, the ferrule looks a bit more red in this pic than it does in person but it's a nice contrast without being too much. Clean install and lightly rounded choil/spine, if you're really particular about it the spine might need about 3 more passes of sandpaper but it's definitely not an issue for me. The stainless cladding is properly stainless, I forced a coffee patina and the cladding didn't take any color. On that note, the AS core took way longer to take the coffee patina than a Y. Kato AS I did the same with, so it's not very reactive. Just an interesting note, pic is pre-patina.

The kurouchi finish is very smooth to the touch, and it's a bit more grey than the dark black of some other makers. The pic shows the KU isn't perfectly even and painted-on looking, gives it a bit more rustic vibe but that's only in direct lighting and you can't feel any variations. Great bang for the buck.

20221120_101403.jpg
 
SwampDonkey said:
The walnut handle is good quality and I love the coloring, the ferrule looks a bit more red in this pic than it does in person but it's a nice contrast without being too much. Clean install and lightly rounded choil/spine, if you're really particular about it the spine might need about 3 more passes of sandpaper but it's definitely not an issue for me. The stainless cladding is properly stainless, I forced a coffee patina and the cladding didn't take any color. On that note, the AS core took way longer to take the coffee patina than a Y. Kato AS I did the same with, so it's not very reactive. Just an interesting note, pic is pre-patina.

The kurouchi finish is very smooth to the touch, and it's a bit more grey than the dark black of some other makers. The pic shows the KU isn't perfectly even and painted-on looking, gives it a bit more rustic vibe but that's only in direct lighting and you can't feel any variations. Great bang for the buck.

View attachment 210067
Click to expand...
Thanks a lot for some great info. He ended up buying the Shiro kamo. Looking forward to try it out 😊
 
Just a curiosity aren't Shiro Kamo hollow ground? And what's about the other two?
Can't say nothing about morikata, but read good things on hinoura, sure it's 30% more expensive then shiro kamo.
I never tried any of these maker but I''m curious to try AS before or later.
 
Gall0ne said:
Just a curiosity aren't Shiro Kamo hollow ground? And what's about the other two?
Can't say nothing about morikata, but read good things on hinoura, sure it's 30% more expensive then shiro kamo.
I never tried any of these maker but I''m curious to try AS before or later.
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I have a 210 R2 gyuto from him that’s convex. It’s circa 2021, not sure about his current work.
 
I wonder how this story ended @HappyamateurDK ?

I like my Moritakas a lot, owning Denkas hasn't hurt that.

But I'd make sure your friend wants iron cladding. If there is even a hint of uncertainty, I'd always go with stainless clad.
 
miggus said:
I wonder how this story ended @HappyamateurDK ?

I like my Moritakas a lot, owning Denkas hasn't hurt that.

But I'd make sure your friend wants iron cladding. If there is even a hint of uncertainty, I'd always go with stainless clad.
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Hey.

He bought the shiro kamo. So far he really like it. I tried it too, and I was so impressed with it I ended ordering one myself. Very nice knife for the money. Haven't sharpened it yet. But like it so far.
 
miggus said:
Ah, so you followed the mainline advice here and it went well - that's awesome to hear. Thanks for the feedback!
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Your welcome!

With the current trends the mainline thing to do. Would have bin buying a denka. And spending 2023 convincing ourselves it was worth the money 😊

But yes... We chose to listen to people's good experiences.
 
Haha, so true. I have two Denka nakiris with a Gyuto on the way. But with the recent modifications, my Moritaka Gyuto is doing so well that I might just leave it at that :D If you buy from the right smith, then there is incredible bang-for-the-buck options out there. Unlike Moritaka and TF, the Shiro Kamo even is awesome without a regrind :cool:
 
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