My Humble Knife Collection -- What Should Stay, What Should Go?

[Colonel Mustard]

is this vg10 or that cobalt thingy steel? or AS??

either way kurosaki makes very good knives. you will not be disappointed imo. i think he is underrated for what he does. i have 4 kurosakis myself. 3 R2 and 1 AS. with the older square hammered pattern. bad ass stuff.

I totally agree that he is underrated. Everytime I pick up his R2 gyuto (same square hammered pattern), I'm amazed at how well it cuts. I'm just afraid of how it will look when I thin it a bit to keep the geometry when sharpening.

 

[gman]

I totally agree that he is underrated. Everytime I pick up his R2 gyuto (same square hammered pattern), I'm amazed at how well it cuts. I'm just afraid of how it will look when I thin it a bit to keep the geometry when sharpening.

i've thinned mine quite a bit, and some of the hammer marks are now getting "eaten" by the bevel. a crisp shinogi is not really possible with this knife, but it never really had one to begin with, and that wouldn't suit the rustic/industrial aesthetic anyway.

 

[vlasena]

@fewlio, I would propose to keep only 3 knives, plus one backup:
-Shun Classic 8"
-Japanese petty knife
-Shun 3.5" paring knife
+victorinox for back up (to break frozen food)

My recommendation is probably a bit too radical, but hear my thoughts. Those 3 knives are my personal favourites based on the look. For me they are sufficient for any task in the kitchen. And, having only 3 knives would allow me to concetrate on what I like about them to figure out the upgrade path.

Originally I thought to offer Nakiri instead of Shun, but based on the pics in my personal opinion you do not maintain carbon knives well enough to go the patch of carbon knives. That is why stainless or seminstailess is a better option.

Once you live with those 3 or others at your discretion for 1 month and realize that it is fine, sell the rest and buy good sharpening stones, overall IMHO this would bring you more joy and more opportunities to really learn the knives, sharpening and get up there...

 

[fewlio]

I hear ya! actually my parents are the ones that abuse them. I always wash and dry after use, but they don't even though I told them. And my mom chipped my nakiri!! However no serious rust harm, a little vinegar or rust remover will remove any surface rust. Or, just cut a lot of tomatoes...that will do the trick as well lol

 

[LucasFur]

Fewlio,
You got just a total different way of looking at knives then myself.

Looking through your old posts ... i guess i would say get yourself some stones and maintain what you have ... rather than another knife.

But you like the kurosaki hammered styles ... so buy some. BUT eventually you'll get tired of those and want Konosuke Fujiyamas, or Watanabe's, or ________ then you'll want Honyaki, then Custom makers ....

Learn to maintain, and make your current knives perfect first. The better knife needs better care/ maintenance/ and skill of its user.
You should be at the point where sharpening takes mere minutes, creating an even microbevel is not even a thought. You can learn on any knife, might as well be the wustie rather then your future Kurosaki's.

-L

 

[fewlio]

I actually have some japanese stones but have yet to really get into it. I was getting good at sharpening swedish and german axes but that's a different style edge and I use a hockey puck sharpener for that. I'm just so busy farming and processing food all summer I don't really have time to learn the craft. Then in winter...there's not as much need to cut (or sharpen). I was thinking about getting one of those wusthof rebrands of the oregon belt grinders, as they have inserts for 20, 15, and 14 degree blades. But...I realize my Myabi prep, enso knives, and the kurosaki that's on its way are probably sharper (enso and miyabi are said to be 9-12 degree or something like that). So the belt grinder would actually reprofile their edge. So it wouldn't be a solution for my sharpest knives. I'll get into stone sharpening soon I'm sure, now that I have these super sharp japanese blades.

 

[LucasFur]

Again I think your missing the point.
Forget about 12-15degrees/ axes / and belt grinders. In the time you wrote that responce, you could have had a new edge.

Next winter .... get confortable enough to sharpen your knives in literally 2 minutes. Then you'll have sharp blades all summer, because when the're dull it's a literal 2 minutes.
Simple sharpening isn't much to learn, 1. make a burr 1 side, 2. burr other side. 3. Completely Remove burr.

Play with your cheapies until your ready to sharpen your new sharp expensive Japanese blades so you'll always have a benchmark to go back to. Youll be so much much more impressed with the japanese blades afterwards also.

Maybe you don't like me for saying all that, but it's how I view things.

 

[M1k3]

Again I think your missing the point.
Forget about 12-15degrees/ axes / and belt grinders. In the time you wrote that responce, you could have had a new edge.

Next winter .... get confortable enough to sharpen your knives in literally 2 minutes. Then you'll have sharp blades all summer, because when the're dull it's a literal 2 minutes.
Simple sharpening isn't much to learn, 1. make a burr 1 side, 2. burr other side. 3. Completely Remove burr.

Play with your cheapies until your ready to sharpen your new sharp expensive Japanese blades so you'll always have a benchmark to go back to. Youll be so much much more impressed with the japanese blades afterwards also.

Maybe you don't like me for saying all that, but it's how I view things.

And even quicker to not wait for the knife to be dull and just touch it up

 

[inferno]

Yeah I'm struck by the hammered patterns of Kurosaki's knives. He has several styles that all look really good. I was thinking of rounding out my arsenal with a 5" range prep knife. I have this 6" petty knife but it isn't perfect for board work as my fingers drag on the board a bit. Plus it's pretty long, it's basically a 6" chef's knife. Something a litter smaller or handier...I'm tempted to buy a Kurosaki prep to go with the Fujin gyoto. But I already ordered and don't want to pay shipping again. And this knife is 70 off at cutleryandmore...sg2 and has a lot of bling. To me, there is beauty in the understated simplicity of something like a Kurosaki, and there is beauty in bling too. Like greek and roman architecture, or japanese zen architecture, vs ornate gothic and victorian styles. Both are beautiful and enjoyable to me. Anyway this baby has sg2 core...something I've never tried. That's interesting! And they clearly were considering knuckle clearance in this design:

i have one of the small kurosakis in r2. i like it very much.
made a new handle too. masur and white g10.

 

[fewlio]

Wow those handles are amazing. Just gorgeous! Nice work there

i have one of the small kurosakis in r2. i like it very much.
made a new handle too. masur and white g10.

 

[inferno]

thanks. i think the upper one, ziricote/g10/masur is my best one so far. and as you can see masur birch can take on different colors when oiled. some get very dark and some very light.

 

[fewlio]

Well I've decided to take a working vacation this winter and check out the food and culture in Thailand! As per the advice in this thread, I have pulled my King 250,1000 and 6000 sharpening stones out of mothballs and I just ordered a Kramer bamboo sink stone bridge (which I think is very beautiful btw...) and a leather strop block with polishing compound. I also ordered some strap on rubber band style angle guides for the stones to help me out as a novice sharpener. I figured that outside of working in Thailand, I should have some time to work on my skills!

I've got a Messermeister 8 knife padded canvas knife roll that I bought a few years back. I've also purchased some bamboo magnetic knife sayas/sheaths for safer transport. But before I get too crazy, what is the procedure for getting knives to Thailand? Do I have them mailed to me after I arrive?

 

[parbaked]

But before I get too crazy, what is the procedure for getting knives to Thailand? Do I have them mailed to me after I arrive?

You take them with you in your checked luggage.

 

[fewlio]

You take them with you in your checked luggage.

thanks I appreciate the heads up. I've never flown before

I think I shall take: shun classic combination hone, my wusthof ikon as my sturdy western chef's knife, the kurosaki fujin gyoto, enso hd bunka, shun bread/utility (for bread, pineapples, maybe jackfruit??), miyabi prep, zwilling trimming pairing knife, yaxell dragon peeling paring knife, and my shun 3.5" classic paring knife. The sharpening supplies, and a 12" bamboo magnetic knife stand. I don't want to bring a lot of carbon steel as it's hot and muggy in Thailand.

 

[fewlio]

I got my Kurosaki Fujin!!! It's so cool! If God is struck by this knife, GOD will be CUT!!!

Japanny sent me lots of neat stuff! Question on this package:

The laser etched kanji on the Fujin knife: hand engraved, or computer/machine laser engraved??

The origami gift I received: handmade or machine made??

The thank you card I got from the asian beauty Tomoka: hand written or machine copy of original handwriting made to appear like it is hand written??

Japanese elm handle is somewhat shiny. Is this from fine sharp woodworking tools, or is there a finish applied? Will my knife handle accept oil treatment? Also, is this handle made by Kurosaki's shop or associates, or is this put on by Japanny?

 

[inferno]

the newer kurosakis are lazered. i have 2 of them. but 2 that are not.

 

[M1k3]

Does the handle feel hard, plastic like? Or still like wood, just a really smooth finish?

 

[fewlio]

Feels like wood...satin shiny. I've achieved this with very fine sandpaper so maybe it's just nicely sanded. I have a book on Japanese architecture and read that Japanese woodworkers can achieve this with sharp peeling tools.

 

[M1k3]

Then it's probably just a fine grit or Sharp tool finish and oil, more than likely.

 

[jaeysehn]

seeing as you're pretty interested in stainless knives, I'd highly recommend Takamura over Miyabi. the grind is much better for moving thru product. (thinner though so you'll have to be careful). some of the miyabi look nice, and the heat treat is decent, but they are much thicker behind the edge.

 

[fewlio]

seeing as you're pretty interested in stainless knives, I'd highly recommend Takamura over Miyabi. the grind is much better for moving thru product. (thinner though so you'll have to be careful). some of the miyabi look nice, and the heat treat is decent, but they are much thicker behind the edge.

You have any knowledge of zanmai MCUSTA? I got a recommendation from a knife expert once but have never seen in hand. Are they worth the price premium they seem to charge vs yaxell/enso, miyabi, tojiro?

 

[jaeysehn]

I'd pick takamura for stainless out of all the ones you mentioned. a lot of the knives you mentioned will be quite thick behind the edge. If you want a pretty knife that performs well, you can get a uchigumo takamura.

 

[jaeysehn]

also take everything anyone says with a grain of salt (myself included). "knife experts" don't necessarily provide the best info.

 

[inferno]

Will my knife handle accept oil treatment? Also, is this handle made by Kurosaki's shop or associates, or is this put on by Japanny?

if its already oiled you might have to sand it with fine sand paper to get your oil to soak in properly. a proper oiling process takes about 1 week for me with tung oil.

but you can just try to soak in some more oil. nothing to lose there really. i'm 99% sure it will soak up more oil if you want just as it is now.

ALL or almost all handles are bought from external suppliers by the manufacturers, all brands do this. the customer/retailer say what they want for their batch and then the manufacturer buys those handles and sell them that way.