nakaya heiji

[spoiledbroth]

I was curious to know if anyone had purchased a Heiji directly from the maker? I was looking at their wa-gyuto as I wanted to try something a little thicker with a wa handle in 240mm.

Now, the price direct from Heiji is about 265CAD plus shipping, whereas a "comparable" (though my thinking is probably not actually comparable but it would be the same semi stainless knife and I'm assuming similar geometry/measurements) Gesshin Heiji.

Is the fit and finish super rough on stock Heijis?? I just don't really want to buy a lemon (direct from the maker) but lack the necessary funds to purchase from Jon, much as I would love to. Seems like kind of a shot in the dark.

I was also wondering if anyone could offer any comments on this knife, I suppose I wouldn't mind hearing comments on the Gesshin Heiji semi's too but I fear they're a very different beast from the stock knives... Is the steel reactive, and does anyone know what the steel actually is?

Thanks for your time. :clown:

 

[chefcomesback]

Use the search button or search in google and you can see the pros and cons of it along with few threads about direct purchases

 

[TheDispossessed]

Many here have ordered direct, many as well have bought gesshin heijis. I hesitate to get too deep into this but suffice it to say I believe Heiji has a very good overall reputation as a smith. JKI also has a sterling reputation as a vendor and I've been nothing but completely satisfied with the business I have done with them.
Are you likely to get a 'lemon' direct from the maker? I doubt it. If you want that order a Takeda.
The Heiji Semi-stainless is much loved in these parts. Based on my experience it is fairly reactive, but just the hagane, not the cladding.
I love love love really pure carbon steels so knowing he uses Iwasaki swedish I'd personally go for that. To me there's nothing quite so satisfying to sharpen, and subsequently use.
There's no clear answer on what exact semi-stainless heiji uses. I personally could give a damn. Give one cook filet and another beef tendon and you've got no guarantee which is gonna come out better. I'm a firm believer in the skill of the smith being paramount to the material used.
Happy searching
Matteo

 

[daveb]

I was curious to know if anyone had purchased a Heiji directly from the maker?

Buying direct from Heiiji (or other makers for that matter) is pretty well tread ground. Google is your friend.

I just don't really want to buy a lemon (direct from the maker) but lack the necessary funds to purchase from Jon, much as I would love to.

Heiiji is not an inexpensive nor entry level knife. Perhaps a Plan C is in order.

 

[Butters]

I bought a 'thin' Heiji and it was pretty rough. The faces had just been hit with a grinding wheel, not even sanded or polished. The edge had been done on natural stone and was hair popper sharp and the heat treat is A1. I've not chipped it and use it regularly. The grind was also dead flat, no concave/convexity at all. The burnt chestnut handle is great, better than every other stock handle I've seen (which is not many tbf). It's a great knife and I love it, but the blade f&f was not what I expected.

I hit the face with wet and dry 120 and 240 to polish out the grind marks and it looks good now, but it took a good four hours. Apparently the Gesshin models f&f and grinds are of a much higher standard ootb.

 

[Asteger]

Perhaps it's been that foreign buyers (99% of those here, I suppose) have depended on sellers to find J-makers and sort out purchases, but my feeling is you don't need to follow this path if you can buy direct. Proud, quality makers should also be proud quality sellers, and in Japan you're dealing with pretty honest people, obviously. Foreign sellers tend to offer better communication if that is a factor (though, not be necessarily so), some added convenience depending on where you are, and promises of better finish. However, you will pay less with direct sales, 'rough' spines and choils can easily be smoothed out if needed, and to me it's much more meaningful dealing directly from where they're made. Choose the way that makes you feel most comfortable, though, I guess.

 

[MrOli]

There is one coming my way in August. Heiji san was kind enough to accept making a 210 semi stainless Kiritsuke so I'll report on this.

Buying direct is always a bit of a gamble. Most of the time you will be satisfied but there is always the chance to get a below par knives that would have been avoided by going to a reputable vendor.

 

[oldcookie]

I have a 240 Carbon Gyuto coming in Sept/Oct, so will report when I get it. Takeishi san seem like a good guy though. Waiting is hard...

 

[krx927]

I just received from him 3 custom nakiris and one petty. I must say that that everything turned out perfectly!

The communication with him was perfect! He send all replies without any delay, we clearly defined the customization I wanted for the nakiris. At the end he send hand drawn picture of my future knives with all details. He also documented in great detail the custom engraving I needed for the knives. I was pretty impressed by his thoroughness in gathering specifications.

After 4 months when the knives arrived I was very happy about the end result. The F&F was quite good. The blades were finished nicely and I am completely satisfied with them (not even comparable with what Butters is writing). The burned chestnut handles are very nicely finished, the ferrule is fitting nicely - so everything great.

I only had 2 minor complaints:
On all 3 nakiris there is no seal between tang and handle. Quite a big issue as there was water getting inside the handle every time I was washing it. I need to seal this with some epoxy, still did not get around this. On the other hand petty was sealed. Go figure
One of the Nakiris had small chipping over entire cutting edge. Nothing one or two sharpening will not get out!

The OOTB sharpness on Nakiris was not that good, but that was just perfect for me as I ordered these knives for my small kids. Petty was a bit more sharp, but not properly sharp. I enjoyed taking it to the stones!

I can also confirm what TheDispossessed is saying, his semi stainless hagane is pretty reactive. Much more that my Akifusa SRS-15, Miyabi ZDP 189 and even Yoshikane SKD.

Here is a pic of one nakiri. You can notice that all edges of the nakiri profile are rounded. I did not want to have any sharp edges as these are knives for my kids

 

[spoiledbroth]

WoooOOoooW! Lucky kids you have :biggrin: Beautiful nakiri!

Thank you very much for your response. Does takeishi-san only do friction fit sayas?

MrOli can't wait to see pictures of your kiritsuke when it arrives. Is it a real kiritsuke or just a gyuto with a k-tip? just curious due to the length

thanks for the responses all!

 

[kpnv]

shipping, bank fees etc adds up and the price difference becomes a lot less than you think. also, JKI's knife comes with a saya and it's in stock which means less waiting. it's usually 3-5 months direct. so you should factor these into consideration. i bought mine direct but i live in australia. the f&f is generally good and the handle and saya are excellent. it shaves onions better than a brand new mandolin. mine's a 240 semi stainless suji that i used as a line slicer. i can't speak for the gyuto.

 

[havox07]

Though im pretty sure op said he was in Canada, with our **** exchange rate a knife from Jon ends up being over $600, plus is much more likely to be hit with taxes at the border.

 

[Ruso]

plus is much more likely to be hit with taxes at the border.

It will definitely be hit with such a price tag. What I like about buying overseas is that vendors are willing to "lie" about the package value, which makes it pass the customs with ease.
I always ask to put the value around 40CAD, this will insure clear path in 99.9%

 

[MrOli]

WoooOOoooW! Lucky kids you have :biggrin: Beautiful nakiri!

Thank you very much for your response. Does takeishi-san only do friction fit sayas?

MrOli can't wait to see pictures of your kiritsuke when it arrives. Is it a real kiritsuke or just a gyuto with a k-tip? just curious due to the length

thanks for the responses all!

It is a Kiritsuke Gyuto indeed.

 

[krx927]

It will definitely be hit with such a price tag. What I like about buying overseas is that vendors are willing to "lie" about the package value, which makes it pass the customs with ease.
I always ask to put the value around 40CAD, this will insure clear path in 99.9%

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

20 eur duties on 700 eur purchase (declared as 70 eur purchase) :thumbsup:

 

[ShaggySean]

Heiji marked mine down as the full value and said it was a gift Canada customs sent it through with no duty

 

[daveb]

Hey guys, Declaring a lesser value on a product to relieve or avoid duties is fraud and probably illegal. There would be insurance difficulty should said product be lost (It was worth $500, it was just declared as 3 bucks.) And it's a bit unfair to our sponsoring retailers to favorably compare companies that will enable fraud to those that won't.

I won't say it's not been done. I won't say I wouldn't accept it if offered. But I wouldn't talk about it here.

This comes up periodically and the forum has been quite clear that it's a non-starter.

Back to the OP's question or he'll have to start over.

 

[havox07]

I've had .....

 

[Ruso]

Hey guys, Declaring a lesser value on a product to relieve or avoid duties is fraud and probably illegal. There would be insurance difficulty should said product be lost (It was worth $500, it was just declared as 3 bucks.) And it's a bit unfair to our sponsoring retailers to favorably compare companies that will enable fraud to those that won't.

I won't say it's not been done. I won't say I wouldn't accept it if offered. But I wouldn't talk about it here.

I did not know ....