Need a new bunka

[cheflife15]

Hope everyone had a great new year.

I have a friend looking for a new bunka.

We're located in the USA.

Size is from 165mm to 195mm.

Right handed

It would be used as an all purpose cutter, mini slicer, line knife.

Handle preference doesn't matter.

Wants to spend 350 to 500 (if it's spectacular)

Something with moderately high edge retention. He sharpens with Sharpton pro stones and knows how to sharpen.

He likes aesthetics.. the flashier the better.

Any custom makers in the 500 range?

Thanks I'm advance.

 

[Benuser]

Stainless or carbon steel?
Use at home?
Wondering about the use of a relatively wide blade as a slicer. People prefer for slicing proteins a narrow blade that causes less dragging.
Aesthetics and being flashy are IMHO almost contradictory. At least, it isn't clear to me what your friend is looking for.
Bunkas and santokus tend to end with damaged tips when used in forward slicing as in 'guillotine and glide'. The cause is in the flat profile and low tip, a kiritsuke‐tip making it even worse. They work well with push-cutting.
Before spending such a generous budget I would make sure a bunka is really the most appropriate for his actual use.
I wouldn't understand spending such an amount of money and considering a custom knife with such intrinsic limitations. Have your friend filling out the questionnaire. The "Which Knife Should I Buy?" Questionnaire - v2

 

[chefwp]

showing OOS at this vendor, but if you can find one of these I highly recommend it. I really enjoy using mine to change things up.
https://strata-portland.myshopify.c...persimmon-handle?_pos=18&_sid=4dde69560&_ss=r

 

[blokey]

Personally I’m very interested in the Hotaru Santoku sold by JKI, it have a bunka profile but listed as Santoku, the grind looks really good on the website. Email Jon after holidays and see if that fits your bill, Hotaru seems like a relative new maker, but JKI’s selection never failed me.
https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/hotaru/products/hotaru-180mm-sg2-wa-santoku
Edit: Sorry I misread the question, I whole hearted agree with Benuser here, Bunka or santoku are not top of the game at being all purpose knife.
If your friend has ruled out all other options then not many is flashier than Yu Kurosaki knives at their price point.
https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/kurosaki-knives/products/yu-kurosaki-r2-senko-bunka-165mm

 

[zizirex]

That Hotaru looks like a rebrand of Ogata of Takefu.
Ogata is one of the nicer grinds of all Takefu Maker, but if remember he didn't forge the knife, he just get the blanks already HT from the Takefu steel.

 

[blokey]

That Hotaru looks like a rebrand of Ogata of Takefu.
Ogata is one of the nicer grinds of all Takefu Maker, but if remember he didn't forge the knife, he just get the blanks already HT from the Takefu steel.

Very likely... Same is true for a lot of young makers/sharpeners of SG2/R2 blade, Kobayashi Kei does the same if I remember correctly, but the knife itself is great.