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Alexec

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 11, 2018
Messages
368
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What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Yanagiba

Are you right or left handed?
Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
270mm max

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
350$



I own a masamoto ks yabagiba which i do not like at all. I havent done a yanagiba research before so I do not know which kind of carbon works best. I have no personal preference as I work any carbon with satisfaction
 
What don’t you like about the KS? I can’t offer any useful advice or recommendations here but I’ve been on the hunt for one more or less in your price bracket. The KS is one of the ones I was looking at so I’m curious.
 
I dont know if that happened to other persons.
The handle on mine was rough and the application of the handle wasnt really a delicate job - i am not talking about the Masamotos charasteristic. I would skip those if they were only aesthetic but they annoy me
Other than that i cant comment for the steel since i didnt use it a lot.
 
I'm curious what different characteristics do people look for in different yanagiba aside from the obvious length and steel? I guess some are also finished better with more uniform grind.
 
fuzion said:
I'm curious what different characteristics do people look for in different yanagiba aside from the obvious length and steel? I guess some are also finished better with more uniform grind.
Click to expand...
What i said is that some handle mistakes wont let me use the yanagiba i own. Nothing less, nothing more.
 
Alexec said:
What i said is that some handle mistakes wont let me use the yanagiba i own. Nothing less, nothing more.
Click to expand...

Why not just replace the handle? That's going to be a lot cheaper then a whole new yanagi. Saying that in the $350 and under I'd probably get a sukenari or Watanabe if you wanted something more traditional
 
Godslayer said:
Why not just replace the handle? That's going to be a lot cheaper then a whole new yanagi. Saying that in the $350 and under I'd probably get a sukenari or Watanabe if you wanted something more traditional
Click to expand...
I would replace lots of handles but the shipping costs makes me feel thats not worth it
 
Godslayer said:
Why not just replace the handle? That's going to be a lot cheaper then a whole new yanagi. Saying that in the $350 and under I'd probably get a sukenari or Watanabe if you wanted something more traditional
Click to expand...
Have you used sukenari? You mean the blue2 version?
 
fuzion said:
I'm curious what different characteristics do people look for in different yanagiba aside from the obvious length and steel? I guess some are also finished better with more uniform grind.
Click to expand...

My question is a general question for everyone. I have used a few different yanagiba, but I wouldn't know how to describe the pros and cons other than the basic stuff I mentioned above.

If the handle is your only problem then wouldn't you just pick anything with a custom or upgraded handle? Or if you're adventurous and are worried about shipping the knife, just buy a handle and rehandle yourself.
 
fuzion said:
I'm curious what different characteristics do people look for in different yanagiba aside from the obvious length and steel? I guess some are also finished better with more uniform grind.
Click to expand...
One big thing is the quality of the grind on the ura side. Other than that grind issues in general end to be problems with cheaper single bevels (in terms of high and low spots). Also straightness.

But to the original post I also enjoy the Watanabe single bevel I own so I second Godslayer’s recommendation.
 
fuzion said:
My question is a general question for everyone. I have used a few different yanagiba, but I wouldn't know how to describe the pros and cons other than the basic stuff I mentioned above.

If the handle is your only problem then wouldn't you just pick anything with a custom or upgraded handle? Or if you're adventurous and are worried about shipping the knife, just buy a handle and rehandle yourself.
Click to expand...
Im not worried shipping. I find the export and import fees +handle fee+ application fee not worth it.
I dont know how to apply handles btw
 
OP where are you and who is doing the opening/initial sharpening?

If you're not in a major market or have access to a dealer,
and feel you need to send the knife to Japan or something,
I would understand some hesitancy to do minor repairs,

But handles are just hunks of wood and can be shaped
pretty easily with sandpaper and/or small files,
tangs can be sealed with beeswaxs, and wood can
be conditioned with mineral oil or cutting board butter, etc
 
HRC_64 said:
OP where are you and who is doing the opening/initial sharpening?

If you're not in a major market or have access to a dealer,
and feel you need to send the knife to Japan or something,
I would understand some hesitancy to do minor repairs,

But handles are just hunks of wood and can be shaped
pretty easily with sandpaper and/or small files,
tangs can be sealed with beeswaxs, and wood can
be conditioned with mineral oil or cutting board butter, etc
Click to expand...

Yeah that’s a good point. I’ve sanded a few rough handles with ferrule steps, sealed tangs, etc with really good results. It’s pretty easy to do
 
HRC_64 said:
OP where are you and who is doing the opening/initial sharpening?

If you're not in a major market or have access to a dealer,
and feel you need to send the knife to Japan or something,
I would understand some hesitancy to do minor repairs,

But handles are just hunks of wood and can be shaped
pretty easily with sandpaper and/or small files,
tangs can be sealed with beeswaxs, and wood can
be conditioned with mineral oil or cutting board butter, etc
Click to expand...
Im doind the sharpening. Im in Cyprus. Taxes hurt, shipping fees are quite expensive and most vendors dont even ship here, makes me pay an extra courier.
So how can I sand mine? Any chance i make it worst?
 
For a rough handle, or one that has steps between the wood and the ferrule I use 200-300 grit sandpaper. If it’s something really rough maybe start with 120. If you’re unsure about it, start with a higher grit. Just lay the sandpaper on something flat if your handle is octagon so you can line up against the flats of the handle and go slow. Unless you’re using a belt sander or something it’s pretty hard to screw up. 0000 steel wool to finish it up and you’re good to go.

There are a bunch of different ways to seal the wood if you want. I use tru-oil but some people use mineral oil, boiled linseed oil, cutting board conditioner, etc, or just nothing.
 
Alexec said:
Im doind the sharpening. Im in Cyprus. Taxes hurt, shipping fees are quite expensive and most vendors dont even ship here, makes me pay an extra courier.
So how can I sand mine? Any chance i make it worst?
Click to expand...
Is this your first ho wood (magnolia) handle? If it is, then it will feel and look unfinished, but it is intended to be that way. The roughness provides grip when wet. As for how it is installed, handles of this type are burned on - the tang is heated and forced into the handle cavity - rather than epoxied to the tang so that a fresh handle may be easily installed.
 
Pensacola Tiger said:
Is this your first ho wood (magnolia) handle? If it is, then it will feel and look unfinished, but it is intended to be that way. The roughness provides grip when wet. As for how it is installed, handles of this type are burned on - the tang is heated and forced into the handle cavity - rather than epoxied to the tang so that a fresh handle may be easily installed.
Click to expand...
No it is not my first
 
Jon-cal said:
For a rough handle, or one that has steps between the wood and the ferrule I use 200-300 grit sandpaper. If it’s something really rough maybe start with 120. If you’re unsure about it, start with a higher grit. Just lay the sandpaper on something flat if your handle is octagon so you can line up against the flats of the handle and go slow. Unless you’re using a belt sander or something it’s pretty hard to screw up. 0000 steel wool to finish it up and you’re good to go.

There are a bunch of different ways to seal the wood if you want. I use tru-oil but some people use mineral oil, boiled linseed oil, cutting board conditioner, etc, or just nothing.
Click to expand...
Will give it a try. Thanks very much
 
Time to get another yanagiba!
Are you working at a restaurant? or is it for home cooking?
 
I noticed there isn't big weight jump between 240 and 270 yanagi, much more so than 210 and 240, also 270 and 300. Is this fairly typical? Is there a wide range of weight and spine thickness between different makers for yanagi?
 
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