Raicho knives as lasers?

[josemartinlopez]

Has anyone tried Raicho knives? Someone suggested them to me as a new laser alternative.

Sample link from Coutelier: Raicho | VG-10 | Petty 120mm

 

[kingdingelling]

Had a Kei Kobayashi SG2 Gyuto for a few month. A really great cutting laser! Couldn't find out if they are in relation...

 

[Tim Rowland]

Spend $200 on a vg-10 petty with a pakka wood handle?

......So I have a few bridges for sale in the Florida Keys.

 

[EShin]

I held the 240mm Gyuto in my hands a few months ago, but didn't actually use one. However, I can assure you that they are well-produced, light lasers made by the relative young (40) blacksmith Hiroki Kobayashi in Seki, Gifu Prefecture. He has a homepage which is completely in Japanese, but you might find the pictures of the different knives interesting anyway: 株式会社　礼頂　｜　こだわりの包丁
Kei Kobayashi is a different blacksmith, but also from Seki and born in 1977, so given the place, name and birthdate, I would speculate they're brothers?

 

[josemartinlopez]

Thanks, what made you say they are well produced and how do they compare to other lasers?

 

[EShin]

He has worked as a sharpener for many years, and it struck me as obvious that he puts lots of efforts into fit & finish - nothing fancy, but a flawless finish in all aspects (including a very beautiful box that the knives come in, but this is just a small plus alpha).
How do they compare to other lasers? Depends on what kind of laser you want to compare it to exactly, but they're not super thin lasers, but should be able to take a beating - although I don't know about chipping. Btw, completely forgot to mention that the ones I saw were R2 and not VG10...

 

[josemartinlopez]

Thanks, able to comment on the treatment of the actual blade or blacksmith?

 

[EShin]

As I said, I haven't actually used or sharpened one of his blades so I don't know. The only thing I can say is he decided to forge the knives all by himself.