Requesting advice from users of sakimaru-takohiki's.

[Qapla']

Hi all,

I would like to request some advice from any of the forum's active users of sakimaru-takohiki's. Which ones are your favorites, and/or which do you consider most recommendable? (I'm aware that the forum consensus is that yanagiba's are the better all-around choice for single-bevel slicers, so there's no need for that point to be rehashed here.)

* Which profiles do you like most? I see seemingly dead-straight Masamoto's, seemingly minimally-curved Mizuno's, curvier ones like Gesshin's, or double-curved ones like the Furinkazan Ginsan.

* Which point designs do you prefer? I see a broader point on a Mizuno, while a smaller point on a Gesshin; pointier Masashi's and Choyo's, and rounder Suisin's.

* I've also seen sakimaru-yanagiba's and tsurugi-yanagiba's; do you have any experiences with them?

What I'm looking at:
Blade steel: Hitachi Blue or equivalent (i.e., if someone makes a recommendable one out of Takefu V-Toku or the like, I'm open to it). No damascus, and likely no honyaki.
Handle type: Magnolia octagonal, unless someone here convinces me that something else is more recommendable.

I am currently leaning towards a Mizuno as I like my Mizuno usuba, but would like to learn what you all consider most recommendable.

 

[hien]

sakimaru is harder to use unless you practice correct Japanese technique

I have honyaki mizuno sakimaru - ok to use
I tried my friend solid vg10 furinkan sakimaru, slightly more curve than mizuno - its my fav
I tried dead straight masamoto takohiki- hate it
I have ginsan jikko supper curve samimaru - dont like it because its wide bevel instead of fuguhiki profile

 

[Qapla']

sakimaru is harder to use unless you practice correct Japanese technique

I have honyaki mizuno sakimaru - ok to use
I tried my friend solid vg10 furinkan sakimaru, slightly more curve than mizuno - its my fav
I tried dead straight masamoto takohiki- hate it
I have ginsan jikko supper curve samimaru - dont like it because its wide bevel instead of fuguhiki profile

Thanks for this info!

You mention "correct Japanese technique"; how do you find the different geometries to work using takohiki-specific technique? (Other forumites have mentioned that the straighter blades of takohiki's allow for some methods, e.g. scoring-cuts, processing multiple clams at once, etc.; I'd be interested in hearing your experiences of takohiki-specific techniques.)

 

[refcast]

I would recommend the more curved takohikis, they're easier to use like a scimeter or yanagi kinda.

Dead straight ones are more tako cutting sepecialists, for the sawing cut motion for tako

 

[ethompson]

One thing to consider is that long term maintenance of a sakimaru will be more challenging than a yanagi or tako. Keeping the swept tip proportional and the yokote crisp is one of the hardest things you can do in terms of sharpening. You definitely won’t need to do anything with it often if the knife is well ground initially (not a given), but at some point you almost certainly will

 

[Se1ryu]

What do you want to use the knife for? Slicing neta and sashimi? Or anything else. I own sakimaru takobiki with a dead straight blade and it is harder to use for slicing fish than a Yanagiba. But when it comes to cutting block tuna, it's easier because the flat blade on the sakimaru takobiki is just like a tuna knife.