mkriggen
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When asked, I've always been willing to give my opinion on the knives and stones I've owned, but I've always avoided writing an actual review. My reason for this is simple, I just don't believe that my level experience and expertise qualifies me to do so. I decided that I'd make an exception in this case because I've just been so impressed by this knife.
Masakage Yuki 240 Gyuto
Specs:
OAL- 450mm
Handle to tip- 260mm
Heel to tip- 242mm
Height at heel- 52mm
Spine thickness- Starts out kinda thick at the handle, but quickly tapers down to less than 2mm.
Weight- 183.5g
Balance point- 41mm forward of the heel
Steel- Stainless clad white#2
Claimed Hardness- 61/63
Handle- Oval Ho wood with red pakka wood ferrule.
Fit and Finish:
For a sub-$200 240 gyuto, f&f is excellent through out.
The handle is a very simple oval, but the shaping is consistent, the body to ferrule joint is smooth all around, and most important of all (to me at least), it is mounted straight on the blade. The only other non-custom wa-gyutos I have ever received that had the handle mounted straight were my Gesshine Kagekiyo and a DT ITK.
While not rounded and polished, the edges of both the spine and choil are smooth and comfortable in a pinch grip. The wide bevels are visually consistent and slightly hollow ground, though I know from experience with this line that when the time comes to do some serious thinning the shinogi line will start to wander around. This is just a cosmetic issue, and in my opinion, perfectly acceptable for this type of finish and price point.
The only issue I have is with the heel itself. I think the curved profile of the choil adds to the comfort when using a pinch grip, but it results in a heel that is the sharpest, pointiest, man hating, knuckle stabbingest sonofabitch ever ground out on the friendly end of a knife blade. Helps keep you focused though, so I guess it ain't all bad.
Performance:
Just to be clear, this knife is straight out of the box. I haven't modified it in any way, and it has never touched the stones. I have stroped it a few times on newspaper and occasionally waved it lightly along a ceramic rod, but that's it. So how does it perform? Does it send onions screaming for their mothers when you just point it at them, like my Kagekiyo? No, of course not. But what it does do is chop through thick assed carrots with less (less meaning zero) wedging then my Takeda k-tip, slices potatoes with less sticking then my DT ITK, and generally just destroys any root veggie you want to put under it. In fact, not counting some customs that I haven't actually put in rotation yet (HHH, JMJ, Cris Anderson), this knife not only cuts better than any other gyuto I own except for the Gesshin Kagekiyo, I cuts better than any gyuto I have previously owned. And lets face it, the Kagekiyo kinda demands that you treat it nice, while this thing is a definite workhorse. I've never worried to much about balance, but it feels very natural in hand. It kinda reminds me of a good bicycle seat, you just really don't notice it.
Edge retention and sharpening:
White steel has a reputation of taking an incredible edge, and not holding it very long. Based on my other knives from this series, I will attest to the steel being easy to sharpen and taking a great edge. Based on not ever having had to sharpen this knife in the five months I've been using it, I'm thinking the edge retention is pretty good too. What's equally impressive is that they achieved this level of retention without sacrificing durability. Despite it being my go to knife for hard root veggies and being routinely steeled (with care and tenderness on a smooth ceramic rod, but steeled none the less), I've had no problems with chipping.
My only complaint, and it's really just the nature of the beast, is that the SS cladding is a ***** to thin. It's just soft and gummy and takes forever. Don't even try it with a medium grit stone, just go right for the 400 (or even better, the pink brick). Really shouldn't call that a complaint, it's more of a *****. Pretty much all soft SS cladding is like that.
Summery:
This knife is a true workhorse. There's nothing fancy about it, but what's there is put together with pride and attention to detail. The white #2 is easy to sharpen and takes as good an edge as you can give it. It has better edge retention than anything I've owned except for one knife in ZDP-189, and does it without chipping. And it does it all for under $200. I can't imagine a better cutter at this price point, but I know there are a lot of lesser ones for twice the money. It just ROCKS:viking:
Be well,
Mikey
Masakage Yuki 240 Gyuto
Specs:
OAL- 450mm
Handle to tip- 260mm
Heel to tip- 242mm
Height at heel- 52mm
Spine thickness- Starts out kinda thick at the handle, but quickly tapers down to less than 2mm.
Weight- 183.5g
Balance point- 41mm forward of the heel
Steel- Stainless clad white#2
Claimed Hardness- 61/63
Handle- Oval Ho wood with red pakka wood ferrule.
Fit and Finish:
For a sub-$200 240 gyuto, f&f is excellent through out.
The handle is a very simple oval, but the shaping is consistent, the body to ferrule joint is smooth all around, and most important of all (to me at least), it is mounted straight on the blade. The only other non-custom wa-gyutos I have ever received that had the handle mounted straight were my Gesshine Kagekiyo and a DT ITK.
While not rounded and polished, the edges of both the spine and choil are smooth and comfortable in a pinch grip. The wide bevels are visually consistent and slightly hollow ground, though I know from experience with this line that when the time comes to do some serious thinning the shinogi line will start to wander around. This is just a cosmetic issue, and in my opinion, perfectly acceptable for this type of finish and price point.
The only issue I have is with the heel itself. I think the curved profile of the choil adds to the comfort when using a pinch grip, but it results in a heel that is the sharpest, pointiest, man hating, knuckle stabbingest sonofabitch ever ground out on the friendly end of a knife blade. Helps keep you focused though, so I guess it ain't all bad.
Performance:
Just to be clear, this knife is straight out of the box. I haven't modified it in any way, and it has never touched the stones. I have stroped it a few times on newspaper and occasionally waved it lightly along a ceramic rod, but that's it. So how does it perform? Does it send onions screaming for their mothers when you just point it at them, like my Kagekiyo? No, of course not. But what it does do is chop through thick assed carrots with less (less meaning zero) wedging then my Takeda k-tip, slices potatoes with less sticking then my DT ITK, and generally just destroys any root veggie you want to put under it. In fact, not counting some customs that I haven't actually put in rotation yet (HHH, JMJ, Cris Anderson), this knife not only cuts better than any other gyuto I own except for the Gesshin Kagekiyo, I cuts better than any gyuto I have previously owned. And lets face it, the Kagekiyo kinda demands that you treat it nice, while this thing is a definite workhorse. I've never worried to much about balance, but it feels very natural in hand. It kinda reminds me of a good bicycle seat, you just really don't notice it.
Edge retention and sharpening:
White steel has a reputation of taking an incredible edge, and not holding it very long. Based on my other knives from this series, I will attest to the steel being easy to sharpen and taking a great edge. Based on not ever having had to sharpen this knife in the five months I've been using it, I'm thinking the edge retention is pretty good too. What's equally impressive is that they achieved this level of retention without sacrificing durability. Despite it being my go to knife for hard root veggies and being routinely steeled (with care and tenderness on a smooth ceramic rod, but steeled none the less), I've had no problems with chipping.
My only complaint, and it's really just the nature of the beast, is that the SS cladding is a ***** to thin. It's just soft and gummy and takes forever. Don't even try it with a medium grit stone, just go right for the 400 (or even better, the pink brick). Really shouldn't call that a complaint, it's more of a *****. Pretty much all soft SS cladding is like that.
Summery:
This knife is a true workhorse. There's nothing fancy about it, but what's there is put together with pride and attention to detail. The white #2 is easy to sharpen and takes as good an edge as you can give it. It has better edge retention than anything I've owned except for one knife in ZDP-189, and does it without chipping. And it does it all for under $200. I can't imagine a better cutter at this price point, but I know there are a lot of lesser ones for twice the money. It just ROCKS:viking:
Be well,
Mikey