It's been a while since I posted anything in this thread, so I guess can share few shots of custom Cris Anderson 200mm gyuto that arrived few days ago.
Honyaki blade is made from W2 (not to confuse with white#2). Hamon is pretty crazy on this one, but I was too lazy to clean patina, so check
Cris picture on Fb (Ferry's gyuto on the left, mine on the right).
I asked for a less flashy handle design, so we ended up with Bog Oak and 165 years old iron spacer. With pinch grip that new handle style feels just like a normal WA handle in hand, but IMO looks much better.
This one and Ferry's gyuto are what Cris called 'extra-heavy' models with thick spine and very aggressive tapering.
Not sure what I like more, the saya or the knife itself. The simple design and great execution of that saya makes me using it all the times, instead of just putting the knife on magnetic rack and throwing saya on the shelf.
And a family shot with a smaller blade that I got from Cris earlier, but haven't yet made a handle (hence no patina on it).
One of the best knives I've had or tried.