I have always cooked at home but took it up a notch around 2018 and became even more passionate during the pandemic, making nearly all my meals and taking on bigger kitchen projects for fun. By the end of 2020, my plastic-handled Dexter chef knife liberated from a college catering kitchen was no longer adequate. Some research led me to a MAC MTH-80, and a few months later I took the plunge into handmade Japanese knives.
Here’s where I’m at about two years later:
Quick thoughts on each, in the order I acquired them:
1. MAC MTH-80 gyuto - Rugged and dependable, easy to see why it’s popular among professionals. Was my only gyuto for two years of serious home cooking. Doesn’t get much use these days but still great for denser foods like cheese, or when I have guests around.
2. Masakage Koishi ko-bunka - I wanted a smaller knife to complement the MAC and fell down a YouTube rabbit hole of discovering Japanese knives. At the time I didn’t really know the difference between a ko-bunka vs a petty, or how rare it is to find Koishi in stock. Knifewear customer service recommended the k-b and I have zero regrets. I mostly use it for breaking down chickens these days, which would be slightly easier with a petty, but I have absolutely zero regrets.
3. Yu Kurosaki Fujin nakiri - As I learned more about knives, I fell in love with the Kurosaki story - young blacksmith, badass designs, etc. This was my first KKF purchase and I was so nervous negotiating and sending the money (how far I’ve come!). My aesthetic tastes have since shifted toward rustic finishes and this knife feels a bit sterile now, but I still love the performance. Feels surprisingly robust in-hand for how thin it is.
3. Takeda NAS medium gyuto - Sometimes I take out this knife just to look at it. Easily one of the coolest things I own. Geometry is a little wonky for my cutting style but I don’t even care.
4. Nigara Kurouchi Tsuchime kiritsuke - A semi-impulse buy last summer when it came up on BST at a great price, and it feels like their popularity has skyrocketed since then. An absolute blast to cut with, thicc and thin in all the right places. Also absolutely killer looks. Gets double duty as my best slicing option.
5. Fujiwara Denka gyuto - A grail purchase for me. Took a while to find a used example that was within my price range and didn’t need extra finishing work, but the reward is outrageous performance. Every task feels natural with this knife, like an extension of my hand. Totally lives up to the hype.
6. Moritaka AS kiritsuke - I’ve learned a ton from Knifewear’s YouTube and they rave so much about Moritaka that I had to try one. And now I get it. This thing slays veg like no other. Effortless to use and 210 kiritsuke is probably the best size/shape combo for me personally. I pulled the trigger when I saw a sweet deal but kinda regret not paying retail for the Ishime version since the look is pretty pedestrian.
7. Masashi Kokuen bunka - Another Knifewear fav that I wanted to experience. I’ve had it for about a month and I’m undecided. Fit+finish is immaculate and the cloudy SLD is cool. Razor sharp, maybe to a fault, because this thing is very, very thin - even among my laser-ish collection. Every time I use it I feel like I’m going to snap off the tip. Will give it more time to see if I get comfortable.
I’m proud of this collection, especially because I use them all regularly and haven’t yet made any purchases I regret. The last three are all recent additions and I’m not yet obsessed with any one specific next knife so I’ll probably enjoy what I’ve got for a while before buying more. That said, some medium-long term interests (some overlapping):
- Tinker Tank - I love unique shapes like Takeda, and also the combo of rustic aesthetics+premium finishing like Nigara. A Tank would check all those boxes. Plus, my lightweight collection could use some real muscle. Also interested in the Tinker Barracuda hokesuki, or even a Koutetsu just to try Shibata.
-Y. Tanaka - A hole in my knife knowledge, probably because he doesn’t come up much in Knifewear content. But I’d like to change that. Hado Sumi and Takada Suiboku have certainly caught my eye.
- Shirogami - Everything I own is either AS or R2, except one SLD. I’d like to sample the sharpness and reactivity of white steel, especially when I can rotate enough that edge retention isn’t a huge issue.
- A slicer - I don’t cook enough Big Meats to justify spending a lot on a suji, but would be very cool to have. Thinking 270mm and fully reactive for those blue patina vibes.
- Honesuki/Butchery petty - I break down a few chickens per month and, as mentioned above, my Koishi ko-bunka isn’t the ideal shape (although I’ve come to love it for this task). Eventually a honesuki or a skinny 150 petty would be a better fit.
- Fruit peeler - Nearly every day in the summer I try to peel a peach or a plum. As a home cook, this is one of the very few tasks I actually do in-hand instead of on the board, and I haven’t yet found the perfect knife. I think 75-100mm and very thin, similar shape to my trusty $6 Victorinox, possibly with a Western handle.
Thanks for indulging me if you made it this far. Any thoughts, questions or suggestions are welcome, and I’ll update here as I add more!
Here’s where I’m at about two years later:
Quick thoughts on each, in the order I acquired them:
1. MAC MTH-80 gyuto - Rugged and dependable, easy to see why it’s popular among professionals. Was my only gyuto for two years of serious home cooking. Doesn’t get much use these days but still great for denser foods like cheese, or when I have guests around.
2. Masakage Koishi ko-bunka - I wanted a smaller knife to complement the MAC and fell down a YouTube rabbit hole of discovering Japanese knives. At the time I didn’t really know the difference between a ko-bunka vs a petty, or how rare it is to find Koishi in stock. Knifewear customer service recommended the k-b and I have zero regrets. I mostly use it for breaking down chickens these days, which would be slightly easier with a petty, but I have absolutely zero regrets.
3. Yu Kurosaki Fujin nakiri - As I learned more about knives, I fell in love with the Kurosaki story - young blacksmith, badass designs, etc. This was my first KKF purchase and I was so nervous negotiating and sending the money (how far I’ve come!). My aesthetic tastes have since shifted toward rustic finishes and this knife feels a bit sterile now, but I still love the performance. Feels surprisingly robust in-hand for how thin it is.
3. Takeda NAS medium gyuto - Sometimes I take out this knife just to look at it. Easily one of the coolest things I own. Geometry is a little wonky for my cutting style but I don’t even care.
4. Nigara Kurouchi Tsuchime kiritsuke - A semi-impulse buy last summer when it came up on BST at a great price, and it feels like their popularity has skyrocketed since then. An absolute blast to cut with, thicc and thin in all the right places. Also absolutely killer looks. Gets double duty as my best slicing option.
5. Fujiwara Denka gyuto - A grail purchase for me. Took a while to find a used example that was within my price range and didn’t need extra finishing work, but the reward is outrageous performance. Every task feels natural with this knife, like an extension of my hand. Totally lives up to the hype.
6. Moritaka AS kiritsuke - I’ve learned a ton from Knifewear’s YouTube and they rave so much about Moritaka that I had to try one. And now I get it. This thing slays veg like no other. Effortless to use and 210 kiritsuke is probably the best size/shape combo for me personally. I pulled the trigger when I saw a sweet deal but kinda regret not paying retail for the Ishime version since the look is pretty pedestrian.
7. Masashi Kokuen bunka - Another Knifewear fav that I wanted to experience. I’ve had it for about a month and I’m undecided. Fit+finish is immaculate and the cloudy SLD is cool. Razor sharp, maybe to a fault, because this thing is very, very thin - even among my laser-ish collection. Every time I use it I feel like I’m going to snap off the tip. Will give it more time to see if I get comfortable.
I’m proud of this collection, especially because I use them all regularly and haven’t yet made any purchases I regret. The last three are all recent additions and I’m not yet obsessed with any one specific next knife so I’ll probably enjoy what I’ve got for a while before buying more. That said, some medium-long term interests (some overlapping):
- Tinker Tank - I love unique shapes like Takeda, and also the combo of rustic aesthetics+premium finishing like Nigara. A Tank would check all those boxes. Plus, my lightweight collection could use some real muscle. Also interested in the Tinker Barracuda hokesuki, or even a Koutetsu just to try Shibata.
-Y. Tanaka - A hole in my knife knowledge, probably because he doesn’t come up much in Knifewear content. But I’d like to change that. Hado Sumi and Takada Suiboku have certainly caught my eye.
- Shirogami - Everything I own is either AS or R2, except one SLD. I’d like to sample the sharpness and reactivity of white steel, especially when I can rotate enough that edge retention isn’t a huge issue.
- A slicer - I don’t cook enough Big Meats to justify spending a lot on a suji, but would be very cool to have. Thinking 270mm and fully reactive for those blue patina vibes.
- Honesuki/Butchery petty - I break down a few chickens per month and, as mentioned above, my Koishi ko-bunka isn’t the ideal shape (although I’ve come to love it for this task). Eventually a honesuki or a skinny 150 petty would be a better fit.
- Fruit peeler - Nearly every day in the summer I try to peel a peach or a plum. As a home cook, this is one of the very few tasks I actually do in-hand instead of on the board, and I haven’t yet found the perfect knife. I think 75-100mm and very thin, similar shape to my trusty $6 Victorinox, possibly with a Western handle.
Thanks for indulging me if you made it this far. Any thoughts, questions or suggestions are welcome, and I’ll update here as I add more!
