suji - custom or not

[ricardocassiano78]

I want to buy a sujihiki (Damascus if possible).
First, my plan was to buy one from JKI or Tosho. But I was thinking: should I get a custom one? I know they are more expensive, but...
Two questions:
1) Are they better?
2) Which maker should I choose: Devin, HHH, Marko, etc...
Thank you

 

[banjo1071]

Customs are better, because
-usually makers put more of an effort into them
-uses better material
-they are tailored to your specific need and wishes

Damasus: not so much

For the three makers i would say: its a question of personal taste and budget, since these are more or less on par.

 

[banjo1071]

they come at a price, though. You can find very decent knifes at a fracture af the price of a custom...

 

[chinacats]

Would you know exactly what you would ask for in a custom? If not, you should buy a couple until you figure out what you like and then order a custom that will fill any voids you find in off the shelf knives. I don't use a suji myself and would have no idea what to ask for in a custom.

 

[wind88]

Would you know exactly what you would ask for in a custom? If not, you should buy a couple until you figure out what you like and then order a custom that will fill any voids you find in off the shelf knives. I don't use a suji myself and would have no idea what to ask for in a custom.

+1. I think custom is only worth it if you know exactly what you want in the knife and that cannot be fulfilled by off the shelf knives.

 

[daveb]

Plus another. I'm a suji fan and have um, a couple. I know which I like for different tasks. Don't know that I could describe what I want for a custom. And of course there's the availability question with customs.

I could describe it to a retailer/vendor though. Suggest you do the same. In addition to JKI and Tosho that you cited, suggest you check out Tadasuna from A Frames. My most frequently used suji is a 240 Inox that originally came from them.

 

[Chef Doom]

I say it's a waste of time depending on how many sujis you have. If you have 2 or more in various shapes and sizes from different makers, and you are a big fan of sujihikis in general, then I would say go for it. Otherwise, what would be the point?

 

[labor of love]

I had a custom suji once, it was a 270mm with a nice grind ground for a left handed user, the absolute perfect curvy suji profile and was 45mm tall(which is much taller than alot of sujis that size). I really regret letting it go because Im so particular about these things I will most likely eventually have to order another custom. Bottom line is if your tastes arent too particular or picky you probably dont need to go custom, but if you cant find what you want in production knives anywhere then dont settle for second best, custom might be the right decision for you.

 

[ricardocassiano78]

Thank you for all the advices.
To be honest, if I was to order a custom, I would only know that I don't want something too thin. It would be like a gyuto or a honesuki on the body of a suji.
It's something more to deal with cooked meat than raw meat. But I really like the suiji shape...
Probably I don't have enough knowledge to order a custom and that's why I love this forum: here I can get great advices from people much more experienced.