Takamura chromax alternative

[MrHiggins]

What country are you in?

USA


KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in?

210 Gyuto

Are you right or left handed?

Righty

Are you interested in a Western handle?

Yes, I'd prefer Western.

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)

Stainless or stainless clad.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?

$200

KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

Home

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

Takamura chromax

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use?

Hammer.

What cutting motions do you primarily use?

Rocking, slicing.

Edge Retention?

Looking for good edge retention.

KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)

Synthetic.

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)

Yes, infrequently.


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

I bought my coworkers all takamura chromax gyutos for Christmas a few years ago. They were a huge success. Now, one of those coworkers wants to buy one for his son. This particular knife is out of stock, so I want to find an alternative.

Has anyone tried JCK's CarboNext?

 

[gentiscid]

JCK Deep Impact

 

[Benuser]

When kept thin enough behind the edge, it can greatly perform with a conservative edge which holds very well on a poly board.

 

[MrHiggins]

JCK Deep Impact

I know! But out of stock in 210.

 

[Benuser]

Ask Mr Iwahara. koki at kencrest.us

 

[Jovidah]

I never owned or held a Chromax, but I do own a Takamura R2 which I think is fairly similar... comparing those two:

-In general they're honestly very different blades in character; the Takamura is more of a delicate hotrod compared to the Carbonext that's more of a boring sturdy Toyota
-The Takamura is very thin - to the point of being flimsy, and definitly a lot thinner behind the edge; its a true laser... CN is not.
-But as a result it's also delicate, feels almost like a toy, and has a 'soft' almost springy feeling to it (probably also due to sanmai construction)
-The Carbonext is sturdier and stiffer, but also noticably thicker behind the edge out of the box... you'd have to do a lot of thinning before you reach the same performance level as the Takamura
-Though F&F on spine and choil is equally lacking on both (both are sharp), the handles are a bit fancier on the Takamura. Not that the Carbonext is bad, but they're just plain old dull black pakkawood, compared to the glossier ones on the Takamura, that also go around the whole tang on the bottom. CN handles are a little bit bulkier though.
-Keep in mind that the 210 Carbonext, like a lot of Seki knives has relatively low blade height...43-44mm, where you'll get something like 46mm on the Takamura.

 

[MrHiggins]

I never owned or held a Chromax, but I do own a Takamura R2 which I think is fairly similar... comparing those two:

-In general they're honestly very different blades in character; the Takamura is more of a delicate hotrod compared to the Carbonext that's more of a boring sturdy Toyota
-The Takamura is very thin - to the point of being flimsy, and definitly a lot thinner behind the edge; its a true laser... CN is not.
-But as a result it's also delicate, feels almost like a toy, and has a 'soft' almost springy feeling to it (probably also due to sanmai construction)
-The Carbonext is sturdier and stiffer, but also noticably thicker behind the edge out of the box... you'd have to do a lot of thinning before you reach the same performance level as the Takamura
-Though F&F on spine and choil is equally lacking on both (both are sharp), the handles are a bit fancier on the Takamura. Not that the Carbonext is bad, but they're just plain old dull black pakkawood, compared to the glossier ones on the Takamura, that also go around the whole tang on the bottom. CN handles are a little bit bulkier though.
-Keep in mind that the 210 Carbonext, like a lot of Seki knives has relatively low blade height...43-44mm, where you'll get something like 46mm on the Takamura.

Thanks for that. Very helpful. Because this knife will be for a neophyte, your description of the R2 makes it sound too fragile.

Your description of the CarboNext makes it sound like it won't be impressive enough.

Any other suggestions? Are there any western stainless Ashi 210s in stock somewhere?

 

[Jovidah]

Ashi 210 has a similar issue with very low blade height... it's usually advertised as only 42 mm. They also run short though so you could go for a 240 on those; Bluewayjapan has one of those in store right now. Don't know about other stores in the US.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/385242657194?hash=item59b24071aa:g:bPMAAOSwTXRjeNkK
FWIW like some other Seki knives the Carbonext the 240 is a lot taller (~50mm), so very different compared to the 210, but most of the rest still applies.

 

[Jovidah]

Also perhaps worth having a look if you're looking for western handle but not too boring; Suisin inox premium series, available from Miura Knives:
search

0 clue how they perform though and I wasn't able to dig up any reviews..but they look like they're pretty thin and from what I've dug up they're at least some sort of Swedish steel at 61 HRC. Micarta handles make it at least a bit more interesting than most other 'standard' yo-handles, but you'd be taking a bit of a blind gamble.

 

[gentiscid]

Ashi has low HRC compared to Chromax

 

[M1k3]

JCK Deep Impact can have some "wow" factor. Carbon steel core, stainless cladding and wavy lamination line.

 

[MrHiggins]

Also perhaps worth having a look if you're looking for western handle but not too boring; Suisin inox premium series, available from Miura Knives:
search

0 clue how they perform though and I wasn't able to dig up any reviews..but they look like they're pretty thin and from what I've dug up they're at least some sort of Swedish steel at 61 HRC. Micarta handles make it at least a bit more interesting than most other 'standard' yo-handles, but you'd be taking a bit of a blind gamble.

I like the look of that Suisin. Thanks!

 

[gentiscid]

View attachment 209235

JCK Deep Impact can have some "wow" factor. Carbon steel core, stainless cladding and wavy lamination line.

Its in my list for a 180 mm to put between my 150 petty and 210 gyuto

 

[MrHiggins]

JCK Deep Impact can have some "wow" factor. Carbon steel core, stainless cladding and wavy lamination line.

I know! It was my first choice before I started this thread, but it's out of stock in 210. Heart breaker!

 

[MrHiggins]

Ashi has low HRC compared to Chromax

Yeah, I had a stainless Ashi petty once and wasn't that impressed with the steel (I never felt like I could get it as sharp as I wanted), but figured it would be ok for a novice.

 

[M1k3]

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/products/ikazuchi-210mm-stainless-clad-blue-super-wa-gyuto

 

[MrHiggins]

Also perhaps worth having a look if you're looking for western handle but not too boring; Suisin inox premium series, available from Miura Knives:
search

0 clue how they perform though and I wasn't able to dig up any reviews..but they look like they're pretty thin and from what I've dug up they're at least some sort of Swedish steel at 61 HRC. Micarta handles make it at least a bit more interesting than most other 'standard' yo-handles, but you'd be taking a bit of a blind gamble.

I ordered the Suisin, so I'll let you know how they look when they arrive!