Takamura Hana or Tanaka SG2 wa-Gyuto

[Northernmonkey]

I had another thread which was a bit all over the place in terms of asking about three knives at once. I've since decided on not picking up a new Nakiri at the moment, as while my Tojiro DP is a bit rough and ready, it's doing the job fine. For the petty I might be picking up a Kato 150mm which will be my first carbon, i figured a petty is a good place to start with that.

I've narrowed my stainless wa-Gyuto choice down to the Takamura Hana and the Tanaka R2 but am seriously torn between them so was hoping to get some feedback on the blades.

Takamura Hana

Tanaka R2

I've filled out the form again below in case it helps with decision making, the Tanaka might involve customs charges which would suggest the takamura being a more reasonable purchase, but I've found far more ringing endorsements for the Tanaka on here than the Takamura (though neither seem particularly common purchases).


LOCATION
UK

KNIFE TYPE

Gyuto, 210mm

Are you right or left handed?

Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?

Japanese, wa-handle

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?

210mm (i think i'm happy and comfortable with 210 as a home chef. While I have a large kitchen and might get a 240 in the future, i'm going to stick with 210 at the moment).

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

Yes

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?

$450


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

At home

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)

Slicing and chopping vegetables, slicing meat. No bones, no fish

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

A Tojiro Senkou 180mm gyuto and a Tojiro DP 210mm gyuto

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)

Pinch and hammer when I get lazy

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Push cut, slice, draw, chop (I'll switch to the DP for walking/rocking on herbs)

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)

Lighter, better edge retention. I'd like to do more push cut and less slice/chopping motions, and a thinner blade seems to lend itself to that. While I rock/walk on herbs, i'll be using my DP for that rather than whichever of these I get.


KNIFE MAINTENANCE

I have a beech end-grain butcher's block.


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

Yes, with naniwa 'pro' stones, and i'm getting some additional synthetic stones from JNS. If anything goes seriously wrong then I'd send them to Greg at Wabocho for restoration.


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

I'd particularly welcome thoughts from anyone who's used both the Tanaka SG2 and Takamura Hana.

 

[XooMG]

The Takamura has a better profile IMO for push cutting, Tanaka might move through food with a little less drag from the etching. Handle is personal preference.

 

[Pensacola Tiger]

I've owned both a Takamura Hana and a Tanaka R2, though the Tanaka was a Western handle, not a wa-handle. The blades of both can be considered equal in edge retention. There is very little difference in the profiles - the differences in the photographs are primarily due to perspective. The blade of the Takamura is more highly polished than the Tanaka, which has a matte surface.

The biggest difference is in the handles.

The Takamura has a metal bolster/ferrule that is brazed/welded to the blade, and the handle itself is Pakkawood, permaently attached to the tang. It should be mentioned that the leading edge of this bolster/ferrule may be less comfortable to your fingers than a conventional horn or resin ferrule, at least I found that to be the case.

The Tanaka has a conventional wa-handle, burned in or epoxied to the tang. The Tanaka's ferrule and handle wood is going to vary according to the vendor - Chubo sells it with a walnut handle, Tosho with a rosewood one. If, at some point in the future you want to change the handle on your knife, the Takamura will have some major issues while the Tanaka will be a very easy task.

The Takamura is a relatively uncommon knife, so that is the reason you can't find many "ringing endorsements", though I have to caution you that trying to substitute someone's judgment for your own is a fool's errand. Best to search for reviews that focus more on objective evaluations rather than gushing praise.

Personally, I would lean toward the Tanaka, if for no other reason than the handle differences I've spoken to.

Rick

 

[XooMG]

The Tanaka 210 I played with had a pronounced curve to the spine and a taller heel, and the Takamura had a level spine and a heel section better in line with the handle. The Tanaka on Chubo look much less curved than the one I tried.

 

[Culverin]

I just got my Takamura Hana this week.
I too am coming up from a Tojiro DP 210.

I haven't really had a chance to put it through its paces quite yet.

Fit and finish is superb.
The integrated bolster is awesome. No nooks and crannies for stuff to grime up and get stuck in. Just rinse and go.

The knife is LIGHT. I got the 210mm and it's 159g. I already felt the Tojiro to be an acceptable weight, but this is so much lighter.
It's crazy thin. Actually a bit scared to damage it. The blade thickness is pretty even throughout until the tip.
I think it's a late distal taper, only at the last 15mm or so, but it's stupidly thin there.

The handle is feels very small in hand. I've got tiny hands and it's the perfect size.
I'm not sure if somebody with bigger hands would like it.


I'm over the moon with the performance of this knife.

 

[Northernmonkey]

The biggest difference is in the handles.

The Takamura has a metal bolster/ferrule that is brazed/welded to the blade, and the handle itself is Pakkawood, permaently attached to the tang. It should be mentioned that the leading edge of this bolster/ferrule may be less comfortable to your fingers than a conventional horn or resin ferrule, at least I found that to be the case.

The Tanaka has a conventional wa-handle, burned in or epoxied to the tang. The Tanaka's ferrule and handle wood is going to vary according to the vendor - Chubo sells it with a walnut handle, Tosho with a rosewood one. If, at some point in the future you want to change the handle on your knife, the Takamura will have some major issues while the Tanaka will be a very easy task.

I have some thoughts to getting a nicer handle next year, if Greg's workload eases for doing them, as it seems the US is blessed with a lot of handlemakers and Europe has a distinct deficit. So that's something for the Tanaka's benefit. I know I've seen replacements with a metal ferrule, but guess it makes it far more complicated or they're just not in that design.

Personally, I would lean toward the Tanaka, if for no other reason than the handle differences I've spoken to.

Rick

Thanks for taking so much time and effort over the response, really appreciate it.

Fit and finish is superb.
The integrated bolster is awesome. No nooks and crannies for stuff to grime up and get stuck in. Just rinse and go.

The knife is LIGHT. I got the 210mm and it's 159g. I already felt the Tojiro to be an acceptable weight, but this is so much lighter.
It's crazy thin. Actually a bit scared to damage it. The blade thickness is pretty even throughout until the tip.
I think it's a late distal taper, only at the last 15mm or so, but it's stupidly thin there.

The handle is feels very small in hand. I've got tiny hands and it's the perfect size.
I'm not sure if somebody with bigger hands would like it.


I'm over the moon with the performance of this knife.

And for you too, really appreciate the level of support and advice on here. Of course it's two somewhat opposed views on the ferrule aspect of the Takamura, so it doesn't make the decision that much easier but does swing it in another way.

Culverin do you pinch-grip, which I'm guessing is where Rick/Pensacola found the leading edge to be uncomfortable, that or I'm guessing it could be related to hand-size?

Many thanks again for the answers, if nothing else I know i'm on the right track with both of the knives.

 

[Culverin]

My primary use is a push-cut.
I pinch grip, and choke up quite high on the blade.
My middle finger is firmly against the choil (behind the heel of the blade) and only contacts the bolster at the bottom of the handle, at its widest point.

The Takamura Hana doesn't have a very rounded metal edges, this includes the spine, choile and the bolster.
That's my only tiny nitpick with this knife. I think maybe it ships like this so that people who want more bite will have it?
Afterall, you can round off the edges easily. But it's not like you can make them pointy again without a lot of work.

Perhaps this bite might be what Rick is referring to?

The first thing I usually do to my knives (and the ones I gift) is to grind down the spine and choil to round them off.
But I might sit on my new Takamura and see if I get used to the stock pointed edges.


Other than that, this knife is a thin narrow beast.

 

[Pensacola Tiger]

The Takamura Hana doesn't have a very rounded metal edges, this includes the spine, choile and the bolster.

Perhaps this bite might be what Rick is referring to?

Exactly.

 

[Northernmonkey]

I went ahead and ordered the Tanaka in the end. It was a chunk more than a Takamura Hana (or a Shiro Kamo which I had another brief dalliance with considering). One of the reassuring things of the BST thread on here is even if you don't like a knife, someone will buy it for a reasonable price so you won't end up too far out of pocket.

E: Thanks again for the help and advice.

 

[kevpenbanc]

Let us know what you think of it when you get it.

 

[jonnachang]

I have both,but like Rick my Tanaka R2 is western handled.The one thug that comes to mind is the Takamura handle is more "sanitation friendly "if that's an issue. I love both of them and I'm actually looking for a sujihiki from one of the above makers...Otherwise...Flip a coin!