Cheers for that. Been much tempted by the Oul, as I really like their ginsan (Yamatsuka) range. Fit and finish are excellent and the sharpener (Maruyama) is obviously very talented - it’s a mid-heavyweight blade with a ridiculously thin edge that bites into the board. If anything I’ve hesitated because I suspect the Oul Tanaka may share some of the same slight downsides - the edge almost feels too thin/fragile and Maruyama‘s love of a defined shinogi line makes the wide-bevel transition a little less smooth that I’m accustomed to. Still would be tempted if the stainless-clad Hados make an appearance however.
Top Tanaka rank in my household is currently held by a Tsubaya Tanaka 240 that some heavy-handed Finn foolishly let go (love you
@IsoJ ). That FInnish fella may have found if too light, but by Tanaka standards it’s a heavy one, 220g+, Edge feels more robust, there’s a more buttery smoothed transition on the wide bevel and it carries a little more heft and authority.
The Yohei is intended as the lightweight comparison to the Tsubaya if anything. Looking forward to it
@iandustries - the Ginsan Suib does look very tempting too - but isn‘t it only one retailer (Bernal) that stocks it? Think the other ginsans are Nakagawa forged, which may not be a bad thing - between him and Yamatsuka they seem to have the ginsan expertise, I’d suggest buying both Ginsan Suiboko varieties and writing a detailed comparison for KKF, Seems only fair.