The collection

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A few sales,an update to the sold list:
ZKramer Carbon 8" - never felt right in the hand
ZKramer Carbon 10" - because someone asked nicely
Kono GS 240 - too lasery at the length for what I wanted
Kotetsu 180 Bunka - too thin at the edge for general use in my kitchen
Takeda Large NAS Nakiri - too much belly
Kaeru Stainless 210 Gyuto - just needed to make room for other stuff
Miyabi Birchwood 8" Chefs - balance point too far back
Miyabi Black 7" Santoku - wedged really bad, didn't want to try thinning
Zwilling Diplome 8" - balance point too far back
ZKramer Essential 10" - as I regretted selling the ZKramer 10" Carbon (and can't buy one in Canada anymore), tried to relive the experience with this and it just wasn't the same.
Mazaki 170 Nakiri - really nice knife, just the one that finally told me that I'm not really a nakiri guy
TF 150 Nashiji petty - nice knife, but role got replaced by the Victorinox boning knife
Misono 190 Swedish Carbon Lefty - balance point too far back
CCK 1103 - figured I'd focus my technique on gyutos at the time
Kono HD2 240 - after liking the 210 wanted to try - didn't like the balance.
Devin Thomas AEB-L 220 - Beautiful knife, but too much money in one blade for my day to day use. Was afraid to damage the ultra thin tip
Dalman Warikomi 230 - Longer/tall than I wanted, and budget said it had to go.
Konosuke Fujiyama FM 210 White 2 - Traded. Just like other Konosuke's more.
Konosuke HD2 210 - Traded. Other Konos just exceeded it
Konosuke YS-M 210 - Just pulled the MM off the rack more, and for mental health was cleaning up the collection
Shigefusa Kuro 165 Santoku - was thick and didn't want to try and thin it
Hitohira Kikuchiyo x Ren 180 Santoku - handle too big for my liking
Moritaka 240 B#2 Gyuto - bought for a 240, and replaced by a Kono MM
Kagekiyo 240 W#2 K-Tip Gyuto - traded for it, nice enough but just didn't gel with me.
S Tanaka R2 210 Gyuto - obtained in a trade, didn't like the balance of it right out of the box.
Toyama 180 Nakiri - really well put together knife. It lost out to a 230, but it was a close comparison.
Dalman 210 Honyaki - Just a few small things kept this from being a keeper.
Kono 210 Tetsujin - Too much like the MM out of the box, didn't even try a cut.
Muteki 143 Petty - really nicely made knife, just didn't jive with the balance point
Takamura 210 Chromax gyuto - too thin of spine.
Kono Madei Sumiiro 170 Bunka - surprisingly the profile didn't agree with me
Hitohira Togashi Migaki White 1 240 Gyuto - was going to be a bit of a project knife (needed thinning and a new handle) and got bumped by a new knife the next day.
Sabatier Nogent 8" - just decided I wasn't going to use it.
Markin 210 Rex121 Gyuto - stunning knife, just needed make budget room.
Konosuke HD2 180 petty - wicked little knife that just wasn’t for me. Not a petty guy
Konosuke MM B#2 270 - everything great about a MM, just too long for my kitchen.
Raquin 200 - impulse buy. Sold as I needed the budget more.
Shigefusa 240 Kasumi gyuto - nice knife, but not quite what I wanted
MCX Spåre 230 26c3 differentially hardened gyuto - sweet knife at a wonderfully price. Too forward balanced. Ordered something else from Fredrik
Myojin SG2 240 - Was hoping for a stainless MM and this wasn't quite it.
Takada Blue 1 Suiboku 180 Nakiri - Great litte nakiri, just lighter than I liked in a square blade.
Kamon 225 Massdrop - Excellent built knife. Just something about the balance in hand felt a bit off for me, so sold to have budget for other knives
ZKramer Damascus Nakiri - Homebutcher sale made me try it. Nice enough, but not enough to keep
JNS Kaeru 270 Stainless Suji - just felt too light in my hands, was never really happy with it.
Takada 210 Gyuto Ginsan Suiboku - stunning knife, just got "one in, one out" hit by a ShiHan.
TF Denka 165 nakiri: returned to retailer as there was a bend in the blade
Jiro 225 gyuto - returned to vendor before it even shipped. Hadn't realized the weight and knew it's wasn't going to be my thing.
Ittetsu Tall Nakiri - baby cleaver in weight but nakiri handle, wanted to use a cleaver grip, but couldnt due to the neck on the handle
Kono W#1 195 Nakiri - beautiful knife, but I'm a lefty and this was righty ground
MSicard 52100 180 Lefty Nakiri - modelled on the Kono nakiri, nice knife but I flip between between being a nakiri guy and not, and I'm not one at the moment
Spåre 230 Coreless Damascus gyuto - stunning gorgeous knife, just the wrong dimension for me (was oversize and I prefer under)
CCK1303 - bought for All Rectangle March, sold almost immediately due to the stress it caused me.
DaoVua V3 Cleaver - bought for All Rectangle March, PIF'ed almost immediately due to the stress it caused me
Konosuke HD2 240 - bought it as a semi-project, realized it wasn't going to happen and moved it on
Konosuke MM 210 Blue 2 - in the plan of the collection, I needed to only have on MM, so the 210 was sold in preference to the 240
Raquin KT 225 - hard one to sell as the knife was near perfect, but was never use as the KT grind was not my preference.
 
I should probably list what I actually have right now (will take a pic later)
Japanese:
210 - Sakai Kikumori Nakagawa W#1
225 - Hitohira Tanaka x Yohei B1 Damascus (I'm counting this as a 225 even though it was sold as a 240. Edge length is 218 so it is short even by Sakai 240 standards)
240 - Kono MM B#2
Western
210 - Shihan A2
240 - MCX Spare Apex Ultra, Kippington Laser Pony
Zkramer 10" Carbon which I consider my beater.

As I work down to a small curated collection, decisions get tough. Both the Raquin and Kono MM 210 were tough sells. The MM I sort-of knew was going to go for a while - when I got the Shihan I almost sold it (as that was the plan). The Raquin had been a tough sell as it was such a nice knife.
 
Only over a month late on the pic. With the high humidity here lately l decided I should take stuff out that wasn't active and check for rust.
20230804_093013.jpg


The Nakagawa is up for sale, I've got one in-bound and I'm on the books for another.
 
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Seems like the Kramer is holding its own against a lot of top-end knives. :)

Is it your beater? Was it professionally thinned?
 
I do treat my Kramer as my beater. It still has it's original grind, so it is a bit beastly. As my first good carbon, I do have a soft spot for it, but I do feel it is a performer. It would likely get more regular use but it is a heavy boy (300g).
 
Yet another update :)
ZKramer Carbon 8" - never felt right in the hand
ZKramer Carbon 10" - because someone asked nicely
Kono GS 240 - too lasery at the length for what I wanted
Kotetsu 180 Bunka - too thin at the edge for general use in my kitchen
Takeda Large NAS Nakiri - too much belly
Kaeru Stainless 210 Gyuto - just needed to make room for other stuff
Miyabi Birchwood 8" Chefs - balance point too far back
Miyabi Black 7" Santoku - wedged really bad, didn't want to try thinning
Zwilling Diplome 8" - balance point too far back
ZKramer Essential 10" - as I regretted selling the ZKramer 10" Carbon (and can't buy one in Canada anymore), tried to relive the experience with this and it just wasn't the same.
Mazaki 170 Nakiri - really nice knife, just the one that finally told me that I'm not really a nakiri guy
TF 150 Nashiji petty - nice knife, but role got replaced by the Victorinox boning knife
Misono 190 Swedish Carbon Lefty - balance point too far back
CCK 1103 - figured I'd focus my technique on gyutos at the time
Kono HD2 240 - after liking the 210 wanted to try - didn't like the balance.
Devin Thomas AEB-L 220 - Beautiful knife, but too much money in one blade for my day to day use. Was afraid to damage the ultra thin tip
Dalman Warikomi 230 - Longer/tall than I wanted, and budget said it had to go.
Konosuke Fujiyama FM 210 White 2 - Traded. Just like other Konosuke's more.
Konosuke HD2 210 - Traded. Other Konos just exceeded it
Konosuke YS-M 210 - Just pulled the MM off the rack more, and for mental health was cleaning up the collection
Shigefusa Kuro 165 Santoku - was thick and didn't want to try and thin it
Hitohira Kikuchiyo x Ren 180 Santoku - handle too big for my liking
Moritaka 240 B#2 Gyuto - bought for a 240, and replaced by a Kono MM
Kagekiyo 240 W#2 K-Tip Gyuto - traded for it, nice enough but just didn't gel with me.
S Tanaka R2 210 Gyuto - obtained in a trade, didn't like the balance of it right out of the box.
Toyama 180 Nakiri - really well put together knife. It lost out to a 230, but it was a close comparison.
Dalman 210 Honyaki - Just a few small things kept this from being a keeper.
Kono 210 Tetsujin - Too much like the MM out of the box, didn't even try a cut.
Muteki 143 Petty - really nicely made knife, just didn't jive with the balance point
Takamura 210 Chromax gyuto - too thin of spine.
Kono Madei Sumiiro 170 Bunka - surprisingly the profile didn't agree with me
Hitohira Togashi Migaki White 1 240 Gyuto - was going to be a bit of a project knife (needed thinning and a new handle) and got bumped by a new knife the next day.
Sabatier Nogent 8" - just decided I wasn't going to use it.
Markin 210 Rex121 Gyuto - stunning knife, just needed make budget room.
Konosuke HD2 180 petty - wicked little knife that just wasn’t for me. Not a petty guy
Konosuke MM B#2 270 - everything great about a MM, just too long for my kitchen.
Raquin 200 - impulse buy. Sold as I needed the budget more.
Shigefusa 240 Kasumi gyuto - nice knife, but not quite what I wanted
MCX Spåre 230 26c3 differentially hardened gyuto - sweet knife at a wonderfully price. Too forward balanced. Ordered something else from Fredrik
Myojin SG2 240 - Was hoping for a stainless MM and this wasn't quite it.
Takada Blue 1 Suiboku 180 Nakiri - Great litte nakiri, just lighter than I liked in a square blade.
Kamon 225 Massdrop - Excellent built knife. Just something about the balance in hand felt a bit off for me, so sold to have budget for other knives
ZKramer Damascus Nakiri - Homebutcher sale made me try it. Nice enough, but not enough to keep
JNS Kaeru 270 Stainless Suji - just felt too light in my hands, was never really happy with it.
Takada 210 Gyuto Ginsan Suiboku - stunning knife, just got "one in, one out" hit by a ShiHan.
TF Denka 165 nakiri: returned to retailer as there was a bend in the blade
Jiro 225 gyuto - returned to vendor before it even shipped. Hadn't realized the weight and knew it's wasn't going to be my thing.
Ittetsu Tall Nakiri - baby cleaver in weight but nakiri handle, wanted to use a cleaver grip, but couldnt due to the neck on the handle
Kono W#1 195 Nakiri - beautiful knife, but I'm a lefty and this was righty ground
MSicard 52100 180 Lefty Nakiri - modelled on the Kono nakiri, nice knife but I flip between between being a nakiri guy and not, and I'm not one at the moment
Spåre 230 Coreless Damascus gyuto - stunning gorgeous knife, just the wrong dimension for me (was oversize and I prefer under)
CCK1303 - bought for All Rectangle March, sold almost immediately due to the stress it caused me.
DaoVua V3 Cleaver - bought for All Rectangle March, PIF'ed almost immediately due to the stress it caused me
Konosuke HD2 240 - bought it as a semi-project, realized it wasn't going to happen and moved it on
Konosuke MM 210 Blue 2 - in the plan of the collection, I needed to only have on MM, so the 210 was sold in preference to the 240
Raquin KT 225 - hard one to sell as the knife was near perfect, but was never use as the KT grind was not my preference.
Kippington 240 Lefty Laser Pony - was just too big for my kitchen. Really stunning knife and was graced with a smaller replacement
 
Just so you're aware, you could start your own collection thread in this gallery subforum.
Ah thank you! I can't believe I hijacked someone's topic. Please delete and I'll repost!
 
Yet another update to the sold list :)
ZKramer Carbon 8" - never felt right in the hand
ZKramer Carbon 10" - because someone asked nicely
Kono GS 240 - too lasery at the length for what I wanted
Kotetsu 180 Bunka - too thin at the edge for general use in my kitchen
Takeda Large NAS Nakiri - too much belly
Kaeru Stainless 210 Gyuto - just needed to make room for other stuff
Miyabi Birchwood 8" Chefs - balance point too far back
Miyabi Black 7" Santoku - wedged really bad, didn't want to try thinning
Zwilling Diplome 8" - balance point too far back
ZKramer Essential 10" - as I regretted selling the ZKramer 10" Carbon (and can't buy one in Canada anymore), tried to relive the experience with this and it just wasn't the same.
Mazaki 170 Nakiri - really nice knife, just the one that finally told me that I'm not really a nakiri guy
TF 150 Nashiji petty - nice knife, but role got replaced by the Victorinox boning knife
Misono 190 Swedish Carbon Lefty - balance point too far back
CCK 1103 - figured I'd focus my technique on gyutos at the time
Kono HD2 240 - after liking the 210 wanted to try - didn't like the balance.
Devin Thomas AEB-L 220 - Beautiful knife, but too much money in one blade for my day to day use. Was afraid to damage the ultra thin tip
Dalman Warikomi 230 - Longer/tall than I wanted, and budget said it had to go.
Konosuke Fujiyama FM 210 White 2 - Traded. Just like other Konosuke's more.
Konosuke HD2 210 - Traded. Other Konos just exceeded it
Konosuke YS-M 210 - Just pulled the MM off the rack more, and for mental health was cleaning up the collection
Shigefusa Kuro 165 Santoku - was thick and didn't want to try and thin it
Hitohira Kikuchiyo x Ren 180 Santoku - handle too big for my liking
Moritaka 240 B#2 Gyuto - bought for a 240, and replaced by a Kono MM
Kagekiyo 240 W#2 K-Tip Gyuto - traded for it, nice enough but just didn't gel with me.
S Tanaka R2 210 Gyuto - obtained in a trade, didn't like the balance of it right out of the box.
Toyama 180 Nakiri - really well put together knife. It lost out to a 230, but it was a close comparison.
Dalman 210 Honyaki - Just a few small things kept this from being a keeper.
Kono 210 Tetsujin - Too much like the MM out of the box, didn't even try a cut.
Muteki 143 Petty - really nicely made knife, just didn't jive with the balance point
Takamura 210 Chromax gyuto - too thin of spine.
Kono Madei Sumiiro 170 Bunka - surprisingly the profile didn't agree with me
Hitohira Togashi Migaki White 1 240 Gyuto - was going to be a bit of a project knife (needed thinning and a new handle) and got bumped by a new knife the next day.
Sabatier Nogent 8" - just decided I wasn't going to use it.
Markin 210 Rex121 Gyuto - stunning knife, just needed make budget room.
Konosuke HD2 180 petty - wicked little knife that just wasn’t for me. Not a petty guy
Konosuke MM B#2 270 - everything great about a MM, just too long for my kitchen.
Raquin 200 - impulse buy. Sold as I needed the budget more.
Shigefusa 240 Kasumi gyuto - nice knife, but not quite what I wanted
MCX Spåre 230 26c3 differentially hardened gyuto - sweet knife at a wonderfully price. Too forward balanced. Ordered something else from Fredrik
Myojin SG2 240 - Was hoping for a stainless MM and this wasn't quite it.
Takada Blue 1 Suiboku 180 Nakiri - Great litte nakiri, just lighter than I liked in a square blade.
Kamon 225 Massdrop - Excellent built knife. Just something about the balance in hand felt a bit off for me, so sold to have budget for other knives
ZKramer Damascus Nakiri - Homebutcher sale made me try it. Nice enough, but not enough to keep
JNS Kaeru 270 Stainless Suji - just felt too light in my hands, was never really happy with it.
Takada 210 Gyuto Ginsan Suiboku - stunning knife, just got "one in, one out" hit by a ShiHan.
TF Denka 165 nakiri: returned to retailer as there was a bend in the blade
Jiro 225 gyuto - returned to vendor before it even shipped. Hadn't realized the weight and knew it's wasn't going to be my thing.
Ittetsu Tall Nakiri - baby cleaver in weight but nakiri handle, wanted to use a cleaver grip, but couldnt due to the neck on the handle
Kono W#1 195 Nakiri - beautiful knife, but I'm a lefty and this was righty ground
MSicard 52100 180 Lefty Nakiri - modelled on the Kono nakiri, nice knife but I flip between between being a nakiri guy and not, and I'm not one at the moment
Spåre 230 Coreless Damascus gyuto - stunning gorgeous knife, just the wrong dimension for me (was oversize and I prefer under)
CCK1303 - bought for All Rectangle March, sold almost immediately due to the stress it caused me.
DaoVua V3 Cleaver - bought for All Rectangle March, PIF'ed almost immediately due to the stress it caused me
Konosuke HD2 240 - bought it as a semi-project, realized it wasn't going to happen and moved it on
Konosuke MM 210 Blue 2 - in the plan of the collection, I needed to only have on MM, so the 210 was sold in preference to the 240
Raquin KT 225 - hard one to sell as the knife was near perfect, but was never use as the KT grind was not my preference.
Kippington 240 Lefty Laser Pony - was just too big for my kitchen. Really stunning knife and was graced with a smaller replacement
Sakai Kikumori Nagakawa White 1 210 gyuto - wanted to try a wide bevel and it wasn't quite it.
Konosuke YS 210 - was bought to fill an desire, and bumped by a custom.

Was going to post some pics of the full stable, but look too washed out. Going to have to take some better ones.
 
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Current core is
MCX Spåre Apex Ultra 230.
Kippington Lefty Laser Pony 225
Shihan A2 210
Kono MM B#2 240.

I'm on two makers lists right now. Plan is a 180 nakiri and a 235 to replace the MCX. My current curation standard is that I want to look at the rack and say "that knife was made for me" (i.e all custom). The MCX is brilliant but unfortunately doesn't meet that standard. The MM gets a pass as it's pretty unique and unobtanium now.

I also have a Tanaka x Yohei Damascus that will be moving along. I have a few thoughts about what custom I'm going to replace it with, just need to finalize my thoughts and reach out to a few makers to find the best fit.
 
Been a while and time for an update to the sold list. :)
ZKramer Carbon 8" - never felt right in the hand
ZKramer Carbon 10" - because someone asked nicely
Kono GS 240 - too lasery at the length for what I wanted
Kotetsu 180 Bunka - too thin at the edge for general use in my kitchen
Takeda Large NAS Nakiri - too much belly
Kaeru Stainless 210 Gyuto - just needed to make room for other stuff
Miyabi Birchwood 8" Chefs - balance point too far back
Miyabi Black 7" Santoku - wedged really bad, didn't want to try thinning
Zwilling Diplome 8" - balance point too far back
ZKramer Essential 10" - as I regretted selling the ZKramer 10" Carbon (and can't buy one in Canada anymore), tried to relive the experience with this and it just wasn't the same.
Mazaki 170 Nakiri - really nice knife, just the one that finally told me that I'm not really a nakiri guy
TF 150 Nashiji petty - nice knife, but role got replaced by the Victorinox boning knife
Misono 190 Swedish Carbon Lefty - balance point too far back
CCK 1103 - figured I'd focus my technique on gyutos at the time
Kono HD2 240 - after liking the 210 wanted to try - didn't like the balance.
Devin Thomas AEB-L 220 - Beautiful knife, but too much money in one blade for my day to day use. Was afraid to damage the ultra thin tip
Dalman Warikomi 230 - Longer/tall than I wanted, and budget said it had to go.
Konosuke Fujiyama FM 210 White 2 - Traded. Just like other Konosuke's more.
Konosuke HD2 210 - Traded. Other Konos just exceeded it
Konosuke YS-M 210 - Just pulled the MM off the rack more, and for mental health was cleaning up the collection
Shigefusa Kuro 165 Santoku - was thick and didn't want to try and thin it
Hitohira Kikuchiyo x Ren 180 Santoku - handle too big for my liking
Moritaka 240 B#2 Gyuto - bought for a 240, and replaced by a Kono MM
Kagekiyo 240 W#2 K-Tip Gyuto - traded for it, nice enough but just didn't gel with me.
S Tanaka R2 210 Gyuto - obtained in a trade, didn't like the balance of it right out of the box.
Toyama 180 Nakiri - really well put together knife. It lost out to a 230, but it was a close comparison.
Dalman 210 Honyaki - Just a few small things kept this from being a keeper.
Kono 210 Tetsujin - Too much like the MM out of the box, didn't even try a cut.
Muteki 143 Petty - really nicely made knife, just didn't jive with the balance point
Takamura 210 Chromax gyuto - too thin of spine.
Kono Madei Sumiiro 170 Bunka - surprisingly the profile didn't agree with me
Hitohira Togashi Migaki White 1 240 Gyuto - was going to be a bit of a project knife (needed thinning and a new handle) and got bumped by a new knife the next day.
Sabatier Nogent 8" - just decided I wasn't going to use it.
Markin 210 Rex121 Gyuto - stunning knife, just needed make budget room.
Konosuke HD2 180 petty - wicked little knife that just wasn’t for me. Not a petty guy
Konosuke MM B#2 270 - everything great about a MM, just too long for my kitchen.
Raquin 200 - impulse buy. Sold as I needed the budget more.
Shigefusa 240 Kasumi gyuto - nice knife, but not quite what I wanted
MCX Spåre 230 26c3 differentially hardened gyuto - sweet knife at a wonderfully price. Too forward balanced. Ordered something else from Fredrik
Myojin SG2 240 - Was hoping for a stainless MM and this wasn't quite it.
Takada Blue 1 Suiboku 180 Nakiri - Great litte nakiri, just lighter than I liked in a square blade.
Kamon 225 Massdrop - Excellent built knife. Just something about the balance in hand felt a bit off for me, so sold to have budget for other knives
ZKramer Damascus Nakiri - Homebutcher sale made me try it. Nice enough, but not enough to keep
JNS Kaeru 270 Stainless Suji - just felt too light in my hands, was never really happy with it.
Takada 210 Gyuto Ginsan Suiboku - stunning knife, just got "one in, one out" hit by a ShiHan.
TF Denka 165 nakiri: returned to retailer as there was a bend in the blade
Jiro 225 gyuto - returned to vendor before it even shipped. Hadn't realized the weight and knew it's wasn't going to be my thing.
Ittetsu Tall Nakiri - baby cleaver in weight but nakiri handle, wanted to use a cleaver grip, but couldnt due to the neck on the handle
Kono W#1 195 Nakiri - beautiful knife, but I'm a lefty and this was righty ground
MSicard 52100 180 Lefty Nakiri - modelled on the Kono nakiri, nice knife but I flip between between being a nakiri guy and not, and I'm not one at the moment
Spåre 230 Coreless Damascus gyuto - stunning gorgeous knife, just the wrong dimension for me (was oversize and I prefer under)
CCK1303 - bought for All Rectangle March, sold almost immediately due to the stress it caused me.
DaoVua V3 Cleaver - bought for All Rectangle March, PIF'ed almost immediately due to the stress it caused me
Konosuke HD2 240 - bought it as a semi-project, realized it wasn't going to happen and moved it on
Konosuke MM 210 Blue 2 - in the plan of the collection, I needed to only have on MM, so the 210 was sold in preference to the 240
Raquin KT 225 - hard one to sell as the knife was near perfect, but was never use as the KT grind was not my preference.
Kippington 240 Lefty Laser Pony - was just too big for my kitchen. Really stunning knife and was graced with a smaller replacement
Sakai Kikumori Nagakawa White 1 210 gyuto - wanted to try a wide bevel and it wasn't quite it.
Konosuke YS 210 - was bought to fill an desire, and bumped by a custom.
Tetsujin Blue 2 180mm nakiri - bought and sold immediately due to a righty grind
Tanaka x Yohei Blue 1 Damascus 240 gyuto - really nice knife, but for some reason I never gelled with it in my time. Was always bumped by others.

My current core is:
MCX Spåre Apex Ultra 230.
Kippington Lefty Laser Pony 225
Shihan A2 210
Kono MM B#2 240.

Just recently got a Joel Black ApexUltra nakiri so it's going to go through it's paces (once I fill a gap near the tang). On the list for 4 customs at the moment, so stuff is definitely in the works.
 
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