Thoughts/reviews new KS

Find deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
here you go kids. my well used O.G. ks with nasty patina and thinning marks and scratches going through routine touchup on my awesome aizu (that thing on the right is the 1/4th size atoma i picked up from ebay same 140 grit)
20180122_151727_zpsjxg4gkym.jpg~original


as fond as i am of the KS, i have a new go-to (mutsumi hinoura iron clad ku white2 245mm) which relegates the ks to protein duty only (where as my beast watanabe is gonna be used mainly for veg prep as that benefits most from having best grind)
 
K813zra said:
Japanese customs or Austrian customs? If I search via USPS it basically says it is not in their system. It would be weird that it is sitting in customs in our home nations without movement. You would think that they would move at different rates.
Click to expand...

Austrian customs. The guys were fast, processed already. Knife should be here by tomorrow.

So, for all those still waiting: stay calm. The shipping was slower than usual but in the end it will arrive sooner or later!
 
Received mine today. Ordered from another merchant in Japan and shipped by Fedex to me in South Africa. Took just over 1 week to get here. No saya though. Still have to put it to work but it looks fine. But on looks alone not sure what all the hype was about! Will see how it performs. Not sure I’m made about the profile.
 
FoRdLaz said:
Received mine today. Ordered from another merchant in Japan and shipped by Fedex to me in South Africa. Took just over 1 week to get here. No saya though. Still have to put it to work but it looks fine. But on looks alone not sure what all the hype was about! Will see how it performs. Not sure I’m made about the profile.
Click to expand...

It’s not a looker. It’s virtue is it’s simplicity. After I sand the handle some I think I’ll be pretty content.
 
panda said:
here you go kids. my well used O.G. ks with nasty patina and thinning marks and scratches going through routine touchup on my awesome aizu (that thing on the right is the 1/4th size atoma i picked up from ebay same 140 grit)
20180122_151727_zpsjxg4gkym.jpg~original


as fond as i am of the KS, i have a new go-to (mutsumi hinoura iron clad ku white2 245mm) which relegates the ks to protein duty only (where as my beast watanabe is gonna be used mainly for veg prep as that benefits most from having best grind)
Click to expand...

Good lookin on where to get a small atoma, been looking for a smaller 1200 to use as a slurry plate.
 
daddy yo yo said:
Austrian customs. The guys were fast, processed already. Knife should be here by tomorrow.

So, for all those still waiting: stay calm. The shipping was slower than usual but in the end it will arrive sooner or later!
Click to expand...

Okay, interesting. Still no update on mine. Thank you for the update.
 
So, I got my KS in the mail today. First impression out of the box was, meh, honestly. Not horrid F&F but spotty. Rounded spine but has nicks and dings. Choil is eased-going on rounded. The handle is very dark for ho wood. It has a slight but not huge step. The horn is marred in a few places too. There was epoxy EVERYWHERE, damn near half way up the blade. There are a few grinding marks left near the tip. However, all of that is, to me superficial. A bit of a scrubbing with acetone and then some oil fixed most of that.

I took some basic measurements but will have to break out the calipers later as I know some people wanted to know the thickness halfway between the edge and the spine and along the spine to the tip. What I can say is that it does not appear to have a continuous tapper but starts a few inches from the tip. However, from there it has a lot of taper and a needle point. The profile on the edge is a bit sloppy with a bump in two places and I can see daylight under it. That is easy enough to clean up and won't take long. It still performs just fine with no according cuts, for all intent purposes it is "flat" but it still bothers me so I will "fix" it. Balance is nearly in front of the kanji. Forward balance even with a very exaggerated pinch. The edge is consistently sharp but the edge bevel is not the most evenly crafted that I have seen. Again, easy to cleanup when I open her up.

Performance thus far, and I have only made lunch with it, seems good. I am calling this one "The Pedestrian laser-horse" because honestly, it is damn close to being another laser but has some extra meat or convex or something in there. Why I say that is that it has ever so slight hesitation when I chop very large and dense potatoes, very slight. The trade off is that the sticking is not as bad as my HD2, which isn't too bad to begin with, imo. Potatoes mostly slide off unless very starchy. Carrot Julienne does not ride up the blade but Brunoise does. There is a hint of wedging with dense parsnips but no cracking.

I find this thing works very well for G&G and push/pull cuts. I picked the knife up and my hand just did its thing without asking my brain for permission. I can see why some people love this knife and others love to hate it. It really does nothing perfectly but everything well. Or at least that is my impression after a single meal prep. This is just my first impressions after all. I know I was not afraid to open up on the board and it seems like it can take it. We shall see how I feel after a few weeks.


Edit: I broke out the calipers to take some measurements. Mind you, my tools are old, analog and have not been calibrated since 2008.

Spine thickness at the heel: 2.921mm
Spine thickness in the middle: 2.4638mm (I was not very exact about what the middle is...lol. For what it is worth.)
Spine thickness about 3-4cm from the tip: 1.27mm
Spine thickness about 1cm from the tip: .508mm
Thickness about half way between the edge and the spine: 1.397mm
Height at the heel: 48.26mm
Edge length: 251.46mm
Weight: 168g

Sorry but these photos will suck. First, I am not very good at using a camera and second I have very poor lighting in my house and at this time of day it makes things worse!

Here is a photo comparing it to my HD2. It is noticeably larger.

cfiNNtl.jpg


Here is me making carrot confetti just because...

2LRlZ8K.jpg


I'll add this too. It is about as close to a choil shot as I can get...:lol2:

7aT2UI5.jpg
 
TheCaptain said:
Ugh. Still on the fence. Good review thanks for taking the time to post.
Click to expand...

NP. Like I said, only one meal prep at this point but I like it well enough. I have no idea how things will play out over the long run but I really like my HD2 so it is going to be hard for this to take the crown. However, as a guy who uses an undersized 210 or 180 gyuto a lot I can say that this thing does not feel unwieldy. If that is a worry.
 
TheCaptain said:
That actually is a major concern so thanks for the feedback!
Click to expand...

Good timing as I just finished dinner prep. This is the most suji like gyuto I have ever used. For filleting or butterflying chicken it is wonderful. Great for pork loin too. On that front I almost wish I would have got a 270 but at the same time know that would have been way too much knife for me. However, it does make me want the 270 suji if it comes in stock in the future.

Also, like any mono white it is fairly reactive. It drags purple goo from garlic and a wee bit of gray goo on onions. However, it smells like pickles rather than sulfur...weird...Regardless, it is getting a nice patina already and I expect it will settled down very quickly.

The tip is quite thin and works well.

JxcOnl3.jpg


Even on spongy mushrooms. You would think I could get good shrooms in my area but no...Regardless, the bit sitting on top is due to user error not the knife, lol.

UPpGcWW.jpg


The potato stays intact during dice.

AqOOIEJ.jpg


And sticking is not a big issue either. (Technique dependent: That was chopping. G&G does exhibit a bit more stickage.)

XDDgAQM.jpg
 
K813zra said:
On that front I almost wish I would have got a 270 but at the same time know that would have been way too much knife for me.

AqOOIEJ.jpg


And sticking is not a big issue either.
Click to expand...


:rofl:

"OK, now what are limits of the 270"
 
Side note: The ho wood is the weirdest ho wood I have ever handled. It is very grainy and dark. It feels light and hollow like typical ho wood but almost looks like something else. Not that it matters. The handle is very pedestrian. Comfortable though.

Limits of the 270, that it isn't a 300?
 
I was waiting for someone to come back with an HD2 compare and contrast. Thanks for the reviews. I've used Masamoto for years, and even hand picked many while in Japan, they served me well for years in a pro setting (still 3 in my rotation). It seems that every rumor I'd heard may be true in playing out with these observations (that there was a reluctance to rerelease the series, and due to demand it was rushed..). Still a very good knife, but the other night while using my konos, I remember what a swell knife OOTB it is by comparison, from grind to F&F. I know purists might say it's apples and oranges, but I am always gently reminded by hd2 what a carefree knife does for one's soul.
 
Gregmega said:
I was waiting for someone to come back with an HD2 compare and contrast. Thanks for the reviews. I've used Masamoto for years, and even hand picked many while in Japan, they served me well for years in a pro setting (still 3 in my rotation). It seems that every rumor I'd heard may be true in playing out with these observations (that there was a reluctance to rerelease the series, and due to demand it was rushed..). Still a very good knife, but the other night while using my konos, I remember what a swell knife OOTB it is by comparison, from grind to F&F. I know purists might say it's apples and oranges, but I am always gently reminded by hd2 what a carefree knife does for one's soul.
Click to expand...

HD2:

Slightly thinner grind.
Ever so slightly taller.
Noticeably better F&F but it is not earth shattering. The KS still have better F&F than A LOT of knives.
Wider less pointy profile.
Carefree steel that can be left in a pile of acidic food while you let out the chickens or check the mail.
Good enough edge retention.

KS:

Light nimble feel for such a large knife.
Pedestrian but comfortable in hand and on the board.
Pointy narrow profile that is good for slicing and seems to excel at both G&G and Chopping, for me.
Easy to sharpen steel.
Takes a very sexy patina very, very quickly. (Two meals and a snack and this thing has a lightning blue patina starting.)

There are lots of nuances that we can nit pick about between pretty much any two knives but at the end of the day for someone who has owned neither I don't think it would matter. Both of these knives seems to flat out perform and similarly enough. At the end of the day I think my Kono is ever so slightly more refined and the Masamoto is slightly more user friendly, so to speak. But I am picking nits to say that.

Measurement differences if someone is curious.

KS:
Spine thickness at the heel: 2.921mm
Spine thickness in the middle: 2.4638mm (I was not very exact about what the middle is...lol. For what it is worth.)
Spine thickness about 3-4cm from the tip: 1.27mm
Spine thickness about 1cm from the tip: .508mm
Thickness about half way between the edge and the spine: 1.397mm
Height at the heel: 48.26mm
Edge length: 251.46mm
Weight: 168g

HD2:
Spine thickness at the heel: 2.286mm
Spine thickness at middle: 1.905mm
Spine thickness 1cm from tip: .76mm
Blade thickness ½ way between the edge and spine: 1.397mm
Height: 48.8mm
Edge length: 234.5
Weight: 170g

Sorry that I do not have a 3cm measurement for the HD2, copy and paste from an older review I did. But dude, I just realize that the halfway mark between the spine and edge is dead on with both knives.
 
Just got mine. I’m not an F&F expert but I see no issues - rounding looks good, no stray marks on blade or handle, etc. I’m not using it until I sharpen it and I’m not using it at work until I patina it at home but here are some visual comparisons with other knives.

View attachment 38352

View attachment 38353

KS is in the middle between Doi (heavy) and Shibata (laser).

View attachment 38354

Top: Gengetsu, bottom: KS. I haven’t checked cm by cm with calipers so I don’t know if the Gengetsu is actually more tapered or if the taper on the KS is simply more towards the tip. It’s certainly beautiful and feels well-engineered and like it will be a pleasure to use - we’ll see!
 
As I said before, picking nits with the F&F. :) It is better than about 95% of the knives that I own. Two nicks on the spine, choil is unfinished for about 1/16 of an inch on the left side, not the most even bevel on the right face, slight step in the handle and a depression in my horn. I am picky...:lol2:
 
Out of curiosity.. managed to get hold of a piece

a. The convex grind is slight on the right hand side and on the left.. almost flat. The convex grind on my Ashi 240 is more telling eventhough it is slightly thinner.

b. It has progressed ! laser engraving!!.. which is so common these days. have to remember to specify for this especially when it is a custom order as the community of engravers could not keep up with the volume of work these days. It took me quite sometime to accept even stamped kanji....

c. clean, no sharp edges on spine. Very even perpendicular grind to the edge. OOTB sharpness is over rated.. so no comment.

d.Very thin at the tip.. and got to remember not to poke against the wall...when washing and sharpening . THe last time i noticed a thin tip was on the Honyaki Hiromoto white 2.

dont feel the urge to cut something or use it yet ..


Z
 
panda said:
here you go kids. my well used O.G. ks with nasty patina and thinning marks and scratches going through routine touchup on my awesome aizu (that thing on the right is the 1/4th size atoma i picked up from ebay same 140 grit)
20180122_151727_zpsjxg4gkym.jpg~original


as fond as i am of the KS, i have a new go-to (mutsumi hinoura iron clad ku white2 245mm) which relegates the ks to protein duty only (where as my beast watanabe is gonna be used mainly for veg prep as that benefits most from having best grind)
Click to expand...

That's the way a KS should look!

On another note, mine has finally shipped from Korin so hope top have it in the next few days.
 
chinacats said:
That's the way a KS should look!

On another note, mine has finally shipped from Korin so hope top have it in the next few days.
Click to expand...

Hope you enjoy it when you get it. I have been using mine exclusively since I got it. Well aside from testing it cut for cut against everything I own on the first day...lol.
 
need to do another head to head battle after a week or two











:)
 
Panda's photo inspired me to give the KS a go on the Aizu. Heh, I think they should be life long partners. Subtle but noticeable bite left in that edge. A quick strop on crox loaded felt, about 3 swipes per side and she is scary as all get out. Can't wait for lunch prep...
 
People criticize the hell out of KS for having poor edge retention but fail to mention it's trade off which is quite impressive: best feel on stones and one of the easiest to sharpen out of anything else out there. Takes like two seconds to keep it sexy edgy.
 
panda said:
People criticize the hell out of KS for having poor edge retention but fail to mention it's trade off which is quite impressive: best feel on stones and one of the easiest to sharpen out of anything else out there. Takes like two seconds to keep it sexy edgy.
Click to expand...

Thus far I do not see how it fairs poorly in the edge retention portion at least not compared to other white # 2 blades. Seems to be about average to me for what it is. Seems to hold its edge ever so slightly better than my Ginga in white #2 before needing to hit a loaded strop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top