Tinker?

[SteamingNoodle]

Yeahy, I can post a thread!

Was meaning to ask.
I just recently bought a Kotetsu 180 bunka, and my god is that an amazing knife!
of course it lead me to find out about the Tinker Tank, which looks just up my alley.
I understand that is a (very) small batch production, which makes it rare, and after contacting Shibata-san I noticed a (steep) price increase, probably due to increased hype and interest, and I wanted to seek the advice of your collected wisdom.
Is it worth the price? is it mainly hype and I should buy a different cleaver(like) knife that isn't as marked up as the Tank (ie - Moritaka tall nakiri or something similar?)
I'm just a humble home cook atm, got some restaurant past, I cook veggies mostly and I think the bunka handles them well.

Thanks,

 

[bonody]

I used to have one and ended up selling it.

They're excellent cutters with great geometry and super thin behind the edge (like all of Shibata sharpened knives).
They're also extremely heavy. (this is why I sold mine)

 

[xxxclx]

How much is he charging now?

 

[Jovidah]

Just looked it up... bonody wasn't kidding... 318 gram was the one weight I could find. That's a very different beast from the usual bunkas and nakiris.

 

[SteamingNoodle]

@bonody Thanks for the heads up, does that mean that it can take a punching, because the bunka feels super delicate...
@xxxclx they're asking for around 40,000¥ for the blade only + shipping.
@Jovidah 318!? that's more then double the bunka weight... getting cramps just thinking about it.

 

[Chang]

Had one, sold to a friend. I was a Shibata super fan a long time ago, now I don't own a single one of his knives nor do I plan on grabbing one anytime soon.

Tank is a tank, really really heavy. It's fun for like 10 minutes before your wrist starts cramping up. Whoever tells you that they use one regularly and love it is lying or a masochist.

That seems like about the price I paid, too. They're only a bit cheaper through a retailer, but good luck because they sell out within seconds whenever they pop up due to the hype. If you really want one, getting it direct from Shiba-san is your best bet.

 

[SteamingNoodle]

" now I don't own a single one of his knives nor do I plan on grabbing one anytime soon. " bad blood?

It sounds like it less and less something I would use...

Thanks for getting me off of that tree

 

[xxxclx]

@bonody Thanks for the heads up, does that mean that it can take a punching, because the bunka feels super delicate...
@xxxclx they're asking for around 40,000¥ for the blade only + shipping.
@Jovidah 318!? that's more then double the bunka weight... getting cramps just thinking about it.

It's a fun knife to use every now and then. But I agree with @Chang about prolonged use.

Mine is 335g and the handle is too skinny for its size and heft. The profile is curvy in a way that doesn't really work with my cutting motion when using cleaver-shaped knives.

 

[Chang]

" now I don't own a single one of his knives nor do I plan on grabbing one anytime soon. " bad blood?

It sounds like it less and less something I would use...

Thanks for getting me off of that tree

Nah, I just moved away from lasers and knives from Echizen all together. More of a Sanjo/Western Makers kind of guy now.

 

[Marek07]

I have the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka (180mm in R2) and really like it. Mind you I'm a nakiri fanboy and like R2/SG2 and most lasers in general.

I briefly used a beautifully rehandled (by @cotedupy) Shibata Tank in AS. I'd been thinking of buying one based on looks alone. Can't say that I noticed the weight during my short session but didn't like the way it stuck in food. It felt like an axe compared to the Bunka. That's obviously hyperbole but it definitely felt more like a meat cleaver than the Bunka and most nakiris or slicing cleavers. YMMV.

 

[cotedupy]

Ignore them all!

I love it. And I do use it all the time - certainly my most used knife. I did a little review of it here if you hadn't seen: Shibata Tinker Tank Review

It's certainly something for people who don't mind using heavier weight caidao/cleavers for everyday cooking, but can accommodate some belly in that. It's certainly distinct.

I personally don't find any problem with sticking because it's just so thin behind the edge (though I don't have as many seriously nice knives as Marek, so I'm probably just easily impressed ). The only thing I might say is something Kipp pointed out - because of how thin it is, combined with the weight, it'll sometimes stick into an end grain chopping board slightly. Anyhow here's a carrot video I just did, because people seem to like them:



I also made another handle for mine to pull some of the balance back slightly. It'd probably also work with a fatter, shorter, cleaver style handle, but I quite like it like this.



It gives a lot of versatility in your choice of grip. In the video above I'm holding it as I would a caidao - with two fingers down the outside - like this the knife has neutral-ish balance, but you can only use the front 1/2 or 2/3rds. With a more normal one-finger pinch grip, it's very noticeably forward weighted. So if that doesn't suit your cutting style, then it's going to be uncomfortable for long use.

 

[cotedupy]

(Oh and - yes that is something of a price increase since earlier this year. I'd still say it was great value, but I paid 30k for mine, sans handle.)

 

[SteamingNoodle]

Man, thanks for the detailed post...
just when I thought I'm out, you're pulling me back in!
and it's a beautiful handle, kudos, now, I'm not so sure about my cutting style really, haven't been working with "good" knives for while now, figure I'll find out more about it when I start chopping with the bunka more.
cheers.

 

[daniel_il]

i tried one on loan from my friend..for me its a cool looking knife but too curvy and inefficient profile to use

i would skip it and buy a Chinese cleaver