Toyama Love

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

Hi everyone,

I've been in this hobby for a long time and I've had all the desired knives, and I gotta say I'm infatuated with Toyama knives. Just as good as Shigefusa, but accessible. Made by (every step) a single artisan. Anyone have a reason to not love them?

 

[lemeneid]

Ever mirror polished a Toyama honyaki? Biggest ************ pain in the ass ever!

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

Ever mirror polished a Toyama honyaki? Biggest ************ pain in the ass ever!

No, but good to know!

 

[Tristan]

I don’t like that the cladding is now stainless. Aside from that not much

 

[MrHiggins]

My 270 gyuto (iron clad) is perfection. The out of the box geometry/grind was spot on and it holds its edge forever. It's the only knife I own that I haven't felt the need to tinker with at all, even after three years of use. Just touch ups every once in a while. Like I said, it's perfect for what it is.

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

My 270 gyuto (iron clad) is perfection. The out of the box geometry/grind was spot on and it holds its edge forever. It's the only knife I own that I haven't felt the need to tinker with at all, even after three years of use. Just touch ups every once in a while. Like I said, it's perfect for what it is.

Just got one of those, its my "I'm fired but I'm ok" gifts.

 

[IsoJ]

I love my 270 stainless clad gyuto. Propably my best "allround" cutter over 240 gyutos that I've tried.

 

[daveb]

Made by (every step) a single artisan.

And that artisan would be?

 

[lemeneid]

And that artisan would be?

Does his name start with “M”???

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

And that artisan would be?

Just going off JNS. We can doubt anything then, including your favorite maker unless you are actually there observing with your own eyes.

 

[OnionSlicer]

Does his name start with “M”???

Depends, can you flip it upside down?

 

[nakneker]

Toyamas are one of my favs too. Still priced reasonable, great performing, good heat treat, fun knives. My 210 Nakiri may be my fav.

 

[jacko9]

I have the tall 150mm petty and the SS clad 240 Gyuto and both of them perform very well. As far as the inverted M is have that in the 210 Gyuto and its a duplicate of the 240 in most ways.

 

[DitmasPork]

Hi everyone,

I've been in this hobby for a long time and I've had all the desired knives, and I gotta say I'm infatuated with Toyama knives. Just as good as Shigefusa, but accessible. Made by (every step) a single artisan. Anyone have a reason to not love them?

Assuming Toyama and Watanabe knives are one and the same. My 240 Iron clad, Watanabe is among my favorite gyutos. No frills, just a well designed knife, great steel, a joy to use.

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

I've heard the rumors about Watanabe, and if they are true cool. I just bought a kitraname (sp) gyuto off of him for $800 and love it. Maybe they are related, whatever. Its all good stuff, including your gem.

 

[jacko9]

There seems to be a very significant difference in weight between the iron cad and the stainless clad with the stainless being very much lighter. I'm not sure if the convex grind makes a big difference between the two. As mentioned the iron clad can only be had as a special order.

 

[Cliff]

I think the iron clad got lighter over time as well. I have a recent one that, while not a laser, is still lighter than I was expecting.

 

[DitmasPork]

I've heard the rumors about Watanabe, and if they are true cool. I just bought a kitraname (sp) gyuto off of him for $800 and love it. Maybe they are related, whatever. Its all good stuff, including your gem.

I don't care who made it TBH, just a great knife. Mine got some weight to it.

 

[Runner_up]

I'm a big fan of the one I have. Monster nakiri - 210 x 66 and 267 grams.

 

[jacko9]

I don't care who made it TBH, just a great knife. Mine got some weight to it.

View attachment 82861

Thats pretty stout - about 60 gms heavier than my 240 stainless clad

 

[M1k3]

Depends, can you flip it upside down?

Wazaki? Has a sort of, charm, to it.

 

[Keat]

Just to echo everyone else - my 270 gyuto (iron clad) and 210 nakiri (stainless clad) are some of my favorite knives, mainly due to cutting performance and generous height. It's hard to find anything wrong with them. If I was pressured to make an improvement I would probably go for a thinner tip on the 270 mm gyuto.

 

[DitmasPork]

Thats pretty stout - about 60 gms heavier than my 240 stainless clad

Think they’ve gotten lighter, mine circa 2014.

 

[ashy2classy]

Toyama fanboy here. My

300 IC suji
270 honyaki gyuto
270 dammy gyuto
240 IC gyuto
210 IC nakiri
150 IC petty

aren't going anywhere. Really wish I could find a 180 dammy petty to complete the set.

 

[tgfencer]

Toyama fanboy here. My

300 IC suji
270 honyaki gyuto
270 dammy gyuto
240 IC gyuto
210 IC nakiri
150 IC petty

aren't going anywhere. Really wish I could find a 180 dammy petty to complete the set.

I really don't think you need that 270 honyaki sir. Seems excessive, so I'll be a pal and help you out, just say the word.

One of my only real regrets in this hobby was not buying more Toyama blades back when they were downright cheap. Got my 270 for about $280 new.

 

[ragz]

I have a soft spot for my toyama still. Of all the larger taller knives I used toyama has preformed the best. Gotta give credit to that grind.

Here it is, iron clad picked up in late 2017. As you can see it's a touch lighter but it's still rather beefy. Weight wise I try to avoid tanks (300g+) so this knife is quite nice for me and feels very nimble.

 

[F-Flash]

I have confession to make...

... I cut some of my toyama gyutos tang off to make it more blade heavy. Could have changed the handle too, but like that burned chestnut too much. But Yea, about as perfect knives as you get. Got mine for 220€ lightly used, best bang for buck knife I have.

 

[daveb]

Depends, can you flip it upside down?

You can flip it any way you like.

I've got the weights on my iron clad and stainless clad Wats around here somewhere. IIRC about 60g difference.

 

[Ruso]

Meh.

 

[labor of love]