Active users of usuba knives, please help me pick out my final usuba.
I'm currently in the process of wrapping up my collection of traditional Japanese knives, so I would be interested in recommendations for a top-level usuba. (Unfortunately, true "unicorn hunting" isn't in the proverbial cards here.)
Knife type: Kama-gata usuba
Budget: Not certain yet. This may vary.
Blade length: 210mm
Blade steel: Blue steel (blue-1, blue-2, etc.) or the equivalent (e.g. VG-8, V-Toku-2, etc.) strongly preferred. Not really interested in damascus for this. Honyaki is very unlikely here and is likely to be above my maintenance and polishing skill level at this time.
Handle type: Considering magnolia D handle, but can be convinced otherwise; I'd be interested in knowing more from the forum's active users of usuba's what handles they consider to be best.
What it shall replace: My long-suffering Mizuno blue-2.
Other relevant matters: High-level fit/finish.
Other preferences:
- I prefer the no-machi designs, but I've also learned about the significance of machi's and plan to keep an open mind.
What I'm currently thinking about:
* Some sort of Doi blue-2.
* Some sort of Tanaka blue-1.
* Mizuno blue-1, as I like my Mizuno blue-2.
* Gesshin Hide blue-1, as it's well-reputed and I like a different Gesshin Uraku knife.
Other possibilities:
* Suisin Inox "Honyaki". Not a blue-steel knife at all, but its immunity to both wabi and sabi definitely seems interesting (no risk of warping over time). Forumite reviews of the SIH range from glowing to good but not great, so I'm not sure whether to go with this or not, especially for something where all-out sharpness is a very good thing. Honyaki's are also infamously hard to sharpen; is this zenko similarly difficult?
* Tadokoro blue-2 or blue-1. These seem to be well-liked by forumites.
* Some sort of Tanaka blue-super, if blue-super is not a bad idea here. (I'm aware of his blue-super yanagiba's, but I'm also reading that blue-super is considered a poor choice for single-bevel knives, and according to some users it isn't very suited to polishing to the grit range that most single-bevel knives are sharpened to.)
One could accurately say that I'm grossly overthinking this, but hey, this also has the collecting element to it.
I'm currently in the process of wrapping up my collection of traditional Japanese knives, so I would be interested in recommendations for a top-level usuba. (Unfortunately, true "unicorn hunting" isn't in the proverbial cards here.)
Knife type: Kama-gata usuba
Budget: Not certain yet. This may vary.
Blade length: 210mm
Blade steel: Blue steel (blue-1, blue-2, etc.) or the equivalent (e.g. VG-8, V-Toku-2, etc.) strongly preferred. Not really interested in damascus for this. Honyaki is very unlikely here and is likely to be above my maintenance and polishing skill level at this time.
Handle type: Considering magnolia D handle, but can be convinced otherwise; I'd be interested in knowing more from the forum's active users of usuba's what handles they consider to be best.
What it shall replace: My long-suffering Mizuno blue-2.
Other relevant matters: High-level fit/finish.
Other preferences:
- I prefer the no-machi designs, but I've also learned about the significance of machi's and plan to keep an open mind.
What I'm currently thinking about:
* Some sort of Doi blue-2.
* Some sort of Tanaka blue-1.
* Mizuno blue-1, as I like my Mizuno blue-2.
* Gesshin Hide blue-1, as it's well-reputed and I like a different Gesshin Uraku knife.
Other possibilities:
* Suisin Inox "Honyaki". Not a blue-steel knife at all, but its immunity to both wabi and sabi definitely seems interesting (no risk of warping over time). Forumite reviews of the SIH range from glowing to good but not great, so I'm not sure whether to go with this or not, especially for something where all-out sharpness is a very good thing. Honyaki's are also infamously hard to sharpen; is this zenko similarly difficult?
* Tadokoro blue-2 or blue-1. These seem to be well-liked by forumites.
* Some sort of Tanaka blue-super, if blue-super is not a bad idea here. (I'm aware of his blue-super yanagiba's, but I'm also reading that blue-super is considered a poor choice for single-bevel knives, and according to some users it isn't very suited to polishing to the grit range that most single-bevel knives are sharpened to.)
One could accurately say that I'm grossly overthinking this, but hey, this also has the collecting element to it.
