Keen&Bright
Member
Hi from Canada!
So much info I've been pouring over here the last week. I've geeked out on other types of knives before and have a couple of Benchmade folders in s30v, a carbon Esee fixed blade and a Bark River fixed blade in cpm3v. This is my first real foray into kitchen knives.
I have a Shun Classic 8" chef's knife and a Costco block of low-end stainless Henkles as well as a Spiderco triangle sharpmaker. I'm looking into getting a SS clad gyuto in either 210 or 240 (and a nice petty down the road but haven't even looked into that yet). Being in Canada things are a bit more limited. I'm drawn to knives with interesting patterns like the damascus Shun I have now and the Masakage Koishi. I'd really like to make it down to Knifewear in Vancouver and get my hands on some to try out before committing to something. I'd also like to pick up some stones and learn how to sharpen on my soft SS and Shun. Maybe I'll wait until next Feb to get a Koishi when the sale comes on at Knifewear again. In the mean time I can practice sharpening.
I've been thinking about getting a Naniwa Chosera 1k or 2k from Metal Master along with the Kitayama. I see mixed info about the Kitayma with some saying that the jump from 1k to it works great and others saying it shouldn't be used on anything with a double bevel. I like the idea of having the option to spend more time on it and get a super sharp edge if I wanted (I don't care much for tomatoes anyways. Mostly onion, garlic, carrot, broccoli, etc. with occasional chicken)
Also like the idea of a nicely polished edge to contrast the rough tsuchime (hammered) and kurouchi (black) finish on the Koishi. I'm a home cook so not so concerned about it lasting through an 8hr shift. I have an end grain teak cutting board (I know the silica may not be great for edge retention but it was at a big discount, is beautiful, and I can't justify a $300+ end grain maple at this point. Plus, seems like an upgrade from my edge grain bamboo which my Shun fared fine enough on for my standards)
What are your thoughts on 1k vs 2k to 8k? I've also been considering:
Tosho- 1k Nani pro and Suehiro Rika instead of the Kitayama (more expensive)
Paul's finest- 1k pro with a 6k Nani traditional (more expensive) or 5k or 8k Nani SS (significantly more expensive)
Something about the idea of being able to go to 8k with the polished edge (polished enough without breaking the bank) and Jnat mixed in with the Kitayama really appeals to me. I'd like to get good stones and not have to upgrade. Maybe add a coarser one and a lapping plate or something between 1k and 8k down the road but not in the budget right now. I think I'd definitely go Gesshin 1k/6k if shipping wasn't so crazy and with likely being hit with duty.
Anything else I should be considering stone or knife-wise? I would like to get my hands on knives first (located on the West Coast) but would consider something else if reviews and price was right.
I remember really enjoying sharpening when I was a teenager with some small fine grit (likely quite cheap) stones someone in the family had bought. Would get my old buck quite polished (I remember it being very reflective) and as sharp as I possibly could with my terrible technique. Looking forward to what I can achieve with learning about more refined technique, using good steel on good stones.
I'm really grateful for all the knowledge and experience that's accumulated on here over the years.
So much info I've been pouring over here the last week. I've geeked out on other types of knives before and have a couple of Benchmade folders in s30v, a carbon Esee fixed blade and a Bark River fixed blade in cpm3v. This is my first real foray into kitchen knives.
I have a Shun Classic 8" chef's knife and a Costco block of low-end stainless Henkles as well as a Spiderco triangle sharpmaker. I'm looking into getting a SS clad gyuto in either 210 or 240 (and a nice petty down the road but haven't even looked into that yet). Being in Canada things are a bit more limited. I'm drawn to knives with interesting patterns like the damascus Shun I have now and the Masakage Koishi. I'd really like to make it down to Knifewear in Vancouver and get my hands on some to try out before committing to something. I'd also like to pick up some stones and learn how to sharpen on my soft SS and Shun. Maybe I'll wait until next Feb to get a Koishi when the sale comes on at Knifewear again. In the mean time I can practice sharpening.
I've been thinking about getting a Naniwa Chosera 1k or 2k from Metal Master along with the Kitayama. I see mixed info about the Kitayma with some saying that the jump from 1k to it works great and others saying it shouldn't be used on anything with a double bevel. I like the idea of having the option to spend more time on it and get a super sharp edge if I wanted (I don't care much for tomatoes anyways. Mostly onion, garlic, carrot, broccoli, etc. with occasional chicken)
Also like the idea of a nicely polished edge to contrast the rough tsuchime (hammered) and kurouchi (black) finish on the Koishi. I'm a home cook so not so concerned about it lasting through an 8hr shift. I have an end grain teak cutting board (I know the silica may not be great for edge retention but it was at a big discount, is beautiful, and I can't justify a $300+ end grain maple at this point. Plus, seems like an upgrade from my edge grain bamboo which my Shun fared fine enough on for my standards)
What are your thoughts on 1k vs 2k to 8k? I've also been considering:
Tosho- 1k Nani pro and Suehiro Rika instead of the Kitayama (more expensive)
Paul's finest- 1k pro with a 6k Nani traditional (more expensive) or 5k or 8k Nani SS (significantly more expensive)
Something about the idea of being able to go to 8k with the polished edge (polished enough without breaking the bank) and Jnat mixed in with the Kitayama really appeals to me. I'd like to get good stones and not have to upgrade. Maybe add a coarser one and a lapping plate or something between 1k and 8k down the road but not in the budget right now. I think I'd definitely go Gesshin 1k/6k if shipping wasn't so crazy and with likely being hit with duty.
Anything else I should be considering stone or knife-wise? I would like to get my hands on knives first (located on the West Coast) but would consider something else if reviews and price was right.
I remember really enjoying sharpening when I was a teenager with some small fine grit (likely quite cheap) stones someone in the family had bought. Would get my old buck quite polished (I remember it being very reflective) and as sharp as I possibly could with my terrible technique. Looking forward to what I can achieve with learning about more refined technique, using good steel on good stones.
I'm really grateful for all the knowledge and experience that's accumulated on here over the years.
But before we start to pour down our opinion and advices, just spent a bit of time reading around - there are many interesting threads that may help you to gain a little perspective as to what different people recommend and prefer. 
