What's your collection direction?

[captaincaed]

@Brian Weekley mentioned he's selling knives that don't fit the way his collection is going. Made me wonder what I buy and why. Made me wonder what direction others go.

Seems like there's the solid old guard of Japanese only. There's a subgroup of those who like to polish knives and inflate Yanick prices. There's also a fair few Western Maker die hards.

I'm more of an "I want to try everything" guy, who's really settling into semi-stainless tool steel in nearly any form it comes.

How about you?

 

[nickrut]

Currently I’m mostly Japanese, decent blend between laser and not laser but quickly getting into non Japanese makers. Got my first and second Yanicks last week and checking out some custom makers to go with a few Takedas, Tanakas, Ashis and the likes.

 

[stringer]

Mostly interested in Western workhorses for home and collecting. Japanese factory lasers for work.

 

[user 16756]

For me the collection is the rocks.

Re knives, I am enjoying more Western makers lately. But I'd be up for more Japanese knives in the future for sure.

 

[mockit]

New to the game. Been enjoying everything, but am starting to lean Western mid-weights. Still want to dabble in J. knives a bit though! Really enjoy my Kato STD.

And yes... I like rocks, both natural and synthetic. What is it about rubbing steel on rocks that is so cathartic?

 

[stringer]

For me the collection is the rocks.

Re knives, I am enjoying more Western makers lately. But I'd be up for more Japanese knives in the future for sure.

I do have 5-6 times as many stones as knives and then 5-6 times as many straight razors as stones.

 

[esoo]

Current plan is 6 knives: 210, 225, 240 length in Western and Japanese

Edit to add 210/240 are Sakai style. 225 is pretty true to length

 

[jedy617]

Japan for lasers, westerns for workhorses. Trying to focus on Honyakis, stone polished bevels, interesting steels.

 

[spaceconvoy]

my collection is 'knives I actually use at least once a week'

 

[Choppin]

good question. I answered “a bit of everything” and the current buckets are:

- Vintage French knives. Specially really old (pre WWII) Nogent. I like restoring stuff and these are fun to do.

- KnifeJapan stuff

- other “no frills” Japanese makers: Heiji, Toyama, Ashi, Yasushige, Masakane vintage

Also, I have a soft spot for discontinued lines and old batches from Japanese makers - think Itinomonn, early Gengetsu, ironclad Toyama, bullnose Mazaki.

 

[timebard]

I generally aim for a balanced collection of about a dozen nice knives at any given time, range of lengths/styles but heavy on 225-250 gyutos, with a good mix of western and Japanese makers and mostly midweight to workhorse grinds. I have a hard time justifying keeping multiple knives that feel redundant to each other--if I've got two midweight carbon 225s, eventually I'm gonna sell the one I don't reach for as much. So while I'm not as disciplined as @esoo in having one knife per role, there's a similar thought process that keeps me from becoming a total knife hording goblin.

There aren't a ton of Japanese knives I'm excited about right now, other than a few iconic knives I haven't yet tried (FM, Denka/Isamitsu, Kochi migaki, Gengetsu, Kato/Shig if I win the lotto apparently) and the knifejapan stuff. On the western side, the most interesting stuff for me are up-and-comers who bring a coherent, intentional aesthetic as well as strong performance. A lot of Swedish and Australian makers seem to bring a strong game here.

 

[Pie]

Japanese exclusively. For the hell of it, I guess? Other preferences include iron clad and KU. And low tier, budget friendly.

I like knives that are weird shapes or sizes. I have my fair share (like 6?) 210-270mm gyuto, and the rest are a bunch of oddities or single bevels. Mind you there’s only 30 or so..

 

[brimmergj]

Mostly Japanese 240s, but a few nakiri and 210s. I'm starting to branch out to Western makers.
I wouldn't say it's a "collection" as I'm just buying and trying. Almost all purchases have been from BST, as it's a great place to browse and try a lot of new stuff.
I can see the collection going in the thin edge/thick spine direction though. Workhorse style heel with a needle tip. I'll keep 1 or 2, maybe 3 thin spine blades, but favoring the heavier ones. Big fan of integral and semi-integrals.

 

[bahamaroot]

Whatever direction the winds happen to be blowing....

 

[Mytola]

I'm really in the middle of exploring all the different styles of Japanese knives, but I'm not against trying some western makers in the future either. I'm still not set in any very specific preferences and I feel there's a lot more to try!

The one thing I'm pretty set on is when it comes to wa handles and blade forward balance, though. Handle heavy knives with western handles are just super uncomfortable for me, and I don't expect that to change.

 

[Reptyle]

I said a bit of everything, but that's sorta a lie.

I'm mostly into western makers, but I have more from Tsukasa Hinoura than any other smith.

I prefer workhorses, but two of my favorites are lazers.

Thought I preferred stainless, found out I was wrong, but have a few stainless pieces that I love.

I prefer wa handles, but some westerns are better.

At first, the only cohesive theme was to try smiths that excited me. Now it's been reigned in to MAYBE heirloom quality, because I have too many knives already.
I have been pretty consistent with liking the balance point at the pinch though!

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I've spent the past couple years buying and trying a lot of different things. Different sizes, styles, steels and makers trying to find what I like.

When I look at my collection I see a lot of iron clad and mono carbon blades. But, there's a couple stainless clad and all stainless too. There's nakiri, santoku, gyuto, suji, honesuki, even a cleaver. There's even a French slicer, an F. Dick butcher, and tucked into the very back of a drawer is a Mercer bread knife. One does see a lot of kurouchi finish in my collection but in no way is it exclusive. Octagon handles, D handles, round and western are all in there too. Thick Tosa spines mingle with the proverbial lasers.

At first glance, I would be tempted to call my collection rustic. But that is a disservice to a number of knives in active rotation. I have a couple of very sexy Sicard's and I don't think rustic is the best descriptor for Wat Pro's just because they have a Ku finish.

No, the proper word for my collection is performance. From the scratched up blade roads to the worn kurouchi finishes one can pretty quickly see I have a penchant for playing with and (hopefully) making knives work for me. What little flashy is seen in my collection is secondary to it's performance. I don't tend to like most flashy things anyway so that helps me focus.

I only say all of that as so often I wonder what my "style" is? So many people know exactly what they like and it is often very specific. 240 gyutos from a particular region, or a couple makers, or very specific cleaver dimensions are all examples we see here regularly. But I like this broad diversity and each time I think I'm narrowing in on my real specifics, I grab something different and like it just as much. But the strongest common denominator is I like function over form and it is absolutely reflected in my knives.

 

[SwampDonkey]

I'm all Japanese for now but I'd like to try some of the Western makers in the future. I think Japanese-inspired is my jive since I like the blade designs, I don't really care who makes them.

I have mostly carbon, and I like KU finish but really the biggest mandate is ~50 mm heel heights. I just like taller knives.

 

[blokey]

Simple monosteel carbons and monster gyutos…

 

[Skylar303]

I do have 5-6 times as many stones as knives and then 5-6 times as many straight razors as stones.

Sounds like me, but probably on like 1/10th scale that you have.

For blades I basically might as well stumbled in from reddit bc my knives until recently were basically IKEA... And not sure if like 5 or 6 Jknives is even a collection.

 

[Seemore]

Eleven knives, all Japanese (except Spanish steak/table knives we can knock against the ceramic plates). 180 is the longest blade so far. Only carbon cores so far. No damascus, no flash for me. Function, craftsmanship, and above all, intent and balance. I value a feel of the maker in the kitchen with me, an intimacy that comes through with some knives. Murata, Munetoshi, Shindo, Matsubara, and Mikami make up my collection so far.

For future direction I’d like a short stouter knife for proteins (120-150 sabaki?), and a slightly longer knife, maybe a 195-210 slicer or medium height gyuto. But before going longer, I’m continuing to work on my maintenance skills. And I want to learn more about how the blade shape (from bevel up to spine), and the blade finish in all those places, affect performance.

 

[EM-L]

I should probably should had filled in a little bit of everything but i didn't.
I have quite o lot of Yanagibas and other singel bevels, Masashi Yamamoto, Heji, Swedes, other western and a few unicorns. But I got a few more Gyutos the last weeks. Gyutos is my Direction! I try concentrate on Gyutos, preferable 210's.

 

[Naftoor]

started with workhorses, and I’m only going more extreme in that direction now. Plan is to liquidate a few pieces that I don’t use often to fund some extra special projects over the next year.

Length I’m pretty much undecided on. I like my 220ish ones, but since there isn’t much difference in price between a 220 and a 300, I’ll probably go on the longer side to make the most real estate for the artists to work their magic on.

USA, and European all the way for me. I enjoy being able to connect with the artisan, follow their projects and chat with them.

Plus, there aren’t really jknives in the realms I’m diving into unless you tell one to make a thin edge 300x65 yodeba. I love my mazakis, but I need more oomph

 

[Giovanny Torres]

At this point I have close to 50/50 between japanese and western. Couple of unicorns, and from the westerns mainly the usual French and Swedish suspects.

 

[NotAddictedYet]

A few personal musings:

I love love lasers, when a knife glides through carrot sliently, that's my heaven right there. For a while now though, it seems like the newest, hottest knives at KKF are mostly workhorse/pony with crazy taper. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, I think thicker heavier knives can have more character, but it's reassuring to see lasers still have sizable following.

I used to be 225mm gang but I think 240 is the sweet spot now. I want to try 250+mm gyutos and see how those works

I used to love stainless clad, but now think iron clad is cooler and has more character.

My goal this year is to get into polishing. Here is hoping I can find a workable progression in a reason amount of time and then iterate on that similar to my sharpening journey.

 

[Brian Weekley]

Interesting thread!

As my comment was at least partially responsible for the origin of this thread I took some time to put words to where my collection is headed. What it comes down to is that I like to acquire multiple knives from makers I admire. Of late that’s been directed to knives from makers who have or could be awarded Master Smith standing. By definition that means knives from western makers as I don’t believe Japanese makers seek that designation.

I have a kitchen full of ”daily users” … quality knives from quality makers that meet and exceed my demands for knives in my kitchen. In that area knives from TF and BB dominate. Awesome products imo. I’ve also got boxes and walls full of knives that I’ve acquired along the way. Most are excellent knives that are rarely or never used. They will all make their way to BST eventually.

My “collection” is headed to knives that I will sit down and admire as I consume a couple of glasses of wine over the course of an evening. I like to try and understand what was in the makers mind when they created it. I will use it in the prep of a special dinner or may strop it if I feel they edge could use some attention. I like western makers because, for the most part they are the creators of the entire knife … blade and handle, sharpening and finish. Their knives are produced under their individual mark, without the question as to whether or not they were the product of some apprentice, sharpened by some notable sharpener and finished by some other person or group.

With few exceptions I think being a knife maker is a terrible way to make a living. To rise to the top, makers have to be driven to do what they do. That’s possibly why so many formerly top makers no longer make knives. … it’s probably much easier to make a better living doing almost anything else.

Individuals who are driven to rise to the top of their art and possibly (but not necessarily) attain a Master Smith designation produce the knives I want to add to my collection.

That’s where I want my collection to go.

 

[captaincaed]

I realize I inadvertently skewed the poll toward double bevels. I could only list so many options, and I got carried away with a couple jokey ones. I still want to know who loves their globals, I might send them something to change their mind…

Two years after getting the OG osage b-grind, my name came back up on Dan’s list, and I asked for a much thinner one-sided laser-B and petty (I only had one petty, and it was too short). He knocked it out of the park again. I can see being on Dan’s list for a time yet. Between this and HSC, this month has felt like Christmas in July after a 6-month pause. Still haven’t needed to even touch up the HSC, it’s a monster.

I’m as surprised as @NotAddictedYet about the lasers - the workhorse fans seems more vocal, guess the laser guys are quietly thinking ‘yeah, go for it mate’. I know I’m leaning back that way with a couple notable exceptions.

I suspect Brian’s comments sum up a fair amount from the poll. For whatever reason, a special handle really hits people the right way. I think western Shigs are the most reliably high-valued knives coming out of Japan. Even the one-person shops in Japan opt for the interchangeable handle philosophy. I think it’s a very practical and sensible long-term solution. Heck, I think even Dan B said he thought so at one point in a short chat. But whether it’s good for me or not, I’ll keep asking for western handles…and I’ll still eat a whole pizza for dinner when I’m home alone for the evening.

I think I also know where Brian’s autumn vacation might be…
https://bladeshowwest.com/

 

[jacobwilder5]

Sold my Japanese lasers and the stable consists of mostly gyutos from Toyama, Shi.Han, and Wakui so def leaning workhorse. I see more westerns in my future and maybe something square

 

[captaincaed]

No squares.

 

[jacobwilder5]

No squares.
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Obviously, you are not a golfer.