Which do you prefer?

[Colonel Mustard]

Ho wood handle and the knife with patina! I can mix them up, right?

I was thinking the exact same thing...

 

[HRC_64]

My rule is never judge a knife by its handle...

Old skool KS "unicorn" also means pre internet hype,
so pre 2010/11, not pre 2018

 

[HRC_64]

IIRC there were tons of "rakuten" quality KS
sold around 2014 or whatever...

 

[Jville]

It seemed to me you were asking about old vs new stock, rather than stock or custom handle. I've only handled newer version of ks, liked it alot.

 

[Brian Weekley]

In fact that was the intent of my original question ... current KS3124 vs pre 2018 KS3124. There has been a lot of discussion about the superiority of the pre-2018 blades. What is really interesting to me is that the question quickly morphed into a discussion of handles which I totally get. Like I said ... there are no wrong answers. It’s actually gratifying that the majority off KKF users who responded expressed a preference for traditional handles (by a lot) and a well used blade with nicely established patina (by many). Only a few identified the different blade generations and those who did expressed complete satisfaction with their new production 3124’s. I would say the question brought out a pretty healthy appreciation of Japanese knives among the users who responded.

 

[thebradleycrew]

Brian, FWIW I like the Ho wood handle (except I know it is right oriented and I'm lefty). That aside, I like the clean aesthetic. However, your question was about which knife (not which handle) I might prefer more. In that case, I like the one with the patina. It shows use, character, and has a story. THAT I can get behind.

 

[panda]

i would have loved to have tried one of the really old school fat KS

 

[NO ChoP!]

I bought a KS in '11 for $150. Had Mike Henry install a handle, and had a saya made for it. Think I sold it for $250. I loved the profile, but I do remember thinking it was rather soft, and seemed to melt on the stones, and I have a very soft touch when sharpening. I think the profile also lends to needing thinning quickly, as well as risking creating an unwanted flat spot, and achieving accordion cuts. So, not a profile for beginners.

Now more recently I have had in a few of the newer batched KS in the shop, and can say, they are not the same knife I remember. They seem to have no soul. Everything is a little squarer, more machined, crisper. So, take the original quarks, and add some new ones, and I'm not so sure why the KS is again so popular.

There have been many KS clones, and I have liked many of them more.

 

[Byphy]

Original bc of the blonde horn ferrule. I'm a sucker for those