Will I ruin my Takeda?

[ENK]

I’ve been sharpening my knives for a few years, but as a home cook each knife only needs the stones every ~6 months so I don’t have a ton of experience compared to others here. I started on a MAC and a Dexter but have sharpened my AS Masakage Koishi and a few other VG10 knives each several times. I’d say I’m competent but by no means an expert.

I acquired a Takeda NAS 250 gyuto last February, and it’s now in need of a sharpen. Normally I believe in trying to sharpen all my own knives even if it results in some scratches or sub-professional performance because I’m not looking to re-sell and it’s all part of the journey — there’s only one way to get better! That said, I’m a little intimidated because the Takeda has a unique geometry/profile and the aesthetics are a large part of the knife’s appeal for me.

So I’m seeking advice from the more experienced: is Takeda sharpening similar enough to other knives that I should be OK, or is it different enough that I should leave it to a professional until I’m more confident? Any advice welcome…

 

[pgugger]

In some ways sharpening Takeda is easier than most knives. Just lay the whole bevel flat on stone and go. The angle is easy to feel and already established for you.

 

[PineWood]

Indeed it's easy, just lay the bevel on the stone and go, no need to worry about sharpening angles. It takes a bit longer though as you don't sharpen just the edge, but the whole bevel, so basically you are sharpening and thinning at the same time. If you care about aesthetics you will have to finish on a fine and soft stone with low pressure to polish the bevel.

 

[esoo]

What @pgugger said.

If you want to see how Takeda says to sharpen his knives (with his handheld stone):

 

[Bensbites]

It probably needs a few passes on a high grit stone to bring it back to life. I like to tell people to try and I seriously doubt you will do irreparable damage. If you don’t get the bevels just right, I am sure you can sent it to the pros to fix.

 

[ch_br]

If you want to see how Takeda says to sharpen his knives (with his handheld stone):

Wow, for someone who uses traditional stones on a flat surface, manipulating the knife on a horizontal axis parallel to the ground, this video is pretty different to see.



I completely understand it, but maaaaan, talk about a different set of movements and muscle memory...

 

[btbyrd]

You don't really need muscle memory to sharpen with that method. Just use your eyes and erase the marks. But regardless of if you sharpen in the "normal" way or the Takeda way, it can be helpful to use a Sharpie to double check that you're hitting the right angle and sharpening evenly. Pro tip: if you need to remove Sharpie, you can color over it with a dry erase marker and it will wipe off.

 

[ch_br]

You don't really need muscle memory to sharpen with that method. Just use your eyes and erase the marks. But regardless of if you sharpen in the "normal" way or the Takeda way,

I agree.

But just thinking about that first couple of seconds.

To me it would feel as strange as trying to dig a ditch with a teaspoon.

 

[esoo]

For those that do it, it would seem similar to sharpening in hand, but with the knife braced. I believe @stringer does in hand sharpening

 

[Heckel7302]

"Just erase the marks, back and forwse and back and forwse. No need to think about sharpening, no need to think about angles, just back and fowse and back and fowse and erase the marks"

 

[tostadas]

Takeda does make a lot of hunting and folder knives in addition to kitchen blades. So it doesn't surprise me that he uses hand stones which are probably more practical for outdoor use.

 

[stringer]

My style is a bit different than that video, but same idea











touching up work gyuto

 

[simona]

I’ve been sharpening my knives for a few years, but as a home cook each knife only needs the stones every ~6 months so I don’t have a ton of experience compared to others here. I started on a MAC and a Dexter but have sharpened my AS Masakage Koishi and a few other VG10 knives each several times. I’d say I’m competent but by no means an expert.

I acquired a Takeda NAS 250 gyuto last February, and it’s now in need of a sharpen. Normally I believe in trying to sharpen all my own knives even if it results in some scratches or sub-professional performance because I’m not looking to re-sell and it’s all part of the journey — there’s only one way to get better! That said, I’m a little intimidated because the Takeda has a unique geometry/profile and the aesthetics are a large part of the knife’s appeal for me.

So I’m seeking advice from the more experienced: is Takeda sharpening similar enough to other knives that I should be OK, or is it different enough that I should leave it to a professional until I’m more confident? Any advice welcome…

There is another where he is sitting on the pavement sharpening - cannot find it just now, and another where he is at a knife market sharpening and selling. Dig around.

 

[Pie]

It’s a bit different. Sorta depends on what you want to do. All of mine came with a bit of a convex which makes sense when you think about how he sharpens knives.

I took the opportunity when it was time to sharpen to slim out the shoulders and reduce the convexity near the edge.

I personally find it difficult to hold the knife at an exact angle consistently (hah why am I even here) so I sharpen in 3 facets and blend them together, keeping the edge facet wider and flatter. While there may be blood, I find geometry work on Takeda to be a little less daunting than monster tall bevels like you see hado Sakai doing.

In the end if you don’t have a bad wobble or inherent inability to keep your angle solid, you should have no problems just putting it on the bevel and grinding away .

 

[Delat]

What @pgugger said.

If you want to see how Takeda says to sharpen his knives (with his handheld stone):

No deburring?