Yoshikane hammered knife question

[yannguyen]

Hello i am new in the forum and new to everything about knife and stone and sharpening. I wonder if anyone in the forum have experience with this knife. About it sharpness, ease of sharpen(if it is easy to sharp like other carbon steel like blue 1 blue 2 or is it as hard as R2/SG-2. I GONNA BUY A WATERSTONE ALONG WITH IT 1K/3K GRIT.). Edge retention and I wonder if it react to food since it is semi stainless. And if it is brittle or it is a good knife to call a workhorse to do a lot of job. I gonna work at restaurant kitchen and i wonder if it can used on the plastic cutting board(restaurant plastic cutting board).

 

[MrOli]

I will chime in as I have a pair of these.

After 6 months of use I only had to touch them up once but I am a home cook. Edge retention is excellent due to the SKD steel but it also mean they need a bit more effort than carbon to sharpen, not a lot though. The semi stainless takes a little colour after lots of use so I would not call them reactive at all.

SKD takes a very nice edge, very aggressive.

If you are considering stones I would advise you to start with one at 1000 grit for sharpening and one at 5000 for finishing.

The fit and finish is usually very good with Yoshikane, they cut well too and the grinds are generally very good. They are on the thick side, be aware of that, but it greatly helps food separation and the silky hammered finish helps food release.

I love them, they are excellent knives at a very good price point.

 

[yannguyen]

I will chime in as I have a pair of these.

After 6 months of use I only had to touch them up once but I am a home cook. Edge retention is excellent due to the SKD steel but it also mean they need a bit more effort than carbon to sharpen, not a lot though. The semi stainless takes a little colour after lots of use so I would not call them reactive at all.

SKD takes a very nice edge, very aggressive.

If you are considering stones I would advise you to start with one at 1000 grit for sharpening and one at 5000 for finishing.

The fit and finish is usually very good with Yoshikane, they cut well too and the grinds are generally very good. They are on the thick side, be aware of that, but it greatly helps food separation and the silky hammered finish helps food release.

I love them, they are excellent knives at a very good price point.

Thank you and i am newbie to the grit stuff so can i buy a combine waterstone with 1k/6k instead of 5k? will it work. And let say if the Blue take like 20 minutes to sharpen would the skd takes like 30 minutes to sharpen it or longer?

 

[Mattl]

I have the hammered 240mm gyuto and it has become my go to knife in the restaurant I own. It hits the poly boards hard all day and does not seem to be brittle at all. it does not seem to have the retention of R2 steel but is easy to sharpen...i strop on a high grit stone and it comes back nicely. It is also a pretty thin knife with good distal taper...the tip is seriously thin...great for onions.

I also have a Yoshikane nashiji gyuto and the hammered gyuto is thinner in every respect.

I hope this helps

The fit and finish is excellent

 

[yannguyen]

I have the hammered 240mm gyuto and it has become my go to knife in the restaurant I own. It hits the poly boards hard all day and does not seem to be brittle at all. it does not seem to have the retention of R2 steel but is easy to sharpen...i strop on a high grit stone and it comes back nicely. It is also a pretty thin knife with good distal taper...the tip is seriously thin...great for onions.

I also have a Yoshikane nashiji gyuto and the hammered gyuto is thinner in every respect.

I hope this helps

The fit and finish is excellent

Thank you so much that help a lot and i wonder if you know the exact spine thickness? And i wonder if it can rock through all kind of prep (veg, meat bla bla bla) mostly is celeriac, turnip(i just want to make sure if it is brittle(prone to chip) but ye it is just me afraid of stuff because this is my first time buy a such good knife) The version i gonna buy is 210 cm i wonder if it make a lot of different.
Thank you again

 

[Mattl]

I'm not sure about the exact spine thickness but the last 50mm of the knife is really quite thin. I cut up a pumpkin today also going through the dried stalk end and it was fine. I have used a few mid range japanese gyutos and this one is a good one. I have not seen a chip yet and do all sorts of cutting with it....chopping, rocking..it seems like excellent steel and heat treat.

The flat spot will be shorter but mine is flat for 3/4 of the blade so it probably wont affect your ability to chop. Obviously is will be shorter at the heel. Why do you not want a 240?

 

[yannguyen]

I'm not sure about the exact spine thickness but the last 50mm of the knife is really quite thin. I cut up a pumpkin today also going through the dried stalk end and it was fine. I have used a few mid range japanese gyutos and this one is a good one. I have not seen a chip yet and do all sorts of cutting with it....chopping, rocking..it seems like excellent steel and heat treat.

The flat spot will be shorter but mine is flat for 3/4 of the blade so it probably wont affect your ability to chop. Obviously is will be shorter at the heel. Why do you not want a 240?

Thank you that help a lot and i donw want the 240 because they dont have it in the "nearby" store because i want to be there and test their knife and so far i have a lot of option and Yoshikane look like 1 of the top option when i see you and MrOli comment.
Have a great day.

 

[MrOli]

Thank you that help a lot and i donw want the 240 because they dont have it in the "nearby" store because i want to be there and test their knife and so far i have a lot of option and Yoshikane look like 1 of the top option when i see you and MrOli comment.
Have a great day.

If te shop close by is Cleancut then make sure you try the Kurosaki R2, Kurosaki AS, Wakui and the Yoshikane.

 

[yannguyen]

If te shop close by is Cleancut then make sure you try the Kurosaki R2, Kurosaki AS, Wakui and the Yoshikane.

You read my mind. The Wakui wasn't on the list but Kurosaki AS is defininately is . Kurosaki R2 i rate it after the Yoshikane due to it being harder to sharpen. And i have been looking at them for a long time. But i have to take the train like 1 hrs so it is somewhat "nearby".
Because I am kinda in a dilemma because Kurosaki AS is good but i dont know if it as good as the Yoshikane since i dont know much about how to handle carbon steel(reactivity with the food i mean if it darkening the food) and since we have to wipe it a lot and at home i can only do my loundry once a week so it kinda still somewhat a problem. At work otherhand so according to Mattl Yoshikane is very good and I think that Kurosaki AS is also very good but i dont know which one is better to call as workhorse.

 

[MrOli]

Wakui allegedly used to work at Yoshikane, regarding the Kurosaki AS I have the Bunka and find it exceptional. The edge has turned almost black but it is good patina and will stop the rust.

The best way is to handle them, while you are at it another ex Yoshikane employee is going solo and making little gems with SLD steel: Masashi

Be aware that Yoshikane staff has gone from 3 to 1 so don't miss that one if you really want it as the wait for the next batch will be pretty long.

 

[yannguyen]

Wakui allegedly used to work at Yoshikane, regarding the Kurosaki AS I have the Bunka and find it exceptional. The edge has turned almost black but it is good patina and will stop the rust.

The best way is to handle them, while you are at it another ex Yoshikane employee is going solo and making little gems with SLD steel: Masashi

Be aware that Yoshikane staff has gone from 3 to 1 so don't miss that one if you really want it as the wait for the next batch will be pretty long.

Well i thought that Cleancut still have 1 21cm left so i think we will see but about the Kurosaki AS does it hold it edge long like your Yoshikane? And how often do you wipe the blade since it is stainless clad so i think it will be easier for me but i wonder if it give dark color to the food like onion and stuff. Which one do you recommend Kurosaki AS or Yoshikane (since the Kurosaki R2 is kinda expensive and hard to sharpen).
Most of the problem about the AS is that i do not have enough information about them.
Extra note to the Yoshikane about the sharpening process the combine 1k/6k stone will it be ok? And i wonder if they eat the stone up fast.

 

[Timthebeaver]

There is variation in thickness with the hammered line. However, you won't get a fatty, nor will you get a knife that is thick behind the edge with Yoshikane.

I noticed that the white steel kurouchi knife looks to be thicker than the SKD hammered (again, this just be knife-to-knife variation, although Dr Naka formerly of these forums did once allude to different Yoshikane lines being produced slightly differently, which accounts for the different thicknesses observed between models - the western SKDs were monsters iirc.). My SKD kasumi is definitely thinner, but this was made to Maksim's (JNS) specs.

Also be aware that a choil shot doesn't give you whole story regarding "thickness". Actually, far from it.

1k/6k is fine for the Yoshikane skd. Your skill is a far greater arbiter of result than the stone.

 

[MrOli]

Well i thought that Cleancut still have 1 21cm left so i think we will see but about the Kurosaki AS does it hold it edge long like your Yoshikane? And how often do you wipe the blade since it is stainless clad so i think it will be easier for me but i wonder if it give dark color to the food like onion and stuff. Which one do you recommend Kurosaki AS or Yoshikane (since the Kurosaki R2 is kinda expensive and hard to sharpen).
Most of the problem about the AS is that i do not have enough information about them.
Extra note to the Yoshikane about the sharpening process the combine 1k/6k stone will it be ok? And i wonder if they eat the stone up fast.

Hold them both and see which one you like, I love hoth and the are easy to live with (stainless clad). I only wipe the AS when I finish cutting, I have not noticed any smell or discoloration of the food.

Having said that I am on 3 Yoshikane and another one is on the way (Damascus)...

 

[Matus]

I would my to $0.02 on Yoshikane hammered SKD. I have the Hakata Santoku in 165mm size and really like it. The knife is essentially a wide bevel knife (the bevel ends where the hammering starts) and thus is not the thinnest knife out there, but is by no means thick. You will notice this as little more resistance when cutting large carrots, but it is definitely still OK. The knife has very nice distal taper and very thin tip what works great on onions. Sharpening is not particularly hard - probably comparable to blue steel and somewhat easier than super blue. The staining will happen, but with much slower rate than with carbon steel. I do not wipe or wash the knife down in between while preparing a dinner, just do not let it sit for long minutes with some aggressive stuff on it like onions or citrus juice and you will be fine.

The bevels are even - I found no low spots on mine (these would show as you sharpen the whole bevel not just the edge). I would suggest to sharpen the whole bevel - just put it flat on the stone (do not hesitate to start with 400-500, but 1000 should be OK too) and raise a burr. once you are finished on your fine stone I would suggest that you apply a micro bevel under much larger angle - just a few light sharpening movements and then also strop under the same angle. The reason I suggest this is that the steel is hardened to some HRC64 and you may experience micro-chipping if you will use the knife for chopping and not just slicing (my Hakata was born as a chopper). I use the asymmetrical micro bevel Jon Broida suggest (check out his youtube videos for details) - that is on one side some 30-40 deg (yes, that much) and the other side much less (closer to the bevel itself). I find that it helps a lot to increase the lifetime of the edge and does not impair the cutting/slicing ability.

I would say for the price the Yoshikane hammered series is a great value - nice F&F and a great user.

 

[yannguyen]

I would my to $0.02 on Yoshikane hammered SKD. I have the Hakata Santoku in 165mm size and really like it. The knife is essentially a wide bevel knife (the bevel ends where the hammering starts) and thus is not the thinnest knife out there, but is by no means thick. You will notice this as little more resistance when cutting large carrots, but it is definitely still OK. The knife has very nice distal taper and very thin tip what works great on onions. Sharpening is not particularly hard - probably comparable to blue steel and somewhat easier than super blue. The staining will happen, but with much slower rate than with carbon steel. I do not wipe or wash the knife down in between while preparing a dinner, just do not let it sit for long minutes with some aggressive stuff on it like onions or citrus juice and you will be fine.

The bevels are even - I found no low spots on mine (these would show as you sharpen the whole bevel not just the edge). I would suggest to sharpen the whole bevel - just put it flat on the stone (do not hesitate to start with 400-500, but 1000 should be OK too) and raise a burr. once you are finished on your fine stone I would suggest that you apply a micro bevel under much larger angle - just a few light sharpening movements and then also strop under the same angle. The reason I suggest this is that the steel is hardened to some HRC64 and you may experience micro-chipping if you will use the knife for chopping and not just slicing (my Hakata was born as a chopper). I use the asymmetrical micro bevel Jon Broida suggest (check out his youtube videos for details) - that is on one side some 30-40 deg (yes, that much) and the other side much less (closer to the bevel itself). I find that it helps a lot to increase the lifetime of the edge and does not impair the cutting/slicing ability.

I would say for the price the Yoshikane hammered series is a great value - nice F&F and a great user.

Thank that give me more detail to decide which one i gonna buy (Yoshikane and Kurosaki AS). And about the microbevel should i do it with the 6k which i gonna buy?. And do you think that I should add micro bevel to all knife that have high HRC(62-65) I ask this just to know more if i gonna buy some new knife in the future

 

[MrOli]

What needs to be added is that the Hakata is probably the coolest knife ever!

 

[Matus]

Thank that give me more detail to decide which one i gonna buy (Yoshikane and Kurosaki AS). And about the microbevel should i do it with the 6k which i gonna buy?. And do you think that I should add micro bevel to all knife that have high HRC(62-65) I ask this just to know more if i gonna buy some new knife in the future

Glad to help Yes, you would use only the last stone (in your case that would be the 6k) to apply the micro bevel. I would not say that one should apply micro bevels to all high HRC knives, as they all will have different steel, heat treatment and grind. The best could be either asking someone who has experience with the given knife, or simply learning by doing - if you have a knife and finds that it micro-chips, then just apply a micro bevel next time you sharpen the knife. Remember - micro chips are not and to al good times - they mostly go out within one sharpening session.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Thank you and i am newbie to the grit stuff so can i buy a combine waterstone with 1k/6k instead of 5k? will it work. And let say if the Blue take like 20 minutes to sharpen would the skd takes like 30 minutes to sharpen it or longer?

If your knife is really dull it might take 20 or 30 minutes to sharpen. Taking that long to sharpen probably removing too much steel. The powder steels I have sharpened including SKD are not hard to sharpen. SKD takes a very fine sharp edge. Sharpen a lot of cheap stainless, the hard powder steels are a joy to sharpen
, easy to raise an even burr & remove it.