Yoshikane SKD vs SLD

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Hey all, I’m working up the courage to pull the trigger on a new knife and have decided that I really like what people are saying about the Yoshikane grinds, paired with their use of hard semi stainless steels (I’ve been using a sukenari SG2 as a daily driver for a little over a year now).

My dilemma is that I’m seeing the SLD Damascus on epic edge going for about double the price of the SKD Nashiji on carbon knife co.

Could anybody shed some light on whether the crazy price increase would be worth it? I could be wrong, but it seems like the SKD is way thicker at the base of the spine and tapers off to around the same thinness as the SLD, which I totally dig. Whichever one I buy will likely become my new daily driver once work starts up again.

Cheers!
Sam
 
Of the various Yoshi configurations on the market today, my favorite, including cost as a factor, is the Amekiri
from Knives and Stones. It's not stainless but is stainless clad and the carbon core patinas quickly and well. The SLD dammy is an extra 150ish and a sweet knife but if memory serves is a little lighter than Amekiri. Don't like it as well but it is purty. Another one I like a lot is the Kashima from Cleancut. A little cheaper than Amekiri. I did not like the hammered Yoshi from EE, kind of piggish. Have not tried the other Yoshi from CKC. Yet.

https://knivesandstones.us/collecti...e-2-gyuto-240mm-stainless-clad-nashiji-finish
 
I liked the SKD from Epicurean, excellent geometry on my example, and I really liked every knife I’ve had in either steel. Yoshi SLD is in a price range with a lot of heavy hitters so it’s been tough to justify buying one but I want to try it out. Unless the grind on the SLD is significantly better though I prefer SKD between the two steels anyway; Heiji and Gengetsu semi stainless have been thought to be this or something close to it and from how those knives patina and the edges they develop that must be at least compositionally close.
 
Hey all, I’m working up the courage to pull the trigger on a new knife and have decided that I really like what people are saying about the Yoshikane grinds, paired with their use of hard semi stainless steels (I’ve been using a sukenari SG2 as a daily driver for a little over a year now).

My dilemma is that I’m seeing the SLD Damascus on epic edge going for about double the price of the SKD Nashiji on carbon knife co.

Could anybody shed some light on whether the crazy price increase would be worth it? I could be wrong, but it seems like the SKD is way thicker at the base of the spine and tapers off to around the same thinness as the SLD, which I totally dig. Whichever one I buy will likely become my new daily driver once work starts up again.

Cheers!
Sam
I can’t comment on anything other than the sld dammy as I haven’t used the others. But if your looking for a daily workhorse I’d probably not recommend it. It’s more of a lightweight knife, very thin at the edge and at the tip. Also not convinced of the sld steel, both of my sld dammys have not kept a great edge for long compared to other steels I’ve used. I really like the profile and the appearance though.
6005E470-4C6B-40B1-B31A-79D257EDC17A.jpeg
 
One note to add- the SLD damascus is the tallest line at the heel, if that’s important to you. However, the SLD lines from Masashi are equally tall if not taller and half the price.
 
Ended up going with the SKD from CKC. Talked with them over the phone for a while and was told that the geometry was very similar, with the exception of the spine being a little thicker on the SKD right above the handle.

Used it last night to make some artichoke barigoule and was absolutely blown away, especially considering the price point! After using strictly SG2 for the past couple years I was very pleased to see the whispers of a patina forming. I’m really excited to see how she keeps her edge once the restaurant reopens and I can run her through the gauntlet a couple times.

Pardon the poor picture quality, they certainly don’t do the choil, distal taper, or gorgeous finish justice.
 

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Used some of the money saved from not going the SLD route to also pick up a Shibata ko-bunka from Knifewear. Yeeeeewwwwww!
 

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I like the Yoshi SKD from KnS a lot. It is very thin behind the edge and I like the grind as well. Cuts carrot better than my most knives. The out of the box sharpness is crazy. The only thing I would complain is that the flat area is a bit too long to my usual cutting motions.
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