Can't go wrong with Yoshi, so many flavor of Yoshi in BST right now, Nihei, Kono and Gengetsu...
Yoshikane... white vs SKD?
- Thread starter Jovidah
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I might as well ask how does people feel about SLD here? I want to try Nihei but not sure about D2 steel.
Duukt
Well-Known Member
I have the Konosuke Sumiiro made by Nihei which is an amazing cutter, one of the best at horizonal onion cuts. Out of the box, it was also the sharpest knife I've owned so it is possible to get SLD very sharp.
I've only stropped with the green compound since so I can't say if I could replicate the sharpness on my own.
I've only stropped with the green compound since so I can't say if I could replicate the sharpness on my own.
Ingot D2 is...ok. You can get it pretty dang sharp, but it can be tougher to deburr properly, can lose toothiness, can be a bit "fussy" to sharpen nicely. But you can get it to sing.
I've never used PM d2, but would like to. Have one RWL34 i haven't needed to sharpen yet but seems more like something I'll really like.
For a comparison stainless that's got lots of chromium and other alloys but also pm, R2 is also fussy to sharpen really well, but I feel like it really rewards the effort and the edge hangs on for a long time with a steady and predictable dulling curve. D2 seems less predictable, and can seem to take a dive pretty quickly after cutting well yesterday. That's from experience with a few folders and three kitchen knives in D2. But I could also just be a **** sharpener.
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Keith Sinclair
Senior Member
The reason so many knives use R2 is it works well for kitchen knives. Like G3 silver too. It doesn't get as much attention has so much carbon in it.
bradmacmt
Well-Known Member
Interesting discussion!
I'd never owned any SKD steel until a little over a month ago. I ordered a Yoshikane 105mm Petty from Epicurean Edge, and have been loving it. I've had a bunch of Petty's, but never liked any of the shapes. The Yoshikane has more of a pointy Western geometry which I prefer for a fruit knife. I wanted stainless or semi stainless for this knife for fruits like lemon and limes, and I have to say SKD fills the bill. Fantastic craftsmanship, and so far I'm really liking the steel. Reading the remarks of the more experienced here have made me appreciate the little knife even more than I already do.
I'd never owned any SKD steel until a little over a month ago. I ordered a Yoshikane 105mm Petty from Epicurean Edge, and have been loving it. I've had a bunch of Petty's, but never liked any of the shapes. The Yoshikane has more of a pointy Western geometry which I prefer for a fruit knife. I wanted stainless or semi stainless for this knife for fruits like lemon and limes, and I have to say SKD fills the bill. Fantastic craftsmanship, and so far I'm really liking the steel. Reading the remarks of the more experienced here have made me appreciate the little knife even more than I already do.
gc0220
Banned
I don't think either are ideal for a kitchen knife, but if I had to pick the choice is clear. Anything other than white. The reasons are obvious. White steel is high maintenance and relatively low performance, it was never really intended for use in kitchen knives anyway and has ZERO tangible benefit over blue steel, which was intended for kitchen knife... I understand why they use them in Japan though, with their traditions and their hierarchies including inside kitchens, at least traditionally. I'm not into spending $400 on kitchen knife made with steel that will lose bite halfway through cutting a tomato. The tool steel they use isn't like that, it's not gonna take the same quality edges and especially not so easily as white, but it will at least hold onto its keenness through a prep session rather than lose it halfway through two chicken breasts.
gc0220
Banned
R2 is a great steel for high performance kitchen knives. There's a reason it's so commonly used, because I mean someone knows what they're doing and generally it's not end users. This is a great steel. Its just as hard as all but the very best blue steels, it takes just as fine of an edge but it can hold onto it twice as well, if not more, easily. It's properly stainless and most of all it's extremely tough relative to other steels like say super blue, despite the myths. It sharpens very nicely and without issue as well. Zero issues using traditional abrasives, which is a big reason that goes into what steels they use in kitchen knives. It would be awesome if Yoshikane used this stuff too. At the very least they would benefit to update their white steel to blue if not super blue.
Keith Sinclair
Senior Member
Agree that SKD, R2, G3 are easy to put a sharp edge on. Any carbons including Super Blue, & Honyaki blades. Even soft carbon Kau Kong Chopper & K Sabatier that has thicker grind my beater blade cut frozen fruit, take out avocado seeds, split lobsters. When it gets dull easy to put a sharp edge on it again.
Both at work & retired at home have had some nice white steel knives. My Gengetsu & TF Nashiji are very capable white steel blades.
To me it's a myth that carbons can't cut acidic foods at work would cut a whole case of tomatoes diced for Lomi Salmon using thin mono carbon blade.
Both at work & retired at home have had some nice white steel knives. My Gengetsu & TF Nashiji are very capable white steel blades.
To me it's a myth that carbons can't cut acidic foods at work would cut a whole case of tomatoes diced for Lomi Salmon using thin mono carbon blade.
PM D2 seems to have really good properties, almost triple the toughness of ingot one, @Troopah_Knives have one for sale.
