Your Opinion on Hado Sumi Blue1?

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NotAddictedYet

NotAddictedYet

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I am a big fan of my Junpaku W1. Saw the Sumi here and there and the high bevel looks like a real performer. The kurouchi + Damascus combo is also intriguing.

For those who owns or owned it, how did you like the knife? Would you categorize it as a laser or middle weight? What about taper, reactivity, special handle combo to look out for? Do you think it's going to stick in your collection?

Bring on the enabling! (or save me some money, win win).
 
I had one for a bit. It had a very high, thin grind. Spine and taper were about average for a premium Sakai knife. F&F were good.

Performance was very similar to the komorebi damascus with the laser thin grind and tall heel height. I think the Hado has nicer overall fit and finish, which is accounted for in the price. To me, I prefer thicker spines for comfort, which is why it is no longer in my collection. However, if you have not tried something similar yet, it's pretty interesting. I also really like the combo of dammy cladding with KU. If the knife was thicker, I would probably still have it.
 
B1D 240 is one knife I won’t get rid of any time soon. Great performance, looks stunning.

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tostadas said:
I had one for a bit. It had a very high, thin grind. Spine and taper were about average for a premium Sakai knife. F&F were good.

Performance was very similar to the komorebi damascus with the laser thin grind and tall heel height. I think the Hado has nicer overall fit and finish, which is accounted for in the price. To me, I prefer thicker spines for comfort, which is why it is no longer in my collection. However, if you have not tried something similar yet, it's pretty interesting. I also really like the combo of dammy cladding with KU. If the knife was thicker, I would probably still have it.
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Thanks for the info, yeah in my experience taper doesn't seem to be Sakai's strong suit. I think the most similar knife I have is the kagekiyo white 2, but that one is of a shorter height with lower shinogi, which is why the Sumi appeals to me. As far as thicker Japanese knives goes, what is your current favorite?

I am not familiar with the komorebi line, will need to take a look there.
 
NotAddictedYet said:
Thanks for the info, yeah in my experience taper doesn't seem to be Sakai's strong suit. I think the most similar knife I have is the kagekiyo white 2, but that one is of a shorter height with lower shinogi, which is why the Sumi appeals to me. As far as thicker Japanese knives goes, what is your current favorite?

I am not familiar with the komorebi line, will need to take a look there.
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Keep an eye out for @Just a DK ... 👀
 
I am also interested in the Hado Sumi line, but for the cheaper White 2 steel. The knives look insanely beautiful and the 23cm Sakai blade length are a perfect middleground for me between the usual 21 and 24cm. What is putting me off currently is the fastly fading kurouchi finish - otherwise I would instantly order it.

If you have no problem with the Kurouchi I would suggest you to pick - just for enablement. Everyone who used them gives pretty positive feedback and I only heard good things about the Hado knives.
 
I have a Blue 1 Damascus petty, and it’s a nice knife. My only real gripe with it was the finish, which is quite rough and scratchy. I polished mine, but wasn’t super straight forward as they have a fairly hollow grind on them. The oak mono handle is as nice, but I replaced it with it something nicer.
 
NotAddictedYet said:
Wondering what you mean by this, people reported it would just flake off or something?
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With time the kurouchi finish fades. But this goes for all knives with this finish I guess. With a fading finish the knife looks really rustic which many people love, so if rustic look is not a problem for you and rather a feature go for it :)
 
The Kurouchi finish on the B1 knife looks a bit different than on the standard Hado Sumi W2 line, no? It looks a bit more rough, almost like a mini Nashiji/Ku finish. Which is a good thing in my book :D
 
I have a nakiri and a sujihiki, both are nail flexing thin and both have fairly thin spines. I really like the height of the Nakiri 57mm but it is a little on the light side. It’s a great cutter, I find myself reaching for it often but I would say there is better out there for the price. Also they are super easy to sharpen but average edge retention. They are pretty reactive but the Damascus holds some really nice colors.

The sujihiki for me is just all around too thin, especially at the tip. It still cuts beautifully but I don’t find myself reaching for it as much anymore.
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enrico said:
hado sumi w2 had great f&f but was a bit too thin at the edge for me
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What did you not like about the thinness? Did it feel to fragile to you or did you have some issues with chipping?
 
Qioda said:
What did you not like about the thinness? Did it feel to fragile to you or did you have some issues with chipping?
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Felt fragile. I didn’t use it much but it almost felt susceptible to bending at the edge. I wouldn’t trust the white 2 I had with woody herbs. Could be wrong though
 
enrico said:
Felt fragile. I didn’t use it much but it almost felt susceptible to bending at the edge. I wouldn’t trust the white 2 I had with woody herbs. Could be wrong though
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Ah okay, that sad to hear. From what I‘ve seen, the Blue 1 Hado Sumi line is even thinner than the one with White 2.
 
I can see thin on these, but I'm surprised to hear Tanaka's B1 only has average retention. My JNS versions last quite awhile. I look forward to trying one of these.
 
hukdizzle said:
Not sure if I got a bad example but I am not thrilled on the heat treat/tempering, feels kind of soft compared to a myriad of other tanaka blades I have. Doesn't seem to take the same screaming edge that my B1 TxK takes.
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Are those Tanaka x Kyuzo knives as thin as the Hados?
 
Interesting. I don't have as much experience as many here, but I have a number of Tanaka forged knives. They are all quite hard and yet feel supple on the stones. I just broke down and ordered the Bunka, so I will report back
 
I have my eye on the Hado b1 240. I recently micro chipped my myojin sg2 240 a few times rocking over parsley on a plastic board at work so I am a little concerned I will have to be careful with the Hado doing certain things.
 
Tomas Randa said:
I have my eye on the Hado b1 240. I recently micro chipped my myojin sg2 240 a few times rocking over parsley on a plastic board at work so I am a little concerned I will have to be careful with the Hado doing certain things.
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A Myojin/Tetsujin should be even thinner or equally thin as the Hado, right? I wonder if a knife that thin is really practical for everyday use which I plan to do
 
I'm not a pro, but I'd hesitate in a pro kitchen. At home, I have sturdier options available easily. I think keeping a sturdy knife handy is always a good idea.
 
hukdizzle said:
Definitely not, the Hado is incredibly thin.
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There is a lot of variation in both - thicker and thinner examples. Also variations in thickness at spine vs bevel vs edge. Have a look at the choil shots on BsT posts for both knives, especially TxK. None of either knife are chunky, but some have unbelievably thin concave grinds. I own very laser-y examples of both and they’re similarly thin behind the edge, the hado is thicker at the spine but the TxK has a lower shoulder (technically walkschliff, I think). Tetsujins are generally not as thin in my experience, but mine has a nail flexing edge the whole way along up to the bottom of the kanji, so I would not say that it’s thick at or behind the edge. the B2 might be a bit tougher than Tanaka B1, at least it should be ‘on paper’.
 
Qioda said:
A Myojin/Tetsujin should be even thinner or equally thin as the Hado, right? I wonder if a knife that thin is really practical for everyday use which I plan to do
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My Tetsujin is not as thin as my Hado at the edge and I don’t feel the Tetsujin sticking into the board like I do with the Hado.
 
mpier said:
My Tetsujin is not as thin as my Hado at the edge and I don’t feel the Tetsujin sticking into the board like I do with the Hado.
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Ah okay :) that sounds like you enjoy your Tetsujin more in general?
 
Qioda said:
Ah okay :) that sounds like you enjoy your Tetsujin more in general?
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Well no knife is perfect, Tetsujin has an extremely reactive cladding which is great for proteins but not so much for other stuff. Anything with a Myojin grind on it is top notch though. The HADO I use the most is a Nakiri so it’s great for most things, but not if I’m in a hurry, it just feels a little fragile.
 
Tall, thin, rustic, and I must be the only one liking the mono handle haha.

Seems like the feedback on the steel doesn't seem so great. Usually expect Tanaka blue to be top notch..
 
I actually really like the mono handle!!! As far as the steel goes it’s not horrible and it is above average but the average has gotten a little higher over the last few years.
 
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