# Konosuke HD2.



## HappyamateurDK (Nov 15, 2020)

Hi all.

I have bin looking at a konosuke HD2 210 mm gyuto, I really like the nimble feel of the thin and light blade. 

But I have a bit of concern.. since the HD2 is a " laser " should i assume it would be fragile and needs babying when used for everyday task in the kitchen. Or is it sturdy enough to be used like a normal gyuto ? 

Have a nice day.


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## Runner_up (Nov 15, 2020)

I loved my 240mm gyuto and used it in a pro environment frequently. I didn't find it to be delicate, due to the convex grind. Great knives


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## Bear (Nov 15, 2020)

I don't know if you've seen this
A Kono 210 comparison


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## Mikeadunne (Nov 15, 2020)

I also used mine in a pro environment and I wouldn’t cut Parmesan rinds with it or anything but I found it to be able to handle large amount of use. Did chip it once but that was when it got crunched between a rubber cutting board and counter. The ss is a real plus.


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## esoo (Nov 15, 2020)

While the HD2 is light and nimble, it is thicker behind the edge than what most here would call a laser (by today's standards)

I wouldn't worry about babying it more than any other Japanese gyuto at all.


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## daveb (Nov 15, 2020)

I had a 270 that I used in a pro environment. Liked it a lot, but it got no special treatment. I rotate which knives I take to work but I get out one gyuto for the day - it needs to do everything except open the olive oil cans.


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## HappyamateurDK (Nov 15, 2020)

Runner_up said:


> I loved my 240mm gyuto and used it in a pro environment frequently. I didn't find it to be delicate, due to the convex grind. Great knives



Does it have a convex grind?...I thought the HD2 was just flat since it is so thin


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## HappyamateurDK (Nov 15, 2020)

Bear said:


> I don't know if you've seen this
> A Kono 210 comparison



I did, and it's great reading. But he doesn't mention anything about the HD2 being delicate or not


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## Runner_up (Nov 15, 2020)

HappyamateurDK said:


> Does it have a convex grind?...I thought the HD2 was just flat since it is so thin




Definitely not a flat grind


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## HappyamateurDK (Nov 15, 2020)

Runner_up said:


> Definitely not a flat grind



Nice to know. How is it when it comes to food release?


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## Runner_up (Nov 15, 2020)

HappyamateurDK said:


> Nice to know. How is it when it comes to food release?



Others who still own one are better qualified to answer, but I remember food release as being ok. Not bad, not the best though.


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## esoo (Nov 15, 2020)

HappyamateurDK said:


> I did, and it's great reading. But he doesn't mention anything about the HD2 being delicate or not



Being the one that wrote that review, I wouldn't say any of them are delicate. Delicate is a Shibata Kotetsu R2 - those are extremely thin on the edge and if you twist while.on the board you can hear the blade "ting" as it releases when you lift. The tradeoff for that is they go through product in a way like nothing else


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## HappyamateurDK (Nov 15, 2020)

esoo said:


> Being the one that wrote that review, I wouldn't say any of them are delicate. Delicate is a Shibata Kotetsu R2 - those are extremely thin on the edge and if you twist while.on the board you can hear the blade "ting" as it releases when you lift. The tradeoff for that is they go through product in a way like nothing else



Sorry for not noticing you wrote the comparison. Must have bin sleeping a bit 

But have read it earlier. And it's great info


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## jacko9 (Nov 15, 2020)

I have the 240HD and I'm not at all concerned about it being too fragile and I've had it for several years now.


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## Alwayzbakin (Nov 16, 2020)

I can also affirm I don’t find my HD2 fragile. It recently became my go to to cut rye bread at work; crust was removed but the area below the slash (still reasonably hard) was left on. I used the HD2 because I was concerned such a job would likely chip my slightly more expensive and harder knives. Not a chip in sight dispite the crunchy feeling of the bread and remarkably great edge retention as well. 
i can also speak to at least average food release. Larger pieces stick a bit but are brushed off pretty easily.


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## labor of love (Nov 16, 2020)

HappyamateurDK said:


> I did, and it's great reading. But he doesn't mention anything about the HD2 being delicate or not


The kono YS is also my favorite of that bunch. I recently bought back one I had sold awhile back because I missed is so much.
That being said the HD2 steel is more forgiving than the YS, and the grind on the HD is very thin but the YS is thinner.
Bottom line is the HD has a pretty thin delicate edge, there’s plenty of knives with thinner more delicate edges but it’s hard to gauge if such a knife is too delicate for you without trying first.


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## 0x0x (Nov 16, 2020)

I have an HD2 240mm Gyuto and it is thin but not that fragile. I also have a Key Kobayashi 240mm Gyuto and that's thinner and more fragile.
I would not cut hard things with the Konosuke but you can use it for everything else in daily kitchen tasks.


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## Ruso (Nov 16, 2020)

HD is middle of the road in almost all aspects. Not too thick, not too thin, not too fragile, not too robust, not too reactive, not to stainless, not too sticky, not too great food reales. Because of the brand its somewhat overpriced now.
It’s like Honda Accord of knives but with Acura price tag.


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## ModRQC (Nov 16, 2020)

It's so easy to get a similar geometry than Kono HD out of half-priced knives make out of better steel... with a bit of work, at least it is. IDK but I feel it's a Law of the Universe that all Kono HD (and a lot of them Kono generally) end up on BST. It's also way too light for its own good.


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## demirtasem (Nov 16, 2020)

ModRQC said:


> It's so easy to get a similar geometry than Kono HD out of half-priced knives make out of better steel... with a bit of work, at least it is.




Any examples to that?


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## ModRQC (Nov 16, 2020)

Well yes if I must explain.

First better steel: obviously to each his own, but I don't find SLD and SLD-like steels to be very interesting with big carbides clusters. May have better retention where a lot of slicing is involved, but in push cutting there's nothing there to get excited about. So any carbon, low-alloy, or fine grained SS to me is a better steel.

As for geometry, well we have a blade on the thin side, some convexing, quite thin behind the edge OOTB. Reproducing the same exact geometry may not be possible for every knife, but tentatively you can get or somewhere along the same ballpark with just about anything that's not a sticky flat V grind and have some notion of food release for a laser.

Typical Kono






So I'd say, OOTB, that a Takamura SG2 should feel pretty close to Kono HD.

Or just my Matsubara Ginsan here after some stone work...






Let's just say I'm kindly not worried about blowing any Konosuke HD out of the water with this knife.


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## esoo (Nov 16, 2020)

ModRQC said:


> Well yes if I must explain.
> 
> First better steel: obviously to each his own, but I don't find SLD and SLD-like steels to be very interesting with big carbides clusters. May have better retention where a lot of slicing is involved, but in push cutting there's nothing there to get excited about. So any carbon, low-alloy, or fine grained SS to me is a better steel.



So you have a reference saying the HD2 is SLD? So far from what I've handled it is different. 

As a push cutter and rock chopper, I'd take HD2 over something like AEB-L or White 2 any day. With my skills, sharpness differences are minimal with way longer retention for the HD2.


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## zizirex (Nov 16, 2020)

HD2 is more similar to Bessaku or SS61 steel. It's more on the expensive side but it's on its own niche market. there are no other mono semi-stainless with a good grind and fit & finish. if you don't care about the steel, get an Ashi.


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## ModRQC (Nov 16, 2020)

I do have an inkling that it would be similar, and if you find that it has longer edge retention than White or AEB-L, it sure probably is a carbide former to some extent. I mentioned Takamura but I don't find SG2 to be so appealing neither, but I'll try one at some point for sure - carbide distribution is uniform, size is uniform. I know I'd never pay for SLD and alike.

Also, comparing your YS to your HD would yield a difference, from heat treatment only YS is brought harder and I suspect it would rather be SKD since it probably is made by Yoshikane.

Otherwise a mean to say that I didn't see so much value in Kono HD - there's nothing there to make it perform truly special. On the other hand, they do all end up on BST. Original owners don't keep them much.

Not a mean to judge on anyone or make specific assertion about HD2 being SLD or not.

Edit: very personal, but since we're talking personal experience, I find myself that AEB-L and Ginsan get a tremendously good edge that seems to last just about forever. I do admit White is susceptible to much quicker loss of sharpness. Then again, it also can be touched-up lightly and go back to spectacular.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Nov 16, 2020)

My HD2 is quite tough. The factory grind is not very very thin behind the edge, but I thinned it to zero edge and it still holds up on a Hasegawa rubber board. It might fail on a hard PE board though if you thin it to zero edge. The factory edge is definitely not chippy nonetheless. It's also quite stainless. It doesn't patina at all in my use. At one point I thought it might be SLD but it sharpens easier than SLD.

The Shibata R2 is also not extremely thin behind the edge but the factory sharpening angle is very acute. Its edge occasionally cuts into cutting boards. I would say the factory edge could be a bit delicate in professional environment.

Takamura sg2 is also a bit delicate I would say. The spine thickness is just 1.6 mm which might be the thinnest out of all typical lasers. And it's sanmai constructed which makes it even more delicate than those monosteel ones. And it's thinner behind the edge than most lasers (might be due to the more convex grind near the edge). And The factory edge is a bit chippy even on a Hasegawa rubber board. Delicate-factors *4. I still love this little thing though.


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## TSF415 (Nov 16, 2020)

HD2 is a pretty great knife. Maybe a little expensive but aren't all Kono's? It doesn't need to be babied anymore than any other high end knife. I have a 270 which runs 260 on the edge which is perfect for me. If you like a lighter knife that isn't an ultimate laser than it can be a good fit. 

I'm also a huge fan of the steel as well as sld, and skd. A sp2k edge and the knives are scary sharp. I have a few as house knives and the guys love them. Stands up nice to crap poly boards.


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## labor of love (Nov 16, 2020)

What is thin? What is delicate? What is tough? All these things are relative to whatever other knife we’re comparing these attributes to.


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## ModRQC (Nov 16, 2020)

I have SKD... SKD-12, not SKD-11. Big difference between them - compare D2 to A2. A2/SKD-12 is finer, some rarer and smallish carbide clusters.

They seem steels that people enjoy - D2, SKD-11, SLD. I just don't need longer retention, and just don't like expensive knives with this kind of steel. People hate VG-10 on the basis that it's often ill HT but well done VG-10 isn’t necessarily very expensive and I consider it will do better than SLD in a knife. Again, personal impression/interpretation of data and experience.

As @labor of love says, to each his own ways to compare, preferences and experiences. If knives was a simple market, we wouldn't be enticed with them so much, and sure wouldn't need a forum to discuss them. Although I guess nowadays even toasters have their dedicated forums and crowds...


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## TSF415 (Nov 16, 2020)

I have not researched data so I’m strictly speaking from using a knife. Crazy I know.


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## 0x0x (Nov 16, 2020)

TSF415 said:


> HD2 is a pretty great knife. Maybe a little expensive but aren't all Kono's? It doesn't need to be babied anymore than any other high end knife. I have a 270 which runs 260 on the edge which is perfect for me. If you like a lighter knife that isn't an ultimate laser than it can be a good fit.
> 
> I'm also a huge fan of the steel as well as sld, and skd. A sp2k edge and the knives are scary sharp. I have a few as house knives and the guys love them. Stands up nice to crap poly boards.



What do you mean by "sp2k" edge? Shapton Pro 2k?


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## TSF415 (Nov 16, 2020)

0x0x said:


> What do you mean by "sp2k" edge? Shapton Pro 2k?


Yes


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## ModRQC (Nov 16, 2020)

0x0x said:


> What do you mean by "sp2k" edge? Shapton Pro 2k?



Exactly.



TSF415 said:


> I have not researched data so I’m strictly speaking from using a knife. Crazy I know.



Data is useful because can't try them all and must decide on what's really interesting to try next. I looked at Konosuke so often in that process. I never was convinced. Again, this is personal, but isn't it a fact for pretty much all of what is discussed here?


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## 0x0x (Nov 16, 2020)

TSF415 said:


> Yes



Thanks! You stop at 2k? I usually use a Imanishi 4k for it.


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## esoo (Nov 16, 2020)

I don't have a 2K to play with, so it goes to either a Rika or Shapton Glass 6K. Love the edge off the Rika on the HD2 - its sharp with a nice toothyness.


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## TSF415 (Nov 16, 2020)

0x0x said:


> Thanks! You stop at 2k? I usually use a Imanishi 4k for it.



yea. I stop at 2k. I used to use a 1k/6k stone to maintain the restaurant knives but now I just go sg500 if needed and then sp2k. There’s been a few stitches from this edge.


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## Runner_up (Nov 16, 2020)

I can definitely see stopping at 2k for a work environment.


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## Southpaw (Nov 16, 2020)

If I returned to run a kitchen again (if my health ever returns) I always assumed get prob get an HD2 for when I was in action on the line, and use a full carbon for prep work. Seems perfect because if I’m slammed it won’t get too roughed up if I couldn’t wipe it immediately.

I don’t know how correct I am, the HD2 is def on my list of future purchases. The HD2 and KS were like the defining knives of the 10’s. They were the only knives I would hear about while I was still in the biz


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## 0x0x (Nov 17, 2020)

TSF415 said:


> yea. I stop at 2k. I used to use a 1k/6k stone to maintain the restaurant knives but now I just go sg500 if needed and then sp2k. There’s been a few stitches from this edge.





Runner_up said:


> I can definitely see stopping at 2k for a work environment.



Ah okay! For professional kitchen makes totally sense.


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## Jason183 (Nov 17, 2020)

If you’re planning to get any kind of laser then better to have another stainless beater knife ready for the dirty work like cutting bones or frozen food, that way you don’t need to worry about chipping it, I would say hd2 feels like semi stainless white 2 steel, cuts as smooth as white 2 with better edge retention. I’m looking to upgrade to kono YS in the future as well, stainless clad hd2 with even better edge retention that’s a plus.


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## HappyamateurDK (Nov 17, 2020)

Jason183 said:


> If you’re planning to get any kind of laser then better to have another stainless beater knife ready for the dirty work like cutting bones or frozen food, that way you don’t need to worry about chipping it, I would say hd2 feels like semi stainless white 2 steel, cuts as smooth as white 2 with better edge retention. I’m looking to upgrade to kono YS in the future as well, stainless clad hd2 with even better edge retention that’s a plus.



i do have some Fdick zwilling and Burgvogel knives for the more rough work. So that won’t be a problem. On the other hand i won’t buy a laser that are too delicate to be used for everyday cooking. That the reason for my question


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## Jason183 (Nov 17, 2020)

HappyamateurDK said:


> i do have some Fdick zwilling and Burgvogel knives for the more rough work. So that won’t be a problem. On the other hand i won’t buy a laser that are too delicate to be used for everyday cooking. That the reason for my question



I have been using the 270 hd2 gyuto everyday in a pro environment for few months now, so far no chipping yet, my best performing gyuto so far, but when cutting bones or frozen products I always switch to stainless beater. I also have shibata kotetsu laser liked you said I would baby more often, higher HRC and thinner behind the edge. For more tougher lasers, I would say Suisin inox honyaki maby, some ppl said it’s only 58-59 HRC so it’s pretty much chip resistant.


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## Jville (Nov 18, 2020)

ModRQC said:


> It's so easy to get a similar geometry than Kono HD out of half-priced knives make out of better steel... with a bit of work, at least it is. IDK but I feel it's a Law of the Universe that all Kono HD (and a lot of them Kono generally) end up on BST. It's also way too light for its own good.


When you look at the amount of HDs sold and then resold on bst. It is probably quite small, alot of people seem to keep them as a no nonsense all around knife to use. If you judge knifes by what get sold on BST then i guess Katos must be pretty mediocre knives also. I see alot more of them, just saying.


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## Hz_zzzzzz (Nov 18, 2020)

I’ve seen more Jiro, Heiji and Mazaki on BST than HD. Maybe even more Toyama on BST than HD. And I only paid $250 for my yo HD2 on CKTG so to me it is really a good value knife.


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## labor of love (Nov 18, 2020)

HD and HD2 steel is wildly popular for a reason. Good enough retention, with decent durability, ease of sharpening and low reactivity.
Sure it’s not high hardness like the current crop of hyped things but it’s very reliable and forgiving thus making it quite enjoyable.


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## ModRQC (Nov 18, 2020)

Nice to see a little Kono love then! I was seeing so many of them passing around... Now I'm back with wanting to try one just for kicks.


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## HappyamateurDK (Nov 19, 2020)

I ended up buying it. In this thread as well as the web in general, opinions are mixed. But it seems more people like it then dislike it. Thanks for your input.


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