# Takamura knives



## Kingkor (Jun 7, 2016)

Does anyone here own a takamura, if so then from what series and what are his thoughts about the knife and the maker?


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## DanHumphrey (Jun 7, 2016)

Have the R2 santoku (red handle). Love it - light, thin, crazy sharp. The only complaint is that, thin as it is, food climbs it like a mountaineer on a bouldering wall. That's to be expected, though, give its thinness. Sorta wish I had a reason to pick up the red-handle 210 gyuto or Pro/ black handle 240mm.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jun 7, 2016)

R2 (red) 7 inch gyuto. Kept it at original 9-10 dps. Love it, but would not recommend it as a general purpose board knife. Too delicate. Takes light impact like nobody's business, doesn't take any heavy blade loading well - not a cross/rock chopper, period. Love it for contemplative salad making. For tasks where the other choice would be using an usuba. Rocks for days when you want to leave the boards hanging on their nails and freehand things.

Yo handle only, haven't had a hana (which I wouldn't call wa.) in hand but don't find them too appealing..

The aesthetics are great, love the finish and color choice on the handle (normally would have preferred wa, but these yo's are nice, yo!) and the silver-gold hue contrast that builds around the lamination line...

One of their VG10/VS-1 types of is on the long consider-trying list too, just for curiosity


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## kevpenbanc (Jun 7, 2016)

Have a 210 Hana gyuto.
Arguably the best knife I have.
Fantastic cutter, no sense of fragility, no issues with chipping, easy to sharpen, gets stinky sharp and holds it for ever.
If I had found a 240 I would have bought it.
My Tanaka R2 is a better cutter, but I get the slightest sense of fragility at times.


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## Godslayer (Jun 7, 2016)

Extremly undervalued. I like my takamura knives more than my kato. I have the 150 petty 180 gyuto 210 gyuto(r2 line) and 270 uchigumo. The r2 line is paper thin and the best laser I've ever used. Defiantly best value anyway. The 210 is a must own in my opinion. The uchigumo is significantly thicker and is a more all purpose blade. Little handle heavy being a yo, balance point over the heel. The blade is stunningly beautiful and holds an edge beautifully. I'd like to someday get a 130/150 petty in the same line. No experience with the hana line. Full tang wa and looks similar to the uchi, unsure if grind is the same. Tanner has handled 10+ takamuras so hed definatly be worth shooting a pm. Seriously though. Buy an r2 210 and be amazed at the sharpness. Just don't be savage with it and itll treat you good.


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## aboynamedsuita (Jun 7, 2016)

Godslayer said:


> Extremly undervalued. I like my takamura knives more than my kato. I have the 150 petty 180 gyuto 210 gyuto(r2 line) and 270 uchigumo. The r2 line is paper thin and the best laser I've ever used. Defiantly best value anyway. The 210 is a must own in my opinion. The uchigumo is significantly thicker and is a more all purpose blade. Little handle heavy being a yo, balance point over the heel. The blade is stunningly beautiful and holds an edge beautifully. I'd like to someday get a 130/150 petty in the same line. No experience with the hana line. Full tang wa and looks similar to the uchi, unsure if grind is the same. *Tanner has handled 10+ takamuras so hed definatly be worth shooting a pm. Seriously though. Buy an r2 210 and be amazed at the sharpness. Just don't be savage with it and itll treat you good.*



An old pic, but...





From L-R: Blazen / HSPS Pro 270 sujihiki, 240 gyuto, 130 petty; Uchigumo 240 gyuto, 130 petty; Hana 240 sujihiki, 165 santoku; R2 / Migaki(?) 180 gyuto, 150 petty.

Since then I've sold the two Hanas, got the 270 Hana sujihiki, then got the 270 Uchigumo sujihiki literally the next day, sold the 270 Hana sujihiki, got the 210 R2, sold the 180 R2. The three Uchigumos are getting rehandled and are sure to be killer... stay tuned to the Newest Knife Buy thread.

Godslayer summed it up nicely as far as the differences go. If you want a stainless clad PM knife I'd say Takamura should definitely make your short list


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## fujiyama (Jun 7, 2016)

Can't wait to see those three rehandled! 

I can't choose between the Takamura Pro and Tojiro HSPS. The knives look very similar but Takamura being more expensive.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jun 7, 2016)

Shibata also has good reputation for thin SG2 blades (excuse the awkward language, I'm trying to be clear about "opinion on something I own or have used" vs "repeating opinions found researching a brand or product"....)


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## XooMG (Jun 7, 2016)

If I had just one knife under $200, the red-handled 210 would make the short list. I miss mine.


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## supersayan3 (Jun 7, 2016)

I don't have a Takamura, but I have worked with one Hana 21cm, and played for a little with a Blazen 24cm. The first experience, the Blazen 24cm, drove me to buy 3 Ryusen Blazens(because of the magnetic saya). 
R2 takes killer edge, even if you buy a 3000USD knife, you will get better feeling maybe, but equal cutting performance. Buy it with closed eyes.
If you are a pro though, buy and a G3 knife, they compliment each other. 
G3 for harder tasks, it doesn't chip, R2 for everything else


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## Godslayer (Jun 7, 2016)

miyabi said:


> Can't wait to see those three rehandled!
> 
> I can't choose between the Takamura Pro and Tojiro HSPS. The knives look very similar but Takamura being more expensive.



Takamura comes with a black saya I'd value around $40-$50. I've never handled the hsps but the dp isn't even close to the same level. It's like a cavalier vs a corvette Z06. I also have a shibata 270 suji, it's a beastly blade but very different as they are all k tip and thin. I'm getting my suji rehandled with ancient bog oak, end cap and body mammoth spacers and micarta ferrule. The handles feel hollow which I hate, but the blade is amazing.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jun 7, 2016)

G3 = ginsan ?


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## Godslayer (Jun 7, 2016)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> G3 = ginsan ?



Yes


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## preizzo (Jun 7, 2016)

Takamura are super.!!


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## richard (Jun 7, 2016)

miyabi said:


> I can't choose between the Takamura Pro and Tojiro HSPS. The knives look very similar but Takamura being more expensive.



Feel in hand and fit and finish are much better with the Takamura, and with a nicer grind as well.


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## jbart65 (Jun 7, 2016)

Takamura was my first real J knife. Superb cutter, surprisingly nice fit and finish. I use for most things except hard squash, which can make it seem flimsy. It's not. It's just a laser. Not a bazooka.

Arguably the best value in J knives, period. Their VG line is also excellent.


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## fujiyama (Jun 7, 2016)

Godslayer said:


> Takamura comes with a black saya I'd value around $40-$50. I've never handled the hsps but the dp isn't even close to the same level. It's like a cavalier vs a corvette Z06.



I agree there, but the DP is entry level. After factoring in the saya value the Takamura costs about $70 more. Not so bad after all, I think I'm going to pick one up.

Do you own both Richard? I'd be interested in a comparison!


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## Pirendeus (Jun 7, 2016)

I think value is an important comparison, but in the end, you've just got to get the knife you like best.


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## richard (Jun 9, 2016)

miyabi said:


> I agree there, but the DP is entry level. After factoring in the saya value the Takamura costs about $70 more. Not so bad after all, I think I'm going to pick one up.
> 
> Do you own both Richard? I'd be interested in a comparison!



I used to have a Tojiro powder high speed steel 240 mm gyuto many years ago, and I currently own a Takamura R2 210 mm gyuto and 240 mm Ryusen Blazen gyuto. Takamura and Ryusen collaborated to make the Blazen series, and now sell them separately, with the Takamura-made Blazen version referred to by some sellers and most often here as the Takamura HSPS Pro. (Separately Ryusen is also a maker that is quite underrated and not discussed very much here, but they are also very well regarded in Japan)

The handle and F&F of the Tojiro PS is basically the same as the Tojiro DP, but with different core steel, and with a thinner grind. While I don't have one right now to compare side-by-side against, I would think performance and edge retention of the steel, I suspect there probably isn't a great deal separating the Tojiro PS and the Takamura HSPS Pro. However the handle for the Tojiro is probably among the least favorite Western riveted handle for me. It's not that comfortable, and also Tojiro doesn't resize them to match the size of the gyuto. The Blazen/Takamura handle is more sculpted and comfortable to me, and overall the knife is much better finished. The size of the handle is adjusted to match the size of the knife (so 210, 240 and 270 mm gyutos will each have different sized handles). The handle size is relatively medium size and a bit tapered at the ends. Comparing the 240 mm gyuto against some other Westerns, it's bigger than say the Mac Pro, but smaller than beefy handles like Masamoto VG or Misono UX10. The handle on the 240 mm gyuto is about the same size as the Tojiro Western handle, but the shape is very different and feels much nicer in my hand.

The grind of the Takamura HSPS Pro will be very good. On my Takamura R2 and my Blazen, you can barely see the edge bevel and it is very thin behind the edge. My Blazen has a very nice distal taper along the whole length of the knife. While it is true the spine is ~3 mm at its thickest point where it transitions to the bolster, the thickness of the spine is between 1.7 to 1.4 mm along the middle third on my knife knife, and 1.3 to 1.0 mm for the front third right before the spine curves down towards the tip (very thin). It glides through a thick carrot with barely any resistance (carrots are a great test for wedging), second only to my Takamura R2.


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## chiffonodd (Jun 9, 2016)

So I take it from several posts in this thread that blazen and takamura pro hsps are the same and I somehow missed this? oy there's always some new factoid.


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## richard (Jun 9, 2016)

There was a short discussion of this a few years ago on this board
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/1217-Blazen-or-Bu-Rei-Zen-thoughts

Ryusen and Takamura are both part of the Echizen Uchihamono co-operative in Takefu and have worked closely together (you can read a history on the CTKG site), and in general Japanese knife makers often have somewhat complex, intertwined relationships. It's very possible that my Ryusen Blazen had some steps done and processed by Takamura, but I heard from the owner of Portland and Phoenix knife house that Takamura and Ryusen no longer have a working relationship or a falling out or something, so now I think there probably is no cooperation in the production, but both still have the rights to sell "Blazen". I think it is related to this that the Takamura HSPS Pro relabeling happened, but you can see in the pic below that there are some Blazen knives that carry the Takamura logo.


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