# Takeshi Kuroda Metal Master



## Umberto (May 24, 2014)

The web-site is terrible to navigate and purchase, but the products are good and I would highly recommend him for natural stones. His descriptions of how the stones perform are spot on. His prices are lower than any other on-line retailer for very specific geographical locations.

I do believe that his stones are probably the best you can find on-line unless you consult with Ken Schwartz. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Just be sure to splurge a few extra bucks for shipping otherwise you won't see what you bought for many, many weeks. I had a paypal problem and it delayed shipping. Metal Master upgraded my shipping free of charge and I had my stone in about two weeks.


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## Eric (May 24, 2014)

Ken Schwartz? Are you serious? Try Maxim! Is this spam?


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## Umberto (May 24, 2014)

It's not easy finding natural stones in the usua...make a few phone calls you won't find too many people offering to sell them.


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## Tall Dark and Swarfy (May 24, 2014)

*Umberto<>*+1 on Takeshi. He also does business on the bay under metalmasterjp. 

WRT your mention of Ken Schwartz, I guess the best way to say it is you walked onto Blood turf wearing Crips colors.

Cheers,

Rick


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## mkriggen (May 24, 2014)

Tall Dark and Swarfy said:


> *Umberto<>*+1 on Takeshi. He also does business on the bay under metalmasterjp.
> 
> WRT your mention of Ken Schwartz, I guess the best way to say it is you walked onto Blood turf wearing Crips colors.
> 
> ...



:rofl2:

But seriously, if you're really interested in Jnats you need to talk to Maxim (Japanese Natural Stones). He test's every stone he sells can steer you toward to one you need. Jon Broida (Japanese Knife Imports) also has a decent selection. Ivan at Tosho Knife Arts also carries a selection. All of these guys are easy to talk to and have a through knowledge of their merchandise.

Be well,
Mikey


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## Umberto (May 25, 2014)

Let me be a bit more specific in my recommendation...I am by no means an experienced natural stone user. I simply paid good money for a stone and I was satisfied. If you compare stone sizes and prices Metalmaster is consistently less expensive and mostly the grading system seems accurate based on what I got...

I guess what I'm trying to say is I feel you get an honest guy with less than ideal communication, but rest assured you will get your product. He has the best prices on Tanaka knives if you like rustic stuff.


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## mkriggen (May 25, 2014)

Umberto said:


> Let me be a bit more specific in my recommendation...I am by no means an experienced natural stone user. I simply paid good money for a stone and I was satisfied. If you compare stone sizes and prices Metalmaster is consistently less expensive and mostly the grading system seems accurate based on what I got...
> 
> I guess what I'm trying to say is I feel you get an honest guy with less than ideal communication, but rest assured you will get your product. He has the best prices on Tanaka knives if you like rustic stuff.



Can't argue with anything in that statementlus1:

Be well,
Mikey


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## jsjs103121 (May 25, 2014)

I also recently dealt with Takeshi. I first orderd Tanaka Blue#2 yanagi but something went wrong and the knife which was supposed to come to me was taken by someone else in Japan. He offered me a full refund and I said yes and I got my money back into my paypal account literally straight after. So yeah, he seems like an honest guy to me and I did buy another yanagi from him (Shimatani) and it arrived reasonably well packed. 

I've also been looking at one of his natural aotos on eBay for a while but I've just made up my mind to wait until I get more fund to buy the synthetic aoto and JNS 800 from Maksim together for free shipping.


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## Umberto (May 25, 2014)

I would recommend trying the real natural aoto. The one I got from Metalmaster was very high quality, either you can use it with lots of mud, or nearly dry with light pressure for polishing. It's pretty great stone.


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## erikz (May 25, 2014)

Ive ordered from Takeshi as well. Not a lot of communication, but the items arrived quick and in good shape.


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## mainaman (May 25, 2014)

Umberto said:


> The web-site is terrible to navigate and purchase, but the products are good and I would highly recommend him for natural stones. His descriptions of how the stones perform are spot on. His prices are lower than any other on-line retailer for very specific geographical locations.
> 
> I do believe that his stones are probably the best you can find on-line unless you consult with Ken Schwartz. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Just be sure to splurge a few extra bucks for shipping otherwise you won't see what you bought for many, many weeks. I had a paypal problem and it delayed shipping. Metal Master upgraded my shipping free of charge and I had my stone in about two weeks.


I think Ken Schwartz needs to consult with people about anything hone/sharpening related. Metalmaster sells very nice stones but to say they are the best is a stretch.

On your comment about Aoto, just FYI Aoto that can be found today on the internet is average quality at best, top notch Aoto is very expensive to buy and not easy to find.


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## jsjs103121 (May 25, 2014)

Thanks. It's good that you are happy with your aoto and also good to know the Jnats they sell are good quality. 
The reason behind my decision was mainly because of the shipping cost. If I buy an aoto from him, about 30% of the final price will be shipping (not that his shipping is more expensive than others but still...). If I spend more than 1000DKK from Maksim, the shipping is free and another plus point for me would be that I will be buying from an authorised vendor who supports this community. :laugh:


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## tchan001 (May 25, 2014)

What are the characteristics which distinguishes a top notch Aoto as compared with the average quality Aoto stones available on the internet?


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## mainaman (May 26, 2014)

Average Aoto finishes in the 2k range at most. Quality Aoto gives finish in the 4k range.


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## Asteger (May 26, 2014)

I'd also recommend as a good seller. He doesn't carry the super expensive stones, though. But on the other hand, he doesn't hype his stuff up. 



tchan001 said:


> What are the characteristics which distinguishes a top notch Aoto as compared with the average quality Aoto stones available on the internet?





mainaman said:


> Average Aoto finishes in the 2k range at most. Quality Aoto gives finish in the 4k range.



Yes, some of the the most prestigious aoto that are mentioned - if the origin is known - are Kouzaki or Aono or Okabana, and those are apparently harder and finer. I've had 3 of these and it seemed to be true in my case. Not that that, necessarily, makes them better; depends on what you want, I think. But, yes, the more expensive and rare ones come harder and finer. They tend to be darker in colour too.


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## Umberto (May 26, 2014)

The aoto I purchased was said to be an Aono Aoto. It's a fairly hard stone, but with water and increased pressure can develop some nice mud. I use this stone in between a 5k synthetic...alternating between the two I get a pretty nice finish. I prefer some tooth in my edges. Especially since I might have to dice tomatoes on the fly. I hate knives that can't bite a tomato. 

Mine is a greyish color. I love using it with minimal water and pressure, the polishing qualities are very good. There are other reputable vendors but for the price I think Metalmaster beats em all with shipping fees. Pay the extra 10-30$ and the stone will arrive in a week or two depending where you are at.


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## Boondocker (May 28, 2014)

Is this one an aono aoto or have I been misled? 





It does act like described, Its certainly not as hard as my chosera, but not soft like a superstone.


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## Umberto (May 28, 2014)

I couldn't tell you where it came from. Natural stones all have differences based on how the geological formations happened over millions of years. Middle grit synthetic stones are quite expensive these days that's why I paid a little more for a natural.


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