# Suisin Shiro-Niko Yanagiba



## TamanegiKin (Nov 14, 2012)

Hey everyone,
heres my first attempt at a review.
I'm not an expert and I've only owned this one Yanagiba.
This is based only on my experience with this knife the last couple of years.


Suisin Shiro-niko 300mm Yanagiba

F&F-8/10
I assess the F&F on this knife relative to the price range it falls under.
OOTB impression was very good, better than expected.
The spine was very nicely rounded and polished.
The handle while straight forward was finished nicely and had a cool marbled horn.
The only knocks in this area were the choil wasnt really finished to nearly the same degree the spine was and a small scratch on the table of the knife visible only from certain angles.
The choil wasnt bad, just not beveled and polished.
The scratch doesnt bug me but I figured it was still worth mentioning.
I feel I got better F&F than expected for a lower end Yanagiba.

Steel-8/10
The main reason Im scoring this so highly is that in my experience the ease of sharpening
and the overall ability for it to get scary sharp trumps the less than stellar edge retention. 
The edge retention isnt too bad either and I can get a good amount of life since Yanagiba doesnt see the type of violent board contact as some other styles of knives. 

Grind-8/10
This plays to the ease of sharpening, the only low spot is a minor drop off near the heel thats been working its way out over time. Its been very easy and intuitive maintaining the geometry of the knife thanks to an even grind.
The Ura was also nicely and consistently ground.

Another thing worth noting is that this knife has a nice heft to it, feels dense for lack of a better word. The weight carries the knife right through fish.
I can keep a very light grip on the handle and just let the knife do the work.

Ive used this knife for a couple of years in a few different kitchens and its been very good to me.
When I purchased it pricing was $220-250ish which I feel was a steal.
Every time I think about picking up a new Yanagiba I have trouble justifying it because
this one has been so good and durable. 
Its on the affordable/entry level side of Yanagibas 
but Id emphasize that even though thats the reason I picked it up I havent once felt like Ive outgrown it. If I were to upgrade the only reason would be for a different steel, size or style(sakimaru takoboki or kensaki). I cant think of anything else to add, its a straightforward workingman's knife that has proved a good buy. Thanks for taking the time to read my review.

Knife has been polished using micromesh pads


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## chinacats (Nov 14, 2012)

Nice review, thanks! Seems like you purchased at the right time price-wise.


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## TamanegiKin (Nov 20, 2012)

Thanks chinacats, I wish I woulda picked up a couple other Suisin single bevels before the price increase.
I've got a couple more of theirs on my short list but it's gonna cost me now for waiting out!


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