# Logo Placement Left or Right Side Your Thoughts



## Marko Tsourkan (Mar 3, 2012)

It is customary for US makers to place the maker's mark on the left side of the knife. 

How big of a deal would it be if one places it on the right side, akin to Japanese makers?

The reason being, I like it there better on the right side (for a right-hand use), but I want to make another point here. 

I am making knives that are copies of Japanese knives in some way, handles copies of a Japanese wa, and sheaths are copies of a Japanese saya. It's a gyuto, with a wa handle and a saya, thought made in the US from Western steels. 

Wouldn't be appropriate to put a maker's mark on the right on knives that are derived from Japanese knives (for right hand use), and on the left for knives derived from European knives?

Does make sense?

M


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## bikehunter (Mar 3, 2012)

Makes zero difference to me. ;-)


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## ecchef (Mar 3, 2012)

Will puts his on the right side. To me, it makes no difference.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Mar 3, 2012)

All right then, right side it is with exception of a few that I marked on a left size.


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## ThEoRy (Mar 3, 2012)

To me it makes a difference. When I hang my knives up on a mag, I place the left side against the magnet so the edge faces right. I like to see the kanji or makers mark when I hang up my blades.


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## Rottman (Mar 3, 2012)

Left for lefty knives, right for righties. That's what I do.


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## Cipcich (Mar 3, 2012)

Right side, thereby making the few knives already marked on the left rare and unique . . . :cool2:


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## Chifunda (Mar 3, 2012)

Anyone else notice a correlation between maker's mark placement and what side of the road residents of a country drive on?:confusedsign:


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## Marko Tsourkan (Mar 3, 2012)

Cipcich said:


> Right side, thereby making the few knives already marked on the left rare and unique . . . :cool2:



I marked 4 knives on the left and 2 knives on the right side. 225mm is on the left side.


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## SpikeC (Mar 3, 2012)

I mark on both sides!


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## bcrano (Mar 3, 2012)

I think right side looks better if you want to have one. I also think none at all is kind of badass!


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## Pabloz (Mar 3, 2012)

I was taught that the left side (back) is for the makers mark and the right side (front) is reserved for dedication or personalization.


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## Dave Martell (Mar 3, 2012)

Marko, you might recall that I wrestled with this myself and yielded to the left side as that was the consensus from the members here. I still like the right side better personally though, maybe it's all those Japanese knives I've seen and like Rick I like the right side showing on my knives when on a mag block. Maybe Spike has the answer here?


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## Eamon Burke (Mar 3, 2012)

I like the right side for a couple reasons. If you have a knife with a flat backside and convex right side, the logo won't take as much abuse. Also, if you make traditional single-bevels, they won't match if you mark the left side.

The biggest reason is because I like to see my Kanji/logo/MM on my blades when I put them down. It's part of the aesthetic. When the knife gets set on the board, edge facing away, the right side is up. It's just from my time at the sushi bar, I was so proud of my knives, and your station has to look picture-perfect all the time, and I liked that my Tojiro's hideous English side faced down.

So it goes that for lefty knives, it'd be on the other side.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Mar 3, 2012)

Yes it is a struggle, but I am leaning toward the right side, mostly because of the aesthetics. 

I asked Devin about this. He told me the old-school makers consider left side a presentation side, so when you hold a knife in your right hand, one can see the logo. However, from the 70's on, logos started appearing on either of the sides. 


M


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## Johnny.B.Good (Mar 3, 2012)

ThEoRy said:


> To me it makes a difference. When I hang my knives up on a mag, I place the left side against the magnet so the edge faces right. I like to see the kanji or makers mark when I hang up my blades.



+1

I plan to store/display my knives this way someday (as I plan to own one of yours Marko), and the fact that they are not all marked on the same side of the blade already bothers me and my (self-diagnosed) OCD.

I was not aware that there was a Japanese/American custom, but assuming this is true, your reasoning for going right is sound.

Go right. It looks better, will match more of my knives (!), and is what you yourself prefer.


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## tk59 (Mar 3, 2012)

BurkeCutlery said:


> ...Kanji/logo/MM on my blades when I put them down...


I don't care either way, really but if you want people to know I'm using your knife, you will put the logo on the right side since I'm right handed and I always place my knife at rest pointing left on the board, edge away and people usually stand in front of me when I'm cooking for a group.


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## RRLOVER (Mar 4, 2012)

Rottman said:


> Left for lefty knives, right for righties. That's what I do.



This sounds correct to me.


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## Seth (Mar 4, 2012)

Maybe just what I am used to, or many of the reasons talked about above, but I really like logos on the right in the traditional japanese tradition. Left side logos just don't seem right. Many of the single bevels I own have the main stuff on the right and some smaller kanji on the back which also works.


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## SpikeC (Mar 4, 2012)

Takeda puts his on the left, FWIW.


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## NO ChoP! (Mar 5, 2012)

My knives are 50/50, which as theory pointed out, don't show well on a mag....


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## WillC (Mar 5, 2012)

To be honest I positioned mine on the right hand side because I liked the way the big Catcheside looked with the C at the heel. Then I noticed I always put my knife down with the logo up , so that sealed the deal. Someone on British blades said I had it the wrong way because if your right handed you can't see the logo when you have the knife in hand. But I really don't think it matters either way. I would just do which ever looks right with the size and shape of the logo.


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## DeepCSweede (Mar 5, 2012)

It doesn't really matter a lot to me, but if given a preference I would say go with Right side. If you need to justify it, so be it - but you are the artist/craftsman of the product and it is ultimately up to you.


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## slowtyper (Mar 5, 2012)

To me I prefer my logo on the right side. As others have said, I always place the knife horizontally on my board with the edge up...


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## Benuser (Mar 5, 2012)

As I happen to be righthanded, I lay down on its right side. It's to me the most natural position, and with Jknives at least, the edge won't touch the board or table. I therefore would prefer the logo to remain visible, at the left side.


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## tk59 (Mar 5, 2012)

Benuser said:


> As I happen to be righthanded, I lay down on its right side. It's to me the most natural position, and with Jknives at least, the edge won't touch the board or table. I therefore would prefer the logo to remain visible, at the left side.


I'm confused. When you are done cutting something, you flip the edge toward you and then lay the knife down? Then, when you pick it up, you flip it back the other way to cut?


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## Crothcipt (Mar 5, 2012)

Slowtyper do you then set the spine of the blade on the cutting board? your phrase "edge up" is confusing to me. are you meaning edge out?


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## Benuser (Mar 5, 2012)

tk59 said:


> I'm confused. When you are done cutting something, you flip the edge toward you and then lay the knife down? Then, when you pick it up, you flip it back the other way to cut?


Sorry
for the confusion. Just the highest part of the blade, near the spine, will touch the board, when I lay down the knife. The distance between edge and board will remain at least a few milimeters because of the convexity of the right side.


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## tk59 (Mar 5, 2012)

Benuser said:


> Sorry
> for the confusion. Just the highest part of the blade, near the spine, will touch the board, when I lay down the knife. The distance between edge and board will remain at least a few milimeters because of the convexity of the right side.


I see. If I understand correctly, you are referring only to single-bevel knives?


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## Benuser (Mar 5, 2012)

I'm referring to double bevelled J-knives where the right side is convex and the left one almost flat.


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## JohnnyChance (Mar 5, 2012)

Well the edge is supposed to touch the cutting board anyway, so I don't have a problem with the edge resting against the board while its laying there.

I put my knives down both ways, but most of the time I put them down on the right side, with the edge towards me. When I work grill there is a metal lip on the far side of my cutting board that comes up about 4", and I don't want the knife banging into that. Second is it is my knife on my station, I know where it is, if it accidentally cuts anyone it will be me. I don't face it away from myself and towards someone else on the line. 

As for the logo placement, I am pretty sure it is a moot point. Most people arent going to be able to identify the knives we like here, even with the help of the makers name. And if it catches their attention enough to ask about it, I know I am more than willing to talk about them.


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## slowtyper (Mar 5, 2012)

Crothcipt said:


> Slowtyper do you then set the spine of the blade on the cutting board? your phrase "edge up" is confusing to me. are you meaning edge out?



sorry I mean if I am standing in front of my board, I put the blade down horizontally with the blade facing away from me. I always keep it on the board most of the time. I just feel its a bit safer this way with the blade facing away from me.


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## Crothcipt (Mar 5, 2012)

makes sense. I think the whole right hand side for righty's; left hand side for lefty's makes sense. with knife down blade pointed away from body you can see the logo. That is most people go and look at what you are using, in hand its moving to fast to read.


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