# Need some Tanaka help !!



## Xenif (Feb 14, 2018)

So after all the good things I've read about Shigeki Tanaka knives I've decided to finally get one. But I have so many questions that maybe you guys can help me answer:

Signature: I see that some of them has the Kazuki (&#35488;&#36020 and some of them has Hideyuki (&#31168;&#29577 why is that and what the diffrence?

Steel: Looking VG10 and B2, thought?

Handle: Which one donyou guys perfer ? For a 150 petty or Nakiri

Sellers: quite a few sellers, any you guys would recommend, or ones I sould stay away from ? (Im in Canada)

Any help will be appreciated !


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## dwalker (Feb 14, 2018)

I don't know about the kanji, but I can recommend K&S to source a Tanaka. Most bang for the buck there. You get a great handle and extra finishing. For a little more, you can get a nice friction fit saya. 

As far as steel is concerned, I would choose the Blue 2 if carbon and Ginsan for stainless.


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## chinacats (Feb 14, 2018)

+1 on buying from K&S. Good cheap option would be Metalmaster. All the steels are good and as much as people dislike vg-10 Tanaka does it right so any of the steels are fine. I don't know anything about kanji but my understanding (I could be wrong) is that Shigeki only does the blue 2 damascus.


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## Grunt173 (Feb 14, 2018)

Tanaka from K&S..I have my third one on the way now, all with Blue 2 steel. That ought to say something about them and K&S service.


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## Nemo (Feb 14, 2018)

I also have 3 Tanakas from KnS (in G3, B2 and R2). Great knives. Great F&F. Excellent service.


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## kmtyb (Feb 14, 2018)

My first few Japanese knives were lasers and after purchasing 2 Tanka from KnS my bank account never looked the same .


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## pkjames (Feb 14, 2018)

I have asked Shigeki-san himself this exact question, so here it goes.

&#35488;&#36020; is Shigeki, the current generation of the Tanaka brand. 
&#31168;&#20043; is Hideyuki, &#31168; is a character of his grandfather's name and &#20043; is a character of his father's name. Shigeki just put these two together to show respect. 

There is otherwise no difference.


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## Xenif (Feb 14, 2018)

Thanks for all the help guys! K&S has awesome stuff but I just checked shipping alone on a petty would be almost 50% of the price. 

Is Metalmaster and 330mate the same guy? They almost have identical website layout


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## toddnmd (Feb 14, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Thanks for all the help guys! K&S has awesome stuff but I just checked shipping alone on a petty would be almost 50% of the price.
> 
> Is Metalmaster and 330mate the same guy? They almost have identical website layout



Then you need to add some more items to your cart! I think free shipping kicks in at AUD 300.


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## Nemo (Feb 14, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Shipping alone on a petty would be almost 50% of the price



Welcome to our world.

The number of times I've had my finger over the "Buy" button on a JKI knife only to be put off by the shipping...

This is why the "Which knife should I buy" questionnaire asks where you live.


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## Xenif (Feb 14, 2018)

Nemo said:


> Welcome to our world.
> 
> The number of times I've had my finger over the "Buy" button on a JKI knife only to be put off by the shipping...
> 
> This is why the "Which knife should I buy" questionnaire asks where you live.


This forum should come with a huge warning label "WARNING: May encourage reckless buying of things you never knew you even wanted, which then will lead to wanting to buy thing you didn't know exisited, only so you can polish them with even more expensive and exotic japanese stones which requires you to learn a new language. Enter at your own risk."


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## dwalker (Feb 15, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Is Metalmaster and 330mate the same guy? They almost have identical website layout



Not the same guy. I've purchased from both. 330mate was prompt shipping, I've waited up to 6 weeks from MM. I've always got my package from him, and in my opinion the wait is worth the price. Just be aware he can be slow.


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## Xenif (Feb 15, 2018)

Thanks Nemo for mentioning the Gin3 option, hadn't crossed my mind, I have a Hiromoto Gin-3 and so far its my fav stainless. 

I've narrowed it down to either 1)Gin-3 with wa handle /w horn or 2)B#2 with Wa handle /w horn for $30 more

Now ... I read thatbthe b2 Tanakas are rather reactive, is that assumption correct (some say newer ones less reactive)?

Im a stay at home dad so when I cook sometimes, i will have to leave the board for a few mins. Im OK with say SK steel carbons once they patina, but I had a Tojiro iron clad w#2 that was way too easy to rust. Thoughts?


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## JaVa (Feb 15, 2018)

Tanaka ginsan is sweet. I just love the steel. At least when when sprinkled with some Tanaka magic. 

The B2 damascus and KU used to be very reactive, but the new ones are much less reactive. If reactivity is a concern there's always the B2 nashiji that's SS clad from K&S. It has the same profile and grind, only the core steel is different.


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## Keith Sinclair (Feb 15, 2018)

If you make a larger purchase like 2 Tanaka's James shipped for free. You might inquire to see if you qualify.

Excuse my ignorance, what are the extra shipping fees in so many countries. Some seem to be in the country itself and others for foreign purchases.

MM has shipped Tanaka's to me this year. Two knives came in less than 2 weeks and cost 5 bucks to ship.


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## Xenif (Feb 15, 2018)

keithsaltydog said:


> If you make a larger purchase like 2 Tanaka's James shipped for free. You might inquire to see if you qualify.
> 
> Excuse my ignorance, what are the extra shipping fees in so many countries. Some seem to be in the country itself and others for foreign purchases.
> 
> MM has shipped Tanaka's to me this year. Two knives came in less than 2 weeks and cost 5 bucks to ship.


Im not sure myself, most japanese sellers uses SAL and EMS, which seems to be fair/low price for shipping. Perhaps countries such as Australia dosent have a low price carrier such as the aforementioned companies ? When i went to check out on KnS the charge for shipping came to 36$, didnt go further into which carrier

@JaVa : you almost sold me on the Gin3 especially for it being $30 cheaper vs the B2/Dammy


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## Nemo (Feb 15, 2018)

From memory, shipping to anywhere in Aus outside of a major city is 50-80+ usd depending on the knife. It's a little bit less to a major city.


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## Nemo (Feb 15, 2018)

I lile my G3 Tanaka. Not quite as easy to sharpen as B2 but still not hard.

The cheaper version is called "lite" and comes with a more basic handle and more basic spine & choil easing. Most people who have one report that both the handle and the easing are still very acceptable though.


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## Xenif (Feb 16, 2018)

Pulled the trigger on a Gin3 nashiji, splurged a bit for a oct handle. Thanks again for all the info everyone &#128583;

Down the rabbit hole we go !


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## ThEoRy (Feb 16, 2018)

Kazayuki who is no longer with us is Shigeki's father.


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## Marek07 (Feb 16, 2018)

Xenif said:


> This forum should come with a huge warning label "WARNING: May encourage reckless buying of things you never knew you even wanted, which then will lead to wanting to buy thing you didn't know exisited, only so you can polish them with even more expensive and exotic japanese stones which requires you to learn a new language. Enter at your own risk."


You learn quickly grasshopper! You have grasped the fundamentals very well indeed and expressed them succinctly.

Matters not... as you said in a later post: "Down the rabbit hole we go !" 

Enjoy your fall... sorry, I mean journey. &#128513;


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## ThEoRy (Feb 16, 2018)

ThEoRy said:


> Kazayuki who is no longer with us is Shigeki's father?



I don't know why there is a question mark at the end of my sentence. Maybe it was auto correct. I have several knives from the Tanaka family with different Kanji and after having spoken with Shigeki have even received a few from the man himself. He's a really awesome guy. We were speaking about American muscle cars actually. He said he wanted a Challenger but it was too expensive to import. I can't edit my post any longer so I just wanted to clarify that statement.

I had heard originally that Shigeki's cousin or some kind of family member may have been the maker of the first ginsanko nashiji knives. I had previously thought that person was named Hideyuki. Can anyone clarify who was the maker of those knives and if it was a family member what was that person's name?


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## Xenif (Feb 16, 2018)

ThEoRy said:


> I don't know why there is a question mark at the end of my sentence. Maybe it was auto correct. I have several knives from the Tanaka family with different Kanji and after having spoken with Shigeki have even received a few from the man himself. He's a really awesome guy. We were speaking about American muscle cars actually. He said he wanted a Challenger but it was too expensive to import. I can't edit my post any longer so I just wanted to clarify that statement.
> 
> I had heard originally that Shigeki's cousin or some kind of family member may have been the maker of the first ginsanko nashiji knives. I had previously thought that person was named Hideyuki. Can anyone clarify who was the maker of those knives and if it was a family member what was that person's name?


From pkjames (post#7)

"I have asked Shigeki-san himself this exact question, so here it goes.

&#35488;&#36020; is Shigeki, the current generation of the Tanaka brand. 
&#31168;&#20043; is Hideyuki, &#31168; is a character of his grandfather's name and &#20043; is a character of his father's name. Shigeki just put these two together to show respect. 

There is otherwise no difference."


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## chinacats (Feb 16, 2018)

Yes, but pretty sure I understood that Shigeki only makes the blue 2 damascus series...


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## Xenif (Feb 16, 2018)

Man that could work out to be one heck of a knife trade, '69 Challanger for whatever Knife(s) Tanaka san might trade


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## Xenif (Feb 16, 2018)

chinacats said:


> Yes, but pretty sure I understood that Shigeki only makes the blue 2 damascus series...


Well then that just means I have to get a B2 Damascus Gyuto at some point [emoji41]


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## ThEoRy (Feb 16, 2018)

So who then was or currently is the maker of the nashiji? And if it's Shigeki why did I think it was not? I'm pretty sure that years ago we discussed a different Tanaka (not Kazayuki) working with him and it possibly being his cousin or something.


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## Talim (Feb 16, 2018)

I guess there was never a cousin named Hideyuki. It was all Shigeki.


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## Keith Sinclair (Feb 17, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Pulled the trigger on a Gin3 nashiji, splurged a bit for a oct handle. Thanks again for all the info everyone &#128583;
> 
> Down the rabbit hole we go !



Good choice.


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## JaVa (Feb 17, 2018)

Great choice! 

Id love to hear your impressions when you get it. Also would be great to hear comparisons against your other Gin3 knife. Mainly about the steel performance with edge retention, edge taking and how it feels on the stones.


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## Xenif (Mar 2, 2018)

Been two weeks since I ordered that Nashji G3 petty, pacing around, checking email 16 times a day to see when it gets shipped out.

Seems like the only logical solution to this problem is to buy another Tanaka. Im not crazy right? &#129300;

240 B2 KU vs Dammy .... Or screw it all and buy a Nakiri ?


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## JaVa (Mar 2, 2018)

Nope, not crazy at all. Not in this group anyway. 

Dammy all the way. KU is very nice, dammy is even nicer. 

But wait, you bought a Tanaka nashiji ginsan petty??? What? How? Where?


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## baltazar (Mar 2, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Seems like the only logical solution to this problem is to buy another Tanaka. Im not crazy right? &#129300;
> 
> 240 B2 KU vs Dammy .... ?



I have his 190 dammy& nashiji and I do prefer dammy more, it's a cutting beast!
In my book Tanaka is best bang for the buck by far, period!


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## Xenif (Mar 2, 2018)

JaVa said:


> But wait, you bought a Tanaka nashiji ginsan petty??? What? How? Where?



I placed an order on 330mate website, it did say the oct handle will take 3-4 weeks time.

Honestly I only did because I was "ONLY" going to buy this one knife.

In hindsight, should've ordered 2 from KnS and get free shipping, better handles, fnf for not too much more


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## JaVa (Mar 2, 2018)

Are you sure it said ginsan and not VG10? 

It is possible that 330mate had some old stock from a few years back when few vendors use to sell them. 

AFAIK the Tanaka ginsan steel knives are exclusive to K&S and there hasn't been a petty so far from that steel from James. Other vendors who sell the the Tanaka nashiji it's made from VG10. Also the old version ginsan nashiji had a different grind which was a bit more sturdy behind the edge. 

I'm guessing the VG10 nashiji knives share the old grind too as the new thinner behind the edge design was especially requested by James at K&S. Not sure though.


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## Xenif (Mar 2, 2018)

JaVa said:


> Are you sure it said ginsan and not VG10?
> 
> It is possible that 330mate had some old stock from a few years back when few vendors use to sell them.
> 
> ...


100% sure that it is Gin3 core, 330 sells a whole line of them from 155 petty to 270gyuto (210-270 has wait time), they have the Hideyuki signature (part of OP question). 

The KnS I believe is made to spec for KnS is actually the &#36784;&#20809; line is B2core with Nashji stainless clad (which is an awesome combo), and it has the &#35488;&#36020; signature.

One of the reasons why I didnt order from KnS in the first place is no Gin3 petty.

As far as I can tell from reading the board Tanaka knives have similar grinds and profile between the finishes? Unless someone cares to eleaborate on that


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## ryanjams (Mar 2, 2018)

330mate can be slow to communicate, and something lost in translation, but I think his site may be out of date on those. I had tried to order some ginsankos from him a couple years back, and finally got a response:
"Sorry Tanaka is no respond
He is too dull and lazy
could seek for others?

No way" 

I'd certainly be interested if he's managed to restock!

If you end up in need after all, Tanaka vg10 is quite nice, and the petty is available from metalmaster with a surprisingly comfortable and functional western handle. The nashijis have a wide bevel grind, with the older metalmaster/first run KNS models on the heftier side, the new KNS very thin behind the edge and maybe slightly curvier in profile (could have just been the 2 that I had). B#2 damascus is a nice sturdy midweight convex, perhaps varying in thinness behind the edge, while the vg10 damascus are thinner yet with some nice convexity still. I've owned quite a few Tanakas and been very pleased with all of them, especially for the value they offer.


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## JaVa (Mar 2, 2018)

The Tanaka ginsan nashijis weren't available for a few years. I tried to get my hands on one for two years without any luck. Then James suddenly showed some prototypes on Instagram and I jumped. So happy I did! 

Tanaka had run out of ginsan material at some point and replaced the original nashiji line with VG10 nashiji knives. Maybe about 2 years ago James announced that Tanaka had gotten a new small batch of ginsan and allocated the total amount to K&S exclusively. James asked Tanaka for a thinner behind the edge grinds which he got. There was also about 30 pieces of laser-ish migaki versions as prototypes. Both B2 and ginsan which I was lucky enough to secure one of each. James didn't continue the migaki versions after the first ones and the rest is coming as the mid weight nashijis (which I bought also).

K&S version is much thinner behind the edge that's highlighted by the hollow grind compared to the old versions straight wide bevel grind. the VG10 versions sold elsewhere still have the old style grind. 

Also the B2 nashiji James carries has the thinner behind the edge hollow K&S grind. Which has so far been available only from K&S, but according to James those might at some point be sold by other vendors too. The ginsans were the only ones that are exclusive to him. 

I don't know if things have changed since then? Originally James mentioned there would be only about 300 pieces (if I remember the amount correctly?) of the ginsans before Tanaka is out of stock of ginsan again. So for now it'll be a limited run. 

Most of this info is on K&S vendor section. Some from the several discussions I had with James when I was buying those knives from him. So if you want a ginsan nashiji James is your only source for happiness. If there's some miss information hopefully James can correct it?


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## Xenif (Mar 2, 2018)

Ok maybe I should ride it out for a few more weeks, ultimately my goal was to get a nimble and sharp 150 SS Petty to accompany the 270 Gin3 Heavy Workhorse

Will keep you all updated about that 330mate order.

And thanks again for the detailed clarifications. Plan B will be VG10 petty + 210/240 B2 from KnS, which in hindsight shouldve been Plan A &#128580;


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## Keith Sinclair (Mar 5, 2018)

James Ginsan Tanaka's have a thinner grind than the old Ginsans at MM. Also thinner than the VG10 Nashiji MM carries now. The tall 70/30 little beefy grind on the MM Tanaka's are still good cutters.

I first bought a Tanaka almost 4 years ago MM ginsan nashiji 240mm D ho handle with horn. Even then it was a favorite bang for the buck knife on this forum. Liked them immediately rounded the spine & choil used as a pass around at the culinary school. Since that time over twenty MM nashiji Tanaka's are in cooks, students, & teachers hands here in Hawaii. 

Since I have ordered two Nashiji lites & a Blue#2 core ebony handle from James because MM had started using plastic instead of horn bolsters on the Nashiji 240mm gyuto's.

I got free shipping on James order. I sold the Blue & one light to a teacher at the school & a cook at my cost. I kept one ginsan lite 240mm nice blade & handle.


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## Xenif (Mar 6, 2018)

While we are on the topic of grinds, are KU grinds any diffrent between KnS and MM ? 
I take it that the KUs are more beefcake then the Dammy and Nashiji ? 

Keith, you need to become a dealer &#128521; 

Update: three weeks and not a word from the vendor, at this point I've virtually given up on that ginsan petty &#128566;


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## chinacats (Mar 6, 2018)

Don't stress the petty...part of the deal w/ mm or 330mate is great deals and so-so service. You'll get your knife when he sends it...which he always does.


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## Xenif (Mar 6, 2018)

chinacats said:


> Don't stress the petty...part of the deal w/ mm or 330mate is great deals and so-so service. You'll get your knife when he sends it...which he always does.


Thanks for the reassurance. But if dosen't work out i can pretend to be heartbroken infront of the wife, and maybe she will let me buy 2 [emoji41]


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## JaVa (Mar 6, 2018)

Xenif said:


> Thanks for the reassurance. But if dosen't work out i can pretend to be heartbroken infront of the wife, and maybe she will let me buy 2 [emoji41]



Better do it now and get the two knives ordered and then be very surpriced when the petty eventually does arrive. Youll have three knives so thats a win win win.


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## Xenif (Mar 6, 2018)

JaVa said:


> Better do it now and get the two knives ordered and then be very surpriced when the petty eventually does arrive. Youll have three knives so thats a win win win.


Did the [emoji48] send you guys to talk to me ?

I contacted James, will put in order when he gets those B2 Nashiji back in stock [emoji57]


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## Triggaaar (Mar 7, 2018)

kmtyb said:


> My first few Japanese knives were lasers and after purchasing 2 Tanka from KnS my bank account never looked the same .


Sorry if I'm being dense, but what does that mean exactly?


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## daveb (Mar 7, 2018)

Laser is a term that refers to very thin knives. Suisin IH, Gesshin Ginga, Tadasuna INOX, among others. Don't think the Tanaka quite meets the description

KnS is an abbreviation (of sorts) for Knives and Stones, an AU based retailer that's very well regarded. James is the proprietor of said shop.

Bank accounts are in mortal danger here. If you've got one, take some pictures, it won't be around long....:cool2:


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## Xenif (Mar 7, 2018)

Well that was fast .... Those pretty KnS Nashiji B2s are back in stock!

Happy shopping !!


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## Triggaaar (Mar 15, 2018)

Grunt173 said:


> Tanaka from K&S..I have my third one on the way now, all with Blue 2 steel.


Which 3 do you have, a petty and two gyutos?


Nemo said:


> I also have 3 Tanakas from KnS (in G3, B2 and R2). Great knives.


Can you comment on the different materials? I have the Tanaka Ginsan SS and I'm wondering what I'll try next. Also very happy with the service from KnS.



daveb said:


> Laser is a term that refers to very thin knives.


Sorry Dave, my question was no clearer than the post I was questioning. I know what a laser is. I know what KnS is, and James did a lovely job with my Tanaka Lite. I also know about bank accounts.

I didn't understand if kmtyb was suggesting that he followed his 2 Tanaka purchases with even more Tanakas, if he was saying that he liked them more than his lasers, or what.


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## Xenif (Mar 22, 2018)

Update: Still no petty or word on when, but thats ok, because here on this forum one in encouraged to ease their troubled minds with more sharp objects and things to make them even sharper


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## JChooMtl (Jan 3, 2019)

@Xenif - I’m really curious, did that 150 Tanaka petty ever arrive from 330mate and if so, how long did it take? I’m even more curious about wether or not you were able to ascertain if it was in ginsanko or VG10. The website shows knives by Shigeki in VG10 and knives by Hideyuki in “stainless”. The prices on 330mate look ridiculously cheap compared to Metal Master.


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## Xenif (Jan 3, 2019)

@JChooMtl Thanks for resurrecting this thread, fun to see the EXACT moment I took the plunge down the rabbit hole so many months ago. 
Eventually it arrived, as with all things 330 mate, takes 2-4 months, but they do eventually arrive.
Without a real Tanaka Gin 3, say from KnS side by side its rather hard to tell.
If you are looking at getting a gyuto, my suggestion is to go with KnS, if I had to do it all over again I would've done that, you pay a small margin more but much much better handles, both 330 and MM has crappy handles (plastic/wood). Even when you pay extra for nicer handles with 330 the fitting is poor, you get what you pay for in this world [emoji6]


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## mikaelsan (Jan 3, 2019)

With all this talk about Tanaka and the reputation ofmm and 330 I'm really curious about how long it will be before my knife gets there took the plunge as I could not really find a cheap stainless wa knife in Europe that suited my needs better. Ordered just before New year's from mm, now that he finally restocked some knives hoping he is "active"


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## slobound (Jan 3, 2019)

My experience with 330mate was similar to everyone else. No communication but the knife arrived to my doorstep. It was a surprise in my mailbox one day.


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## JChooMtl (Jan 3, 2019)

@Xenif - I already have a B2 and a ginsanko 210 gyuto from KnS and have to agree they are excellent value. Afterwards I bought 4 different Tanakas in one shot from MM and I have to say, the horrible handles and rough finish does not bother me at all at that price point. I was just intrigued by the possibility of getting some Tanakas in ginsanko at that price as I’ve been looking for another 150 petty. I’m glad you got it though! 2-4 months is a ridiculous time frame though I have to say.


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