# Burrfection Commandments?



## Pikehaus (Jun 3, 2022)

Does anybody remember those 'commandments of Burrfection' Reddit post? I remember seeing it one day, but I lost the link.


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## captaincaed (Jun 3, 2022)

Don't listen to Ricky 
Don't listen to Ricky 
Don't listen to Ricky 
Don't listen to Ricky 
See 1-4


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## blokey (Jun 3, 2022)

Honestly I still don't find his information useful or good, but there are so much worse stuff going on like Kamikoto and fake fancy handle knives.


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## Logan A. (Jun 3, 2022)

Slightly controversial opinion:
His information is totally misguiding BUT he does get people into the hobby, and that’s always a positive thing. Once people
are in then they can learn more.


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## ian (Jun 3, 2022)




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## blokey (Jun 3, 2022)

ian said:


>



The only other post in that sub worries me greatly.


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## Pikehaus (Jun 3, 2022)

ian said:


>



Yep. This was what I was looking for, thanks.


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## ian (Jun 3, 2022)

blokey said:


> The only other post in that sub worries me greatly.



It does capture how I feel watching some Ryky content.


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## Rangen (Jun 3, 2022)

Logan A. said:


> Slightly controversial opinion:
> His information is totally misguiding BUT he does get people into the hobby, and that’s always a positive thing. Once people
> are in then they can learn more.


I get what you're saying. You may even be exactly right. But it reads a little like "Global teaches people that knives are really hard to sharpen, so they are relieved when they discover that it's a lot easier than they thought."


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## HumbleHomeCook (Jun 3, 2022)

ian said:


> It does capture how I feel watching some Ryky content.



Amen.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Jun 3, 2022)

Logan A. said:


> Slightly controversial opinion:
> His information is totally misguiding BUT he does get people into the hobby, and that’s always a positive thing. Once people
> are in then they can learn more.



That's kind and others have made the same argument over the years. Maybe you're right but I don't see it that way.

I believe the people who find him are already wanting to get into the hobby. He isn't, by and large, pulling in those who are otherwise satisfied with their current status.

If someone is curious and seeking information I would MUCH prefer they find so many others, both for knife and sharpening advice. I've encountered far more people who feel disappointed or flustered after following his "guidance" than those who are happy about it and then looking for the next level.


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## Logan A. (Jun 3, 2022)

Rangen said:


> I get what you're saying. You may even be exactly right. But it reads a little like "Global teaches people that knives are really hard to sharpen, so they are relieved when they discover that it's a lot easier than they thought."





HumbleHomeCook said:


> That's kind and others have made the same argument over the years. Maybe you're right but I don't see it that way.
> 
> I believe the people who find him are already wanting to get into the hobby. He isn't, by and large, pulling in those who are otherwise satisfied with their current status.
> 
> If someone is curious and seeking information I would MUCH prefer they find so many others, both for knife and sharpening advice. I've encountered far more people who feel disappointed or flustered after following his "guidance" than those who are happy about it and then looking for the next level.



Both completely valid points and exactly why I phrased that as being controversial.
Seems to me his main draw to the audience is approachability and decent production.

There are plenty of better channels to watch as you mentioned. I wonder what keeps those from growing to an extent that they can properly compete with him. That’d be one way to start giving out better information.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Jun 3, 2022)

Logan A. said:


> Both completely valid points and exactly why I phrased that as being controversial.
> Seems to me his main draw to the audience is approachability and decent production.
> 
> There are plenty of better channels to watch as you mentioned. I wonder what keeps those from growing to an extent that they can properly compete with him. That’d be one way to start giving out better information.



I think his prior affiliation with Cutlery and More really boosted his presence.


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## M1k3 (Jun 3, 2022)




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## bahamaroot (Jun 3, 2022)

He's more concerned about popularity, sponsorship and promotion than quality information.


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## Chicagohawkie (Jun 3, 2022)




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## Naftoor (Jun 3, 2022)

That was a beautiful read. Ryky was my introduction to sharpening with stones (outside of curmudgeonly old wood workers where it was an accessory topic to performing wood working). I no longer watch his stuff, but I’m probably still subscribed to him


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## daveb (Jun 3, 2022)

Pls tell me it's lack of sleep and I'm not really reading a ricki ticki thread on this forum....


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## esoo (Jun 3, 2022)

The first rule of Ryky is you don't talk about Ryky.


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## Heckel7302 (Jun 3, 2022)

daveb said:


> Pls tell me it's lack of sleep and I'm not really reading a ricki ticki thread on this forum....


Don’t worry, Dave. It’s mostly ridicule of he-who-shall-not-be-watched.


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## HumbleHomeCook (Jun 3, 2022)

daveb said:


> Pls tell me it's lack of sleep and I'm not really reading a ricki ticki thread on this forum....



Daaaaaaavvvvveee... Daaaavvvveeee... Ryky has the perfect knife for your new GF... No to @M1k3 ... Yes to Ryky... Dalstrong Dave... Don't flatten your stones Dave... So simple Dave... Just listen to Ryky...


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## Pie (Jun 4, 2022)

Full disclosure: I watched a bunch of his stuff at the beginning. Production was probably the best and most watchable at surface level. I found myself thinking that this has to be deeper than he makes it out to be. Also lots of random unwatchable stuff. 

People who watch might dig deeper, some might not. I did, and found this place, and have hopefully contributed in some meaningful way to at least someone. To me, if I’ve helped a single person the whole choking through his videos was worth it. 

FWIW, of course.


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## M1k3 (Jun 4, 2022)

HumbleHomeCook said:


> Daaaaaaavvvvveee... Daaaavvvveeee... Ryky has the perfect knife for your new GF... No to @M1k3 ... Yes to Ryky... Dalstrong Dave... Don't flatten your stones Dave... So simple Dave... Just listen to Ryky...


BBBOOOOOOOO!!! LLLIIIAAAARRRR!!!!


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## NameAlreadyTaken (Jun 4, 2022)

If this is a therapy session, sadly I wasted cash on he-shall-not-be-named’s recommendations before I discovered KKF and the kind folks here told me about Jon’s awesome sharpening series. 
If only Jon’s vids were ranked higher on YouTube there would be more souls saved.


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## OldSaw (Jun 4, 2022)

NameAlreadyTaken said:


> If this is a therapy session, sadly I wasted cash on he-shall-not-be-named’s recommendations before I discovered KKF and the kind folks here told me about Jon’s awesome sharpening series.
> If only Jon’s vids were ranked higher on YouTube there would be more souls saved.


I’d like to watch this video. Can you give me a better description or a link if allowed? Thanks.


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## Heckel7302 (Jun 4, 2022)

OldSaw said:


> I’d like to watch this video. Can you give me a better description or a link if allowed? Thanks.


It’s a playlist Lots of great tips


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## OldSaw (Jun 4, 2022)

Thanks. 


Heckel7302 said:


> It’s a playlist Lots of great tips


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## OldSaw (Jun 4, 2022)

What does Ryky have? Charisma. Ryky has charisma and good video quality. I got hooked on his videos after buying several knives from Cutlery and Moore.

I enjoyed watching his videos and picked up a set of Shapton stones as a result. Now I keep my knives in good working order.

I hope I didn’t watch too many to pick up any bad habits. Mostly I think I have just enjoyed watching them and simply improved what I was taught many years ago by watching others more skilled than I. There were no videos or YouTube back then, I just gravitated towards the guys who had sharp knives and had them show me what to do. Also no technical terminology, just an older guy saying, “No, do it like this.” And then he’d show me again.

I ended up here because of member cross affiliation at Badger & Blade, not because of Ryky.

No ill will and I look forward to watching Jon’s videos.


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## MoabDave (Jun 4, 2022)

Ryky led me here and to the KKF Fantasy Football League. I am forever grateful.


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## BoSharpens (Jun 4, 2022)

Unfortunately, Ryky is not the only wacko 'self-promoter' on YouTube.


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## captaincaed (Jun 4, 2022)

He seems like a genuinely good person trying to make a life for himself. there's only so much useful you can say and you can't build a YouTube career on that. So he does his best.


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## jedy617 (Jun 5, 2022)

He was a good intro to sharpening and stones for me. Commandments are hilarious though


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## e30Birdy (Jun 5, 2022)

I will be honest and say if i didn't find his videos i may have never found my love for this hobby, i then found KKF, Jon, Peter and others. He was my entry drug. I do not watch him after finding much better sources for information but his production is top notch and therefore it does lock newbies in.


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## Michi (Jun 5, 2022)

Similar story for me. He was the first thing I found after looking for knife sharpening information. His early videos are quite good, IMO. I managed to pick up enough about sharpening technique and stones to at least get me started.

But then, it didn't take long for me to find @JBroida's and Peter Sailor's videos, and the ones from Korin. Those are much better, but not obviously so: it takes a bit of experience to understand that these videos are better because they do lack somewhat in production value and didactics.

I've noticed that Ryky's output has declined a lot over the past two years or so. The later videos, maybe post-2019, have been getting more and more self-congratulatory ("see what a great guy I am for donating all these knives") or self-promoting ("I will sell you my knives, which are great").

Over the past year, he's released very few videos, most of them trivial. Recently, there was a bunch of "shorts", that are obviously snippets that he edited out of much older material.

Regardless, I think he has helped a lot to get people interested in sharpening and how much of a difference it makes to have a truly sharp knife. Personally, I wouldn't vilify him. He established a presence in a truly niche market when no-one else did, and he probably managed to make some moderate amount of money that way. Fair enough. He taught me something, I paid absolutely nothing in return, and I walked away from the experience with a little bit of extra knowledge, as well as an understanding of his limitations.

I am a member of this forum only because Ryky got me interested enough to go looking for something less shallow. Make of that what you will


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## bahamaroot (Jun 5, 2022)

Ryky is just another product of the social media culture that has arisen, he's definitely not a pioneer or aberration of it.


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## Lizzybee55 (Jun 5, 2022)

Logan A. said:


> Slightly controversial opinion:
> His information is totally misguiding BUT he does get people into the hobby, and that’s always a positive thing. Once people
> are in then they can learn more.


He managed to intrigue me to further explore this fascinating activity; I, on my own, felt after a while that he wasn’t providing any truly masterful wisdom so I went and found this goldmine of a forum and Jon B. I thank the heavens for that.


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## Lizzybee55 (Jun 5, 2022)

Michi said:


> Similar story for me. He was the first thing I found after looking for knife sharpening information. His early videos are quite good, IMO. I managed to pick up enough about sharpening technique and stones to at least get me started.
> 
> But then, it didn't take long for me to find @JBroida's and Peter Sailor's videos, and the ones from Korin. Those are much better, but not obviously so: it takes a bit of experience to understand that these videos are better because they do lack somewhat in production value and didactics.
> 
> ...


Perfectly stated- he certainly has heart and a sweet personality. I have the same history with his vids as you recounted. He said in a recent one that he is off to further “pastures”.


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## brimmergj (Jun 5, 2022)

I would like to blame everyone here at KKF for introducing me to him, as I had not heard of him prior to coming to the forum a few years ago. I did however venture to this place from ck2g and before I went there, almost bought a shun.
He does seem like a hell of a salesman


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## Rangen (Jun 5, 2022)

Lizzybee55 said:


> He managed to intrigue me to further explore this fascinating activity; I, on my own, felt after a while that he wasn’t providing any truly masterful wisdom so I went and found this goldmine of a forum and Jon B. I thank the heavens for that.


Uh oh. I'm starting to be persuaded by this argument. I think I need a break. I'll just drop into the Massdrop thread and look at the cows.


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## Rangen (Jun 5, 2022)

brimmergj said:


> I would like to blame everyone here at KKF for introducing me to him, as I had not heard of him prior to coming to the forum a few years ago. I did however venture to this place from ck2g and before I went there, almost bought a shun.
> He does seem like a hell of a salesman


Never actually watched a Ryky video, but I do instinctively shy away from people who seem like skilled salesmen. I prefer to keep my fences intact, and away from experts armed with bolt cutters.

I did buy a Shun, and I'm glad I did. It gives a nice grounding to my criticisms.


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## Delat (Jun 9, 2022)

Lizzybee55 said:


> Perfectly stated- he certainly has heart and a sweet personality. I have the same history with his vids as you recounted. He said in a recent one that he is off to further “pastures”.



Like many others I started off watching a few of his videos. Something really off-putting that I noticed is that anyone who questioned him in the comments got a really terse, nasty reply so completely at odds with Ryky’s video persona that I would do a double-take with a “huh???”. One that stood out was Ryky’s video explaining that the way to sharpen an asymmetric edge is to simply do 2x more strokes on one side….. somebody rightly questioned that wisdom and Ryky’s response was something like, “if you know everything why are you here?”

So I don’t believe his video persona necessarily reflects his actual personality.


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## Philip Yu (Jun 13, 2022)

Delat said:


> Like many others I started off watching a few of his videos. Something really off-putting that I noticed is that anyone who questioned him in the comments got a really terse, nasty reply so completely at odds with Ryky’s video persona that I would do a double-take with a “huh???”. One that stood out was Ryky’s video explaining that the way to sharpen an asymmetric edge is to simply do 2x more strokes on one side….. somebody rightly questioned that wisdom and Ryky’s response was something like, “if you know everything why are you here?”
> 
> So I don’t believe his video persona necessarily reflects his actual personality.


Ya, he does that cuz hes trying to get the veiwer to pay attention to his disclaimers. A lot of the questions he feels is posed to him are questions hes answered over and over again. Like when people keep asking him to take his logo off his knives, he kept saying, just turn them the other way if you need to take pics. It really bothers him when you claim to watch his videos whole and keep asking the same questions about it. And I really think he shouldnt do social media streams anymore, not when hes getting critized more than useful feedback. I thought he was going to Japan, meet with the guys again and write a book like he was implying. Look, believe or not, half these makers and smiths would not have even spoken a word to the collectors if it wasnt for him. Hes really not for the above novice crowd. And if you ever want to meet a maker, hes the one, his friends list is the Rolodex of makers. We splitted...he took the high road, the monitized road and I took the grassroot FB clubs low road to help the makers get exposure.


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## chefwp (Jun 13, 2022)

You guys are not giving Ryky the credit he deserves. Who else taught you that before sharpening you must drag you edge against a brick first to make sure it is sufficiently dull so you lose as much metal and stone with each session just as 'big knife and stone' intended you learn!


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## agp (Jul 21, 2022)

Ryky says sharpening the flat side of yanagiba should be done perpendicular to the stone. John from JKI says otherwise. Who’s right?


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## Dan- (Jul 21, 2022)

Jon does both:


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## Logan A. (Jul 21, 2022)

agp said:


> Ryky says sharpening the flat side of yanagiba should be done perpendicular to the stone. John from JKI says otherwise. Who’s right?


As a blanket statement I would always recommend taking John's advice over Ryky.


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## silylanjie (Jul 21, 2022)

How Jon sharpens the flat side yanagiba seems the way how we do at our sushi bar


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## Carl Kotte (Jul 21, 2022)

Whenever I hear of Ryky I’m reminded of all that paper he cuts, and I’m upset, and sometimes I even cry a little.


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## NameAlreadyTaken (Jul 21, 2022)

Logan A. said:


> As a blanket statement I would always recommend taking John's advice over Ryky.


Totally agree!


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## JBroida (Jul 21, 2022)

agp said:


> Ryky says sharpening the flat side of yanagiba should be done perpendicular to the stone. John from JKI says otherwise. Who’s right?


no... thats right... the ura should be mostly perpendicular to the stone when sharpening.


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## agp (Jul 21, 2022)

JBroida said:


> no... thats right... the ura should be mostly perpendicular to the stone when sharpening.


Thanks for the response. I see in his yanagiba sharpening video he positions the back side of the knife perpendicular to the stone and goes straight up and down. While in your video you sharpen the back mostly at an angle but also put the knife perpendicular to the stone and the drag the knife lengthwise. 
So essentially there are three motions here. Not sure which is right. Or if it matters at all.


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## silylanjie (Jul 21, 2022)

its perpendicular because you want to avoid hitting the handle


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## agp (Jul 22, 2022)

silylanjie said:


> its perpendicular because you want to avoid hitting the handle


This is not at all what anyone is talking about. Please watch both videos and see if you can add something informative.


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## Michi (Jul 23, 2022)

agp said:


> This is not at all what anyone is talking about. Please watch both videos and see if you can add something informative.


And so he stands thoroughly corrected…


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## Mariner (Jul 23, 2022)

For anyone curious why the linked post from 2021 talks about "must have stones of 2019," that's because r/Burrfection was much later. The original post came from the r/chefknives Discord and it was first published in r/chefknifememes here:


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## Se1ryu (Jul 23, 2022)

agp said:


> Thanks for the response. I see in his yanagiba sharpening video he positions the back side of the knife perpendicular to the stone and goes straight up and down. While in your video you sharpen the back mostly at an angle but also put the knife perpendicular to the stone and the drag the knife lengthwise.
> So essentially there are three motions here. Not sure which is right. Or if it matters at all.


People sharpening the ura side some Sharpen the back side of the knife perpendicular to the stone, some 45 degree or more, some are straight horizontal to the stone ( like President Sawada of Nenohi Sharpening video on Double bevel he did it blade straight horizontally to the stone from heel to tip )

Masano hirano (Tsukiji Masamoto) sharpen ura side 45 degrees starting at the tip and perpendicular when it reaches the heel of the knife

Every sharpener has its own way based on experience. Myself I do it perpendicular to the stone when doing uraoshi on Yanagiba. The reason you want to sharpen it perpendicular to the stone is because you want the spine and edge align in contact with the stone and doesn't scratch the urasuki. Also you need to put pressure on push and less pressure on pull, this way you won't end up having wider Uraoshi on the spine side. We need that nice ITO URA (balance) when doing Uraoshi Sharpening

Best way is to experience it ourselves and use the method that best for us.

I think @JBroida single bevel Sharpening video are perfect. Follow every step and you will be alright


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