# so i just bought a Masamoto KS 240



## EdipisReks (Nov 13, 2011)

from JCK. been feeling a bit depressed, so i figured some retail therapy would do me some good. if Jon had a Heiji carbon 240 in stock, i might have had to have gotten that, but c'est la vie.  the Masamoto appears quite different from every other kind of wa-gyuto i've tried (and i've tried a bunch), and i'm really looking forward to it.


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## Lefty (Nov 13, 2011)

I hope it brings you some sweet cutting joy! Hope all is week in Cinci.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 13, 2011)

Lefty said:


> Hope all is week in Cinci.


 
i'm not quite sure what you mean by that, but thanks for the sentiment?!


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## heirkb (Nov 13, 2011)

I bet it's the fault of autocorrect. 

Let us know how the KS compares to your other knives. I've been really curious about the KS, but there are a couple other knives tempting me right now...


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## EdipisReks (Nov 13, 2011)

i'm sure it's autocorrect too, i was just giving him a hard time.  i have a Kochi and a Shig (wa-gyuto, anyway) on hand that i can compare it to, and i'd be happy to (once i get my Yoshikane back from rehandling, i'll have that too, for a comparison, but the Shig is close enough).


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## Vertigo (Nov 13, 2011)

Congrats man! Nothing cures the blues like an exotic, high-performance present for yourself.

I'm fingering the trigger on a Masa 240 honyaki, as completely superfluous end-of-year gift to myself. P.S., don't tell my girlfriend. :angel2:


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## EdipisReks (Nov 13, 2011)

Vertigo said:


> Congrats man! Nothing cures the blues like an exotic, high-performance present for yourself.
> 
> I'm fingering the trigger on a Masa 240 honyaki, as completely superfluous end-of-year gift to myself. P.S., don't tell my girlfriend. :angel2:


 
thanks! and don't tell my fiancé about my simple KS, and you have a deal! just buy the thing, you'll end up doing it anyway, so you might as well. i also bought a Tojiro ITK bread knife today, and a 16" cordierite baking stone, but only the Masa really feels special. i got the marble ferrule.


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## tk59 (Nov 13, 2011)

Vertigo said:


> Congrats man! Nothing cures the blues like an exotic, high-performance present for yourself.
> 
> I'm fingering the trigger on a Masa 240 honyaki, as completely superfluous end-of-year gift to myself. P.S., don't tell my girlfriend. :angel2:


 Haha. I think you'll like it a lot if the you like the KS. I've only handled one of each and while both are very nice knives, the honyaki is much more tapered and flatter profiled toward the tip. I remember Salty saying something about them being twins but these were not.


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## Citizen Snips (Nov 13, 2011)

ya i think those will look the best with the marble furrule

congrats on the purchase and dont forget to give us a review w/ pics


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## EdipisReks (Nov 13, 2011)

Citizen Snips said:


> ya i think those will look the best with the marble furrule
> 
> congrats on the purchase and dont forget to give us a review w/ pics


 
i'll see what i can do. if i can get a couple of my lenses back from the woman, i can take some decent pics.


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## Vertigo (Nov 13, 2011)

Citizen Snips said:


> ya i think those will look the best with the marble furrule
> 
> congrats on the purchase and dont forget to give us a review w/ pics


Yes, pics please, and a review! 

I did marble with my first KS and black with the second. The handles aren't much to look at, but thankfully you don't see a lot of them as you're destroying produce by the metric ton.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 18, 2011)

i picked up the knife this morning on the way to work. the F&F is quite nice, though i can't say i'm a big fan of the scratches on both side towards the tip caused by the sloppy "sharpening job."


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## Vertigo (Nov 18, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> i picked up the knife this morning on the way to work. the F&F is quite nice, though i can't say i'm a big fan of the scratches on both side towards the tip caused by the sloppy "sharpening job."



Both mine had those too, and I've heard from others that theirs did as well. It's the most unflattering part of those knives I think. Their "finish sharpening" is pretty bad.


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## tk59 (Nov 18, 2011)

How thin it the tip?


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## EdipisReks (Nov 18, 2011)

Vertigo said:


> Both mine had those too, and I've heard from others that theirs did as well. It's the most unflattering part of those knives I think. Their "finish sharpening" is pretty bad.



i wonder if i could have gotten it unsharpened. the heel is a bit under ground, so i have to work on it anyway.




tk59 said:


> How thin it the tip?



assuming the micrometer i just found here at work (i've moved offices, and my good stuff is still packed up) is accurate, it's about a 1.5mm two inches from the tip and .75mm one inch from the tip. it tapers very dramatically from an inch out to the point.


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## tk59 (Nov 18, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> i wonder if i could have gotten it unsharpened. the heel is a bit under ground, so i have to work on it anyway.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I feel the same way about a lot of factory sharpening jobs. As for the tip, sounds like you got a nice, thin one. Thanks for the info.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 18, 2011)

waving it in the air, it seems like it'll cut pretty well.  the edge actually shaves easily, it's just not even. waste of effort on Masamoto's part (and a waste of money on my part, since i surely paid for that waste of effort).


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## tk59 (Nov 18, 2011)

Haha. I've been caught doing the waving and labeled a psycho by a couple people...


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## EdipisReks (Nov 18, 2011)

tk59 said:


> Haha. I've been caught doing the waving and labeled a psycho by a couple people...



that's why having a private office is handy.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 19, 2011)

i like the Masamoto! i used it to cut up some veggies for dinner tonight, and butchered a capon for tomorrow's coq au vin, and it worked great. it takes a screaming edge, and sharpens up very quickly. cuts great. just like my Konosuke it sure likes showing any scratches on the flats that it picks up, and it's a slog to refinish (i took out the factory sharpening scratches last night by giving it a 320 grit brush, opposing the grind marks) but it has taken a very quick and strong patina, so that's okay. i gave it a light mustard patina yesterday and after the chicken the Masamoto looks like i've been using it for years. unlike my Konosuke, it's not too flexible, so it feels good throughout the whole cutting motion. tres cool.


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## tk59 (Nov 19, 2011)

Thanks for the update! I might have to swing for one after all...


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 19, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> i like the Masamoto!



I can't see all the photos you uploaded of your new acquisition for some reason...is it just me?


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## EdipisReks (Nov 19, 2011)

Johnny.B.Good said:


> I can't see all the photos you uploaded of your new acquisition for some reason...is it just me?



i'll take pics once light is good here in Cinci.



tk59 said:


> Thanks for the update! I might have to swing for one after all...



i'd do it, it's a really nice knife.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 20, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> i'll take pics once light is good here in Cinci.



Couldn't wait for your photos. Got impatient and ordered my own from JCK.  Hope I like mine as much as you like yours!


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## tk59 (Nov 20, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> ...i'd do it, it's a really nice knife.


The thing holding me back is the inconsistency at the tip. If I got one like yours, I'd likely be happy. Not that it would be a bad knife but if I got a thicker one, I'd likely wish I'd spend the extra cash to get a Carter, DT, Heiji, a honyaki (maybe)...


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## memorael (Nov 20, 2011)

I have only used my knife but I can vouche for it being... PROBABLY!, very slightly inferior to the Ittosai honyakis I had TK. Thats saying a lot BTW since the masamoto cost about half.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 20, 2011)

here is a pic. that's a loaf of Pierre Nury's rustic light rye that i just took out of the oven.



 click to embiggen


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## obtuse (Nov 20, 2011)

very nice  I'm jealous of all you masamoto owners and that rustic rye.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 20, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> i'll take pics once light is good here in Cinci.



That didn't take you long, thanks for posting. I'm not feeling any buyer's remorse, but if I do, I'll come back to this thread. Good looking loaf and board too.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 20, 2011)

i don't think you'll have any buyers remorse. the Masasmoto keeps up with my Kochi, Shig and Yoshikane. it's nimbler than any of those knives, too, so it's enough different that it'll fit right into my rotation. it really is exactly the knife i wanted when i originally got a Konosuke white. it's flexible at the tip, but not through the whole blade, which drove me crazy. i think i'm happy until i have the funds free to buy a Heiji.  and thanks! the board is my trusty 15x20 Boos.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 20, 2011)

Can I ask you what kind of OOTB sharpness I can expect? (I ordered mine from JCK). My one and only Japanese style knife to date is a Murray Carter, and that thing redefined "sharp" for me on arrival. I am concerned that I don't have the skill to set a proper bevel if one isn't in place when it arrives. Maybe I should pack it right back up and send it to Dave, see if he can redefine sharp me for again! I was asking about using a buffer on the other thread with the KS in mind, as I would like it to have the same finish you put on your Shigefusa (which looks amazing btw).


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## EdipisReks (Nov 20, 2011)

the OOTB edge is decent. i don't think you'll have any trouble, a bevel is definitely there. just remember to take the lacquer off with nail polish remover before you do anything. thanks for the compliment bout my Shig! a mono steel knife like the Masamoto is much harder to polish because the whole knife is hard, unlike a san mai knife that has softer steel around the core. i was originally planning on ordering some new norton and micro-mesh pads next month and polishing the Masamoto, but i'm actually really happy with how it is brushed. i did use a 320 pad to brush out the existing sharpening scratches, but that's it.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 20, 2011)

Thanks for the advice. I have never seen a blade with a lacquer coating on it...not sure I would have even known if you didn't say something. I ordered the little 165mm Masamoto petty too; can't wait for them to arrive! I admire your taste in knives. Love that Sab of yours and, like you, I have my eye on a Heji. Trying to decide whether something in semi-stainless would round out my small collection of carbon gyutos (270mm Carter, 240mm KS, and 210mm?).


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## tk59 (Nov 20, 2011)

A lot of carbon steel knives come with some sort of lacquer finish. As for the Heiji, it's a different kind of knife from what you're going to have. Heftier and the grind is really quite different, as well.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 20, 2011)

yeah, a lot of knives are lacquered. always look to see if the emote, the neck, has the same finish as the rest of the blade. if it looks different, there is lacquer. i want the Heiji because it will finish my Shigefusa and Yoshikane trio (to my mind, at least). it'll be a very different knife to the Masamoto. a lot of people like the semi-stainless, but i'm only interested in carbon, these days.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 20, 2011)

I have seen Jon show the lacquer finish that some of his higher end wares arrive with on one of his videos. I suppose I would know what I was looking at if it had an "oil slick" or "rainbow" appearance, but not if it were clear.

I should start my own thread and ask the community at large instead about a sensible third gyuto instead of hijacking this one. Heftier and semi-stainless sounds like something I could hand to someone helping me in my kitchen and/or something I might use to cut up citrus instead of one of the carbon blades.


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## EdipisReks (Nov 20, 2011)

the lacquer on most knives is clear, it just seems to change reflectivity. knives like the Heiji are heftier at the spine, but very thin at the edge. i wouldn't hand them to just anybody.


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## Johnny.B.Good (Nov 20, 2011)

EdipisReks said:


> knives like the Heiji are heftier at the spine, but very thin at the edge. i wouldn't hand them to just anybody.



Well, maybe not just _anybody_, but perhaps someone who wouldn't wipe it down right away after cutting something acidic or ensure that it is bone dry before putting it away. My mother's favorite knife is a little santoku made by Cuisinart of all people. I could probably pick one up for $20 and just hide it in a drawer until someone untrustworthy asks to help me out with dinner!


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