# Your favourite Semi-/Stainless Knife



## JayS20 (May 15, 2020)

Hey guys,
wanted to know your favourite semi and stainless knives and what you like about them.
My favourite one is my Yoshikane SLD Damascus 240 Gyuto. It's such a beautie, feels great in hand and cuts really well. It's a bit overseized with 247mm and has a height of 52mm which is rather low for my preferences but it doesn't bother me, it just fits. Usually with 240 I want 52+.
Special mentions are my Gengetsu SS which I really like but haven't had for too long yet and my Yu Kurosaki Raijin Nakiri. The Nakiri feels really delicate, a bit brittle, but never had a problem with chipping and cuts really nicely, just wish it was 180mm. Also quite like SG2 which is really robust and feels better than e.g. VG10.
Cheers, 
Julian


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## ian (May 15, 2020)

Heiji. It’s the bomb.

Gengetsu’s great too, of course.


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## IsoJ (May 15, 2020)

Newham nitro-v boning knife


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## LostHighway (May 15, 2020)

Kippington 207 mini-gyuto in Nitro-V. Excellent food separation, very good edge retention*, and it is a tough steel so I don't feel like I have to be extra cautious with it (the tip is extremely thin). 

*I haven't owned an SG2, CPM-154, or Z-Wear knife so I don't have those points of comparison but edge retention seems to be at least as good as any of my high tungsten knives and probably better than Shirogami.


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## Ruso (May 15, 2020)

Spyderco chaparral FRN in XHP. Perfect size and blade stock thickness for every day use. Love it. The only minor downside is the lock type, not my favourite.


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## Towerguy (May 15, 2020)

Gesshen Ginga 240mm stainless sujihiki.


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## Cliff (May 15, 2020)

Ginga stainless is pretty stainless, not semi.

I like Konosuke HD2 for a laser.

ETA, oops, my bad, missed the part in the OP about stainless


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## Eloh (May 15, 2020)

Simon Herde 270mm Gyuto in 14C28N


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## esoo (May 15, 2020)

Kotetsu Bunka R2 - wispy light laser edge that dropped through product.
Konosuke 210 HD2 - only a couple of grams heavier than the Kotetsu, but feels like a much more solid cutter in the hand (new taller 49mm version).
Devin Thomas 225x47 AEB-L - incredibly competent knife. wispy tip with solid heel feels like a do everything blade. As a home cook, I've liked ~200mm blades, but the 225 feels right. 

I've only had the last two for a short bit, so still getting used to them.


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## Barmoley (May 15, 2020)

From the knives I still have HSCIII Z-wear gyutos. Great steel and heat treat and the knives are excellent for me. Andrei Markin m390 gyuto is my wife's favorite and I am forbidden from ever selling it. Dalman AEB-L is very good, excellent cutter and very good all around.

From the ones I've had, but don't anymore: Devin ITK AEB-L excellent all around, wish I still had it, Gengetsu SS, Itinomonn SS, Kaeru Stainless all relatively inexpensive and excellent mid-weights that do most things well.


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## M1k3 (May 15, 2020)

Gengetsu and Takamura Chromax (for it's price), so far.


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## parbaked (May 15, 2020)

My Kaeru is very, very good.
GS+ is good steel but I prefer a little more meat.


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## WildBoar (May 15, 2020)

Devin Thomas gyuto -- 225 AEB-L

Now in His and Hers flavors


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

i only have one semi ss, and its a yoshikane skd11 santoku. really like it. 

for stainless i think the dimpled mac santoku is good. also kurosaki r2. yeah those are my favorites.


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## MowgFace (May 15, 2020)

Gengetsu and Itiniomonn StainLESS for me.

Still need to get me a Heiji though. Been on my short list for a long while.


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## Runner_up (May 15, 2020)

ian said:


> Heiji. It’s the bomb.
> 
> Gengetsu’s great too, of course.



I'll second this. Also like my Konosuke HD2 - haven't really experimented anymore with SS steels. I have two Heiji SS knives and they are fantastic. So nice to sharpen and really hold an edge forever.


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

if someone held a gun to my balls and told me i had to use only one knife for the rest of my life i'm fairly certain it would be the hattori forums santoku in vg10. yes vg10. yes a mono. doesn't get much better than that to be honest. not even if i make it myself. buuuut its quite boring. thats why its not a favorite.


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## jacko9 (May 15, 2020)

I like my 240mm Konosuke HD2 Semi-Stainless after that I have two stainless clad knives that are as easy for me to maintain my 210 Watanabe and my 240 Toyama since I wipe my blades after each use these two stainless clad knives are pretty bullet proof as far as home cooking goes.


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## aszma (May 15, 2020)

I really enjoy my geshin stainless in AUS-8 frpm jon at JKI


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## parbaked (May 15, 2020)

Stainless would my small chef knife in AEB-L by Salem Straub.


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## coffeelover191919 (May 15, 2020)

i would say my Masamoto Swedish Steel SW , but i hear thats not very well liked around here. forgot how much i paid but i went to their store while in japan on a vacation with my wife so it has sentimental value to me. 

Other than that.. my best stainless knife is a Shun Premier Kiritsuke VG-MAX, sharpens pretty easily in about 15 minutes.


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## Barashka (May 15, 2020)

Shibata Kotetsu Bunka, though doesn't need to be a bunka as all of them perform great for my tastes.
Shockingly, second place goes to my Dalman 275 just because it's a touch large to and 180mm is more often what I need.


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

coffeelover191919 said:


> i would say my Masamoto Swedish Steel SW , but i hear thats not very well liked around here. forgot how much i paid but i went to their store while in japan on a vacation with my wife so it has sentimental value to me.
> 
> Other than that.. my best stainless knife is a Shun Premier Kiritsuke VG-MAX, sharpens pretty easily in about 15 minutes.



looks pretty dope too...


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## NotThinEnough (May 15, 2020)

used & sharpened HD2, SKD-11 (Yoshikane, Masashi), SKD-12 (Yoshikane, Heiji and Sakon), HD for SS. 

Heiji & HD2 are neck and neck for ease of sharpening. Heiji tends to keep an edge longer. However, imo Heiji's standard grind is too beefy and nullifies the edge retention a bit even on soft hinoki boards when going through dense produce. 

SKD-12 by Yoshikane is easy to sharpen when the blade is thin, but I find that deburring can be trickier than the above. Sometimes, when the sharpening spirit smiles, the edge rentention is on par with Heiji, and I like the edge quality much better. 

HD, SLD/SKD-11 steel is lower on reactivity than the aforementioned steels. But I don't enjoy sharpening it or the edge quality.


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## Nemo (May 15, 2020)

I'll add my vote for Gengetsu SS and Yoshi SKD.


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## timebard (May 15, 2020)

NotThinEnough said:


> used & sharpened HD2, SKD-11 (Yoshikane, Masashi), SKD-12 (Yoshikane, Heiji and Sakon), HD for SS.
> 
> ...
> 
> ...



Which Yoshikane knives use SKD-11 vs. 12? Recently picked up a Yoshikane SKD hammered gyuto that I'm really liking. Haven't seen writeup distinguishing these subtypes though, are these two varieties used in one particular model or another?


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## Southpaw (May 15, 2020)

I’ve been eying those Konosuke HD2s hard!!!


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

never heard of anyone to use skd12. 

skd11 is japanese d2. i can take it up to 12k and it responds good imo.


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

rhis is skd12 and i dont think anyone is making blades out of it. but it would be good though.

Chemical composition(mass fraction)(wt.%) of the _JIS SKD 12_


*Element**Weight %*C​0.95-1.05Mn​1.00Si​0.50Cr​4.75-5.50Ni​0.30Mo​0.90-1.40V​0.15-0.50Cu​0.25P​0.03S​0.03


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## jacko9 (May 15, 2020)

Southpaw said:


> I’ve been eying those Konosuke HD2s hard!!!



You won't be disappointed with the Kono HD2 great knife.


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## bahamaroot (May 15, 2020)

Kurosaki Hammered R2
Marko 52100


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## M1k3 (May 15, 2020)

Yoshi SLD=SKS11=D2
Yoshi SKS=SKS12=A2
Takamura Chromax V-GIN1=A2


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

and i could guess freely skd 12 is made out of this:
carbon intentional.
manganese as purifier.
silicon as toughener or hardenebility ptomoter or something, dont know.
cr intentional.
ni as contaminant. but intentianial. toughener
mo for toughness cro-mo toughness.
v as grain refiner
cu as contaminant to expensive to get rid off.
p and s as nonmetallic contaminants 

the majority of this steel is probably made up of recycled steel as most stuff is today. and then you have take economy into the calculation, and getting rid of this or that element and for what price. this is not a premium steel, its a 5Cr general tool steel more or less.


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## valgard (May 15, 2020)

My western Yoshikane black damascus gyuto and Tanaka Ginsan petty.


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> Yoshi SLD=SKS11=D2
> Yoshi SKS=SKS12=A2
> Takamura Chromax V-GIN1=A2



but sld is a hitachi product and skd 11 is a standard (closely if not identical to the d2 standard). and hitachi makes both of them. hitachi also has sld magic. which is "better" according to hitachi. the skd11 standard is more lax than sld, since its a product. anyone in the entire world can make skd11 standard steel as long as it follows the standard % of the chemicals. but only hitachi can make sld steel. 

its like comparing uddeholm uhb20c to 1095. uhb is a defined product and 1095 is a quite lax standard.


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## ian (May 15, 2020)

+1 to the tanaka petty

Here are the three stainless beaters (or, knives my wife uses) that I have. Gesshin Uraku 210, Shun paring, and Tanaka ginsan petty. The Shun is fine for what it is. It’s kind of indestructible, and although it’s unpleasant to sharpen, I hardly use it for anything that needs a sharp knife, so whatever. The Tanaka ginsan is great: it flies through product, the height is great, but I dislike the handle, and sometimes the burr can be more tenacious than I’d prefer. The Uraku is something special. It’s completely indestructible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it microchip, and it gets totally abused. My wife will use it on ceramic once in a while, and I cut crusty stuff with it all the time. It holds an ok edge, and is actually quite pleasant to sharpen. Not carbon pleasant, but pretty good! It’s Aus 10, I believe.







I also have a Heiji 180 petty. As I indicated above, the steel is amazing. Nice to sharpen, edge lasts forever, very corrosion resistant. I’ve seen no patina so far... but I assume it’ll come.


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## GorillaGrunt (May 15, 2020)

Martell CPM154. Best all purpose grind I’ve got, top end edge retention, and instantly strops back to a razor.

eta: is my favorite knife. My favorite steel I’ll +1 onto Heiji SS, Gengetsu SS, Yoshi SKD, and anything else A2-like or rumored to be such.


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## Midsummer (May 15, 2020)

ian said:


> +1 to the tanaka petty
> 
> Here are the three stainless beaters (or, knives my wife uses) that I have. Gesshin Uraku 210, Shun paring, and Tanaka ginsan petty. The Shun is fine for what it is. It’s kind of indestructible, and although it’s unpleasant to sharpen, I hardly use it for anything that needs a sharp knife, so whatever. The Tanaka ginsan is great: it flies through product, the height is great, but I dislike the handle, and sometimes the burr can be more tenacious than I’d prefer. The Uraku is something special. It’s completely indestructible. I don’t think I’ve ever seen it microchip, and it gets totally abused. My wife will use it on ceramic once in a while, and I cut crusty stuff with it all the time. It holds an ok edge, and is actually quite pleasant to sharpen. Not carbon pleasant, but pretty good! It’s Aus 10, I believe.
> 
> ...



I like to polish the bevel/ thin with most sharpening; but not with just touch ups. Maybe that is why, like you, I have yet to see patina on my Heiji semi stainless.

Some other members have written of a quick formation of a patina. That has just not been my experience (430mm of blade).

BTW, my favorite stainless steel. Sharpens probably the best. Love knives in ginsan, R2 and others.


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## dafox (May 15, 2020)

Takamura R2


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## M1k3 (May 15, 2020)

inferno said:


> but sld is a hitachi product and skd 11 is a standard (closely if not identical to the d2 standard). and hitachi makes both of them. hitachi also has sld magic. which is "better" according to hitachi. the skd11 standard is more lax than sld, since its a product. anyone in the entire world can make skd11 standard steel as long as it follows the standard % of the chemicals. but only hitachi can make sld steel.
> 
> its like comparing uddeholm uhb20c to 1095. uhb is a defined product and 1095 is a quite lax standard.


Yes, just labeled the knives the way Yoshikane labels them.


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## inferno (May 15, 2020)

is there a yoshikane site?? i never found one at least. or maybe i was not interested enough. 

just wanted to point out that d2=skd11=sld (since sld will fit in the skd11 standard and skd11 is d2 standard. just so everyone knows. 

and btw i dont believe sld is better than skd11. because its most likely the exact same ****. with different colored labels. it would not be financially sound to do both. i guess they just do one and charge more when it has the sld sticker on it  just like in china.


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## Tanukihimself (May 16, 2020)

i recently got myself a Shigeki Tanaka 180mm Ginsan Gyuto with the nashiji finish and I LOVE the thing. Easy to touch up on the stones, i dont have to constantly keep it dry and clean like my other high carbon knives, great weight to it, and just an all around great line knife, which is what i use it for.


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## zizirex (May 16, 2020)

inferno said:


> rhis is skd12 and i dont think anyone is making blades out of it. but it would be good though.
> 
> Chemical composition(mass fraction)(wt.%) of the _JIS SKD 12_
> 
> ...



Chromax, VS1, Yoshikane and Masashi SKD. All of them are SKD-12 or Japanese versions of A2, just with a different brand names.


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## RDalman (May 16, 2020)

inferno said:


> rhis is skd12 and i dont think anyone is making blades out of it. but it would be good though.
> 
> Chemical composition(mass fraction)(wt.%) of the _JIS SKD 12_
> 
> ...


I think that's indeed used too. It's A2/Rigor equiv. So common tool steel.


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## madelinez (May 16, 2020)

Andrei Markin M398 165mm petty.


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## Mikeadunne (May 16, 2020)

+1 hd2


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## Nemo (May 16, 2020)

My understanding is that SKD11 is SLD. Similar to AISI D2. Yoshikane does make SLD knives and they call them "SLD". SLD is technically semistainless but almost has enough Cr to be classified as stainless (~13%).

Yoshikane's "SKD" lines are SKD-12. This steel is similar to AISI A2. Only ~5% Cr.

Yoshikane's HT of SKD is great. I've heard that their SLD is also pretty good (isn't the famous black damascus an SLD knife?). FWIW, I like their white2 as well.

Edit: Sorry, @M1k3, only just realised that you had already said this.


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## Eloh (May 16, 2020)

Yes that's it, like zizirex said. Heijis semi stainless is allegedly skd12 too.


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## zetieum (May 16, 2020)

Robin Dalman AEBL. I have 2 of them. A 210, S grind. and a 270 with not S grind. Both are fantastic.


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## daveb (May 16, 2020)

It's not just the steel but the knife that makes it all work for me.

Most of my favorites have been mentioned, Gengetsu, Yoshi SKD, Yoshi / Masashi SLD, Devin AEBL, and a few more. My only experience with Heiji SS was early in the knife game for me and I didn't like it. May have just been my first time up with wide bevels, have to try it on again.

Couple I've not seen include Butch's stainless (XHP?). Haburn AEBL., and Tillman Nilox - which might be my favorite on any given day.


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## Eloh (May 16, 2020)

My AEBL Gyuto from Mathias Ekman is also great in terms of performance and steel.... 
 

I also like the Sukenari HAP40 very much for a more wear resistant (semistainless) steel.


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## JayS20 (May 16, 2020)

No love for Sakai Takayuki Ginsanko anymore? Heard good things but never had one in hand.


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## Midsummer (May 16, 2020)

JayS20 said:


> No love for Sakai Takayuki Ginsanko anymore? Heard good things but never had one in hand.


Still some love....


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## M1k3 (May 16, 2020)

Zwear is pretty nice too.


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## NotThinEnough (May 16, 2020)

edited


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## NotThinEnough (May 16, 2020)

timebard said:


> Which Yoshikane knives use SKD-11 vs. 12? Recently picked up a Yoshikane SKD hammered gyuto that I'm really liking. Haven't seen writeup distinguishing these subtypes though, are these two varieties used in one particular model or another?



the skd hammered finish is SKD-12 by Yoshikane

black damascus by Yoshikane is SLD/D2/SKD-11 

Yoshikane does both core steel in many different finishes but the aforementioned two are the most popular finishes in this part of the world. 

Even the white #2 nashiji he does, I have seen with both SLD and SKD-12 core steels.


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## thebradleycrew (May 16, 2020)

I really like my Shi.Han A2 semi-stainless. Great blade, great grind, good weight and size. 249mm x 59mm x 265 grams. Mesquite handle. His work on A2 is quite good.


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## M1k3 (May 16, 2020)

thebradleycrew said:


> I really like my Shi.Han A2 semi-stainless. Great blade, great grind, good weight and size. 249mm x 59mm x 265 grams. Mesquite handle. His work on A2 is quite good.


I've seen those. Quite interested. Does it have the banding like his website shows?


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## thebradleycrew (May 16, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> I've seen those. Quite interested. Does it have the banding like his website shows?


Good question - I hadn't thought to look. I think the belt grind finish makes it hard to tell. I wouldn't be surprised if I put it on stones if it did. See photos below. Regardless, it's an A+ knife and I like the steel a lot. Keep in mind, the patina showing is after a fair bit of use.


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## inferno (May 26, 2020)

NotThinEnough said:


> the skd hammered finish is SKD-12 by Yoshikane
> 
> black damascus by Yoshikane is SLD/D2/SKD-11
> 
> ...



i was under the impression that the hammered stainless clad ones are d2? i have one and i think its almost real SS in stain resistance, so that indicates d2.


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## daddy yo yo (May 26, 2020)

Custom: DT ITK in AEB-L and KIPPINGTON in CPM-154.

Off-the-shelf: RYUSEN BLAZEN in SG2.


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## JBroida (May 26, 2020)

inferno said:


> rhis is skd12 and i dont think anyone is making blades out of it. but it would be good though.
> 
> Chemical composition(mass fraction)(wt.%) of the _JIS SKD 12_
> 
> ...


SDK 12 is not uncommon in japan, though it can sometimes go by proprietary names or different names from different steel manufacturers


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## NotThinEnough (May 28, 2020)

inferno said:


> i was under the impression that the hammered stainless clad ones are d2? i have one and i think its almost real SS in stain resistance, so that indicates d2.



they can make it in sld. but they don't do it in that finish to minimize confusion. its skd12
stain resistance of a steel from different brands can differ widely. besides ingredients and acidity, it seems surface finish can affect it a lot.


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## Carl Kotte (May 28, 2020)

Takamura sg2, Mac Pro, and tojiro vg10 and sg2. And Kippington aebl.


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## M1k3 (May 28, 2020)

NotThinEnough said:


> they can make it in sld. but they don't do it in that finish to minimize confusion. its skd12
> stain resistance of a steel from different brands can differ widely. besides ingredients and acidity, it seems surface finish can affect it a lot.


Getting chromium into solution with the steel versus basically sitting around, for core steel. Surface finish also plays a slight role.


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## inferno (May 28, 2020)

JBroida said:


> SDK 12 is not uncommon in japan, though it can sometimes go by proprietary names or different names from different steel manufacturers



is "carbonext" an a2/skd12 equivalent?


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## zizirex (May 28, 2020)

inferno said:


> is "carbonext" an a2/skd12 equivalent?


Nope, I'm guessing Carbonext, HD2, Bessaku, TK and TKC are all the same steel.


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## GorillaGrunt (May 28, 2020)

Heard a rumor that it might be d2-like; mine was pretty stainless except right at the pinch point. could just as easily be like one of the above or Aritsugu alloy though. Definitely not A2-like based on patination though.


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## applepieforbreakfast (May 28, 2020)

GorillaGrunt said:


> Heard a rumor that it might be d2-like; mine was pretty stainless except right at the pinch point. could just as easily be like one of the above or Aritsugu alloy though. Definitely not A2-like based on patination though.



That's what I've been thinking. My TKC acts similarly to other D2 knives I have, with regards to corrosion. Not real sure about edge retention, the other D2 knives are EDC oriented and used for different tasks.


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## Nemo (May 29, 2020)

My Carbonext is pretty soft. It'd have to be a very conservative HT of D2.


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## dafox (May 29, 2020)

The semistainless steel in the Kikuichi TKC is reported to be around 61-62 but it feels kinda rubbery when you bounce it on the board.


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## Nemo (May 29, 2020)

I think Carbonext says 58.


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## JPx801 (May 29, 2020)

Been mentioned here several times before but I’ll vote for the Shibata Kōtetsu SG2 line. My 185mm Bunka dropped clean through paper out of the box and is still as sharp as the day I got it.


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## inferno (May 29, 2020)

you know that it has to cut a falling silk cloth thing for it to be sharp right.


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## nexus1935 (May 29, 2020)

My vote is also for the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka


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## Qapla' (May 29, 2020)

Bert2368 did an XRF analysis of the Carbonext. At 7.36% Cr, it's clearly not D2.


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## spaceconvoy (May 29, 2020)

inferno said:


> you know that it has to cut a falling silk cloth thing for it to be sharp right.



The only true test is to hold the knife with its edge facing up, then drop 1 oz of cotton candy from 1 inch above. If it doesn't cleave into two perfect halves without sticking, your knife is dull


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## josemartinlopez (Aug 2, 2020)

A number of people on this thread mentioned the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka. Is this like the Watanabe Pro Nakiri of the stainless side of the community?

Also, are there any of the highly regarded custom makers who specialize in stainless? A number of answers here cited custom knives, and Kippington came up a few times.


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## McMan (Aug 2, 2020)

Not a lot wrong with Yoshikane in SKD... classic.
Gengetsu and Heiji as well. (Though I hesitate to call Heiji "Semi-Stainless", regardless of what he calls it ("special stainless")--What's special is that it patinas quick, deep, and dark--just won't rust )


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## Southpaw (Aug 3, 2020)

My Yaxell Super Gou SG2 200mm Gyuto...


Kidding I hate the blade... but it’s beautiful with a great handle (although I have completely converted to wa handles.) But performance is pretty Amazon level and the profile is absolute dog S***. There’s almost no flat spot aside for like an inch and a half and it’s under my pinch grip. Ahh if I could go back in time I’d buy ANYTHING else. 

However it’s by default my favorite stainless knife because I don’t have any others in my kitchen (other than my knife set utility and bread knife.). I’ve kinda sworn off significant amounts of chromium for the time being.

Have yet to even hold a Semi-Stainless, although I’m definitely going to get one down the line. I’ve put a Konosuke HD2 in my shopping cart at least three times and changed my mind as I was giving my credit card info.

I really don’t know much about semi stainless steels. I’m a big fan of Damascus Steel however and I think it’s definitely in my future to get a semi with Damascus, but I don’t know where to start.


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## toddnmd (Aug 3, 2020)

josemartinlopez said:


> A number of people on this thread mentioned the Shibata Kotetsu Bunka. Is this like the Watanabe Pro Nakiri of the stainless side of the community?



Nope. Bunkas are less popular than nakiris here, which are far less popular than gyutos. I don’t think there’s a standard pick. But Shibata overall seems respected.


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## NO ChoP! (Aug 4, 2020)

My only stainless/ss

240mm Yoshimi Kato sg2 dammy gyuto
150mm Shigeki Tanaka sg2 dammy petty
270mm Yoshikane skd tsuchime sujihiki

Reach for them intentionally when I know I will be extra busy and might not be attentive to their proper care.


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## QCDawg (Aug 4, 2020)

Heiji for semi. Suisin inox honyaki for stainless. Kaeru for beater.


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## GorillaGrunt (Aug 23, 2020)

spaceconvoy said:


> The only true test is to hold the knife with its edge facing up, then drop 1 oz of cotton candy from 1 inch above. If it doesn't cleave into two perfect halves without sticking, your knife is dull



slightly off topic, but I am proud to have sliced a falling piece of ticket paper in the air the other day. I figured I could probably do it after sharpening but was worried about how dorky it would look if I failed.

back on: if CarboNext is definitely not d2-ish, next guess especially knowing 7-8% Cr is something close to Aritsugu alloy. Way more stain resistant than A2


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## spaceconvoy (Aug 23, 2020)

ha, yeah that's why I make sure my wife isn't around when I'm sharpening. Gotta clean up an embarrassing amount of shredded paper.

And one thing I recently discovered - Herder's stainless steel is not that stainless. Not exactly semi-stainless, but maybe more like quasi-stainless?


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## friz (Aug 23, 2020)

I really really like the ginsan wide bevel Konosuke gyuto. I also really enjoyed the semi-stainless from Heiji, but Heiji fit and finish I didn't like.


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