# Kashima (Yoshikane) Passaround



## daveb

This line from Cleancut is relatively new. I bought one, 240mm, stainless clad, that I would like to do a small 5 - 6 peeps passaround with. 

Standard rules apply: After receiving, use the knife for a week, two at most. Comments are appreciated but optional. Sharpen only if you know how. Ship to next person USPS Priority, insured for $300, (don't try and save a couple bucks here). KKF participation will be considered if more than 6 put in.

Hit me with a pm if interested. I'll collect shipping addys and work out a shipping order after filling the list.


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## slickmamba

Looks like a fun knife. I'll pass this time around, but thanks for organizing!


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## Carl Kotte

I’m at the wrong continent, again. But I just wanted to say: that’s very generous of you @daveb to organize this! [emoji1303]


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## dafox

I would like to give it a try. I've been looking at them. Want to compare it to a Gengetsu and Wakui, although mine are 210's.


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## labor of love

dafox said:


> I would like to give it a try. I've been looking at them. Want to compare it to a Gengetsu and Wakui, although mine are 210's.


This guy has been interested in this line for a long long time!


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## daveb

Damn, the inbox blew up and this one is full.

I'll reach out to everyone soonest - if you've contacted me you're on the list.


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## Matus

Kudos Dave. I was not aware that Kashima line was made by Yoshikane,


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## labor of love

Matus said:


> Kudos Dave. I was not aware that Kashima line was made by Yoshikane,


Well, like one or maybe 2 of them are. Kashima is a house brand with half a dozen diff lines.


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## ian

Matus said:


> Kudos Dave. I was not aware that Kashima line was made by Yoshikane,



Is this knife the one you reviewed in the other thread? I also was confused about the Yoshikane thing. On CC, they list the "By Yoshikane" line as being the iron clad with KU version, but the knife you reviewed in the other thread (with the more civilized finish) seems to be listed just under "Kashima Sanjo". Excited to try it no matter what, of course, and thanks for doing this.

Edit: but then both the Kashima by Yoshikane and Kashima Sanjo lines have the same description on CC... legit confusing.

"Kashima Sanjo is a fantastic knife, hand forged in Sanjo by one of the best in the business. Its a *shirogami#2* knife with a very thin and delicate edge. The sharpness is mind blowing and the geometry ensures extreme cutting abilities. Have we talked it up enough yet? Well, theres only one way to find out, and we stake our reputation on the performance of this bad boy. The stainless blade sides have a matte finish and the carbon steel core is polished to a shiny finish. Octagon handles with black pakka wood ferrule."


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## daveb

This passaround has started. I sent the knife to the saya store and Chris did his normal outstanding work with it. Next it's off to MA and then in the following order. 

*Kashima Passaround*

*Ian MA*

*McMann IL*

*Dafox CO*

*Barmoley CA*

*M1K3 CA*

*Ivang CA*

*LoL LA*

*Panda FL*


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## NO ChoP!

It is in the mail to Ian this morning. Of course I toyed with it while it was in the shop. Initial impressions being at first glance it's a pretty run of the mill clad knife, with a basic, yet handsome pakka handle. These handles offer upgraded looks, without adding a bunch of weight compared to the standard magnolia. The choil and spine, are lightly eased, but would add a ton with a little rounding. The spine is a bit chunkier by the handle, which I like, with a present distal. The softer stainless cladding has that bead blasted style finish. It shows scratches like a mofo, and is impossible to replicate in refinishing; that being said, this knife will not be needing any thinning anytime soon. Getting to that point; this sucker is thin-thin. Ground a bit flat on one side, and very convex on the other, it slides through food with the utmost of ease. It reminds me of my first encounter with a true laser years back, minus any stiction. Pretty terrific sweet spot, I would say. Performance to price, we have a real contender here.


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## ian

Shipping the knife to @McMan tomorrow.

Received the knife in great condition, with a heavy patina on the core steel. Edge initially had no bite (unable to cut tomatoes, or my fingers, at least easily) but after 30 seconds on a 3k it just flew through everything.

Based on the profile, I and many others initially thought “Gengetsu!”. That was almost my first impression pulling it out of the box: it’s got that *super* thin behind the edge (and then up the blade quite a ways) geometry, and that pretty flat profile with the slightly upswept tip. In use, though, it’s quite different. They both have that amazing lack of stiction, but I think Gengetsu has better food release, while the Kashima’s more lasery and glides through everything like butter. Also, the Gengetsu I had was really flat, to the point where it was from time to time annoying to use on a not-so-perfectly-flat cutting board. The Kashima is also pretty flat, but has a bit more curvature than that. (My comparison here is to the memory of a 210 Gengetsu I used to own that was from the most recent, lighter batch.) Anyway, it was great to try the Kashima. It’s a fantastic knife for the price. As I told McMan, I got both the Kashima and my new Mizuno KS on the same blessed day, and it took me a little bit to decide that I liked the Miz better, even though it’s more than twice as expensive...

Otherwise, I agree with basically all of what @NO ChoP! said. The handle’s nice enough, the finish is extremely matte (and will be impossible to replicate by hand), and the spine and choil need some rounding, which is unfortunate given the existing finish, since that’ll necessitate a complete refinishing if you want it to look perfect again.


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## panda

laser without stiction sounds great. how is the steel guys?


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## ian

Seems good imo. Sharpened up incredibly easily, and felt great to me on the one stone I used (Gesh 3k s&g), although almost anything that thin BTE should be fast to sharpen. I didn’t feel like I needed to touch it up at all afterwards in the week I was using it. Then again, I was only cooking at home, so a week isn’t very much cutting. 

Knife is in the mail.


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## McMan

Knife landed safe and sound. In good shape--strong patina at the edge and a few light horizontal scratches in the cladding.
There was a really nice chop shop walnut saya too--no pin though, just a zip-tie that said "daveb wuz here".

Spoiler alert: This is its profile doppelganger:
https://hitohira-japan.com/collecti...products/daa-220-fa240?variant=14048198524981
I traced the profiles and they're close to identical--way different grinds, though.
I checked the profile against an old Yoshikane too. Very similar with the difference coming at the upsweep for the tip--the Yoshi had a lower tip. (Again, though, this is a ten-year old Yoshi; I can’t speak to current SKD profiles so YMMV.)

More to follow...


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## ian

McMan said:


> really nice chop shop walnut saya too--no pin though, just a zip-tie that said "daveb wuz here".



Wait, was there originally a pin? I don’t remember now how the saya worked. If there was and it’s not in the package for some reason (should be!), let me know so I can look at home when I get back on Mon. If the pin existed and was lost, it was my fault, not Dave’s.


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## daveb

I think (hope) McMann was just having some fun.

Should look like this


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## McMan

daveb said:


> I think (hope) McMann was just having some fun.
> 
> Should look like this


Yeah, just goofin'


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## ian

Phew.


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## NO ChoP!

Eh, it comes with a lifetime warranty.


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## McMan

On the way to @dafox.
Putting together my thoughts on the knife shortly...


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## labor of love

Let me back out of this pass around guys, I think I’d rather live vicariously through the feedback of others on this one. 
Thanks for the opportunity Dave.


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## daveb

Heard. Should you change your mind, you're welcome to give it a go anytime after I get it back.

And Jame's version will be here 2morrow....https://knivesandstones.us/collecti...e-2-gyuto-240mm-stainless-clad-nashiji-finish Woot!


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## daveb

It's gonna be like Chrstmas this week at Casa da Fox


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## drsmp

Pretty sure Knives and Stones carries this blade in a polished version labeled as Yoshikane with the KS ebony handle. At the US site they were offering a free upgrade to a snakewood handle. It’s a very nice knife especially for the price. Oops Daveb beat me to it. Dave did you get a snakewood handle?


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## ian

Why are y’all calling it the same blade? It’s by Yoshikane and looks similar in profile, but the finish is different than the one in the passaround and on the K&S site James calls the one above a “custom order”. Are you sure the grind is the same as the Kashima, for instance?


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## labor of love

The better question is why is daveb buying the same knife twice 

Oh wait, I do that all the time.


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## daveb

I don't know. 

The finish on the Cleancut is matte. The finish on the K&S is nashiji. That alone could be the "custom" part. Gonna try it and see. I do know that I've never met a Yoshi I didn't like


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## dafox

daveb said:


> It's gonna be like Chrstmas this week at Casa da Fox


Ya, I'm receiving the pass around knife, @daveb's 270 SIH suji, a Tanaka ginsan gyuto from the new website, and an older Masamoto western handle gyuto from the bay.


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## drsmp

@daveb Did you get the snake wood handle on your KS Yoshikane?


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## ian

McMan said:


> On the way to @dafox.
> Putting together my thoughts on the knife shortly...



Any thoughts? Curious.


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## McMan

_Cliff notes = Good Food Release + Significant Flat Spot_

Thanks @daveb for letting me take this one for a spin.

There’s a lot to be said that's positive about this knife at the pricepoint, which Ian’s review tackled. I’d echo that it has good food release in spite of being so thin. For me, the knife was a little bit in no man’s land. It did everything well, but didn’t stand out at any one single thing. I didn’t sharpen it, so I can’t speak to the steel.

Might be helpful to start with some basics…
Length: 245mm
Height: 49mm
Weight: 168g (CC lists it as 184g)​
*Profile*
Significant flat spot. It has a very familiar standard profile—like that song that’s in your head but you can’t remember the name. I’ve seen the profile before, just can’t remember… (It’s not the default Yoshi profile, but they’re pretty close. I compared it to a Yoshi and the tip is lower on the Yoshi and there is less belly, but both Kashima and Yoshi had significant flat spots…) The edge profile is nearly identical to the Hitohira Kikuchiyo Kyuzo, which is Sakai-made not Sanjo (tracing below). Exact same tip height and flat spot. But I think Kikuchiyo Kyuzo also clones its profile from a standard.
What’s the name of that song?!

Constructive criticism: I found the transition from the belly to the flat spot to be slightly abrupt—i.e. felt like a fulcrum more than a curve on the board. This could be fixed easily enough on the stones in a sharpening session or two. Less of a “problem” and more just something that needs to be broken it. Likewise, I think it’d benefit from a little attention to back belly at the heel—the flat spot stretches all the way to the heel, so it has just a little hint of “clank” that could be dealt with easily. These are minor quibbles--the profile is great for push-cutting.

*Grind*
It’s almost, almost a laser… but not quite. And definitely not meaty enough to be a proper midweight. It’s betwixt and between. Categorizing it and getting into definitions won’t be helpful. FWIW, I see it as a very light midweight since there is room enough cross-sectionally for the grind to work in ways that lasers don’t (can’t?) have.

The grind is divided into two segments. From the tip and for the first third of the knife, it’s so thin that the convex is minor (and nonexistent towards the tip). So, it’s really nimble over this first third. The tip was nice for detail work. The last two thirds are where the rubber meets the road since the convex has more room to breathe. Food release is surprisingly good. Because the convex is still relatively minor overall, I wasn’t expecting too much, and was pleasantly surprised. Zero stiction on potatoes. I think food release can be a product of chopping speed sometimes—both fast and slow yielded good food release.

For an idea of distal taper:
Spine at handle: 3.9mm
Spine above heel: 3.4mm
Spine at midpoint: 2.3mm
80mm from tip: 2.0mm
60mm from tip: 1.7mm
40mm from tip: 1.6mm
20mm from tip: 1.3mm
10mm from tip: 1.1mm
Tip: 0.4mm​
*Fit and Finish*
Nice F/F. The edges of the spine were eased not rounded, but not sharp or grabby (I forgot to check the choil). It would be easy to round further, but I found it acceptable as-is. Finish is faux-Kasumi—but it’s done really well and is quite smooth and consistent. I think it’s fine sandblast but am not positive. Regardless, it’s not that cheap type of kasumi from rougher sandblast that drags. Last but not least—good handle on this one, and nicer in-person than it looks online. It’s on the thin side (which I like). If you have meatpaws or like thicker handles, then this one will probably seem thin. (I realize now that I forgot to measure the handle—oops.)


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## daveb

Thanks for the detailed review.


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## daveb

drsmp said:


> @daveb Did you get the snake wood handle on your KS Yoshikane?



Yes. A real looker with a very nice peice of horn.


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## drsmp

@daveb please post a picture when you get a chance. Besides the finish do you see any differences between the Kashima and the KS versions?


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## dafox

The knife arrived safely on Tuesday.
Initial impression, I like the handle, the blade is a bit boring, alright, a 240 that doesn't seem too big. 
Have coked a couple of meals with it so far, plan to cook a few more, then write down my impressions of the knife.
@daveb, thanks for doing this pass-around.


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## dafox

Initial impression, alright, a 240 that doesn't seem too big, the blade is a bit boring, and I like the handle.

Lots of great comments, observations, and impressions from the others in the pass-around. I’ll try and not duplicate their efforts.

I had the knife for a week, making stir fry’s, salsa, omelet’s, and msc other things, I found the knife to be a pleasure to use. My most used gyutos are 180’s and 210’s, I was pleasantly surprised that this 240 didn’t seem to big. It’s not blade heavy, my dislike about most of the 240”s that I have used so far. This knife has a neutral balance with a pinch grip. The blade has some heft at the handle quickly thinning along the spine and has a very pronounced distal taper-getting quite thin towards the tip, that, paired with a rosewood handle, which weighs more than the usual ho wood gives the knife a neutral balance-I like it.

The blade is ground quite thin, comparing choil shots with a Wakui white #2 210 gyuto and Gengetsu semistainless 210 gyuto, the Wakui is the thinnest, the Kashima in the middle, and the Gengetsu the thickest. I do shy away from using the Wakui sometimes because of how thin it is, the Kashima still cuts effortlessly, able to make thin slices, but I didn’t feel the need to baby it. The long flat spot, which has an ever so gentle arc to it, of the Kashima was great for cutting long slices and then long strips out of a zucchini squash for a stir-fry. It has a thin tip, deveining serrano peppers easily, a good test for tip agility and thinness. The blade finish, with it’s fine blasted finish feels slippery-a bit like a non stick pan, food release was good, especially for so thin of a knife. But, I think it looks lack-luster, uninspiring, a bit boring.

The handle looks to be rosewood with a red dyed pakka wood ferule, octagonal shaped with the sides being flatter than the top and bottom, and long enough to balance the appearance of the knife. I really like the shape, I prefer the flatter sides, its really comfortable with my grip, and there isn’t a ridge that digs into your thumb like with thick ferules. The neck length is just about right, too long and your grip is less secure, too short and its uncomfortable. A quibble, I’d prefer a black ferule.

After using the Kashima I’m inspired to get another 240 gyuto. I prefer the looks of the Gengetsu, the hairline finish, the slightly flatter profile, and the more robust grind, but, I prefer the handle shape and neck length of the Kashima. I’m going to get a Gengetsu 240 semi-stainless, see how it compares to the Kashima, and go from there.


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## dafox

The knife is on it's way to @Barmoley.


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## Barmoley

Knife arrived safely. Will use it and pass along.


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## M1k3

Come on clock! The package is at home while I'm at work


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## Barmoley

Thanks to @daveb for sharing the knife. I don't really have much to say besides what has been said already. The knife surprised me, even though I read other reviews. On paper it is too light and too thin for me and I don't like white 2 steel in general. This knife is very pleasant to use. It just works really well. Food release is very good, especially for a knife that is pretty thin. Not a laser, but like was mentioned before, light midweight. I am not sure why release is as good as it is, but I guess that doesn't really matter. The knife is light and nimble, but not flimsy or overly flexible. I still don't like white 2, but at least it is very easy to sharpen.


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## M1k3

Taking it for a spin now. Will report back after I've had some time with it.


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## M1k3

So far, I really like it. I might just buy one.


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## M1k3

So I've used it for a week at work. Cutting Pears, Ribeyes, peeled potatoes that have been soaked in water and are cold, cherry tomatoes, portioning salmon/tuna/swordfish, asparagus, and slicing hot proteins. 

I have to say, I'm quite impressed. As has been said, it's almost a laser but not quite. Generous flat spot. I didn't find the curve to the tip abrupt. Food release was quite good for such a thin knife. The fit and finish was good. I'd personally round the spine and choil some more, but, it's not horrible. It's got "soft corners". The handle felt nice. Not to heavy, not to light. I wasn't the biggest fan of the color combo, but, that's just nitpicking. It wasn't bad, just not quite my preference. Edge retention was pretty good for white. I only made a few light passes on my King 6k and a few passes on a balsa strop with 1 micron paste. I'd definitely recommend it for the price. I also really liked the Saya that was with it.


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## dafox

Any new impressions to report?


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