# singatirin 240 gyuto



## chinacats (Jul 9, 2013)

I haven't seen this reviewed and not sure many people have tried them. I'd been looking at them for a bit now (mainly because of the great price point for a true honyaki blade) so when Maxim put them on sale I couldn't resist. I'll say first experience buying from Maxim, but definitely won't be the last. Simple process and very quick shipping from Europe to US.

The knife is right at 250mm x 46mm and weighs in at 174grams. This is an interesting weight for me, lighter than I'm used to but definitely not a laser. Balance point is at first kanji mark from handle--fairly blade heavy which I like. 

Fit and finish was good. Nicely rounded spine and choil. Hamon line is distinct, but somewhat non-traditional--straight line rather than wave. The handle is burnt chestnut which I like for feel/grip. I'm sure it will wind up in burl at some point soon.







The profile is pretty good for me. I like the tip and the belly though the heel could be a slight bit flatter though I can't see it in the not so great pics. Purely a personal thing here, and it really only took a small adjustment to my push cutting motion to get it right. I usually prefer a wider blade but this still feels good in hand and has plenty of knuckle clearance on the board. 






Grind is a bit unusual in that both faces are convexed a bit. Almost no wedging with this knife even on big fat onions though I haven't had a chance to cut too many different items with it. It does get some stiction though not too bad. As expected with a knife this thin, it cuts very well with very little effort. The tip is very thin and cuts wonderfully. Overall, this knife feels very nimble in hand.






I broke it in by making a few different batches of fresh salsa (tomatoes, cukes, onions, garlic, corn, chiles, limes and a large amount of cilantro) for a 4th party so it saw plenty of acidic ingredients and the edge held up very well. In fact is would still do the Salty tomato test after a week of use (fairly heavy home use) . It did patina more than I expected as I was under the impression that being honyaki it would be more resistant. That said, there was no discoloration of any of the items being cut and didn't get any of that nasty smell coming off fresh steel. I am getting a bit of microchipping and attribute this to the factory edge, lack of microbevel, and heavy use on acidic items. 

So far so good, still a bit lighter than I prefer but getting used to it.

Almost forgot to mention the cool kanji...






Cheers!


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## Bram (Jul 9, 2013)

Thanks for the review. Does it remind you of any other gyuto you've tried?


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## dmccurtis (Jul 9, 2013)

Good review. 46mm is a lot shorter than the 53mm Maxim specifies. The height was putting me off trying one, but if they're available narrower, that's interesting.


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## Timthebeaver (Jul 9, 2013)

dmccurtis said:


> Good review. 46mm is a lot shorter than the 53mm Maxim specifies. *The height was putting me off trying one,* but if they're available narrower, that's interesting.



big +1. Killer profile, looks like a draw-slicing machine.


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## Justin0505 (Jul 9, 2013)

Thanks for the review and that has to be the best deal that I've ever seen on a honyaki.


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## kalaeb (Jul 9, 2013)

Alright...when are the 240's coming back in stock...


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## EdipisReks (Jul 9, 2013)

Mine was about 50mm at the heel, which is a good height, in my opinion. Looks like this one was a bit thinner at the tip, OOTB, than mine. I love mine.


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## chinacats (Jul 9, 2013)

Bram said:


> Thanks for the review. Does it remind you of any other gyuto you've tried?



No, closest would be Marko, but completely different grind. It's really not quite like anything else I've owned.



Timthebeaver said:


> big +1. Killer profile, looks like a draw-slicing machine.



Yes it is a draw-slicing machine even with this rookie behind the wheel.



EdipisReks said:


> Mine was about 50mm at the heel, which is a good height, in my opinion. Looks like this one was a bit thinner at the tip, OOTB, than mine. I love mine.



Mine is very thin at the tip; and BTW thanks for the recommendation, I really do think this is a great knife.


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## Justin0505 (Jul 10, 2013)

Beyond "high carbon japanese steel" doe anyone know what it's made out of? Seems that White #2 is most common as I've heard that it's easiest to work with and produces a nice dramatic hamon, but I've occasionally seen White #1, and Blue #2, and even Blue #1...
Not that it really matters as the HT seems to make much more of a difference than the differences between the 1,2w,b hitachi steels... just curious.


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## Timthebeaver (Jul 10, 2013)

Also seen a few White #3 Honyakis


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## EdipisReks (Jul 10, 2013)

Singatirin is V2.


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## brainsausage (Jul 10, 2013)

I played with Edipisreks singatrin(thanks again buddy!), and thought this was a very unique gyuto. Good to see they've done away with the tiny Ho handle, that and the odd angle it was mounted at were my biggest gripes. Takes and holds a decent edge. I put it to heavy use in a pro kitchen and was very happy with its overall performance. Bit on the light side for my tastes tho... I recall it taking a very unusual patina. Does it still have that weird patina Jacob?


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## EdipisReks (Jul 10, 2013)

I thinned and refinished, so no patina is left now. It had a great patina when I got it, though.


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## tk59 (Jul 10, 2013)

Yup. Really liked what you did with it, ER.


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## Justin0505 (Jul 11, 2013)

EdipisReks said:


> Singatirin is V2.



interesting! i had no idea that V2 could produce a hamon... certainly the first that i've seen.


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## chinacats (Jul 11, 2013)

I'm pretty happy to hear that it's V2. My only other experience with this steel had been a Kochi; I found it to take a great edge. Retention if I remember was good--it would lose the initial screaming sharpness rather quickly but then hold a very good edge for a pretty long time. I haven't sharpened my Singatirin yet, but hope it is half as easy to sharpen as the Kochi was.


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## EdipisReks (Jul 11, 2013)

Justin0505 said:


> interesting! i had no idea that V2 could produce a hamon... certainly the first that i've seen.



it has a hamon because it's mizu-honyaki, not because it's a particular steel.


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## maxim (Jul 11, 2013)

V2 is very similar to white 2, you can also make it with hamon if its Oil quenched, just not as visible as water quenched


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## JBroida (Jul 11, 2013)

not to infringine on this conversation, but for what its worth, most shallow hardening steels can produce a hamon... its steels that arent shallow hardening where either they dont show up or are very difficult to produce


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## maxim (Jul 11, 2013)

lus1:


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## zitangy (Jul 11, 2013)

JBroida said:


> not to infringine on this conversation, but for what its worth, most shallow hardening steels can produce a hamon... its steels that arent shallow hardening where either they dont show up or are very difficult to produce



had to look up the web just not to be in the dark.... 

http://avstop.com/ac/apgeneral/heattreatmentofferrousmetals.html

rgds
d


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## Lefty (Jul 11, 2013)

I'm lucky enough to have one in my hand, right now. In a very strangely obsessive way, I'm comparing (just visually and feel-wise) the Singatirin, Itinomonn, and a Shigefusa. Very quick observations, and then I have a bunch of stuff to do:

Shigefusa: Everything people say seems to be true. Stunning, simple, clean and zero gaps.

Singatirin: I love the handle, weight, how this is is behind the edge, and the fact that it's honyaki is awesome! Great in hand feel, but much lighter than you expect. Sexy. Least amount of taper in the bunch.

Itinomonn: Stealing the show a little bit. I love the profile, with the slightly higher tip, and the finish on the blade is unreal. It looks to be a very flat grind, which allows for thinness, but might cause sticktion. With that being said, the shinogi line wil aid in food release, where the KU begins. I say try this out! Maxim found a gem....

So, back to Singatirin - it's one hell of a knife! Especially for the price.


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## Zwiefel (Jul 11, 2013)

zitangy said:


> had to look up the web just not to be in the dark....
> 
> http://avstop.com/ac/apgeneral/heattreatmentofferrousmetals.html
> 
> ...



Excellent. Superb article zitangy! Clears up so many questions I had.


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## Justin0505 (Jul 11, 2013)

Thanks guys. I understood the process and requirements of mizu-honyaki, I just didnt realize that V2 was that close to W#2, I always thought that it was higher alloy / required different hardening times not compatible w/ the mizu quenching process. 
I should have looked at zknives!


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## chinacats (Jul 11, 2013)

Zwiefel said:


> Excellent. Superb article zitangy! Clears up so many questions I had.



lus1: very helpful indeed!


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## chinacats (Jul 14, 2013)

A short report on cleaning up the edge. I had thought that I may have to take it to a finishing stone, but a quick strop on felt loaded w/ 1u diamond juice brought the edge right back to at least initial sharpness. A very responsive steel it seems.


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