# Marko Tsourkan 225mm Overview



## jgraeff (Feb 27, 2013)

Hey guys been a while since i have done a proper review have been soo busy lately between work and school but i had time today and wanted to review the Marko custom i got the other day. I have only had the knife i think 2 days but used it at work both days and got a good feel for it so here it goes. Also appoligize for iphone pics really need to get a good camera one of these days.


*Marko Tsourkan Custom- Specs-*
_Walnut D handle with metal tip 
52100 steel
195g
_




IMG_1623 by jgraeff2, on Flickr

*Fit and Finish-*
Marko goes above and beyond on his work and truly delivers an amazing product. His handle work is simply amazing! This knife has very comfortable rounded spine and choil, the metal tip fits perfectly with the ferrule and is rounded as well. The finish on the blade i believe is like 800 grit ( Marko might chime in) but i know he finishes them by hand and they look great! Some prefer mirror finishes, i like them as well but Marko's finishes are just as good and compliment his handles. *10/10*




IMG_1626 by jgraeff2, on Flickr


*New Handle-*
As some of you know Marko has been working on some new handles, mainly the D-shaped meji style with a metal tip. At first i didn't like the look, once i started looking at them more they grew on me. Once i saw it in person i was blown away at how great it feels in the hand and how nice it looks! Adds a great balance point to the knife and feels great in the hand overall. *10/10*




IMG_1627 by jgraeff2, on Flickr




IMG_1625 by jgraeff2, on Flickr

*Sharpening / Grind-*
I got the knife the other day, it had a bevel but wasn't really sharpened. I was running out the door to work so i just grabbed my gesshin 4k and finished it on there and stropped on 1micron diamond. The edge was shaving and extremely sharp for 4k. It sharpened very quickly and easily was done on the stone is less than 5 minutes. It is very thin behind the edge and has an asymmetric grind and bevel. id say about 15 on the right side and 18 on the back. Marko's heat treat has come a long way and very impressive sharpening/ edge holding ability as well as being strong. *10/10*

*Performance-*
First thing i had to do at work was fish, so i started breaking down the snapper and grouper. It whizzed through them like nothing. I portioned them up and started on the beef tenderloins accompanied by my honesuki. Worked very well with removing fat but had trouble with silver skin. Was great for portioning. It is a great cutter overall, had very slight wedging on hard onions but i mean very slight. I do get some sticking towards the back top part of the blade. Nothing major at all. I was very happy with the performance and cutting ability. *8.5/10*

[video=youtube_share;2eijcvcFffA]http://youtu.be/2eijcvcFffA[/video]
-apologize about the music only song i had on my girlfriends computer and there was talking in the background. 

*Overall-*
The first thing i saw when i got this knife is the influences from Shigefusa. It feels like an extension of my hand and is up to tackle any thing at work i may need it to. I was really impressed by the handle and overall feel of the knife. I have only one complaint if its even a complaint at all, i wish there were a few more millimeters on the machi, only because if i have a hard or dense item i have to press through such as cold butter i have to change my grip to like a hammer grip in order to get the leverage to push through it. Im really glad i got this knife when i did because i really feel in love with the new handle construction. Marko is really making amazing knives and im excited to have one. *9.6/10*

*pinch grip*



IMG_1629 by jgraeff2, on Flickr
*adjusted grip*



IMG_1630 by jgraeff2, on Flickr


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## Marko Tsourkan (Feb 27, 2013)

Thanks for review and suggestions. I will make changes on machi lengh and will give geometry another look.

M


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## cclin (Feb 27, 2013)

thanks for detail review! can't wait to use mine....how do you compare Marko's gyuto to Mario's??


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## EdipisReks (Feb 27, 2013)

i _really_ like that handle.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Feb 27, 2013)

Just to clarify on geometry. I started moving in direction of thicker knives with little to no flex on the spine. For one thing, folks in a pro kitchen expressed a preference for heftier and sturdier knives. In my tests I haven't seen much drop in performance, but generally with my geometry, thinner knives will release food better. I will continue looking for the golden middle, but I might as well continue offering thinner knives as an option. When I say thin, it's not a laser, in fact my thin knives might be sturdier than many knives out there, but in geometry even .5mm can make a difference. 

I was under impression that people preferred shorter machi over longer (or maybe I got that misconception from Western handles), so I am glad that Jordan suggested the improvement. It will go in effect immediately.

With a new handle construction, I can control knife balance better and up 225mm the balance is at the handle, larger knives will have balance forward but not by much.


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## jgraeff (Feb 27, 2013)

Completely different animals to be honest because I have the hybrid suji-like Mario.

In terms of cutting ability I'd say Mario takes it because there is vertually no sticking but just slightly! 

In terms of edge taking Markos gets sharper without question.

Edge retention- Mario from what I tested however I will have to report with this new knife from Marko. There honestly both soo good here it honestly doesn't matter.

Fit and finish there both amazing so it really just depends on what you want. I'd give the edge to Marko here as he's a perfectionist.

I guess it comes down to which style you like more, they are the top knives in my opinion, I decided to get both because I couldn't decide which was better than the other. 

If you can get both you'll be a happy camper but honestly it just comes down to which knife appeals more to you the performance is so close it's hard to pick.


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## cclin (Feb 27, 2013)

thanks!:lol2: that is some great input! I already have Mario gyuto and waiting for Marko's.....
@ Marko, I'm agree with Jordan...I prefer longer machi for wa-gyuto. the Jordan's 225mm gyuto machi look like western handle chef knife....:eyebrow:


jgraeff said:


> Completely different animals to be honest because I have the hybrid suji-like Mario.
> 
> In terms of cutting ability I'd say Mario takes it because there is vertually no sticking but just slightly!
> 
> ...


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## Bill13 (Feb 27, 2013)

Now I am confused about this machi stuff. I thought the machi was the small 1 or 2 mm notch that occurs after the emoto. Which is which?


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## jgraeff (Feb 27, 2013)

Technically yes we are referring from the handle to where the choil intercepts basically hard to explain maybe someone can explain better.


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## Marko Tsourkan (Feb 27, 2013)

There is machi height and machi length. Jordan is talking about machi length - distance between heel and the handle. 
Bill13 is referring to the gap between handle and machi. It should not be there in my opinion, skipped step to square shoulders of machi and mount handle flush.


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## cclin (Feb 27, 2013)

Bill13 said:


> Now I am confused about this machi stuff. I thought the machi was the small 1 or 2 mm notch that occurs after the emoto. Which is which?



yes, you are right! I mean I like longer Emoto(neck) with no machi for wa-gyuto! sorry for the confuse...


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## Bill13 (Feb 27, 2013)

Great! It's comforting to be right when I am wrong so often:biggrin: I was wondering if the terms might be almost interchangeable or if people for ease of writing used machi for both machi and emoto.
I still don't understand the need/desire for the machi, it looks to me to be a place for food to collect. Why is there a machi on some knife styles and not on others? At first I thought it might be a mistake where the handle cut out was too shallow:bigeek:


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## jgraeff (Feb 27, 2013)

cclin said:


> yes, you are right! I mean I like longer Emoto(neck) with no machi for wa-gyuto! sorry for the confuse...


Agreed!


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## Chefdog (Feb 28, 2013)

Marko Tsourkan said:


> Thanks for review and suggestions. I will make changes on machi lengh and will give geometry another look.
> 
> M



I have comparatively limited experience with wa handles, but one of the things that stands out the more time I spend using one, is that the extra length from handle to choil can be awkward or helpful depending on the situation (especially for someone more used to western style handles). I think a happy medium between western and wa as far as machi length might be better for some people than a standard, longer length. 
IMHO, YMMV, my $.02, etc...

ETA: Either way, this handle looks really nice. I think everyone should use the tapered ferrule, seems like it would be more comfortable, and it looks awesome.


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## jgraeff (Mar 24, 2013)

Just want to report on the edge retention on Marko's current HT: i have had the knife for about a 1.5 months and i only sharpened it the first day i got it. I have touched it up twice on diamond strop and once on jnat for a smoother edge as i was slicing scallops very thin. it only requires a few passes on strop and will come right back and hold it for over a week in a pro kitchen. I am not easy on my edges either we are a busy restaurant and don't have time for that haha. 

anyways just so you guys know great edge retention as well as expected i guess nothing but the best from Marko!


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