# Does a workhorse-esque non-KU/non-Nashiji (ie polished) stainless clad gyuto exist?



## khashy (Dec 22, 2016)

So I filled in the questionnaire asking for help choosing a stainless clad 240mm carbon core Japanese made gyuto.

The kind forum members rose to the challenge and suggested Itinomonn or Ikazuchi - Great suggestions. 

Separately my own searches had come up with Wakui and Syousin Chiku.

These knives are all light weight lazer-esque knives and the more I think about it, I am drawn towards heavier weight workhorse type beasts of knives.

So the question for you oracles is does this combination exist or am I chasing shadows here?


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## ryanjams (Dec 22, 2016)

Stainless clad Tanaka from Knives and Stones should be precisely that.. I believe it's supposed to be similar to the blue 2 Damascus in grind, I'd definitely call my Damascus a workhorse though still reasonably thin behind the edge. Unfortunately out of stock currently


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## dwalker (Dec 22, 2016)

The stainless cladding has me stumped. I have the Syousin Chiku 240 and I would not call it a heavy knife. It is, however, a very good performing middleweight knife. I have been enjoying mine very much. If you can manage an iron clad knife, I think the Toyama from JNS would do nicely. It is my go to prep knife right now. I don't know it watanabe would do a stainless cladding, but it never hurts to ask.


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## khashy (Dec 22, 2016)

ryanjams said:


> Stainless clad Tanaka from Knives and Stones should be precisely that.. I believe it's supposed to be similar to the blue 2 Damascus in grind, I'd definitely call my Damascus a workhorse though still reasonably thin behind the edge. Unfortunately out of stock currently



Is there a chance that this will come back in stock? I'm hoping this isn't one of the perpetually out of stock knives...


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## khashy (Dec 22, 2016)

dwalker said:


> The stainless cladding has me stumped. I have the Syousin Chiku 240 and I would not call it a heavy knife. It is, however, a very good performing middleweight knife. I have been enjoying mine very much. If you can manage an iron clad knife, I think the Toyama from JNS would do nicely. It is my go to prep knife right now. I don't know it watanabe would do a stainless cladding, but it never hurts to ask.



From everything I read, the Syousin Chiku gets high praise, but I think I would prefer a knife on the heavier side.

To be honest I'm not after an iron clad knife right now, I kind of know what I would want in iron clad.

Right now, this is really what has motivated me, hence asking for SS cladding:


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## pleue (Dec 22, 2016)

Watanabe will do a stainless clad. That would be my choice


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## khashy (Dec 22, 2016)

pleue said:


> Watanabe will do a stainless clad. That would be my choice



Does this add much $$$ to the price? Has anyone actually ordered something like this from Watanabe?


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## spoiledbroth (Dec 22, 2016)

No Damascus? I thought the sukenari as was stainless clad. But it's a dammy so, maybe not your thing.


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## JBroida (Dec 22, 2016)

I might have you covered with something fun in January


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## khashy (Dec 22, 2016)

spoiledbroth said:


> No Damascus? I thought the sukenari as was stainless clad. But it's a dammy so, maybe not your thing.



I'm not too much into damascus tbh, would much prefer kasumi


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## khashy (Dec 22, 2016)

JBroida said:


> I might have you covered with something fun in January



Oooooohhhhh, how we are being teased......


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## James (Dec 22, 2016)

Heiji? I'm not sure if the carbon core one is stainless clad, but the semi-stainless one definitely is.


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## labor of love (Dec 22, 2016)

James said:


> Heiji? I'm not sure if the carbon core one is stainless clad, but the semi-stainless one definitely is.



+1. Heiji semi is carbon enough. It sharpens quick and takes plenty of patina, I swear it seems to be more reactive than some AS knives ive used.


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## JBroida (Dec 22, 2016)

heiji isnt what i would call a workhorse depsite the grind... they are hard and brittle


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## bkultra (Dec 22, 2016)

JBroida said:


> heiji isnt what i would call a workhorse depsite the grind... they are hard and brittle



That is the problem with the term workhorse IMO... It's mainly used to describe thicker and/or heavier knives, but can also mean a knife that can be worked hard and handle almost anything tossed at it. I would say even the Kato workhorse is hard and brittle and it helped coin the term.


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## JBroida (Dec 22, 2016)

i totally agree


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## Jkts (Dec 22, 2016)

khashy said:


> Does this add much $$$ to the price? Has anyone actually ordered something like this from Watanabe?



Watanabe puts out stainless clad knives periodically - right now he has a kintaro ame stainless sujihiki listed in the special knives section. 

Regarding price, he responds pretty quickly to emails.


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## ryanjams (Dec 22, 2016)

khashy said:


> Is there a chance that this will come back in stock? I'm hoping this isn't one of the perpetually out of stock knives...



I believe there are more in the pipeline but who knows the timeframe? You could pm James (pkjames) to find out if he has an eta. I adore my Tanaka and the price is certainly right


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## daveb (Dec 22, 2016)

Don't think Watanabe does stainless clad on knives longer than 180mm. The Kintaro Ame is what he calls V2 Gold Stainless. Reads like a monosteel. (The possibiity of being wrong is high with this one.)


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## labor of love (Dec 23, 2016)

Watanabe, kato and Toyama have pretty hard core steels like heiji, do they not? I completely understand that heiji steel is brittle however I can't seem to remember many issues with chipping in my personal experience. For the OP to request a "workhorse" I interpret that as simply a heavier knife in which case I would recommend a heiji. I can't pretend to know whether his technique would suit a brittle knife-but if it does, and if in this instance "workhorse" means heavy knife I think heiji is worth consideration.


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## XooMG (Dec 23, 2016)

daveb said:


> Don't think Watanabe does stainless clad on knives longer than 180mm. The Kintaro Ame is what he calls V2 Gold Stainless. Reads like a monosteel. (The possibiity of being wrong is high with this one.)


V2 Gold is a distant cousin of AEBL: http://www.e-tokko.com/v_gold_2_5.htm


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## fatboylim (Dec 23, 2016)

dwalker said:


> The stainless cladding has me stumped. I have the Syousin Chiku 240 and I would not call it a heavy knife. It is, however, a very good performing middleweight knife. I have been enjoying mine very much. If you can manage an iron clad knife, I think the Toyama from JNS would do nicely. It is my go to prep knife right now. I don't know it watanabe would do a stainless cladding, but it never hurts to ask.



I have asked, he only does stainless upto 180mm knives.


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## Matus (Dec 23, 2016)

Did you check out the Ginrei from JKI? Jon currently does not have a 240, but it should weight ca 200g when it will come (as I am pretty sure it will at some point).

Watanabe does stainless clad only up to 180 - that is what I learned about a year ago. Drop him an email. If that changed than a knife from him could be just what you are looking for.


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## khashy (Dec 23, 2016)

bkultra said:


> That is the problem with the term workhorse IMO... It's mainly used to describe thicker and/or heavier knives, but can also mean a knife that can be worked hard and handle almost anything tossed at it. I would say even the Kato workhorse is hard and brittle and it helped coin the term.



In my mind I was thinking of the heavier knives as 'workhorse' rather than throw anything at it type, Given that I am not a pro cook. I guess the brittleness should be less of an issue in a home environment, or am I missing something that I should be aware of?


Looks like Watanabe is not a possibility as I am keen on a 240mm and 180mm is just waaay too short. Btw I though Kintaro Ame is the damascus finish, right?

I did check out the Ginrei range btw, but again for no reason what so ever, I am only drawn to the white/blue/AS steels...

Why is this such a difficult find? Is it just a just a bad idea to have a heavy stailess clad gyuto?


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## bkultra (Dec 23, 2016)

khashy said:


> Btw I though Kintaro Ame is the damascus finish, right?



Correct, and one of the better looking damascus finishes IMO.


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## daveb (Dec 23, 2016)

Matus said:


> Did you check out the Ginrei from JKI? Jon currently does not have a 240, but it should weight ca 200g when it will come (as I am pretty sure it will at some point).
> 
> Watanabe does stainless clad only up to 180 - that is what I learned about a year ago. Drop him an email. If that changed than a knife from him could be just what you are looking for.




Still true last month.


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## khashy (Dec 23, 2016)

I still can't square up why there are so few choices. 

The only reason I can come up with would be that the makers will buy the stainless sandwiched carbon as premade rather than forge weld it themselves and that the premade stuff isn't thick enough/suitable for a heavy beast of a knife

Or maybe it's a supply demand thing - I'm the freak asking for something no one else wants....


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## ryanjams (Dec 23, 2016)

khashy said:


> I still can't square up why there are so few choices.
> 
> The only reason I can come up with would be that the makers will buy the stainless sandwiched carbon as premade rather than forge weld it themselves and that the premade stuff isn't thick enough/suitable for a heavy beast of a knife
> 
> Or maybe it's a supply demand thing - I'm the freak asking for something no one else wants....



I don't know, my stainless clad Kochi is pretty thick at the spine. The kurouchi isn't what you're after, and it's thinner behind the edge, but I'd allllmost put it in that category. Certainly enough to dispell the idea that the pre-laminate doesn't come thick enough.


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## toddnmd (Dec 23, 2016)

pleue said:


> Watanabe will do a stainless clad. That would be my choice



I thought Watanabe only does stainless clad for 180mm or less . . .


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## JaVa (Dec 23, 2016)

James mentioned somewhere that he's expecting a new batch of Tanaka knives in January if I remember correctly. But not even he knows exactly when or what's coming. 

You'll better be on your stalking A game if you want to get one. Last time the Ginsans were OOS in a few hours and there were quite a few to go around. The SS clad B2 knives lasted about two days. 

Although I think it might be closer to a robust middleweight than a workhorse. I have no experience with it, but James mentioned it being close to the originals. Maybe anyone who has one would chime in if the SS B2 Tanaka is a workhorse or a middleweight? Either way I want one too!


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## pleue (Dec 23, 2016)

Apologies, I have a stainless clad watanabe 180 and assumed he went up in lengths. I'm stumped as well.


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## khashy (Dec 23, 2016)

ryanjams said:


> I don't know, my stainless clad Kochi is pretty thick at the spine. The kurouchi isn't what you're after, and it's thinner behind the edge, but I'd allllmost put it in that category. Certainly enough to dispell the idea that the pre-laminate doesn't come thick enough.



Right, so it's definitely the latter - I'm the freak


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## khashy (Dec 23, 2016)

pleue said:


> Apologies, I have a stainless clad watanabe 180 and assumed he went up in lengths. I'm stumped as well.



I have just sent him an email, we shall hopefully find out shortly


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## khashy (Dec 23, 2016)

JaVa said:


> James mentioned somewhere that he's expecting a new batch of Tanaka knives in January if I remember correctly. But not even he knows exactly when or what's coming.
> 
> You'll better be on your stalking A game if you want to get one. Last time the Ginsans were OOS in a few hours and there were quite a few to go around. The SS clad B2 knives lasted about two days.
> 
> Although I think it might be closer to a robust middleweight than a workhorse. I have no experience with it, but James mentioned it being close to the originals. Maybe anyone who has one would chime in if the SS B2 Tanaka is a workhorse or a middleweight? Either way I want one too!



Eagerly watching this space.

Would love for someone to chime in about their weight


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## Nemo (Dec 23, 2016)

Never held any of them, but from reading posts, I got the impression that the B2 clad grid was similar to the damascus, which sounded like a middleweight. I think that the ginsanko was a thinner grind. James, can you comment?


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## Sleep (Dec 23, 2016)

I have the 270mm Tanaka SS/B2. Specs match those on the K&S website. ~270g. It feels beefy but it's very thin just behind the edge. It's a great cutter.


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## chinacats (Dec 23, 2016)

Nemo said:


> Never held any of them, but from reading posts, I got the impression that the B2 clad grid was similar to the damascus, which sounded like a middleweight. I think that the ginsanko was a thinner grind. James, can you comment?



The new ginsan migaki is a very thin knife...the older ginsan nashiji was beefier/heavier with wide bevels. Only one I've not tried is the stainless clad blue 2 but it's on my list.


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## cyberbaton (Dec 24, 2016)

Sleep said:


> I have the 270mm Tanaka SS/B2. Specs match those on the K&S website. ~270g. It feels beefy but it's very thin just behind the edge. It's a great cutter.



wow, 270g. I think its all about heavy ebony handle.


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## Nemo (Dec 24, 2016)

Sleep said:


> I have the 270mm Tanaka SS/B2. Specs match those on the K&S website. ~270g. It feels beefy but it's very thin just behind the edge. It's a great cutter.



Does it have a lot of convexity?


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## Sleep (Dec 24, 2016)

I have no idea how much extra the ebony handle weighs. It's still blade heavy when holding in a pinch grip.

The grind is nice and convex on the right hand side. I really like how it performs.


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## khashy (Dec 24, 2016)

So Shinichi got back to me, however I think I had not explained what I was after properly. His reply was a quote for an iron clad gyuto.

I wrote back to him to clarify, hopefully he will come back to me soon.


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## chinacats (Dec 24, 2016)

khashy said:


> So Shinichi got back to me, however I think I had not explained what I was after properly. His reply was a quote for an iron clad gyuto.
> 
> I wrote back to him to clarify, hopefully he will come back to me soon.



My guess is, that was his way of explaining to you what your options were. His command of the English language is actually pretty good.


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## JaVa (Dec 25, 2016)

I have the Migaki 240 gyuto and yes it's thin. I've had the Tanaka VG10 240 damascus and that certainly is a middleweight. I also have the B2 damascus nakiri which has about the same spine thickness with the VG10 240 gyuto.

But looking at the specs, the B2 KU gyuto and the B2 damascus gyuto are both heavier and thicker then VG10 version. So those B2 gyutos would seem to be in the workhorse region? If the Tanaka SS B2 240 is similar to those, then it could maybe considered a workhorse?


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## labor of love (Dec 25, 2016)

B2 KU tanaka is a thin knife-fantastic cutter though. Nashiji ginsanko is the only non thin tanaka I'm aware of.


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## chinacats (Dec 25, 2016)

I believe the ku and the dammy blue 2 have similar geometry with the ku being a bit thicker behind the edge than the dammy...I've not tried the VG10 but have to imagine it would have the same grind as the dammy blue 2...as much as I despise stainless I'm still looking for a knife that cuts as well as the blue 2 damascus without the insane reactivity.


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## Marek07 (Dec 25, 2016)

chinacats said:


> ... I'm still looking for a knife that cuts as well as the blue 2 damascus without the insane reactivity.


Have to agree wholeheartedly. I have a Blue #2 Damascus santoku - quite possibly the best cutting ability for dollars spent ratio I've ever come across. But the reactivity is off the charts. Not my words but I believe someone once posted along the lines of, "starts reacting if I even think about cutting an onion".


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## JaVa (Dec 25, 2016)

Hmmm... 

Tanaka B2 KU 240 gyuto
231 g
spine at the heel 2.8 mm
spine at the middle 2.1 mm

Tanaka B2 damascus 240 gyuto 
226 g 
spine at the heel 3.8 mm 
spine at the middle 2.8 mm 

Tanaka VG10 damascus 240 gyuto 
155 g
spine at the heel 2.2 mm
spine at the middle 1.8 mm

The B2 dammy and KU specs are from K&S and the VG10 is from my old knife which had the ho wood / plastic ferrule handle that of sets the weight comparison a little. 

Looking at the specs alone the B2 dammy would seem a little hefty with the spine thickness of 3.2/2.8mm IMO, but I've never actually held one so I have no idea how that translates to real life feel and use? 

The only reason I don't own that B2 damascus is the crazy reactivity my B2 damascus nakiri has. It is simply a sublime cutter. I've mostly come to terms with the reactivity and just accepted the not so beautiful brown colour to be part of the blade. It is what it is.

But the SS clad version does fix that for sure. Does anyone know if the spine thickness and weight is closer to the VG10 damascus or the B2 damascus? I'll get one regardless, but for the OP one would probably be sturdy enough and the other certainly would not?


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## preizzo (Dec 25, 2016)

Had the b 2 dammy and I sold it. Felt really huge and reactiv as hell.


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## chinacats (Dec 25, 2016)

The blue 2 dammy I had was nowhere near 3.8 at the heel...I'll measure my next one when it arrives...I'm taking one more stab at the reactivity.


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## cyberbaton (Dec 25, 2016)

I have 240 b2 Dammy and it is 2,8 at the heel and 2 in the middle. Weight 205g, but mine with light plastic ferrule handle


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## khashy (Dec 25, 2016)

Update:

Shinichi got back to me, looks like it's a no go:







On the Tanakas, we really need James to chime in and clarify it for us...


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## merlijny2k (Dec 28, 2016)

I'm sure there are perfectly good reasons i am unaware of but what exactly causes the deep impact not to fit the bill?


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## merlijny2k (Dec 28, 2016)

There is also this:
https://www.knivesandtools.com/en/pt/-eden-takara-gyuto-24-cm-aogami-steel.htm#tabbutton1


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## merlijny2k (Dec 28, 2016)

But forgive me if i am way off, i don't exactly know what nashiji means. I saw the word first on the teryasu fujiwara website. He has three types of knives but doesn't really explain the difference, cheapest he calls nashiji.


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## chinacats (Dec 28, 2016)

nashiji is pear finish


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## merlijny2k (Dec 28, 2016)

I see no lights shining


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## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Like a pear skin. Kinda like a hammered finish but with fewer hammer marks. Food release supposedly improved over kasumi or migaki. I've never used one so can't comment on the food release.


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## khashy (Dec 28, 2016)

merlijny2k said:


> I'm sure there are perfectly good reasons i am unaware of but what exactly causes the deep impact not to fit the bill?



The OP here, I was keen on a Wa handle, which unfortunately rules the deep impact out.

The Eden knife does not have a polished surface, which again is not what I was after.

Seems like there are not a whole load of choices.

I wish Watanabe did this, his is the one I liked the most from the suggestions.

Happy to see if anyone had anything else in mind


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## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Custom? What's the budget?


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## khashy (Dec 28, 2016)

Nemo said:


> Custom? What's the budget?



I thought about custom, but I think I'd rather stick with off the shelf *** stuff for now and leave the custom job to later.


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## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

Yep, there's always the next knife .... ;-)


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## khashy (Dec 28, 2016)

Nemo said:


> Yep, there's always the next knife .... ;-)



This rabbit hole is big enough already, I made the mistake of starting to read about JNats.....


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## Nemo (Dec 28, 2016)

khashy said:


> This rabbit hole is big enough already, I made the mistake of starting to read about JNats.....



Careful....


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## Krassi (Dec 28, 2016)

OH NO!!!


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## khashy (Dec 28, 2016)

FML. This is going to be thing to get me divorced.

And too think I only wanted a stainless clad knife.....


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## rogue108 (Dec 28, 2016)

Every knife I would recommend has nashiji finish otherwise I would have recommended a Masakage Yuki or a possibly Ichimonji Kichikuni Blue Steel Wa-Gyuto. I have polished the sides of a Masakage Yuki to a pretty bright finish.


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## khashy (Dec 29, 2016)

rogue108 said:


> Every knife I would recommend has nashiji finish otherwise I would have recommended a Masakage Yuki or a possibly Ichimonji Kichikuni Blue Steel Wa-Gyuto. I have polished the sides of a Masakage Yuki to a pretty bright finish.



I can get a Yuki here for a very decent price. Mind sharing photos of your polished Yuki?

Separately are the Ichimonji Kichikuni's SS clad? I have a 270mm yanagi from them and really like it despite some of the rough edges.


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## labor of love (Dec 29, 2016)

khashy said:


> I can get a Yuki here for a very decent price. Mind sharing photos of your polished Yuki?
> 
> Separately are the Ichimonji Kichikuni's SS clad? I have a 270mm yanagi from them and really like it despite some of the rough edges.



You should go for the ichimonji stainless clad Gyuto. Or a richmond laser(sorry guys but it fits his criteria).


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## Nemo (Dec 29, 2016)

Does it have to have a wa handle? Ohishi do a stainless clad AS with a yo handle.

http://japanesechef.com.au/ohishi-aogami.html (I think I'm allowed to post this here. If not-mods please remove)

Not sure what the grind is like. I think its made by the same company that make Akifusa but I've no idea if it's made by the same craftsmen or production line or whatever. Also no idea how the grind compares to Akifusa.

Anyone know any more?

A side note: If you buy from Japanease Chef, it's worth emailing to confirm availability as the stock levels aren't always kept up to date on the website.


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## JGui (Dec 29, 2016)

JBroida said:


> I might have you covered with something fun in January



Gangetsuuuuu!!!!:hungry:


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## khashy (Dec 29, 2016)

Nemo said:


> Does it have to have a wa handle? Ohishi do a stainless clad AS with a yo handle.
> 
> http://japanesechef.com.au/ohishi-aogami.html (I think I'm allowed to post this here. If not-mods please remove)
> 
> ...



Thanks Nemo, I'm quite set on a wa handle tbh. Funny enough we actually have an Ohishi dealer in he UK and I have browsed their range, but I'm just drawn to the wa's.

I know I'm not making this any easier.


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## rogue108 (Dec 29, 2016)

khashy said:


> I can get a Yuki here for a very decent price. Mind sharing photos of your polished Yuki?
> 
> Separately are the Ichimonji Kichikuni's SS clad? I have a 270mm yanagi from them and really like it despite some of the rough edges.



Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the Yuki. It belongs to a friend and I was cleaning up the blade at the time. Since its not a smooth finish I polished it up using various compounds plus Flitz with buffer. It wasn't what I had initially planned but they seemed to like it so I finished buffing it out. 

The Sakai Ichimonji Kichikuni I was referring to is being sold by Blueway Japan on Ebay. Again it has a nashiji finish. Not sure if I should directly link to it but you can find it be searching on Ebay using the title "Japanese Ichimonji Kichikuni Blue Steel Wa-Gyuto Knife Nashiji 240mm" He has them with several handle options.


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## JaVa (Dec 29, 2016)

The Gengetsu Jon was referring to that's coming in stock during January should be a no brainer.

They'll go out the door faster then you can say Gengetsu so all you need to do to secure one is go camp out at JKI and grab one coming in. :tease:


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## fatboylim (Dec 29, 2016)

JaVa said:


> The Gengetsu Jon was referring to that's coming in stock during January should be a no brainer.
> 
> They'll go out the door faster then you can say Gengetsu so all you need to do to secure one is go camp out at JKI and grab one coming in. :tease:



+1


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## labor of love (Dec 29, 2016)

Could everybody please stop talking about the gengetsu restock!!!???


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## bkultra (Dec 29, 2016)

You mean all the time and effort you spent on finding one and then a few weeks later they announced a restock... that restock? :biggrin:


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## khashy (Dec 29, 2016)

rogue108 said:


> Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the Yuki. It belongs to a friend and I was cleaning up the blade at the time. Since its not a smooth finish I polished it up using various compounds plus Flitz with buffer. It wasn't what I had initially planned but they seemed to like it so I finished buffing it out.
> 
> The Sakai Ichimonji Kichikuni I was referring to is being sold by Blueway Japan on Ebay. Again it has a nashiji finish. Not sure if I should directly link to it but you can find it be searching on Ebay using the title "Japanese Ichimonji Kichikuni Blue Steel Wa-Gyuto Knife Nashiji 240mm" He has them with several handle options.



Thanks rogue, I'll read up some more on the ichimonji gyuto. I guess before that I need to figure out if I'm up to removing the finish without destroying the knife.


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## khashy (Dec 29, 2016)

I was more or less holding out for the Tanaka to come back in stock, but all this talk of Gengetsu has got me excited. I'm hoping that Jon is getting 1000 of these into stock so at least I stand a chance of ordering one...


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## foody518 (Jan 4, 2017)

You could contact Yoshihiro and ask for more pics/if this knife is on the thinner or more middleweight end of things. I asked a question about one of their knives on Ebay and received a fairly prompt response. http://www.echefknife.com/yoshihiro...nless-steel-cladding-and-rosewood-handle.html


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## khashy (Jan 5, 2017)

foody518 said:


> You could contact Yoshihiro and ask for more pics/if this knife is on the thinner or more middleweight end of things. I asked a question about one of their knives on Ebay and received a fairly prompt response. http://www.echefknife.com/yoshihiro...nless-steel-cladding-and-rosewood-handle.html



Thank foody. I haven't read too much about yoshihiro. What are their knives like? Certainly looks absolutely stunning


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## foody518 (Jan 5, 2017)

Yoshihiro is like a brand header that carries different lines as opposed to denoting specific makers
I have one of their Western handled knives in a similar price range. FnF and overall look is good. It's not super super performance oriented, but the knife's looks and weight belies how well it cuts. It will probably need thinning sooner than some of my other good cutters though
Their KU knives look a bit thicker and chunkier particularly at the spine, but the more polished pricier lines strike me as being maybe light middleweight. I wish I had more data points to inform that though
On their website they'll do revolving specials+promotions including $10 discounts on certain lines. I bought from their eBay shop which has a slightly higher prices to cover the transaction fee compared to their website, but I had like $25 of ebay bucks to knock down the price


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## khashy (Jan 5, 2017)

foody518 said:


> Yoshihiro is like a brand header that carries different lines as opposed to denoting specific makers
> I have one of their Western handled knives in a similar price range. FnF and overall look is good. It's not super super performance oriented, but the knife's looks and weight belies how well it cuts. It will probably need thinning sooner than some of my other good cutters though
> Their KU knives look a bit thicker and chunkier particularly at the spine, but the more polished pricier lines strike me as being maybe light middleweight. I wish I had more data points to inform that though
> On their website they'll do revolving specials+promotions including $10 discounts on certain lines. I bought from their eBay shop which has a slightly higher prices to cover the transaction fee compared to their website, but I had like $25 of ebay bucks to knock down the price



Pretty good value for money it seems. I wonder why they are not as heavily referenced in the forum


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## foody518 (Jan 5, 2017)

Based on mine and the pricing on many of their products, I'd perceive it as okay value for money. Their more simple handle powder steel line looks pretty nice for the price though. On some of these others, relatively confident on getting a good product, but not necessarily a fantastic deal. That said, their ginsanko wa-gyutos continue to tempt me...
I spent this past year buying most of my knives at some level of discount (BST, Yuki, Itinomonn, Hinoura Jr., Guede, Misono) so I didn't really bite on Yoshihiro's offerings. But of course those tendencies are very much affected by budget/price range. Got the HSS yo-gyuto to have a longer, hopefully better edge retention, and effectively stainless knife that didn't seem to have too much asymmetry when possibly prepping away from home. But again, didn't bite until I had some way to discount the price (and the Kagero restock bumped the price of that gyuto higher than I was hoping to get it for) 
They certainly don't give as many spec details as the more favored knife sites which probably doesn't help. But I contacted them through ebay to ask about getting choil shots of the HSS gyuto and got a pic reply fairly quickly, so that was nice. I've seen Yoshihiro single beveled knives show up on BST but you're right, not so much on the double beveled lines.


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## khashy (Jan 5, 2017)

foody518 said:


> Based on mine and the pricing on many of their products, I'd perceive it as okay value for money. Their more simple handle powder steel line looks pretty nice for the price though. On some of these others, relatively confident on getting a good product, but not necessarily a fantastic deal. That said, their ginsanko wa-gyutos continue to tempt me...
> I spent this past year buying most of my knives at some level of discount (BST, Yuki, Itinomonn, Hinoura Jr., Guede, Misono) so I didn't really bite on Yoshihiro's offerings. But of course those tendencies are very much affected by budget/price range. Got the HSS yo-gyuto to have a longer, hopefully better edge retention, and effectively stainless knife that didn't seem to have too much asymmetry when possibly prepping away from home. But again, didn't bite until I had some way to discount the price (and the Kagero restock bumped the price of that gyuto higher than I was hoping to get it for)
> They certainly don't give as many spec details as the more favored knife sites which probably doesn't help. But I contacted them through ebay to ask about getting choil shots of the HSS gyuto and got a pic reply fairly quickly, so that was nice. I've seen Yoshihiro single beveled knives show up on BST but you're right, not so much on the double beveled lines.



Do you think you might be able to dig up that choil shot?


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## foody518 (Jan 5, 2017)

Here's the pic I was sent
View attachment 34133

Here's some from today
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MU2OgXcVjw7NmtrKhlGYFJWd4vSfnn7TFQ/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qmHktuPqpfsT-sTjXpKm1c1tCZWdfKCIww/view?usp=sharing


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## khashy (Jan 6, 2017)

foody518 said:


> Here's the pic I was sent
> View attachment 34133
> 
> Here's some from today
> ...



Thanks foody. That actually looks pretty decent. Short of James coming back to me about some kind of timeline for the Tanaka, I'm convinced by Yoshihiro


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## foody518 (Jan 6, 2017)

They are US based if that might affect your purchasing


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## khashy (Jan 6, 2017)

foody518 said:


> They are US based if that might affect your purchasing



I'd get it delivered to one of my firends in Philly and collect it when I travel there. The downside is the agonising wait, which I'm currently going through with my two Doi's..


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## foody518 (Jan 6, 2017)

Nice. Well, for however long it is going for, you can get it with FREE ENGRAVING and $10 off with the promo code on their website  definitely recommend trying to contact beforehand and see what correspondence and info/pics gleaned you can manage to get


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## khashy (Jan 7, 2017)

Thanks mate. This has been most helpful actually. 

Gotta say I'm not sold on engraving - the knife is way too pretty to be molested by unnecessary chiselling...


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