# What do people think of Yoshimitsu Knives?



## RubbishCook (Mar 26, 2016)

I really like the look of the Yoshimitsu knives, particularly the White #1 from Buttermilk. Does anyone have an opinion on these? Are they lasers? They seem kind of fat at the heel but the spine profile looks really nice and I like that they do their own cladding. Appears to be a lot of knife for the money.


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## preizzo (Mar 26, 2016)

I own two of them. 
One gyuto 240 mm gyuto in blue 2 and one nakiri in sg2. 
The gyuto has a Damascus cladding which it s really nice done, the knife taper down really slowly and the tip it s super thin. 
Thick on the spine but super thin on the cutting edge. 
The blue 2 has a good edge retention and it s a general good knife. 
Nakiri it s totally ss. 
Nice cutter, I used it a lot the last few years so it loose a lot but it's still doing his job well.


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## Marcelo Amaral (Mar 26, 2016)

I have the tamahagane 210mm version. Cladding is very reactive and OOTB edge didn't impress me. So far i didn't like it. Need to put a new edge on it and see if it will cut better.


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## Casaluz (Mar 26, 2016)

I do like the Yoshimitsu knives very much. I can speak about four of them 

1) The first is a Yoshimitsu Tamahagane Santoku 165mm. I chose this knife for what keithsaltydog calls "the cool factor", that is to say, the fact that you are preparing food with a unique knife made in the same way as centuries old traditional bladesmithing from Japan. To me it has enormous value and and I drew tremendous joy from using it for both its superb performance and for what it represents. I find it beautiful but by no means it is meant for show, it definitely is made for use. I would like to add that in my very limited experience, the knife is like no other I have touched. You can see the small imperfections on the steel and the changes in light reflecting from the blade. The steel feels "substantial" or "dense" to the touch in comparison to other blades. The "feel" during sharpening is also different and I like the edge it holds. The handle is superbly done in my opinion and on the smallish/thin side but help balance the knife perfectly, and it has something I have never seen, a copper jacket around the body of the handle, and inside of the horn ferrule. 

2)	The second gyuto is a Yoshimitsu Wa-Gyuto Damascus Blue steel II in 240 mm. A few factors influenced me, the first one is that Yoshimitsu is known for making their own tamahagane, the second was reading about the Yoshimitsu brothers and their training in knife making, and the third was seeing what I feel it is a beautiful combination of kurouchi finish and a damascus layered finish below the shinogi. I love the knife and how it performs. It is not thin or laser by any means but it is thin behind the edge, easy to sharpen and holds it a long time. The long flat edge matches the way I cut and it reminds me of another knife I like very much, the Masamoto KS.

3) the third one is the Yoshimitsu Tamahagane Watetsu Wa-gyuto 210 mm. I purchased it for similar reasons as the santoku. It is not a thin knife but it is beautiful with a superb handle on the smallish side. It does benefit from cleaning the thin protective coating it has out of the box (acetone will do it) and a fresh sharpening and then is a wonderful knife to use. After sharpening it acquires a very toothy edge that I find satisfying. I love it.

4) the last one is the Yoshimitsu Ikasaki Hocho 160mm Powder High-Speed Steel Blade with Cherry Handle. Very interesting knife. It is very thin and light even though is clad, with a smaller version profile of the gyuto on the edge but a bit pointier (as opposed to a beak type of end) really thin on the edge, very sharp and it holds the edge a very long time. It is meant as a utility knife for cleaning squid (therefore the pointy end) and its handle is peculiar in the sense that is cherry wood (not common in my experience) and that is not nearly as well finished as the handles of the other Yoshimitsu knives I have bought, for example, you can feel the transition between the handle and the ferrule, however it is really great value for its price.

Things are always a matter of opinion regarding knives. I really like the knives coming from Yoshimitsu


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## RubbishCook (Mar 26, 2016)

Thank you for the responses. I would love to try a Tamahagane knife at some point. Seems like Yoshimitsu uses a lot of different steels for a small shop.


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## RubbishCook (Mar 29, 2016)

I tried to get in contact with Buttermilk but no luck over the last week. Oh well, maybe I will go for something else.


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## Casaluz (Mar 30, 2016)

you can try aframestokyo


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