# My [semi] LEFT-HANDED Knife Kit



## DitmasPork

Finally getting around to posting the main knives of my kit on KKF. My knives that tend to see the most work so far have been the Masamoto Gyuto and Sabatier Chef Knife; and the Mac Petty and Sabatier Parer. LOVE my Masahiro Sujihiki, but still getting to know it. Also very happy with the Gesshin Kagero and Masahiro Hankotsubut havent properly broken them in. I think of myself as more of a cook than knife collectorI don't have a ton of experience handling lots of knives by different makers, or made with different steels. 

What I love about my knives is that they each have a unique personality of their ownlike being at a party filled with interesting people that you click with.

A problem that Ive encountered, is that I believe my wife thinks I have too many knives. Im very protective of these, they are put away after usethe other knives that my wife cooks with are often found blade up [or down] in the dish drainer.

What I have is certainly not a large, or super high-end collection by KKF standardsbut its a start, and I love them. I feel much excitement whenever I acquire a new knife for the kit! My most recent purchase was the R. Murphy Oyster knifea very special knife for the wee price of $14, perfect for little to mid-sized oysters, good feel, great blade for the task.

Three at top:
>> 7.25 inch E.D. WUSTHOF cleaver, carbongot this from my mom, no idea how old it is. Trident logo on wooden handle.
>> R. MURPHY New Haven oyster knife, stainless
>> 150mm MAC Pro Petty, stainless

Four knives below:
>> 270mm MASAHIRO Sujihiki, carbon, [LEFT-HANDED]
>> 10 inch SABATIER Thiers-Issard ****Elephant Chefs Knife, carbon
>> 240mm MASAMOTO HC Gyuto, carbon, [LEFT-HANDED]
>> 240mm GESSHIN Kagero Gyuto, powdered steel

Two knives, lower right of board:
>> 4 inch SABATIER Thiers-Issard ****Elephant Parer, carbon
>> 150mm MASAHIRO Hankotsu, carbon [LEFT-HANDED]

Backdrop:
A maple cutting board from The Boardsmithbest cutting board Ive owned.

My next purchases will probably be:
1] Chinese vegetable cleaver
2] Bread knife

Any suggestions appreciated. Thanks for viewing what I have so far!
DP


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## chinacats

Nice kit, thanks for posting. That cleaver looks pretty sweet!


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## DitmasPork

chinacats said:


> Nice kit, thanks for posting. That cleaver looks pretty sweet!



Do love the cleaver since it was my mom's meat chopping workhorse. The edge needs work, she gets her knives sharpened by a friend-of-a-frend, who sharpens out of the back of a pickup truck. Not the best sharpening job on it.


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## easy13

Solid well-rounded rotation


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## Colorado_cutter

Nice collection! I'm a lefty, too. For bread knives, the three knives that seemed be suggested often are the Forschner, the Tojiro ITK, and the Mac. I figured I'd go a little more high-end than the Forschner (and get a scalloped rather than serrated edge for easier sharpening), but couldn't quite spend the coin on the Mac, so I got the ITK. Bad choice, in retrospect. It is asymmetrical, and I find that it steers a bunch. Also, it came with a really bad burr. I haven't gotten around to fixing/sharpening it, in part because I'm kind of cranked to have to sharpen a knife of this type out of the box! I'd go with something else.

For Chinese cleavers, I went from CCK 1303 (great cutter, but not the best steel) to Suien VC (great steel, but the profile wasn't to my taste) to a custom Ashi Hamono. I really like the Ashi. Nice size, well-balanced, white steel takes a great edge, good fit and finish


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## DitmasPork

Colorado_cutter said:


> Nice collection! I'm a lefty, too. For bread knives, the three knives that seemed be suggested often are the Forschner, the Tojiro ITK, and the Mac. I figured I'd go a little more high-end than the Forschner (and get a scalloped rather than serrated edge for easier sharpening), but couldn't quite spend the coin on the Mac, so I got the ITK. Bad choice, in retrospect. It is asymmetrical, and I find that it steers a bunch. Also, it came with a really bad burr. I haven't gotten around to fixing/sharpening it, in part because I'm kind of cranked to have to sharpen a knife of this type out of the box! I'd go with something else.



The two bread knives I was seriously considering were the Tojiro ITK and the Macthey both seem to have a lot of rave reviews. Never thought about the asymmetry of a bread knifethe burr sucks, I've not heard about that. I was leaning towards the Tojiro because of costbut I saw on another thread that Korin's having a 15% off sale and they sell the Mac Bread knife. I might just pop into Korin and buy the Mac, the price wouldn't be that different from the Tojiro once the shipping charges are added. I'll justify another knife purchase by making more sandwiches.


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## ecchef

Nice assortment. Well taken care of too.


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## DitmasPork

My kitchen knives as of August 2015. The bulk of the knives were bought since joining KKF three years ago. I think it's time to take a break and asses what I want to buy next. 

RIGHT ROW, TOP TO BOTTOM:
240mm Masamoto HC Gyuto
240mm Gesshin Kagero Gyuto
240mm Left handed Misono UX10 Gyuto
270mm Left handed Carbon Masahiro Sujihiki
270mm Moly Kikuichi Sujihiki
270mm Left handed Shigefusa Yanigiba
150mm Left handed Carbon Masahiro Honkotsu
6 inch Victorinox Semi Stiff boning knife
Vintage Wustof Carbon cleaver [from mom]
CCK Cleaver

MAIN ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:
10 inch Wustof SS Chef Knife
270mm Mac Bread Knife
4 inch Sabatier Carbon Paring
8 inch Sabatier Carbon Chef
10 inch Sabatier Carbon Chef
270mm Watanebe Gyuto
240mm Watanebe Gyuto
240mm Kato Workhorse Gyuto
240mm Gengetsu Semi Stainless Gyuto
240mm Kochi Gyuto
240mm Left handed Masamoto KS
240mm Konosuke Fujiyama white #2 Gyuto

BOTTOM, LEFT OF CLEAVERS:
150mm Left handed Carbon Masahiro Petty
150mm Mac Petty
180 mm Left handed Uraku Deba
R Murphy New Haven SS Oyster Knife wood handle
R Murphy New Haven SS Oyster Knife green handle
Japanese SS Oyster Knife wood handle

Note: Black on the tip of the Shig Yanigiba is a reflection.


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## knyfeknerd

Noice!
Nice Docs too. How do they hold up in the kitchen?


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## DitmasPork

knyfeknerd said:


> Noice!
> Nice Docs too. How do they hold up in the kitchen?



They hold up fine, though the Docs manufactured a decade ago are made better.


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## MAS4T0

Nice collection, and well done on sourcing all those left handed J-knives!


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## Mangelwurzel

Really nice collection. You've been busy over the last two years!

Out of interest, do you have any issues with the kato, gengetsu or kochi as a lefty? From choil shots I've seen of all these knifes, they all look fairly symmetrical but I'm curious as I'm a lefty too.


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## Dardeau

DitmasPork said:


> They hold up fine, though the Docs manufactured a decade ago are made better.



That's what people said a decade ago!


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## DitmasPork

Mangelwurzel said:


> Really nice collection. You've been busy over the last two years!
> 
> Out of interest, do you have any issues with the kato, gengetsu or kochi as a lefty? From choil shots I've seen of all these knifes, they all look fairly symmetrical but I'm curious as I'm a lefty too.



The kato, gengetsu and kochi are all pretty symmetrical and not a problem for lefties. The knife I have that is very righty biased is the Kikuichi Moly sujihiki, but I still use it, just need to adjust to it.

The only knives I have that are truly lefty are the misono UX10, masahiro petty, masahiro suji, masahiro hankotsu, shigefusa yanagiba, and the uraku deba. My other knives I sharpen lefty, except for the sabs, cleavers, boning and bread knife.

Lately I've been looking at American makers, and also vintage American carbon kniveshaven't bought any yet. As a lefty, I'm sick of the standard markup for lefties, really sucks.


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## cave_dweller

DitmasPork said:


> As a lefty, I'm sick of the standard markup for lefties, really sucks.



Nah... it's just the price we pay for having a superior cognitive wiring loom!

Nice collection, by the way - it's good to see some examples of what's available to us lefties.


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## koki

Wow. Sooo many knives. That's what I want in the future haha.... I'm only at like 8 knives... What is the estimated cost for all of those knives?


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## chiffonodd

How would you compare your gengetsu and kochi?


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## DitmasPork

koki said:


> Wow. Sooo many knives. That's what I want in the future haha.... I'm only at like 8 knives... What is the estimated cost for all of those knives?



Refuse to contemplate costwife would kill me!


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## DitmasPork

chiffonodd said:


> How would you compare your gengetsu and kochi?



Gengetsu and Kochi, love them both very much! Kochi has a lot of character, great cutter, rustic yet refined; gengetsu is simply great, it's very much of a finesse knife for me, and a good all around gyuto, one of my favsbut I normally don't use it for very heavy prep work [...mountain of kale], for that I opt for something sturdier, like my Watanabe or Kato or Masamoto HC or Sab.


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## DitmasPork

Minimalist travel kit. It's a Jaw Leather knife roll I got some time ago, and finally putting it to uselove the leather quality. The handle slots are on the tight side, and need some workingmy Masahiro suji handle would never fit. Got it all to fit after some strategic rearranging.
Knives left to right: Lefty 150mm Masahiro Hankotsu, 240mm Gengetsu Semi Stainless, Lefty 270 mm Shigefusa Yanagiba, Lefty 150mm Masahiro Petty


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## knyfeknerd

Nice minimalist kit and quality pics I might add.


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## DitmasPork

Left-handed Misono Swedish Carbon Honesuki. My very fist honesuki, for a birthday present to myself, loving it!


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## panda

i like the KS the most out of your kit. that being said, the HC is a very good under rated workhorse once you put some grinding work into it, i think it's great that you've kept it through the years.


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## Johnny.B.Good

I love these threads. 

Great collection!


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## DitmasPork

panda said:


> i like the KS the most out of your kit. that being said, the HC is a very good under rated workhorse once you put some grinding work into it, i think it's great that you've kept it through the years.









I do like my KS and HC very muchuse them both, but my HC sees much more work, the HC's pretty robust so I don't have to treat it so preciously. The HC was the first Japanese carbon that I had purchasedthe KS is sexier! I like all the knives I've collected, and haven't sold any yet.


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## DitmasPork

Putting my Masahiro 270 carbon sujihiki to work. Last night's Hawaiian-style teriyaki London Broil--marinated in teriyaki sauce for a few hours, pan fried in a skillet, basted in butter, cooked to medium rare, rested for 10 minutes. This glorious hunk of beef sliced, in the manner of sashimi


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## DitmasPork

My Lefty Shigefusa 270 Yanigiba.


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## aboynamedsuita

DitmasPork said:


> My Lefty Shigefusa 270 Yanigiba.



Is this a recent acquisition?
I'd love a lefty shig
*sees price tag*
N/M


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## DitmasPork

tjangula said:


> Is this a recent acquisition?
> I'd love a lefty shig
> *sees price tag*
> N/M



I bought it new a couple of years ago--can't remember exactly what I paid for it off the top of my head, think it was $500. It's a very nimble and beautifully finished yanigiba.


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## DitmasPork

240mm Gengetsu SS Gyuto and 150mm Lefty Masahiro Carbon Petty with Pork Collarmaking Sichuan Pork and Daikon stew.


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## daveb

I like looking at your Gengetsu - almost as much as looking at mine. Smiley.


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## DitmasPork

daveb said:


> I like looking at your Gengetsu - almost as much as looking at mine. Smiley.



Yes, wonderful knifehappy I bought it a few years ago when in stock!


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## DitmasPork

My very first J-knife, think I purchased it back in 2011a left-handed, 240 Misono UX10 (red on edge is a reflection). Perhaps not the most fashionable gyuto on KKF these days, but still a wonderful, beautifully designed knifeit infected me with the knife buying sickness. My wife cringes when I mention needing (wanting) another knife!


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## StonedEdge

DitmasPork said:


> Left-handed Misono Swedish Carbon Honesuki. My very fist honesuki, for a birthday present to myself, loving it!



I have the same one (but right-handed) and it was also a b-day present to myself, it's an absolutely stellar chicken processing machine! Goes through an entire flock of birds and keeps begging for more! Edge retention is awesome not to mention the patina it develops from cutting chicken in really nice.


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## StonedEdge

DitmasPork said:


>



I'm not even a southpaw and this thing has me drooling, just beautiful!


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## DitmasPork

StonedEdge said:


> I have the same one (but right-handed) and it was also a b-day present to myself, it's an absolutely stellar chicken processing machine! Goes through an entire flock of birds and keeps begging for more! Edge retention is awesome not to mention the patina it develops from cutting chicken in really nice.



The weight and feel of the Misono honesuki is spot on for me personallyit's making me eat more chicken. I've used it for fish occasionally, though I'm not as skilled as this dude in the video!
[video=youtube;23FDM37LZO8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23FDM37LZO8[/video]


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## StonedEdge

I know exactly what you mean.


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## DitmasPork

My new petty, just unwrapped! A birthday present to myself, it's a 150mm carbon Uraku kurouchi. 

I had started a thread a few days ago seeking thoughts on my shortlist of sub-$150 kurouchi pettys. I ended up going for the Urakureasonably priced, in stock, like the short sleek profile.

Looking forward to putting this to usef&f looks good!


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## DitmasPork

Kato Workhorse, 240mm gyuto
Masahiro, 150mm, lefty carbon petty


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## DitmasPork

Masamoto KS, 240mm gyuto
Homemade pork neck meat char siu


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## DitmasPork

Thought I'd repost my collection, since my Photobucket account expired, and deleted original image.







RIGHT ROW, TOP TO BOTTOM:
240mm Masamoto HC Gyuto
240mm Gesshin Kagero Gyuto
240mm Left handed Misono UX10 Gyuto
270mm Left handed Carbon Masahiro Sujihiki
270mm Moly Kikuichi Sujihiki
270mm Left handed Shigefusa Yanigiba
150mm Left handed Carbon Masahiro Honkotsu
6 inch Victorinox Semi Stiff boning knife
Vintage Wustof Carbon cleaver [from mom]
CCK Cleaver

MAIN ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT:
10 inch Wustof SS Chef Knife
270mm Mac Bread Knife
4 inch Sabatier Carbon Paring
8 inch Sabatier Carbon Chef
10 inch Sabatier Carbon Chef
270mm Watanebe Gyuto
240mm Watanebe Gyuto
240mm Kato Workhorse Gyuto
240mm Gengetsu Semi Stainless Gyuto
240mm Kochi Gyuto
240mm Left handed Masamoto KS
240mm Konosuke Fujiyama white #2 Gyuto

BOTTOM, LEFT OF CLEAVERS:
150mm Left handed Carbon Masahiro Petty
150mm Mac Petty
180 mm Left handed Uraku Deba
R Murphy New Haven SS Oyster Knife wood handle
R Murphy New Haven SS Oyster Knife green handle
Japanese SS Oyster Knife wood handle


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## DitmasPork

Watanabe 270. Heavy prep machine.


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## panda

how do you like the r murphy oyster knife? ive been meaning to pick one of those up.


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## DitmasPork

panda said:


> how do you like the r murphy oyster knife? ive been meaning to pick one of those up.



Fine, if you're into the New Haven curved tip bladehappy with mine. I like the plastic handled one more, slightly thicker blade. I find the rounded handles a little difficult to grip. Works for small to medium sized oysters. For larger oysters I use the Japanese oyster knife on the right.


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## DitmasPork

Family photo of my current left-handed knives—missing from photo is a 225 left-handed Kippington work pony.


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## panda

ditmas, you gotta try mizuno's KS. i traded my beloved mario for one! that's saying something. he ended up buying my marko honyaki too (from my buddy who i sold it to), hehe dude has good taste.


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## DitmasPork

panda said:


> ditmas, you gotta try mizuno's KS. i traded my beloved mario for one! that's saying something. he ended up buying my marko honyaki too (from my buddy who i sold it to), hehe dude has good taste.


Aren’t Mizuno not very lefty friendly?


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## DitmasPork

Fab Five. My current 240 lineup: KS, Kato WH, Denka, Watanabe, Jiro.


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## DitmasPork

French knives. Bottom pic are my 3 Sabs, nearly 30 years old, kept me happy until discovering J-knives.


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## Chips

I absolutely adore your photography!


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## stevenStefano

How do you like the 270 Watanabe? I'm guessing it's pretty weighty


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## DitmasPork

stevenStefano said:


> How do you like the 270 Watanabe? I'm guessing it's pretty weighty



Really good knife, one of the heavier knives I have, don't have a scale.


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## adam92

Wow, lefty shigefusa


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## DitmasPork

adam92 said:


> Wow, lefty shigefusa


Bought before crazy Shig prices were the norm.


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## adam92

DitmasPork said:


> Bought before crazy Shig prices were the norm.


Many people said now shigefusa is overpriced, for kasumi shigefusa can get honyaki knife


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## DitmasPork

adam92 said:


> Many people said now shigefusa is overpriced, for kasumi shigefusa can get honyaki knife



Personally, I don't use the term 'overpriced,' knives just cost what they cost—'overpriced' is subjective. My 270 lefty Shig yanagi and 240 Kato workhorse cost $600 and $550 brand new when I got them. Thought they were pricey back then, current prices are way beyond my financial reach now. Some view TF denka as 'overpriced,' I feel they're worth every penny.

Value is such a funny thing. I've paid over-the-odds for something I really wanted, and passed up really great deals on perfectly fine knives that didn't interest me.


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## DitmasPork

My humble suji collection—it's a start. 270 Mazaki, 270 Y. Tanaka, 240 Heiji, 230 Yanick.


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## adam92

DitmasPork said:


> My humble suji collection—it's a start. 270 Mazaki, 270 Y. Tanaka, 240 Heiji, 230 Yanick.
> 
> View attachment 110158


OMG, your knife & photo skill is tempting me.


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## DitmasPork

adam92 said:


> OMG, your knife & photo skill is tempting me.


Cheers. I've considered putting a stop to buying knives. Haven't cooked a supper party in about a year, cooking for two surely can't justify incoming knives. However, knife buys have kept me sane, offering a bit of happiness in these dark times.


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## DitmasPork

225s. Marko, Bryan, Takada, Heiji, Kippington.


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## DitmasPork

The only 210s I have—Hinoura Ajikataya (JKI); Shig—both are 215mm heel to tip.


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## DitmasPork

Current family portrait.


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## DitmasPork

Yanick family portrait


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## Southpaw

DitmasPork said:


> My Lefty Shigefusa 270 Yanigiba.


I’ll never stop being jealous of this


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## DitmasPork

Southpaw said:


> I’ll never stop being jealous of this


Cheers! Not letting this one go. Think it’s about 9 years old, still going strong. I don’t cut sashimi everyday, so upkeep is minimal.


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