# A newbie's dilemma - Tojiro or CarboNext?



## endautrestermes (Mar 9, 2016)

Hi folks !

I am a newbie and I am looking for a quality Chef knife that is not too difficult to start sharpening (not prone to chipping) and at the same time is constrained in a budget.

So far, and based on recommendation on the forum or personally from other members (many thanks to all of em), I shortlisted two knives:
Tojiro DP Gyuto 210mm
JCK CarboNext Gyuto 210mm

Each one has pros and cons to me. I love the price of the Tojiro (55EUR shipping included on my local amazon), but it is said to be prone to chipping and not ideal for beginners with poor honing technique. The Carbonext is said to sharpen more easily and to be of excellent value, but at 100EUR, I might not yet be ready for that kind of price.

Is there any alternative that you can think of that can reconcile these two options in terms of price and noob-friendlyness? 

Some members advised me to go for Carbon steel (easier to sharpen), any recommendation for that below 100$ ? (the lower the better without compromising steel quality too much  by quality I mean durability, I am not yet a maniac in terms of achievable sharpness) Or should I not be too worried and start with the Tojiro anyway?

Many thanks in advance to all !


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## easy13 (Mar 9, 2016)

Fujiwara FKM or FKH (Carbon)

Suisin Carbon (Just below $100)

Tadafusa Nashiji Wa 210 can sometimes be found for around - $85


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## richard (Mar 9, 2016)

I think Tojiro DP is fine for beginner (and is easy on the wallet). Yes VG-10 can chip, but I wouldn't say it's very easy to chip. Even softer knives will be damaged if you abuse them, they are just more likely to deform instead of chip.


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## endautrestermes (Mar 9, 2016)

richard said:


> I think Tojiro DP is fine for beginner (and is easy on the wallet). Yes VG-10 can chip, but I wouldn't say it's very easy to chip. Even softer knives will be damaged if you abuse them, they are just more likely to deform instead of chip.



Thanks, that way I might still indeed go easy on my wallet



easy13 said:


> Fujiwara FKM or FKH (Carbon)
> 
> Suisin Carbon (Just below $100)
> 
> Tadafusa Nashiji Wa 210 can sometimes be found for around - $85



Fujiwara looks like good value, but Tadafusa is very tempting with its stunning finish (waw).

Thanks for all these advises, I guess I'll have to do some homework


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## Benuser (Mar 9, 2016)

Sharpening VG-10 is no fun at all, and deburring will require three grits.


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## mark76 (Mar 9, 2016)

If I were you, I'd get either semi-stainless (like Carbonext) or stainless cladded carbon. Fujiwara may be in your price range, but it's fully carbon and very reactive. You should be prepared to care for you knife meticulously. Tadafusa could be an option if it's cladded, but the lower end models have quite bad fit and finish.


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## harlock0083 (Mar 9, 2016)

I'd vote for the Carbonext.


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## chinacats (Mar 9, 2016)

I've no experience with these knives but I'd want one that didn't need thinning oob. Have you looked at Tanaka?

I'd also suggest filling out the which knife questionnaire to get the best help here.


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## endautrestermes (Mar 9, 2016)

chinacats said:


> I've no experience with these knives but I'd want one that didn't need thinning oob. Have you looked at Tanaka?
> 
> I'd also suggest filling out the which knife questionnaire to get the best help here.



Yes, sir !

This forum is awesome 

LOCATION
What country are you in? Belgium



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in ? Chef

Are you right or left handed? right

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)? 20mm

Do you require a stainless knife? No

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife? 100$, but preferably below 80$



KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment? home

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for ? slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables primarily. I like to do sushi/sashimi, but I have one that does that already.

What knife, if any, are you replacing? Zwilling Pro Chef

What improvements do you want from your current knife? Durability, easy to sharp, sharp edge durability

Better aesthetics ? irrelevant for my budget

Comfort nope

Ease of Use ? ability to use the knife right out of the box; easier to sharpen

Edge Retention? As long as budget allows



KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? I guess I need to upgrade my Ikea crap

Do you sharpen your own knives? I will, but never done so

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes 

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes


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## Jovidah (Mar 9, 2016)

Interesting because I was in this exact same dilemma a while ago.

One thing up front: shipping for the Tojiro on "local Amazon" is deceptive, because it is still sent from Japan. This means you will be eligible for the usual customs tax and costs. So take that into account; the cost will almost certainly be higher.

Between the two knives... they are widely considered as rather similar knives, but there is 1 huge difference and several minor.

First the huge difference: the steel. 
The Tojiro comes in VG-10 steel - actually laminated VG10 with softer stainless on the sides. This IS fully stainless and will generally survive being left on dirty on your cutting board for a night and will never discolor. 
The Carbonext comes in a semi-stainless steel (without other steel on the sides). This means it's about halfway between a stainless knife and a normal carbon knife (which has no chromium at all). It will slightly discolor over time and in general it's still not a knife you want to just throw in the water to soak, or leave laying around dirty. But as long as you keep her nice and clean there's absolutely no problem, and it's a whole lot more forgiving than 'real' carbon.

Why bother with the semi-stainless or carbon? Well because it is a lot easier to get sharp, and gets a lot sharper. I consistently get my Carbonext a lot sharper in less time than all of my VG-10 knives. It's real easy, and by far the easier knife to learn sharpening on. VG-10 can be a bit more frustrating in that regard.

The advantages of the VG-10 are of course the fact that it's stainless, and that it actually holds its edge longer than the Carbonext. Carbonext get's sharper, and is easier to sharper, but its edge will definitly degrade faster in my opinion.

The other subtle differences are that the Carbonext is quite a bit lighter (you can compare the weight) and it has more distal taper. This means the spine of the knife thins down as you get towards the tip. The Tojiro has very little distal taper, but the Carbonext is really nice in this regard. This helps for example in doing the horizontal slices into onions.

Neither knife is likely to come with a really 'great' edge out of the box. Although I have to admit that the poor reputation of the Carbonext was ill-deserved in this regard; it shaved arm-hair without any problems. But it's always a gamble in these price ranges. However it's not trouble to correct this if you have sharpening stones. So if you go for it: don't get the extra sharpness option.

Both knives definitly suffer from being 'thick behind the edge' out of the box. With my carbonext the bevels relatively large because the knife was still rather thick down at the bottom. But this is a problem almost all knives in the lower price category have (both Western and European). Only exceptions I know are Robert Herder and Opinel.

This can be remedied, but it definitly takes a lot of time and effort (and goes a lot easier with a coarse stone). Then again, it's also a very educative experience. You will really notice a difference though, especially with stuff like carrots. 
The thinning will make your knife look like **** though... unless you really know what you're doing. I evidently didn't so my Carbonext looks like it was dragged behind a truck, but it cuts really well now!

In the end I opted for the Carbonext because of the steel and the distal taper. I already had some knives in VG-10 and wasn't a fan of that; I preferred something easier to sharpen, and certainly found it. But it still is a little bit more expensive and does demand a bit more discipline in keeping your knife clean and dry.


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## richard (Mar 9, 2016)

Benuser said:


> Sharpening VG-10 is no fun at all, and deburring will require three grits.



But as a plus, if you can get comfortable sharpening and deburring VG-10, you will be comfortable sharpening most steels...I started out with VG-10, so I am used to it as a baseline. I was doing fine using two stones (1k, 5k or 6k) and also a wine cork.


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## endautrestermes (Mar 9, 2016)

Jovidah said:


> Why bother with the semi-stainless or carbon? Well because it is a lot easier to get sharp, and gets a lot sharper. I consistently get my Carbonext a lot sharper in less time than all of my VG-10 knives. It's real easy, and by far the easier knife to learn sharpening on. VG-10 can be a bit more frustrating in that regard.
> 
> The advantages of the VG-10 are of course the fact that it's stainless, and that it actually holds its edge longer than the Carbonext. Carbonext get's sharper, and is easier to sharper, but its edge will definitly degrade faster in my opinion.



Thanks for the detailed comparaison ! You defintly convinced me on the advantages of going semi-stainless or carbon. About edge retention differential, what kind of ratio are we talking about? Like if carbon is the lower factor of, say, 1 month retention, how are the semi and stainless going to behave? More in the region of semi-stainless 2 months and stainless 3 months? Or much more subtle, like semi-stainless 1.2 months and stainless 1.4 months? Or is there no general principle about it?

About life time durability and wear, which one would behave better? Can I both keep them for life or pass them to my childfen, if properly cared for (and assuming the more carbon the more care - time not being an issue)?

Any similar experience on above (or other) sub-80$ full carbon?


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## endautrestermes (Mar 9, 2016)

richard said:


> But as a plus, if you can get comfortable sharpening and deburring VG-10, you will be comfortable sharpening most steels...I started out with VG-10, so I am used to it as a baseline. I was doing fine using two stones (1k, 5k or 6k) and also a wine cork.



Learning the though way, also an interesting idea


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## Jovidah (Mar 9, 2016)

The edge retention comparison was only between the Carbonext and the VG-10's. You can't really make 'general' comparisons between entire categories of steel (carbon vs stainless or semi-stainless) because there's so many different types of steel within the categories.

Between these two specifically...well it's difficult to say as it's a very subjective thing. Also depends on how much you abuse it... so I'm a bit hesitant to quantify it. It's noticable but not leagues of differences...so maybe 1,5 times as long for the VG-10?
If you learn how to sharpen yourself it isn't incredibly significant anyway; you sharpen slightly more often, but it takes you much less time. It's a toss-up. Unless you're a really lazy sharpener. But it would for example be a factor when I'm choosing a knife for my parents that I can only sharpen every once every few months.

Life time durability. Well lets face it. You're already standing with one leg in the knife addiction boat. There's a reason these cheaper Japanese knifes are called 'gateway knives'. If you buy either of them, chances are you'll be leaving far more expensive knives to your children. :biggrin:
There are a few more cheapo (full) carbon options around like Misono but they're generally in the same price range or more expensive. Only really cheaper alternative is Robert Herder, but they don't offer chef knives in that price category, only Santoku's. But that's definitly a softer carbon. Very easy to sharpen though, but will also need it a lot more often (also more than the Carbonext).


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## Benuser (Mar 9, 2016)

You may get the Masahiro Virgin Carbon 210mm gyuto for some 90$ with JCK.


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## daveb (Mar 9, 2016)

Easy got my attention when he mentioned the Suisin. I've not owned a knife from their high carbon line but have had (and have) others. FF is always impeccable. Excellent values. No reason to think high carbon would be different.

The trait that carbonext and Torjiho seem to share is they both need a tune-up before use. Can't see the wisdom of selling an entry level knife that require sharpening proficiency OOB.


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## chinacats (Mar 9, 2016)

daveb said:


> Easy got my attention when he mentioned the Suisin. I've not owned a knife from their high carbon line but have had (and have) others. FF is always impeccable. Excellent values. No reason to think high carbon would be different.
> 
> The trait that carbonext and Torjiho seem to share is they both need a tune-up before use. Can't see the wisdom of selling an entry level knife that require sharpening proficiency OOB.



+1 to all that


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## mark76 (Mar 10, 2016)

daveb said:


> Easy got my attention when he mentioned the Suisin. I've not owned a knife from their high carbon line but have had (and have) others. FF is always impeccable. Excellent values. No reason to think high carbon would be different.



+1 If Suisin is within the acceptable price range, get it. That's a no-brainer.


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## endautrestermes (Mar 10, 2016)

mark76 said:


> +1 If Suisin is within the acceptable price range, get it. That's a no-brainer.



It's 97$ + shipping. Really trying to get sub-75/80$, but that seems rather difficult...


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## Benuser (Mar 10, 2016)

Shipping from America is very expensive, some 40, and don't forget your local VAT and handling costs.


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## Jovidah (Mar 10, 2016)

daveb said:


> Easy got my attention when he mentioned the Suisin. I've not owned a knife from their high carbon line but have had (and have) others. FF is always impeccable. Excellent values. No reason to think high carbon would be different.
> 
> The trait that carbonext and Torjiho seem to share is they both need a tune-up before use. Can't see the wisdom of selling an entry level knife that require sharpening proficiency OOB.



I can see your point there. To me it didn't matter much; the Carbonext was really intended as a 'training' knife for me and really served that role well. F&F on it was good as well and the thick edge was the only problem.
Suisin recommendation makes sense, but again, impossible to get cheaply in Europe. Korin France sells it for 180 dollars...

If you're trying to stay below 70/80 you're pretty much left with the DP. Maybe you could get one of the restaurant lines from Masahiro for that kind of price as well but that'd be a gamble.
There's still the cheaper Fujiwara lines (also in carbon) but essentially they come with all the same 'problems' the DP and Carbonext come with. 

Another maybe a silly suggestion... but in that 'just above 100' price range you could also go with this:
http://www.knivesandtools.nl/nl/pt/-eden-kanso-aogami-koksmes-23-cm.htm
It's actually comes from Shiro Kamo (a pretty well-renowned smith) and the knife is continuously reviewed favourably on the German forums. Supposed to be a great knife for the price. It is a carbon knife though, and they run a bit short, so you have to get the 23 cm version to get a 20-21 cm knife.

I wouldn't recommend their Eden VG-10 lines anymore. They are really cheap by now I've had to conclude that they suffer from too much problems (crappy heat treat mostly) and too much variation (for example mine had a pretty nice taper, but a friend's knife actually had negative taper and was twice as thick as mine).


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## Benuser (Mar 10, 2016)

I don't think there's any gambling in getting a Masahiro Virgin Carbon.


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## Jovidah (Mar 10, 2016)

I was actually talking about the rosewood handle versions (those can be had even cheaper)..they're on a few places on ebay and rakuten. Really cheap but a complete gamble as I never saw any reviews.
I really know nothing absolutely nothing about the Masahiro you're talking about so I can't really chime in there.  All I know is that Masahiro is a pretty big OEM so more of us might have used some of their knives than we think.


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## Benuser (Mar 10, 2016)

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...Masahiro-Virgin-Carbon-metal-gyuto-21cm-13011


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## Jovidah (Mar 10, 2016)

Interesting; looks like it has quite a bit more height to it than most of the cheaper 210 gyuto's. Review also speaks of thinning though. Only downsides to me would be the pretty big assymmetry. But it still sounds pretty cheap, especially if it's HRC 61-62 as the reviewer says and not the usual cheaper softer stuff.


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## Benuser (Mar 10, 2016)

The few ones I've seen in use were not especially thick behind the edge. As for their asymmetry, just the same as for Misonos or Hiromotos. Figures like 70/30 or 80/20 don't mean much, besides that the edge is strongly off-centered to the left.


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## Jovidah (Mar 10, 2016)

You're right about the assymmetry; I guess most models have it. But the Tojiro and Carbonext are pretty simple 50/50 (or can be sharpened as such without running into any trouble). Although admittedly the Masahiro's look pretty much flat-ground to me as well.

Regarding the steel, I dug this up: http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/printpost.php?tid/780637/pid/1072890/
Says it's at 59 HRC.

Found the pics at bluewayjapan. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-MASAHIRO-Carbon-Steel-Gyuto-Knife-210mm-13011-/381564046602
Interestingly enough it looks almost exactly the same as my carbonext. Same profile same level of taper. Maybe Masahiro makes them?


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## Benuser (Mar 10, 2016)

IIRC the Masahiros are a bit harder than my carbon Misonos and Herder 1922.


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## Benuser (Mar 14, 2016)

Don't expect any Japanese knife -- or any knife for the matter -- to be strictly symmetric. Follow the existing configuration unless you have good reasons to change anything. Don't count your strokes, but sharpen sides independently, until you've reached the very edge. Test for steering and balance friction on both sides.


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## Benuser (Mar 14, 2016)

To give an idea of that steering correction: one of my favourite petties is a Nogent, made of soft carbon steel. After a year or so of use and frequent sharpening the worst irregularities had been smoothed out. It's a very thin blade and only today when abusively using it on a small piece of hard old cheese I noticed a counter-clockwise steering. Simply, because I had neglected thinning of the left side for some time. Totally irrelevant for its practical use, but repaired in a few minutes on a medium-coarse stone and verifying the very edge.
I should add that with larger, heavier and thicker blades it's no longer irrelevant but rather essential in daily work.


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## spoiledbroth (Mar 14, 2016)

Jovidah said:


> You're right about the assymmetry; I guess most models have it. But the Tojiro and Carbonext are pretty simple 50/50 (or can be sharpened as such without running into any trouble). Although admittedly the Masahiro's look pretty much flat-ground to me as well.
> 
> Regarding the steel, I dug this up: http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/printpost.php?tid/780637/pid/1072890/
> Says it's at 59 HRC.
> ...


I have owned both of the knives in question and they are not 50/50. Particularly not the carbonext! And in my humble opinion both are asymmetrically ground, in particular, again, the carbonext.


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## Jovidah (Mar 14, 2016)

Well it (Carbonext) looks pretty flat ground to me. Perhaps I should have stated it a bit more clearly: at least _I_ haven't found any problems in simply sharpening it 50/50 at equal angles. No problems with steering or anything like that.
But admittedly while thinning I did try to at least keep the edge in the same place (so I mostly took off the shoulders, but did almost all thinning the right side). 

And to my knowledge neither of these comes with a really convex grind on one side and flat on the other. My carbonext certainly didn't. Unless I'm choil-blind. 

In regards to the Tojiro; I always interpreted what they say themselves as 'we try to make it 50/50, but due to cheap production processes it turns out about 60/40'. (Read this on a translated Japanese Tojiro page once but can't for the life of me remember where exactly).

Then again I'm not far from noobhood myself so I'm more than willing to concede that I might be wrong in this regard. :angel2:


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## Benuser (Mar 14, 2016)

When you sharpen properly, beginning behind the edge, and don't experience any problem, everything is fine. But please don't force blindly a symmetric edge on a blade because some salesman has told you may. After a year or so serious problems are to come up.


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## Jovidah (Mar 14, 2016)

That may be but let's be realistic here: sticking with the original bevels in these knives means sticking with the original geometry that is very thick behind the edge. As soon as you start thinning these shoulders (which in my opinion you should or they will wedge a lot in carrots and such) you're already throwing the original geometry out of the window anyway.

It might be different for knives that come 'ready to go' and with a great grind and geometry and thin behind the edge, but let's face it: a lot of these cheaper knives are essentially treated as partial DIY projects. I don't think anyone who's serious about his knives has ever used a Carbonext without thinning the crap out of it. Probably the same with the Tojiro (although I have to admit I never used it, but everyone always seems to advice it needs thinning).


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## Jovidah (Mar 14, 2016)

In all fairness though; I have to admit that I mostly just sharpened each side to a burr, without any particular attempt to 'move' the edge. So basically as Benuser was saying; sharpen each side seperately without counting strokes or swapping sides all the time. 
So while I did just throw the original angles out (they were rather high) the edge is probably still off-center as it originally was... I mostly took off the shoulders but left the edge in place.
But still; quite an idiot-friendly knife and so far it seems like even I haven't managed to screw it up.


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## chinacats (Mar 14, 2016)

Just to clear the mud a bit...a bit more information. Main point to takeaway is that if it's Japanese it was likely intended to be asymmetrical...

Most of the problems with sharpening 50/50 will show up over time...just like using an Edge Rookie:biggrin:


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## WingKKF (Mar 14, 2016)

For whatever reason (bad luck) I have never been really satisfied with the knives I got from JCK including a Hiromoto HC, Carbonext and Tojiro DP. Both the Hiromoto and Carbonext had issues with the heat treat. The edges were "crumbly" and had little stability. With the Carbonext it got better as I sharpened it more which leads me to believe the edge was overheated during sharpening. I was never really happy with the performance of the steels. The Tojiro performed well but I did not like the handle which was a bit boxy for me. I am using a cheap $10 carbon steel cleaver I got from the wokshop which has the best performance of all the knives I've owned as the steel has good edge stability and after the work I've done with the cleaver, it is a sweet cutting machine.

My point is with less expensive knives, there is more variability in the quality of the heat treat. You could get something you're happy with or not but you can always sell or give it away and get something else. If you can handle the responsibility of carbon steel, there is a good chance you will get one which out performs any stainless steel knife you can reasonably get as stainless does not have the edge stability of carbon steel unless you are talking about AEB-L supposingly heat treated by very few specific knifemakers including Devin Thomas.


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## psfred (Mar 14, 2016)

I've been quite happy with my Tojiro DP. Only thing I really don't like is that it's too short and needs to have the spine "eased" which I've not gotten around to yet.

Cuts very nicely now that I have it sharp, which took two tries (and I have a whole shop full of stones, so I'm not in the position of needing some to sharpen it).

Haven't thinned it yet because it doesn't wedge enough to bother me, quite nice right out of the box. Big handle, but I have XL sized hands and dislike very small handles, how it feels to you is something you will have to decide. Easy enough to sand down the handle some if it's too large, it's not an expensive knife.

VG-10 can be a pain to de-burr, but some green chromium oxide on wood will take care of that.

Peter


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## spoiledbroth (Mar 14, 2016)

Ya I tend to disagree with much of what is being said here. Apart from the tojiro 210 sujihiki I think most of the knives are quite servicable considering the bargain basement price point. The carbonext I owned was 210 and a little shorter than I'd like but that's my bad for not reading the measurements. It was quite thin behind the edge indeed. I did not buy the Es version. 

I think it's hard to judge based on one knife so I should not say anything about carbonext. However I have owned and bought many tojiro for line cooks and looked at them before passing them on... Not tremendously thick behind the edge. 

And fwiw I think Koki is a great vendor and if you had issues like you describe as much as it sucks the only way he can remedy this is if you contact him and send the knife back. If you didn't .. Sorry mate!


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## Jovidah (Mar 15, 2016)

Well in that case I guess it's best to disregard most of what I've said about the Tojiro as I don't own one - only handled them in stores, but most other knowledge from pictures and reading.

Regarding the varying experiences with the Carbonext, I think this touches upon a very real issue that is rarely talked about here: variation within a line of knives. It probably happens more on cheap knives (there was a nice comparison on a German forum between Fujiwara knives that showed wild differences in thickness behind the edge), but can also happen on more expensive knives (I guess Takeda is the most recent iteration to come to attention here?).
So the differences are not just in 'botchy heat treat' but the knives occasionally also get ground differently or have a thicker or thinner edge.
Interestingly enough, the profile on my 240 Carbonext gyuto looks wildly different to some others I've seen on the net - much flatter and way less belly at the front. Maybe different producer?


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## Benuser (Mar 15, 2016)

The Carbonext used to come almost unsharpened. Hardly a problem with the Japanese home market, but a little problematic abroad. It's my understanding that JCK has done the necessary efforts to remediate.
That being said, a factory edge is generally far from perfect, and mostly weak. Put your own edge on it, as soon as possible, and start with a coarse stone to remove a bit of steel. Factory buffering causes edges that won't hold.
About the Fujiwara test by our German counterparts: the first one wasn't brand new. To find a 0.5mm thickness right behind the edge is remarkable. A year of frequent sharpening with a jig-system may explain.
About profile and geometry changes in time: JCK seems to be mostly attentive to users' experience and changes specifications.


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## Benuser (Mar 15, 2016)

I should have added that it is very hard to compare profiles from photos.


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## Jovidah (Mar 15, 2016)

Actually I stand corrected...again..about the profile. After holding them side by side with the picture it appears they have the same profile.
It's really weird; it looks like it has a lot of curve and belly on the photo's, yet it feels really flat (in a good way) with a nice flat spot when using it. 

For the record; mine actually came with a quite decent edge (even though very asymmetricly sharpened pretty much like the Masahiro's in the review you linked). Actually shaved fine, and that's without the ES option. The only real 'issue' with the knife is that it comes thick behind the edge, but that is pretty well known (and relatively common in the price range).

To go a bit more on topic: I wonder if the original poster is still reading, or whether he zoned out after thinking things either got too expensive or too complicated.


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## supersayan3 (Mar 17, 2016)

Go get a Masahiro VIrgin CArbon metal bolster ASAP with closed eyes. 
I had originally thinned the 21cm, but I don't remember if it needed thinning. I was over excited by a laser Masahiro STainless, so I thinned it. The 24cm does not need thinning. In the beginning I didn't liked he dimensions of the 24cm, but now I love it more than the 21cm. Very comfortable, fun and versatile knife to work with. Masahiro gives it hardness 58-59, but everyone who ownes Masahiro VC and Misono dragon(60 HRC) , all state that Masahiro is harder. You can do with it, everything you would had done with a Deba as well. Never chips! Only drawback, it discolors red onions. No taste, no perfume. 
Just for the record, Masahiro is owned by Hattori s family.
Sharpens faster than anything, is very asymmetrical, which makes it fun to work with, and 50% less sharpening


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