# Review: Shigeki Tanaka Aogami #2 210mm



## ModRQC (May 21, 2021)

*I posted a review on a S. Tanaka SG2 Damascus of the same length just at the beginning of 2021, where I had discussed my initial doubts and displease about it, and how using it had still managed to impress me enough that, by the end, I had mostly positive things to say.






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*https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/shigeki-tanaka-damascus-sg2-210mm.51208/*






*It had yielded a score of 7.5/10 as per my old scoring system. Back then I was still discussing the box as part of the score. Incredible how it feels stupid, looking back on it. Taking that out the equation, and since other criteria back then are essentially the same I use now, a 3.5/5 score instead as per my actual scoring system would have been likely. Not that it’s important, but for sakes of maintaining some rigor in any subsequent comparison I’ll make of both units.*










*By the time I had published that review, the SG2 unit had been traded for a Konosuke HD2 which is still with me. However, I had ended the review with these thoughts: 

*
_“ And the thing is… I don’t have any Blue #2 at hand anymore. SS-clad B#2 I never had, and it is kind of singing nicely to my ear… “_


*After a bout with a Toyama of exactly such definition, which was sold because the snub nose isn't to my likings, it was indeed the very one I looked forward to purchase. 

I had no plans to review this at first for redundancy reasons (rather ironically, I had declared in the SG2 review that I initially didn’t want to review it because it had hit BST within a week) but I came around to do so, exactly because of redundancy. I mean, this is what my reviews are all about – information – and having a couple reviews of a same maker/type/length just helps that cause. 


So here we are… ahem…well, at least, so here I am. *


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## ModRQC (May 21, 2021)

*MAKER*​*Shigeki Tanaka*​*TYPE & LENGTH*​*Gyuto 210mm*​*STEEL & BLADE*​*Aogami #2 SS Clad*​*FINISH*​*Migaki*​*WEIGHT / BALANCE*​*168g / +20*​*HANDLE MATERIAL*​*Wenge & Buffalo Horn*​​​TOTAL LENGTH​355​BLADE LENGTH​222​EDGE LENGTH​*211*​​​HEIGHT AT HEEL​*48*​HEIGHT AT MID BLADE​39​HEIGHT 35mm TO TIP​27​​​*SPINE*​*THICKNESS*HEEL​*3*​MID BLADE​2.4​35mm TO TIP​2​10mm TO TIP​*1.2*​​​*EDGE THICKNESS*​@ 10 / 5 / 1mm overHEEL + 10mm​1.2 / 0.7 / 0.2​MID BLADE​1 / 0.6 / 0.1​35mm TO TIP​1 / 0.6 / 0.1​TIP​1 / 0.6 / < 0.1​







*Handle: 0.5/1*
_Fit vs. Balance_

Upon first wash, it turned splintery. So bear in mind that all pics here were shot after I gave it some love – and that half a point was lost in the process.






Once that done however, I like it. It could be a tad longer and heavier towards perfection, but balance works well still and the grain is beautiful. It’s just sad that the most striking grain is located underneath the handle, where it’s less likely to be remarked. The horn ferrule on this one has a lot of pattern to it too and I always love to see that. Fit is pretty neat too. YMMV – the proposition doesn’t seem solid enough for me to propose that it couldn’t get worse on all aspects, especially fit.

*Blade: 1/1*
_Craft vs. Comfort_

There’s good consistency with Tanaka’s blade profile, which is saying something as he does everything by himself in his small shop. I like the larger neck here much better than the narrow one of the SG2 Wa variation. Something also improved here in comparison is choil and spine. It’s a rough smoothing job for sure, but smooth enough still. The SG2 was all sharp angles. I don’t know if it’s an influence of vendors asking for better F&F on his knives (see KNS) or if I just lucked out.






All in all, the SG2 Damascus being almost twice the price as I write this, it’s pretty awkward that the unit I tested was a whole deal rougher than the Aogami here. I therefore wouldn’t recommend the Wa SG2 as wholeheartedly as I would this one, from my own experience at least. There are other ”advantages” with the Aogami units, when inclined to these kind of things, that add to comfort and feeling in hand: thicker spine (getting to the magical 3mm over heel), slightly heavier and blade forward, beefier convex. It’s day and night better to me.

Value factored in, as I am recalled that there isn’t usually much done towards comfort at that price range anyhow, I feel inclined to give a full score here. This is the kind of knife that you buy even knowing absolutely no easing is to be expected.


*Finish: 0.5/1*
_Craft vs. Usage_

Migaki… prone to scratches (and quite a few OOTB already) and fingerprint magnet, if you’ll pardon saying the obvious. Level of polish is adequate for a belt finish, with the hairline pattern quite visible. There are some irregularities and slightly off-angle grinding to be seen here and there, most about impossible to really capture on a picture. Well done enough, but as with any belt finish, I don’t give points for this one.






On the other hand, it glides through food splendidly and releases it well, and is as easy to clean as can be. The SG2 unit had lost a half-point over the Damascus being more of a pain to clean and dry well, and more of a pain to make look nice when the inevitable thinning is due. However, and against my most educated expectations, the Damascus wasn’t a hindrance in cutting, even accounting for how very textured it is: it rather just made for a greater sense of control in a cut and still yielded nice food release out the thinner grind. A Migaki finish is no perfect thing towards maintenance either, but I feel half a point removed overall accounts for what little grievance there really is with it.


*Grind: 2/2 *
_Geometry vs. Performance_

First let’s talk about boomerangs… huh, wait… what?!

Indeed, often times a Shigeki Tanaka gyuto with the “original” wenge Wa handle has that boomerang shape. I mean, where the usually about perfectly horizontal line handle vs. spine is arched downwards. Mine unit, although a mild case, does have it some:





_Above, a particularly clear demonstration from a vendor; below, mine._

Obviously, it can’t be considered a problem: even the “worst” unit in that respect would feel just like any other in hand. It just hurts my eyes. I was looking the way of a KNS unit with the ebony handle for a long time because in fitting the custom (longer and less tapering handle, which helps greatly) they tend to correct or minimize such shape. In the end though I just cherry picked the standard handle unit with Adam @ Cook’s Edge, as to also control height, grind, and general fit… and get it pronto.






Now, now… back on track with the blade profile and spine shot combo. Spinal taper with Shigeki Tanaka is somewhat average, somewhat skinnier Sanjo-like: rather steep out of the handle (3.3mm there BTW with mine) to somewhere forward the heel, and obviously when the grind kicks in nearing the tip, but almost absent in between. The important thing with such a configuration is comfort at pinch and some nice heft and substantiality combined with still great travel through food and a keen enough tip – especially important with thick Sanjo knives to even make sense, but in this case, also interesting as it converts middle of the road thickness into rather laser propensity for most of the usable blade length.

As for the profile, it’s a natural one for push cutting to me. The geometry is a slight but continuous convex. It tends to be thin enough behind the edge in my experience, with both SG2 and Aogami averaging 1 / 0.6 / 0.1 where the heel section is however noticeably thicker – so any choil shot with these knives cannot prepare for their intrinsic performance.






Grind is carried consistently, and as if all of the above wasn’t great enough as it stands, I would peg this unit to come with the most insanely great edge OOTB. Enough that I would consider myself hot-headed to claim that I can straight outdo it in any significant way out of my very favorite stones. Feels like as good I could give a Morihei 4K edge to it. It will eventually be sharpened rather finishing with SP5K. 









All in all, top 3 most thrilling experiences OOTB I ever had performance wise, completed with a Yoshikane Santoku and – indeed! – Toyama Gyuto.

*Overall Score: 4/5*


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## ModRQC (May 21, 2021)

*Personal take: in browsing a whole lot of his Gyutos, and more specifically comparing 210mm units, here are a couple pointers:*

-Except SG2 Wa handle, all other series have the large neck AFAIK. With the SG2 Wa, it seems rather random: I’ve seen some with a large neck, but nowadays and still in stock, I mostly see narrow ones.







-Aogami: it seems the Damascus units have a narrower spine than the Migaki, more in line with the SG2/Ginsan iterations (~2.6mm).






-Ginsan: middle ground specs like SG2, much better value.






-VG-10 Damascus: narrower spine still at ~2mm, but consistently a fair 1-2mm taller than other variations in average. KKF rumor also has it that Tanaka HTs it well too.


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