# Ikazuchi and Gesshin Kagero Wa-Handled Knives



## JBroida

A few new things up today...

Ikazuchi
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-14/kitchen-knives/ikazuchi.html

Stainless Clad Blue Super Wa-Gytuos... crazy thin... i think people are gonna love these:

(240mm wa-gyuto pictured)



























And the Gesshin Kagero Wa-Series:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-14/kitchen-knives/gesshin-kagero.html

Pretty much just a wa-handled version of our gesshin kagero... came out really nice though

(pictured 240mm Wa-Gyuto)


























Enjoy


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## JBroida

For what its worth, the Ikazuchi series is pretty much everything i ever had hoped for from the hiromoto AS series but with a wa-handle. Its thinner at the spine and behind the edge, has nicer F&F, better grind consistency, a similar cladding line for cool effect, super light weight, nice distal taper, and comes with a saya... all for a very reasonable price in my opinion. Cant wait to see what you guys think of these, but i have a feeling they will sell out quick


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## Von blewitt

I think they will be very popular! Great price point too


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## perneto

No kidding! That's a great price.
How is the geometry compared to the Ittetsu - since they're both very thin awase knives?

How careful should one be about avoiding bending? E.g. cutting through hard root veg or cheese, cleaning...
I'm a little wary of very thin awase knives in general, as I understand they're less elastic than zen-ko knives. I'm not sure that's really justified though.


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## perneto

Another question, about the Kagero now: should we expect the price of the western and wa handled versions to be the same once the western is back in stock?

I would have thought western versions to be more expensive to produce, in general.


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## berko

the Ikazuchis look awesome, but wheres the chinese cleaver?


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## 420layersofdank

Question. Since the profile has a good amount of belly, would rock chopping be harmful to the super thin edge? I'm a push cutter so I'm kinda worried about accordian results.


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## JBroida

perneto said:


> No kidding! That's a great price.
> How is the geometry compared to the Ittetsu - since they're both very thin awase knives?
> 
> How careful should one be about avoiding bending? E.g. cutting through hard root veg or cheese, cleaning...
> I'm a little wary of very thin awase knives in general, as I understand they're less elastic than zen-ko knives. I'm not sure that's really justified though.



I'm still getting used to mine, but i havent noticed any problems with flex so far. The ittetu is taller overall and thicker in the midsection and at the spine i think.


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## JBroida

perneto said:


> Another question, about the Kagero now: should we expect the price of the western and wa handled versions to be the same once the western is back in stock?
> 
> I would have thought western versions to be more expensive to produce, in general.



The price of the westerns will be going up at some point, but part of the price increase was the inclusion of a saya with the wa-handled ones. I'll have to see what the cost of the westerns is when they come back in.


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## JBroida

420layersofdank said:


> Question. Since the profile has a good amount of belly, would rock chopping be harmful to the super thin edge? I'm a push cutter so I'm kinda worried about accordian results.



really rocking is not good for any japanese knives... there should be some up-down motion similar to rocking in your push cutting, but the knife should come off the board entirely still


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## JBroida

berko said:


> the Ikazuchis look awesome, but wheres the chinese cleaver?



probably not gonna happen


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## JDA_NC

JBroida said:


> For what its worth, the Ikazuchi series is pretty much everything i ever had hoped for from the hiromoto AS series but with a wa-handle. Its thinner at the spine and behind the edge, has nicer F&F, better grind consistency, a similar cladding line for cool effect, super light weight, nice distal taper, and comes with a saya... all for a very reasonable price in my opinion. Cant wait to see what you guys think of these, but i have a feeling they will sell out quick



What is the heat treat like on the Ikazuchi? Curious to how you think the steel feels on the board & stones. The Hiro AS felt fairly soft to me, but looking online it's supposedly 61-62HRC, so maybe I'm just crazy...


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## JBroida

its harder than the hiro from what i can tell so far, but i need more time with mine for a fully formed opinion


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## SolidSnake03

Spine and choil rounded on the ikazuchi? Didn't notice it in description and figured it was worth checking in on


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## Castalia

Thanks for fostering my impulse buying. Just ordered an Ikazuchi. It seems to hit all the right characteristics for me at the moment. Looking forward to it.:goodpost:


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## Artichoke

Castalia said:


> Thanks for fostering my impulse buying. Just ordered an Ikazuchi. It seems to hit all the right characteristics for me at the moment. Looking forward to it.:goodpost:



Same here, as well as a few other goodies that I couldn't live without.


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## berko

JBroida said:


> probably not gonna happen


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## JBroida

SolidSnake03 said:


> Spine and choil rounded on the ikazuchi? Didn't notice it in description and figured it was worth checking in on



no, but not crazy sharp either... i can always do that kind of work for you guys if you ask though. Its just a function of how much free time i can make.


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## Matus

Jon, these look really nice. I think that stainless clad super-blue really is a great option when non-stainless carbon knife does not fit the bill (I have one stainless clas super blue knife and it is really practical for what I use it for). They look crazy thin (and very lightweight). They also seem to have quite some belly - how is the flat spot (in other words - is there one - this is always hard to judge from photos)? 

I am not trying to talk myself into another knife here  , but something tells me that the 210 would be excellent addition next to my 255mm workhorse gyuto ...


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## JBroida

Matus said:


> Jon, these look really nice. I think that stainless clad super-blue really is a great option when non-stainless carbon knife does not fit the bill (I have one stainless clas super blue knife and it is really practical for what I use it for). They look crazy thin (and very lightweight). They also seem to have quite some belly - how is the flat spot (in other words - is there one - this is always hard to judge from photos)?
> 
> I am not trying to talk myself into another knife here  , but something tells me that the 210 would be excellent addition next to my 255mm workhorse gyuto ...



they have a pretty constant curve, with a slightly more flat area near the heel for about 1/3 of the blade (but its not really flat). I'm about to start using mine a bit more seriously this week, so i'll let you know how they work out, but there is belly for sure. Its not as flat as the gesshin kagero is.


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## TexasMethod

Are customs available for the Ikazuchi line?
Or anything new like sujihiki's coming?

Thanks.


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## JBroida

TexasMethod said:


> Are customs available for the Ikazuchi line?
> Or anything new like sujihiki's coming?
> 
> Thanks.



sadly, no... sorry about that. Not sure about the sujihiki yet... maybe a 270mm in the future


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## Castalia

Just got a 240 Ikazuchi gyuto wonderfully packed from Jon's shop. It is indeed light and super thin, a wa handled laser. Looking forward to using it more at home. Very different from the Shig I have been using. I enjoy mixing it up a bit depending on my whims of the day. Both will be in my top rotation. I like whatever treatment Jon did to the octagonal horn/ho wood handle. It seems smoother and grippier than untreated ho wood. Very happy with the purchase. :doublethumbsup:


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## ThEoRy

Show pics of the lamination line once a nice dark patina sets in.


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## JBroida

Castalia said:


> Just got a 240 Ikazuchi gyuto wonderfully packed from Jon's shop. It is indeed light and super thin, a wa handled laser. Looking forward to using it more at home. Very different from the Shig I have been using. I enjoy mixing it up a bit depending on my whims of the day. Both will be in my top rotation. I like whatever treatment Jon did to the octagonal horn/ho wood handle. It seems smoother and grippier than untreated ho wood. Very happy with the purchase. :doublethumbsup:



glad you like it... i know when people start using them, that will be that. plus the cladding line is gonna look sick.


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## JBroida

here's a pic borrowed from another forum (and from the customer on there who bought it and is using it)... i love the way these kinds of knives patina... might be the only patinas i like (i know this is sacrilegious to some)

&#8234;#&#8206;Ikazuchi&#8236; Stainless-Clad Blue Super Wa-Gyuto after some use (thanks Allen Lum on cheftalk... totally stole this picture from him on there)...
http://www.cheftalk.com/t/87228/need-some-convincing


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## Cheeks1989

Jon is your site down?


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## JBroida

not from what i can see... i'm on right now and have refreshed a few times

for what its worth, we are moving our website to a new system in november (with a redesign to make it more user friendly and mobile friendly)... that should take care of these stupid problems with it crashing from time to time. Sorry our last redesign sucked so much.


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## Cheeks1989

Ok Thanks its weird im getting this error. There has been an error processing your request


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## JBroida

clear cache and try again maybe


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## Cheeks1989

Thanks Jon that worked.


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## panda

ittetsu profile, kagero grind, ikazuchi steel. could that be a possibility? i bet a lot would be interested in that combo.


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## JBroida

i wish... that would be hard for me to pull off


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## Deadboxhero

Love mine, a real laser 

Thanks Jon

Sharpens like a dream.

natural patina from cutting onions and beef strips


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## Ruso

Is Ikazuchi similar to Ginga but in AS?


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## JBroida

there are some pretty distinct differences, but similar thinness


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## DanHumphrey

So, question. While Deadboxhero's pics look great, the one over on ChefTalk:







looks like it has the ugly light brown discoloration from onions on it. If it's stainless, why is that there? Just a trick of the light on his pic?


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## JBroida

i would guess lighting or white balance of the photo... you can ask the guy that took the photo if he has any staining on the cladding. I would pretty seriously doubt it.


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## foody518

None on mine so far


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## alterwisser

Love the Ikazuchi looks... Anyone who wants to get rid of his? [emoji16][emoji16][emoji16]


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