# Shibata Kotetsu AS Tank 180mm Knife Review



## X-JaVeN-X (Feb 25, 2019)

So, just to start off guys. I'm legally blind and have very little vision, so take this review with that in mind. I am not a trained chef or an expert in knives but I do enjoy cooking as a hobby and a nice knife just makes it a lot better. So, with that said, these are my amateur impressions of this knife and a few pics that my wife was kind enough to take and help me post here.

So, as a little background, I posted here looking for a new knife and was leaning towards trying out a nakiri or a bunka (both of which would be new to me). After a lot of research and through some suggestions here, I started looking at chinese cleavers as an option. I ended up finding this knife and it appeared to meet a lot of the criteria I was looking for and there didn't seem to be much info available about it. I've always been a sucker for something a little unique, so I picked one up. My opinions are going to be mostly on the usage of the knife as knowledge on the details of its aesthetics and the fit and finish are going to be lacking. I can't see how even the grinds/bevels are, etc.

So, with that said, I'll start by saying I REALLY like this knife. If I had to boil it down, it feels like a heavy bladed, tall Santoku. It came very sharp out of the box and cuts very well. So far, I've cut up several bell peppers, onions, carrots, celery, etc and it goes through all of it great. There is very little wedging in the carrots which I was glad to see. 

As far as how the knife feels, it is definitely a heavier blade than I am used to using, but I quickly began to enjoy how easily it allowed the knife to really fall through the veggies. It actually works quite well for a variety of cutting techniques. The back portion of the blade is good for chopping. It does curve up towards the tip and this gives it a decent belly for some rock chopping as well. The one thing I'm having to get used to is making sure that I use the back of the knife more when say pushing through an onion to make slices. If I'm too close to the tip, it won't make contact with the board leaving just a bit uncut (if that makes any sense). My habit from other knives is to work closer to the tip, so that is my tendency with this knife and it just makes for a bit of a learning curve. Again, it really makes me think of a Santoku. It is very versatile, but has extra weight and a taller blade which I wanted for scooping up the veggies.

As far as the fit and finish (again, take this with a grain of salt)...It has a polished rounded spine and choil. This is my first knife that has this and it is a very nice touch and feels much less aggravating to your fingers having that smooth edge. The bright polish is also very nice against the dark finish of the knife. The handle feels great. I cannot feel any raised edges between the ferule and handle. It feels like one smooth piece. It seems to have a nice satin finish the the wood. It isn't so polished that it feels slippery in my hand. The only thing I really don't like about it is that instead of kanji, it has the date and number stamped into the side which I am assuming is the production date and maybe the # of the knife made? Dunno...

Anyway, I hope any of this info helps you if you are looking into the knife. If you have any specific questions, I will try to answer them. Here are a few pics my wife took for me.


----------



## Michi (Feb 26, 2019)

Looks like a mean cutting machine! I like the simplicity and the shape. Very stylish!


----------



## Matus (Feb 26, 2019)

Thank you for your review. I got intrigued by these knives as I accidentally bumped into them over on IG. Now I have a much better idea what are they like. 

I am curios about its specs  (length, weight, height, etc.)


----------



## esoo (Feb 26, 2019)

I asked Shibata-san about something heavier duty than the Kotetsu Bunka and this was what he pointed me at, so seeing the review in interesting.


----------



## rickbern (Feb 27, 2019)

Interesting review, thanks. Tell your wife she did a great job on the photography, really got the salient details.


----------



## btbyrd (Feb 27, 2019)

Nice to hear some user feedback with this knife. Seems like it'd be a lot of fun! Glad to hear that it cuts well without wedging... It makes me wish they made a Tank in the 210mm (or slightly higher) range that could function as a full-on cleaver substitute. I find that while 180mm blades are nice to do a small amount of prep, I find myself running out of length when using them to prep large items and large quantities. I wonder how much a larger Tank would weigh... it's such a chunky blade! 

I'm a fan of flatter profiles, and this seems to have more belly than I might prefer in a blade of this size. A lot of bunkas have a big belly, which can require a technique readjustment if you're used to push/pull cutting or chopping with a flatter knife like a nakiri or santoku. It sounds like you had some similar issues getting used to this knife. My Anryu bunka has no flat spot, so I had to learn to to rock slightly in order to avoid accordion cuts. I also do more cutting with the tip using draw cuts to avoid this problem. Making these adjustments wasn't too painful, and it actually improved my technique with other knives. That said, I still like flat choppers so I can cut without having to rock my wrist. I have yet to find something that combines a flat profile with a tall blade (70mm or more) that isn't a cleaver or nakiri. This Tank looks close. Thanks again for your thoughts.

And +1 on your wife's photography. You've got a great looking cutting board there as well.


----------



## X-JaVeN-X (Feb 27, 2019)

Matus said:


> Thank you for your review. I got intrigued by these knives as I accidentally bumped into them over on IG. Now I have a much better idea what are they like.
> 
> I am curios about its specs  (length, weight, height, etc.)



Hey, I should have put those in there to start with. My wife measured the knife for me, but they are just done with a tape measure, so take them as -ish measurements, lol. 

Dimensions:

Handle Length: 140 mm (5.5")
Spine Length: 152 mm (6")
Length of Cutting Edge: 181 mm (7 1/8")
Blade Height @ Heel: 86 mm (3 3/8")
Blade Height @ Midpoint: 86 mm (3 3/8")
Blade Height @ Point of Spine: 83 mm (3 1/4")
Spine Thickness @ Heel: 2 mm
Spine Thickness @ Point: 1.5 mm
Midpoint of Spine leading to tip ~ 1 mm
Spine thickness just before tip: just under 1 mm
Weight of Knife: 293g (10.35 oz)
Balance Point: roughly 2.5" forward of the handle


----------



## Matus (Feb 27, 2019)

Thank you. That is a pretty detailed spec sheet.


----------



## X-JaVeN-X (Feb 27, 2019)

btbyrd said:


> Nice to hear some user feedback with this knife. Seems like it'd be a lot of fun! Glad to hear that it cuts well without wedging... It makes me wish they made a Tank in the 210mm (or slightly higher) range that could function as a full-on cleaver substitute. I find that while 180mm blades are nice to do a small amount of prep, I find myself running out of length when using them to prep large items and large quantities. I wonder how much a larger Tank would weigh... it's such a chunky blade!
> 
> I'm a fan of flatter profiles, and this seems to have more belly than I might prefer in a blade of this size. A lot of bunkas have a big belly, which can require a technique readjustment if you're used to push/pull cutting or chopping with a flatter knife like a nakiri or santoku. It sounds like you had some similar issues getting used to this knife. My Anryu bunka has no flat spot, so I had to learn to to rock slightly in order to avoid accordion cuts. I also do more cutting with the tip using draw cuts to avoid this problem. Making these adjustments wasn't too painful, and it actually improved my technique with other knives. That said, I still like flat choppers so I can cut without having to rock my wrist. I have yet to find something that combines a flat profile with a tall blade (70mm or more) that isn't a cleaver or nakiri. This Tank looks close. Thanks again for your thoughts.
> 
> And +1 on your wife's photography. You've got a great looking cutting board there as well.



Yep, making accordians...that's the right term I was looking for. I notice it the most when slicing onions. I have to make sure I'm far enough back on the blade or the front tip bellies up just enough to leave the end of the slices attached. It's really just a technique thing. I'm used to doing most of my veggie prep with a gyuto or a santoku, so my instinct when I grab it is to treat it like a santoku, but it's not quite as flat and I have to modify my cuts a bit, but after using it a bit, it's getting much better. This is my first AS knife and it seems to be really holding it's edge well. It's just a very fun knife to use once you get used to the edge profile. 

I would agree a longer version would be nice. A little larger flat area on the blade to work with would be great, but with that said, I don't do tons of prep (just a home cook for my family mostly), so it works great in that respect.

As for the cutting board, I'm going to do a review on that as well. I had them custom made and just got them in, so it made a great backdrop for the knife pics.

Let me know if you guys want to know anything else about the knife!


----------

