# V2 steel?



## jmfreeman35 (Mar 5, 2012)

But first a quick introduction of myself...26 year old pro chef, got my first japanese blade (i dont count Globals) about a year and a half ago, a TKC, but I didn't get serious about knives till six months ago when i picked up a Kono white #2. Now I can't get enough!

Anywho...like the title says...V2 steel? Whats the deal with it?

I'm really interested in a Kochi from JKI, but I have no idea what V2 is. I know Jon sells quality stuff, just curious as to how it compares to the whites/blues.


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## bikehunter (Mar 5, 2012)

Welcome to the forum.


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## Pensacola Tiger (Mar 5, 2012)

Takefu V2 is equivalent to Hitachi White #2. 

Rick


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## EdipisReks (Mar 5, 2012)

it's good stuff.


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## El Pescador (Mar 5, 2012)

First, Welcome! Second, That TKC can be a great blade if it thinned and sharpened properly. I actually prefer it to the Kono that you have.

Pesky


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## tk59 (Mar 5, 2012)

It's more of a cross between white 2 (with more wear resistance but not as keen edge) and blue 2 (iwith less wear resistance) with some lower tolerances on S/P impurities. It should be pretty tough but not particularly wear resistant. The Kochi is an awesome cutter, albeit a little on the delicate side near the edge but well worth the trade-off, imo.


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## hax9215 (Mar 5, 2012)

:welcome2:

Hax the Cook CLEAVERS RULE!!!


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## jmfreeman35 (Mar 5, 2012)

Thank you all for the welcome!



El Pescador said:


> First, Welcome! Second, That TKC can be a great blade if it thinned and sharpened properly. I actually prefer it to the Kono that you have.
> 
> Pesky



I loved the TKC for about a year, but as it wore on it lost its luster and cutting performance...it is officially retired in the junk drawer  



tk59 said:


> It's more of a cross between white 2 (with more wear resistance but not as keen edge) and blue 2 (iwith less wear resistance) with some lower tolerances on S/P impurities. It should be pretty tough but not particularly wear resistant. The Kochi is an awesome cutter, albeit a little on the delicate side near the edge but well worth the trade-off, imo.



hhhmmmm, sounds interesting. I'm mainly looking for something to compliment my kono...something with a little more body to it, and not quite as delicate


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## Andrew H (Mar 5, 2012)

jmfreeman35 said:


> Thank you all for the welcome!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Did you keep thinning your TKC behind the edge? It's pretty weird for a knife to just stop performing.


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## jmfreeman35 (Mar 5, 2012)

Yah, kept thinning as I went, but I guess I've just worked my way too far up the blade or something. I spent soooo many hours on that thing and even sent it back to Kikuichi and still no luck. 

Thing just doesnt perform like it used to/should...


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## obtuse (Mar 5, 2012)

sounds like you should send it to one of our resident sharpening experts.


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## tk59 (Mar 5, 2012)

I'd be curious to see what you're talking about, myself. What is the heel to spine height? I am also a happy TKC owner twice over.

With regard to the sturdiness of a Kochi, I would say it depends on the kind of abuse you intend to put the knife through. The only thing I would hesitate to do with the Kochi that I might do with another knife is stick the very edge into something and then twist. That said, removing avocado pits and peeling hard, round squash are not a problem.


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## Lefty (Mar 5, 2012)

V2 is wicked. Welcome to the forum!


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## labor of love (Mar 5, 2012)

I have a kono white #2 also and I also felt the need to find a compliment to it. Have you noticed that the profile on the kochis are different from what youre used to? I looked at them a while back but passed on them. I'm sure they're great though.


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## Crothcipt (Mar 5, 2012)

Welcome.


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## Eamon Burke (Mar 5, 2012)

V2? Great for taking out tanks and base defenses. Just make sure to bring along some ground troops to protect it.

/nerd.

You sent the knife back to Kikuichi and it still doesn't perform well? That's odd indeed.


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## EdipisReks (Mar 5, 2012)

tk59 said:


> I'd be curious to see what you're talking about, myself. What is the heel to spine height? I am also a happy TKC owner twice over.
> 
> With regard to the sturdiness of a Kochi, I would say it depends on the kind of abuse you intend to put the knife through. The only thing I would hesitate to do with the Kochi that I might do with another knife is stick the very edge into something and then twist. That said, removing avocado pits and peeling hard, round squash are not a problem.



i chipped the heel on mine. it hit the board just wrong and twisted as i lifted (distracted by conversation cutting is bad cutting). not a big deal to fix, and thinned back it performs the same way. i have two V2 knives (the Kochi and my Yoshi kitaeji) and i really like the steel.


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## EdipisReks (Mar 5, 2012)

labor of love said:


> I have a kono white #2 also and I also felt the need to find a compliment to it. Have you noticed that the profile on the kochis are different from what youre used to? I looked at them a while back but passed on them. I'm sure they're great though.



the Kochi has a significantly flatter profile than the Kono white i owned.


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## jmfreeman35 (Mar 5, 2012)

And that is exactly what I'm looking for as well. My one gripe with the kono is its profile. I love the thing, just wis it was a little flatter. However, I am a little worried about the blade hight of the kochi...it looks pretty tall...

I'll get a measurement of the hight of my TKC when I get home...it is pretty wore down due to all the sharpening I had to do to try to get it back into shape. 

And I certainly was dumbfounded when it came the same way I sent it in...


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## EdipisReks (Mar 5, 2012)

the Kochi isn't particularly tall, really. taller than the Kono, but not super so.


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## labor of love (Mar 5, 2012)

thats interesting because when i compare my kono 270 to my ks theyre actually pretty similar until the last 30mm or so before the tip. the kochi in the jki pics doesnt seem really flat or overly curved. the tip isnt so "pointy" as i would like one to be either.


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## sachem allison (Mar 6, 2012)

welcome


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## mattrud (Mar 6, 2012)

I got to use Jon's Kochi for a couple days at the restaurant and it is a fun knife. Very thin behind the edge, great cutter, steel held up very nicely as well.


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## jmfreeman35 (Mar 6, 2012)

I'm pretty much all but sold on the Kochi now, but since I already have one of those new moritaka french gyutos from Mark on the way, I think I'll hold of a couple of weeks and get a new sujihiki first

Thanks for all the imput guys!


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## Justin0505 (Mar 8, 2012)

jmfreeman35 said:


> Yah, kept thinning as I went, but I guess I've just worked my way too far up the blade or something. I spent soooo many hours on that thing and even sent it back to Kikuichi and still no luck.
> 
> Thing just doesnt perform like it used to/should...



I was actually not crazy about the OTB performance of my TKC (wait TKC fan club/pesky, don't throw rotten fruit yet). But I thinned behind the edge a bit, switch the bevel to 95/5 lowered the angle / added microbevel and it became one of my favorites. I've used the heck out of it and not had a problem with it losing performance. 

Sending it back to the factory will only get you the same mediocre edge geometry that it comes with new. It sounds to me like the trusty old blade needs a trip to the Martell knife-spaw and maybe a snazzy new handle too


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## El Pescador (Mar 8, 2012)

Damn Justin! I wanted to throw fruit today! 



Justin0505 said:


> I was actually not crazy about the OTB performance of my TKC (wait TKC fan club/pesky, don't throw rotten fruit yet). But I thinned behind the edge a bit, switch the bevel to 95/5 lowered the angle / added microbevel and it became one of my favorites. I've used the heck out of it and not had a problem with it losing performance.
> 
> Sending it back to the factory will only get you the same mediocre edge geometry that it comes with new. It sounds to me like the trusty old blade needs a trip to the Martell knife-spaw and maybe a snazzy new handle too


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## Marko Tsourkan (Mar 8, 2012)

Pensacola Tiger said:


> Takefu V2 is equivalent to Hitachi White #2.
> 
> Rick



I was told it's similar to 50100 steel. Here is some info I found on 50100

_50100-B : Also known by the AISI designation as 0170-6 steel. It is a good chrome-vanadium steel that has many similarities to O-1, but is much less expensive. It has approximately one third the chromium of 52100 steel. The &#8216;B&#8217; indicates that the steel has been modified with vanadium, making this a chrome-vanadium steel._

It has about as much chromium as Blue steel.

M


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## Rottman (Mar 8, 2012)

Looking at Gators database there's multiple V2 steels, he lists four but it rather looks like two under diefferent names, one is closer to white, the other closer to blue/blue super:

V2 (~V2C)
C 0.95-&#8203;1.05	
Cr 0.30-&#8203;0.50	

V2F (~V2 Special)
C 1.05-&#8203;1.&#8203;20	
Cr 0.20-&#8203;0.40	
V 0.15-&#8203;0.30	
W 1.60-&#8203;2.00


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## Gator (Mar 11, 2012)

Minor correction - V2F is Russian GOST standard steel. Takefu makes V2, V2C(I guess C stands for clean-er compared to V2) and V2 Special, which is like Aogami. Although, Russian V2F is also similar to Aogami 1, except for much higher allowed contaminants, such as S and P. 
TKC steel used in kikuchis, is not really like V2, has much higher Cr. - TKC special steel.


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