# Takeda 240 Gyuto Passaround



## bkdc

Based on the feedback, the Takeda 240 will go around. This is going to be limited to a passaround in the USA unless there is high interest from multiple people abroad (as of yet, there is not). Also, this is not a rare knife so hopefully the overseas folks have neighbors with a Takeda.

Rules
1) You should be a regular poster here
2) Package it properly and get it to the next person. Insure for $300
3) You may sharpen the knife if you know what you're doing. Based on the edge retention of Takeda's Aogami Super, I doubt it will need more than some stropping. Try not to reset the primary bevel unless there is some horrible chip. When the passaround it done, I plan on reprofiling the knife to make it look more like a tall Japanese gyuto. The profile on my particular specimen is not ideal, but hey... that's what I get for asking for an extra-tall. It ended up with a fat belly.
4) Even if I'm going to reprofile this, please use it on rubber (Sani-tuff) or wood. Do NOT chop on polyboard/plastic
5) Post on this thread when you receive the knife to keep us up to date as to where it is
6) Keep it for one week and pass it on.

So far, the interested parties are:

Pleue - Portland, OR
Cclin - Carlsbad, CA
Don Nguyen - AZ
Bkultra - Chicago, IL
Stereo.pete - Chicago, IL
Dardeau - New Orleans, LA
Labor of love - location unknown
Chinacats - location unknown


I'm sending it to the West coast to have it makes its way back East. Any more interested parties can post here.


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## Justin0505

I'd like to try it here in Minneapolis, MN.


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## chinacats

thanks bkdc, 

greensboro, nc


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## Brad Gibson

I'd like to check it out in San Diego, CA. Although I couldn't use it at work since you won't allow plastic board use. Still be worth it to me. I love my takeda petty.. I'd like to see how the gyuto feels.


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## Dardeau

I'm definitely interested


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## Zwiefel

Me too, please! PM with deets.


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## bkultra

Thanks for the opportunity to try this one out. PM the details once they are figured out.


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## labor of love

I'm in Baton Rouge,LA so putting me by dardeau is a good idea.


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## pleue

Sounds fun, looking forward to it, though I'll have to keep it at home since we have poly boards at work.


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## Brad Gibson

Ill retract my entry. I barely get the chance to cook at home. The shipping wouldn't be worth the trial week for me. I'd really like to use the knife in a work environment and I wouldn't want to abuse your baby like that. I understand how it goes, I love my takeda so much I don't think I could ever allow a stranger to take mine from me! 

Sorry for wasting the time,

Brad


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## bkdc

So far, we have in order:

Pleue - Portland, OR
Cclin - Carlsbad, CA
Don Nguyen - AZ
Justin0505 - Minneapolis, MN
Bkultra - Chicago, IL
Stereo.pete - Chicago, IL
Zwiefel - Arkansas
Labor of love - Baton Rouge, LA
Dardeau - New Orleans, LA
Chinacats - Greensboro, NC


I'll extend the period to 10 days of keepage (roughly).

When you're ready to pass the knife on, just get the mailing address from the next participant on the list. Post here when you receive the knife. Although reviews aren't mandatory, let me know what you think of the gyuto.

Here we go....


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## bkultra

:doublethumbsup:


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## toddnmd

I'd be interested once it comes back to the East Coast (I'm in Rockville, MD).

And thanks for sharing!


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## Brad Gibson

I didn't make the list!!!


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## bkdc

Brad, I thought you were retracting your entry!

Anyone who hasn't messaged me with his mailing address, please do so, so I can compile a complete mailing list.

Pleue - Portland, OR
Cclin - Carlsbad, CA
Don Nguyen - AZ
Justin0505 - Minneapolis, MN
Bkultra - Chicago, IL
Stereo.pete - Chicago, IL
Zwiefel - Arkansas
Labor of love - Baton Rouge, LA
Dardeau - New Orleans, LA
Chinacats - Greensboro, NC
toddnmd - Rockville, MD


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## Brad Gibson

Oh yeah that sucks. I forgot I couldn't use this one on the board at work. I'm bummed!


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## stereo.pete

Bkultra, you lucky dog, no shipping for you. We just need to find somewhere to meet up and pass the knife in person.


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## bkultra

stereo.pete said:


> Bkultra, you lucky dog, no shipping for you. We just need to find somewhere to meet up and pass the knife in person.



South side of the city here (not the loop). Beverly area


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## stereo.pete

bkultra said:


> South side of the city here (not the loop). Beverly area



LOL, this will be easy, I live in Crestwood. Perhaps we can meet up for a few beers at Horse Thief Hollow on Western.


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## bkultra

stereo.pete said:


> LOL, this will be easy, I live in Crestwood. Perhaps we can meet up for a few beers at Horse Thief Hollow on Western.



I know it well and done.


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## stereo.pete

Has this started?


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## bkdc

Yes it's started. The knife should be in Oregon right now


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## pleue

Hey!
Yup the passaround has started and it's been in my house now for about a week. I will try to get it sent out to the next guy this afternoon before service. Overall impressions: I've always suspected that there is just 'something' about takedas that the pictures and reviews cannot accurately describe. Getting a chance to use this knife has definitely confirmed this for me and I one day would love to own a takeda. That said, there were a few things that held me back from loving this knife. First, the positives. The steel is badass. I have a sneaking suspicion it would sing coming off my synth aoto, but I didn't sharpen it. The bevel on this guy is steep, crazy steep, far steeper than I sharpen at normally though interesting to note. Food release is great with the finish. The fit and finish on this knife is endearing, meaning that it is what it is and I love it for it. The handle is simple, elegant, and fits fantastically for the knife. Coupled with the kurouchi and the epoxy blob, it comes together in a package that's kind of hard to explain but easy to love, like you can see the knife maker's priorities and respect him more for it if that makes sense. The knife is incredibly well crafted and done well, but not prettied up I guess you could say. You could make a food analogy here like grilled fish on the beach vs. sousvide/sear and wonderfully plated but I don't have it in me to tie it all together and make it eloquent. 

The not so positives. This knife is the type of knife that just begs to be used and because of our damn poly boards at work, I couldn't really put it through the paces at work and thus didn't get a full impression of the knife regarding retention etc.. No ones fault obviously, I'm still amazed at the trust folks have with such beautiful knives so I appreciate whole heartedly the opportunity. The main thing that turned me off was the profile of the knife. There is no flat or almost flat spot on the knife. Obviously it comes down to personal preference, but I'm not a huge fan of the profile as it stands. The main problem for me was that the heel of the knife curves up noticeably, giving it a floating feeling when push cutting, not in a terrible way like a shun chef's knife, but in a disconcerting way nonetheless. It rocked really well, but I don't rock a ton except when doing green onions/herbs (it feels more like a push and draw motion though than a full rock). I liked the height of the knife and suspect that the disconnect felt was more from the profil than the height. 240 I'm coming to realize just isn't my thing, I missed the extra length of a 270. All in all, I loved it, would definitely buy a takeda, but would probably for my needs/wants get a line knife or cleaver or bunka. Thanks again for the generosity.


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## bkdc

I think the particular specimen being passed around is a 'bad profile' specimen, and there are Takeda gyutos with far better profiles. Which is why I mentioned that I will be reprofiling the knife after this passaround is done. It'll take some hours and a lot of elbow grease. My 210 Takeda has an excellent profile and doesn't have the curved heel.


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## cclin

I received the knife today....it cames with OK working condition edge. After quick Gesshin 6k touch up & few strops on 1 Micron Diamond balsa wood, the knife wake up with screaming sharp edge! Thanks bkdc for the opportunity to try this one out!!


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## Don Nguyen

Got the knife from Charles. Boy, you weren't kidding. That edge is pretty wild.

Really interesting grind on this one - I will have to play around with it a little.


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## Brad Gibson

Takeda has the most insane grind. I love the super long bevel


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## Don Nguyen

This has been an interesting knife to try out. The grind is very, very different than what I am used to, so that was really enlightening. I've never really used a workhorse like this, so there were a lot of new things to me. It's very blade heavy, but didn't feel awkward at all.

I'll have pictures up soon and it'll be on its way. Thanks for the opportunity!


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## Don Nguyen

Alright. This has been a very cool knife to learn about.

Again, it's a very new type of knife I'm not familiar with; I don't often use workhorses like this. The grind is great for stickage, but wedges quite a bit. I'm sure my technique is not suitable for it, but any potato pieces over 1.5" in height would wedge and split, rather than cut. Anything under that height was pure joy to cut.

Like others have also said, the handle is somewhat small, but it was alright to me. There's a big glob of glue to seal up the front, and I'm a little curious how that got that glob to look so uniform.


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## Justin0505

The knife showed up safe and sound, but I was headed out the door after work and haven't got a chance to play with it yet. I should have more time this weekend. Whoever's next on the list, PM me your addy.


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## CrisAnderson27

Don Nguyen said:


>



Interesting, it looks pretty thick near the edge, but turns into almost a hollow grind on a larger diameter wheel about 1-2cm above the edge. Seems it would be great for stiction...and with some minor thinning would be very, very good for cutting in general.


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## cclin

Don Nguyen said:


> Alright. This has been a very cool knife to learn about.
> 
> Again, it's a very new type of knife I'm not familiar with; I don't often use workhorses like this. The grind is great for stickage, but wedges quite a bit. I'm sure my technique is not suitable for it, but any potato pieces over 1.5" in height would wedge and split, rather than cut. Anything under that height was pure joy to cut.



I'm also notice wedge problem when I cutting large hard root vegetable!
I may considering thin the blade with wider bevel & raise shinogi line then blend it into rest of the blade.......anybody had experience thinning the Takedas knife??


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## Mucho Bocho

This Guy knows a little something about Takeda's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MezIEKGk9T0


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## Don Nguyen

Mucho Bocho said:


> This Guy knows a little something about Takeda's
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MezIEKGk9T0



Ah, a classic!


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## stereo.pete

Don Nguyen said:


> Ah, a classic!



+1, I love listening to Dave talk about sharpening!


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## Justin0505

I got a chance to check the knife out a bit more today. Don had a good edge on it, which would normally be more of a compliment, but that steel is just so fantastic to sharpen. I did run the bevel over a natural finishing stone a few time just to see what the blade road / 2ndary bevel looked like and it's nice and flat and even and it ended up with that wonderfully absurd edge that's both hair-popping and aggressive. 

The "grind" -which is forged, not ground, is very similar to my Takeda nakiri, but considerably thicker so it's easier to see the concave section and the extra thickness behind the edge. 
The shinogi could certainly be raised a bit. Even though my nakiri is thinner, the 2ndary bevel is still much wider/ higher. As is, the knife is setup to be thicker behind the edge and more robust than it really needs to be. Food release is very good, but I dont know if its remarkably better than my nakir. So, I think it could easily be thinned and gain some significant cutting performance with little to no trade off. 

Still, it's a phenomenal knife. Wedging is reduced quite a bit by just cutting thicker stuff with the front part of the blade. Thats the beauty of the big honkin' santoku-like nose: you're not going to hurt it.
A lot of people talk about changing the profile on these knifes or some of the newer, narrower designs being more popular, but I think that this is a super cool knife. No, it's not like every other sab, KS, TKC, etc looking knife, and I'm glad. It's unique and it's damn good. 

This is a knife that I think jaded knerds could really enjoy / appreciate/ be impressed by (I sure am) but it would also be FANTASTIC first carbon / j-knife for folks coming from heavy German knives. My GF had really grown accustom to her heavy wusty's and she likes having some extra weight to help carry momentum though the cut. She was struck by the fact that this knife is not as heavy as it looks, but it performs like a heavy knife. What she was noticing was was the blade-forward balance and the mechanical advantage of the very stiff, big, tall blade. The profile makes is a very comfortable rock chopper and a fantastic herb mincer, but there's actually a pretty big rather flat section for wailing away with rapid push-cuts. It's like the awkward looking love child of a small cleaver and a giant santoku, but looks are deceiving and it's really quite athlete. It's the big, quiet kid in highschool that didn't win any popularity awards, but ended up going to a big 10 college on a full-ride football scholarship. Takeda apparently knows something about making knives that work.

I'll post pics and more thoughts before I pass it along.


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## Justin0505

Knife is ready to go onto the next lucky participant, who according to the list looks to be bkultra....
Please PM to confirm / provide info.


Work has been a time-killer, so it may take me awhile to get pics and final impression up, So I'll just say that I really enjoyed this knife and am grateful that I had the chance to finally play with one.


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## bkdc

Has this knife made it to Chicago yet?


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## stereo.pete

Not that I know of, at least nothing here yet.


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## zitangy

Don Nguyen said:


> There's a big glob of glue to seal up the front, and I'm a little curious how that got that glob to look so uniform.
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> Tks for the pics.
> 
> I am curious too. I tried with super glue... NOt gooey enough. It releases some fumes and left some white patches on the neck of knife. ..
> 
> I suppose the super glue wld suffice in preventing water from seeping in... hopefully.
> 
> rgds
> d


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## Talim

zitangy said:


> Don Nguyen said:
> 
> 
> 
> There's a big glob of glue to seal up the front, and I'm a little curious how that got that glob to look so uniform.
> 
> /QUOTE]
> 
> Tks for the pics.
> 
> I am curious too. I tried with super glue... NOt gooey enough. It releases some fumes and left some white patches on the neck of knife. ..
> 
> I suppose the super glue wld suffice in preventing water from seeping in... hopefully.
> 
> rgds
> d
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is how they glue it, starts at around 16 seconds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5RKWuZk9X4
Click to expand...


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## Justin0505

Hey just an update, I sent the knife via USPS and they held onto it for awhile before returning it to me with no explanation. Address and everything was correct, maybe they just wanted to participate in the pass around. I've had weird problems with them before. I sent it via Fedex earlier this week and it should be at it's next stop by now.


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## bkultra

Just received the knife from FedEx.


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## bkultra

I will be shipping the knife once I receive the address. I will also come back and update my thoughts on the knife. I have a family member in the hospital and it has been limiting my time.


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## bkultra

The knife should arrive at stereo.pete's today.


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## stereo.pete

Got it!


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## stereo.pete

Just used it for the first time today, I will be keeping it this entire week as I am on vacation and will be cooking daily. So far... I freaking love it!


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## stereo.pete

Alright, I boxed her up and even made her a new custom saya as the existing packaging wouldn't have made it through another shipment. I'll post more detailed thoughts later but suffice it to say, I am seriously considering purchasing a Takeda gyuto now.


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## stereo.pete

Fed Ex says the knife was delivered, Danny can you confirm?


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## aaamax

whaaattt... no Danny?


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## Zwiefel

Apologies guys. I'm in the middle of a divorce and I haven't checked in here very much, so I missed this.

Yes! It arrived safely, and I've put it to a little use so far. Probably the most "workhorse" type knife that I've used so far. I definitely am starting to get it though. Super nice for flying through onions, potatoes, etc. Going to make one more big meal with it (did 5 gal of chili for my gun club on saturday), then ship it off.



stereo.pete said:


> Fed Ex says the knife was delivered, Danny can you confirm?


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## stereo.pete

Here's a few quick thoughts about the Takeda. I personally didn't think the profile was a problem as I had 0 accordion cuts with my push cut technique. I love the height of the blade and the grind was fantastic! I had a blast cutting everything I could get my hands on, and I am seriously considering buying one for myself. The handle was a tad bit on the slim side and would probably want a slighter thicker handle. The glue did not bother me one bit, but I can see why some people complain. I did not sharpen the blade, but whoever put the edge on before me did a hell of a nice job! Oh and based not his knife I can say that AS steel is an amazing performer!

If the owner decides to get rid of the knife I may be interested!


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## labor of love

i recieved the knife today. inital impressions are very good. for the most part.


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## labor of love

okay...so far so good. i hope the OP doesnt mind but i wanted to touch up the edge just slightly, so i did a quick gesshin2k>gesshin 4k progression. actually i shouldve started on a little lower grit stone but nevertheless like all takedas ive used the edge sharpens up easily. this particular knife seems geared towards rock chopping, i can push cut with it too but it seems like the sweet spot is only and inch or 2 long. i found the handle to be comfortable,yet smaller than most i use-but this knife is also lighter than most knives i use lately so it feels nice. the gunk around the ferrule is at a minimum on this one but that doesnt really make much difference to me. 
The grind is different from the other takedas ive seen. upon first inspection i thought the blade had a long flat grind, but after looking closer there seems to be dips into the grind on both sides,these dips also happen to be asymetrical. the shinogi line is closer to the edge than any other knife ive ever used. this has to be one of the "newer grinds" that dave was referring to in another thread. i dont particularly dislike the grind actually, it lends itself to having super nice food release,but the consequence is you lose alittle pure cutting ability. if i could, i would raise that shinogi line some im just not to into the idea of a teeny tiny blade road. the stout shoulders on both sides of the blade make the knife pleasant to use and efficent, i dont need to stop and remove stuck on food from the blade hardly at all. i didnt like the resistance i felt when i fine diced an onion but that was prior to touching it up some. it feels and cuts like a light weight workhorse. 
takedas profile,spine thickness, and grind seems to be somewhat inconsistent. whenever i finally order one i will definitely go custom so i can get what i want exactly and not have to take my chances with a vendors inventory. or test drive a used one.


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## labor of love

yeah i dont really need to use this knife any longer, ive pretty developed my opinion in 2 days. dardeau, im gonna drop it off today at the post office. bkdc thanks again for the opportunity!


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## labor of love

one last observation...the kurouchi does a fine job of protecting against reactivity,and im not sure how much of an additional advantage it would be to get a stainless clad newer one. personally, i would prefer a carbon clad one just for the easier thinning sessions.


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## Dardeau

Looking forward to it!


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## Dardeau

Received today. No time to cook today, but like what I see so far.


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## Dardeau

I'll be passing this along tomorrow, if I don't leave it at home like I did today. This is a really cool knife, with an interesting grind, but I found myself reaching for my Itinomonn over the Takeda every time. I Wish I could have given it some time at work, maybe it would be better suited to some of those tasks I just don't do at home. Thanks for the PA!


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