# Yoshikazu Ikeda knives - anyone has experience with them?



## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

Yoshikazu Ikeda seems to be definitely one of the best smiths in Sakai, but most suprisingly, there doesnt seem to as much information and feedback on his knives as I would expect for such an extremely skilled and famous craftsman. I had the opportunity to try for a few days one of his gyutos (240 mm White #2) and was amazed by the steel as well as by the general feel of the knife (only it was a wide bevel gyuto and I dont like wide bevels much). And I am since that trying to get as much information as possible about his gyutos as there are several lines sold by several vendors, have read probably everything what is available on the internet, but still miss more direct feedback from owners of his knives (particularly gyutos as I am looking for a gyuto)So maybe some of you could help me, any comments will be appreciated!


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## Matus (Jun 28, 2016)

I guess I should buy one before a Shigefusa-like hype will burst  

I am also very curios about Ikeda knives - dear fellow knife nuts, please share


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## Badgertooth (Jun 28, 2016)

Ditto. Be interesting to see which brands he does high-end OEM work for.


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## preizzo (Jun 28, 2016)

I owning two of them. 
One in w#2 and one in b#2.
Both great knives, convex grind super thin blade with a medium thick spine. 
On the blue version choil and spine coming rounded. 
Handles are big and large for a perfect balance right in front of the heel. 
Definitely a must try.


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## preizzo (Jun 28, 2016)

Top one is the blue #2 Damascus


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## pkjames (Jun 28, 2016)

Yoshikazu Ikeda and his late elder brother Tatsuo Ikeda are definitely some of the best knife makers in Sakai. His is the current president of the Sakai knife maker association (which use to be Tatsuo Ikeda).
Don't have too much Yoshikazu but here is a youtube vid of Tatsuo (imo they should be at the same level). Around 20 to 21 minutes is quite cool.

[video=youtube;_ZaNVWEC_fY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaNVWEC_fY[/video]


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> I owning two of them.
> One in w#2 and one in b#2.
> Both great knives, convex grind super thin blade with a medium thick spine.
> On the blue version choil and spine coming rounded.
> ...




Thanks a lot, preizzo! Isn't' the damascus Blue 1, rather than Blue 2? And does the White 2 come from Cleancut or Epicedge? And how tall is it at the spine - if you kindly could measure it...And what about the distal taper? In that I have tried, there was a rather indistinct one, however followed by a very thinly ground and useful tip, on the other hand - as far as I could see from the photos - on the Shigehiro knives as well as on those from EE and Cleancut, there should be a quite nice, gradual one...


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

pkjames said:


> Yoshikazu Ikeda and his late elder brother Tatsuo Ikeda are definitely some of the best knife makers in Sakai. His is the current president of the Sakai knife maker association (which use to be Tatsuo Ikeda).
> Don't have too much Yoshikazu but here is a youtube vid of Tatsuo (imo they should be at the same level). Around 20 to 21 minutes is quite cool.
> 
> [video=youtube;_ZaNVWEC_fY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZaNVWEC_fY[/video]



Thanks, James, that's really cool indeed!


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## gic (Jun 28, 2016)

Who sells them??


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## preizzo (Jun 28, 2016)

Yes it s b#1 &#128522;
The height on the 240 it S about 49 mm and on the 210 it S 45 mm. 
On the b #1 the distal taper it a not so pronounced, tip it s quite thick comparing to the 240 mm. 
the 240 mm the thickness at the handle it S 3,5 mm and it taper down all the way up to the Super thin tip. 
I bought both from cleancut.se 
Epicurean edge has crazy prices on the b#1 line &#128514;&#128514;


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## labor of love (Jun 28, 2016)

I wonder if there's much difference between the ikeda migaki line at epicurean edge and shigehiro knives.
http://www.epicedge.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1580&cat=Ikeda+Migaki


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## Tonsku38 (Jun 28, 2016)

I have that shirogami 240mm gyuto and when I first used it I was blown away. Egde was super thin behind the edge and it just dropped through everything. Sadly I think it was bit too thin because it micro chipped quite badly and maybe because of my sharpening skills I can't get it cut as great when it was otb. I think I have to try thinning it much more agressive. Don't get me wrong it is still great cutter. Almost as good as red handle Takamura. Very nice to sharpen and when stropped daily cuts very well. 

Here's my IG video of cutting cherry tomatoes. It was sharpened maybe week ago and stropped lightly before video. https://www.instagram.com/p/BG1Kg5vJfg6/


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## labor of love (Jun 28, 2016)

Are those big bevels or thinning marks?


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## preizzo (Jun 28, 2016)

It s not a wide bevel. 
Nice video, I already watched few days ago &#128521;


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## preizzo (Jun 28, 2016)

Migaki line it S the same as the w#2 ikeda, exactly same knife


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

You already got part of the answer within the past contributions, but probably nobody mentioned Bernalcutlery so far, they have a nice selection currently...And that I have the opportunity to test, was sold under the Ichimonji brand, for a very, very good price...



gic said:


> Who sells them??


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> Migaki line it S the same as the w#2 ikeda, exactly same knife



My impression, based on the photos and measurements I have seen, was the same - those from EE and Cleancut are probably exactly the same, those from Bernalcutlery not so sure (but maybe as well), at some photos they seemed to be slightly taller at the heel and also a bit more "bellyish"...but it might be only a fallacy...


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

labor of love said:


> Are those big bevels or thinning marks?



Hmmm, it really looks like a wide bevel! Or at least those "fake" bevels...


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

Tonsku38 said:


> I have that shirogami 240mm gyuto and when I first used it I was blown away. Egde was super thin behind the edge and it just dropped through everything. Sadly I think it was bit too thin because it micro chipped quite badly and maybe because of my sharpening skills I can't get it cut as great when it was otb. I think I have to try thinning it much more agressive. Don't get me wrong it is still great cutter. Almost as good as red handle Takamura. Very nice to sharpen and when stropped daily cuts very well.
> 
> Here's my IG video of cutting cherry tomatoes. It was sharpened maybe week ago and stropped lightly before video. https://www.instagram.com/p/BG1Kg5vJfg6/



And nice video, by the way, thanks for it!


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

labor of love said:


> I wonder if there's much difference between the ikeda migaki line at epicurean edge and shigehiro knives.
> http://www.epicedge.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1580&cat=Ikeda+Migaki



Hard to say, Sam from Buttermilksupply would probably be able to comment it in detail, but the height at the heel, gradual distal taper seem to be basically the same, although the dimensions on EE are given somewhat strange (they write there 1,75 inch height for a 240 mm migaki, but when measuring it directly from the photo, it is distinctly more, about 49 mm, as far as I can remember)...but Shigehiro 240 should weight only about 192 g, whereas 240 migaki from EE about 243, what is a big difference...and would indicate a different, more robust grind...But for instance Josh from Bernalcutlery reported 240 B1 damascus to weigh about 219 g...and mentioned the cladding there to be thicker than on the migaki ones...so I assume, they should be around 200 g, so comparable rather to Shigehiro (he hadn't any 240 mm migaki to measure it directly when I asked him...)


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## Krakorak (Jun 28, 2016)

preizzo said:


> Yes it s b#1 &#128522;
> The height on the 240 it S about 49 mm and on the 210 it S 45 mm.
> On the b #1 the distal taper it a not so pronounced, tip it s quite thick comparing to the 240 mm.
> the 240 mm the thickness at the handle it S 3,5 mm and it taper down all the way up to the Super thin tip.
> ...



Thanks a lot!


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## Tonsku38 (Jun 28, 2016)

It's not that wide bevel. Those are thinning marks. 
I have used it over 6 months and still not sure do I love it or hate it.


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## mikedtran (Jun 28, 2016)

The Shigehiro is much heavier and thicker on the spine than the normal Ikeda line from my knowledge.



labor of love said:


> I wonder if there's much difference between the ikeda migaki line at epicurean edge and shigehiro knives.
> http://www.epicedge.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1580&cat=Ikeda+Migaki


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## TheDispossessed (Jun 28, 2016)

Matus said:


> I guess I should buy one before a Shigefusa-like hype will burst



Sakai smiths will never get the hype they may deserve. Western knife nerds prefer the romantic idea of some old man all alone in the countryside. I heard there's a 90 year old swordsmith who forges knives with a secret steel clad with iron blended with the blood of free running beasts. He only works during certain moon cycles and follows Rudolph Steiners homeopathic preps for the farm where he makes his tamahagane. Word has it he's basically an incarnation of the dark elf, Eol, who forged the legendary blades anglachel and anguirel. 
Believe it people.


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## preizzo (Jun 28, 2016)

Matteo i am in love with this old bladesmith &#128525;&#128525;&#128525;&#128525;


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## TheDispossessed (Jun 28, 2016)

IT HAS BEGUN


preizzo said:


> Matteo i am in love with this old bladesmith &#128525;&#128525;&#128525;&#128525;


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## labor of love (Jun 28, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> The Shigehiro is much heavier and thicker on the spine than the normal Ikeda line from my knowledge.



Thanks, that's actually exactly what I wanted to hear. Shigehiro is definitely the next knife purchase I'm making. Atleast non BST that is.


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## Krakorak (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> The Shigehiro is much heavier and thicker on the spine than the normal Ikeda line from my knowledge.



I am not so sure, first because of the measurements given by those vendors and also because of the photos - look here: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Yoshikazu_Ikeda_knives/

I made a gallery of photos of Ikeda 240 White 2 gyutos, first from Cleancut, second Shigehiro knives from Buttermilk, and third from Epicedge...Sorry that I have used photos of some members here, hopefully nobody will be wrong about it, its just for illustration...The description what is what can be found below the particular pictures...

By the way - here is a gallery of Ikeda wide bevel gyuto I mentioned within my previous contributions: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Ichimonji_240_mm_White_2_gyuto_forged_by_Yoshikazu_Ikeda/


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## labor of love (Jun 29, 2016)

It really is hard to tell a difference visually, for me atleast. Epicurean edge does have the 240mm in stock. After kkf discount it's about the same as buttermilks shigehiro but also comes with octagonal handle( much preferred for a lefty like me) and saya. But it also has a small exposed machi gap which I'm never crazy about.


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## labor of love (Jun 29, 2016)

Krakorak said:


> I am not so sure, first because of the measurements given by those vendors and also because of the photos - look here: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Yoshikazu_Ikeda_knives/
> 
> I made a gallery of photos of Ikeda 240 White 2 gyutos, first from Cleancut, second Shigehiro knives from Buttermilk, and third from Epicedge...Sorry that I have used photos of some members here, hopefully nobody will be wrong about it, its just for illustration...The description what is what can be found below the particular pictures...
> 
> By the way - here is a gallery of Ikeda wide bevel gyuto I mentioned within my previous contributions: http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Ichimonji_240_mm_White_2_gyuto_forged_by_Yoshikazu_Ikeda/



I'm having a difficult time navigating that clear cut website, are ikeda 240mm gyutos in stock there?
Where did you pick up that ikeda wide bevel? Looks pretty sweet!


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## preizzo (Jun 29, 2016)

They are not anymore on stock.


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## preizzo (Jun 29, 2016)

Only the b#1 are in Stock


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## mikedtran (Jun 29, 2016)

Cleancut for those outside the EU has the best prices on the Ikeda's

*Measurements of Shigehiro:*
Weight - 192g
Height at heel - 48mm
Spine thickness above heel - 3.8mm
Spine thickness between handle and tip - 2.5mm
Spine thickness near tip - 1.5mm 

I've handled some of the knives from Bernal Cutlery which is the same as the cleancut line (to my knowledge) and it definitely not that thick above the heel. I would guestimate weight is around 190-210grams but with a ebony handle so I think the blade would be probably 10-25 grams lighter. Though it has been noted that the Shigehiro handles are relatively heavy as well.


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## Krakorak (Jun 29, 2016)

labor of love said:


> I'm having a difficult time navigating that clear cut website, are ikeda 240mm gyutos in stock there?
> Where did you pick up that ikeda wide bevel? Looks pretty sweet!



www.cleancut.se (they currently have only santoku, no gyutos)...And I will send you the link to the other website later on, have not much time at the moment...


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## mikedtran (Jun 29, 2016)

Krakorak said:


> www.cleancut.se (they currently have only santoku, no gyutos)...And I will send you the link to the other website later on, have not much time at the moment...



They have a 210mm gyuto blue #1 without a handle in stock.


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## labor of love (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> Cleancut for those outside the EU has the best prices on the Ikeda's
> 
> *Measurements of Shigehiro:*
> Weight - 192g
> ...



Do you think epicurean edge carries the same knife as clear cut and bernal? I was ready to pull the trigger on a 240mm shigehiro from buttermilk but they just sold out like a week ago. Now I'm deciding between either a 270mm shigehiro or an ikeda from somewhere else.
Those yoshikanes at clear cut are pretty nice looking too.


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## gic (Jun 29, 2016)

Bernal has a 240 in stock apparently, the pricepoint is roughly that os a shig or a kato or by beloved Devin ITK, is it worth that much??


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## labor of love (Jun 29, 2016)

gic said:


> Bernal has a 240 in stock apparently, the pricepoint is roughly that os a shig or a kato or by beloved Devin ITK, is it worth that much??



Those are the suminigashi blue line. Wh2 line is a better bargain.


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## mikedtran (Jun 29, 2016)

labor of love said:


> Do you think epicurean edge carries the same knife as clear cut and bernal? I was ready to pull the trigger on a 240mm shigehiro from buttermilk but they just sold out like a week ago. Now I'm deciding between either a 270mm shigehiro or an ikeda from somewhere else.
> Those yoshikanes at clear cut are pretty nice looking too.



Epicurean Edge and Bernal Cutlery use the same wholesaler for many of their knives including Ikeda's =)



gic said:


> Bernal has a 240 in stock apparently, the pricepoint is roughly that os a shig or a kato or by beloved Devin ITK, is it worth that much??


 
I would say they are probably worth their price, though the 210mm sumingashi B#1 without a handle can be had from cleancut $285.


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## Matus (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> I would say they are probably worth their price, though the 210mm sumingashi B#1 without a handle can be had from cleancut $285.



If they were to have a 240 without handle I would get one and make the handle myself


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## mikedtran (Jun 29, 2016)

Matus said:


> If they were to have a 240 without handle I would get one and make the handle myself



+1 I would be all over it and get a handle made as well or try to do one myself.


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## Krakorak (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> They have a 210mm gyuto blue #1 without a handle in stock.



Thanks for the correction, I didn't notice that at all...They obviously have blades without handles in a separate category...


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## Krakorak (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> Epicurean Edge and Bernal Cutlery use the same wholesaler for many of their knives including Ikeda's =)
> 
> Its good to know that;-)!


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## Tonsku38 (Jun 29, 2016)

Cleancut has some very nice bargains now and then. I got mine W#2 240 Ikeda less then 175$ on after xmas sale. They also gave me 25$ discount for my next purchase because Ikedas ferrule cracked in second day I got it.


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## mikedtran (Jun 29, 2016)

Also a note I heard from a Japanese knife dealer I work with also made a note that all of Ikeda-san's work is finished by Kasahara-san.

This is not typical of Sakai as most forgers work with many different shapers/sharpeners.



Krakorak said:


> Its good to know that;-)!


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## JBroida (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> Also a note I heard from a Japanese knife dealer I work with also made a note that all of Ikeda-san's work is finished by Kasahara-san.
> 
> This is not typical of Sakai as most forgers work with many different shapers/sharpeners.



thats also not true... we use ikeda-san and have a different sharpener doing the sharpening


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## pkjames (Jun 29, 2016)

JBroida said:


> thats also not true... we use ikeda-san and have a different sharpener doing the sharpening



+1
In Sakai, you can basically mix & match with a lot of things. This applies to Ikeda-san as well.


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## mikedtran (Jun 29, 2016)

Good to know sounds like I had some bad info. 



JBroida said:


> thats also not true... we use ikeda-san and have a different sharpener doing the sharpening





pkjames said:


> +1
> In Sakai, you can basically mix & match with a lot of things. This applies to Ikeda-san as well.


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## Chefu (Jun 29, 2016)

mikedtran said:


> Also a note I heard from a Japanese knife dealer I work with also made a note that all of Ikeda-san's work is finished by Kasahara-san.
> 
> This is not typical of Sakai as most forgers work with many different shapers/sharpeners.





I have bought several knives through Inotada Knife Productions. Tomohito san has worked with me on numerous knives that I've ordered. I believe I have a Usuba, honyaki yanagi, and currently awaiting a ginsan suji that are forged by Yoshikazu Ikeda. Everything about the knives are quality. I also have several other amazing knives purchased through Inotada including a 240 blue #1 honyaki gyuto that were made by some of the other smiths, sharpeners and handle makers in Osaka. Very good tools!


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## ynot1985 (Jun 29, 2016)

how are the fit and finish of these? and thickness behind the edge?


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## labor of love (Jun 30, 2016)

ynot1985 said:


> how are the fit and finish of these? and thickness behind the edge?



I salivate over the choil shot on buttermilks website almost everyday. Check it out. To be honest my only concern is that the blade may have too much curvature like a konosuke or something similar.


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## Chefu (Jun 30, 2016)

Fit and finish are top notch. They are all thin behind the edge for the knife's purpose.


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## Krakorak (Jul 2, 2016)

labor of love said:


> I salivate over the choil shot on buttermilks website almost everyday. Check it out. To be honest my only concern is that the blade may have too much curvature like a konosuke or something similar.



Haha, me too:-D! And as regards the similarity of the profile of Shigehiro knives with Konosuke - the profile of the wide bevel gyuto (sold under the Ichimonji brand) I sent you the link for was basically a copy of Konosuke profile, I have compared it with Kono Fujiyama Blue 2 gyuto side by side and it was pretty much the same...


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## Krakorak (Jul 2, 2016)

JBroida said:


> thats also not true... we use ikeda-san and have a different sharpener doing the sharpening



Hmmm, that's interesting! I got the suspicion that some of your high end knives might possibly be done by Ikeda-san already several weeks ago (due to similarity of profiles) when I started to collect as many information about his knives as possible, so its nice to know that it might be true (although, of course, I still may be completely wrong in terms of WHICH particular knives he makes for you; but there are in my opinion not many candidates...)


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## JBroida (Jul 2, 2016)

for what its worth, profile is also greatly influenced by the sharpener. I think telling the blacksmith from profile would be rather difficult. Its much easier to tell from marks, sharpening, and tang shape/style than i find it to be by profile.


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## Matus (Jul 3, 2016)

That is an interesting point Jon, thanks.


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## Krakorak (Jul 4, 2016)

JBroida said:


> for what its worth, profile is also greatly influenced by the sharpener. I think telling the blacksmith from profile would be rather difficult. Its much easier to tell from marks, sharpening, and tang shape/style than i find it to be by profile.



Yeah, I know that it probably isn't so straightforward, that's the reason why I mentioned that I still might be completely wrong..But there was simply one moment during my "hunt" after all possible information about the Ikeda-san knives when I browsed through Jon's site and, suddenly, something "hit" me into the eyes or how to say it..simply a moment when I realized that there is a distinct similarity between those high-end blades on Jon's site and some Ikeda blades...Was nothing but a feeling for quite a long time, all the more interesting is for me now the information that it indeed might be true!


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 4, 2016)

labor of love said:


> I salivate over the choil shot on buttermilks website almost everyday. Check it out. To be honest my only concern is that the blade may have too much curvature like a konosuke or something similar.



This one?


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## labor of love (Jul 4, 2016)

Hell yes.



DanHumphrey said:


> This one?


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 4, 2016)

labor of love said:


> Hell yes.



Should hold some veggies up to the screen just to scare them into line.


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## _PixelNinja (Jul 4, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> Ditto. Be interesting to see which brands he does high-end OEM work for.


I know he does (or did) some of the _honyaki_ knives for Nenohi. Other than that I'm not very familiar with his work; only his reputation and his position as the head of the Master Craftsmen Association.


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## pkjames (Jul 5, 2016)

Well this is also Ikeda san's work  I need one!


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## katana110 (Jul 6, 2016)

i got one yanagi from nenox&#65281;it is forge&#8198;d by yoshikazu ikeda&#65281;it is mizu honyaki shiro#1 yanagi&#65281;it is very cool&#65281;now he makes knife for nenox and suisin&#65281;he make less knives for his brand&#65281;


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 21, 2016)

So to be clear, this nakiri:

http://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=93396

is his work? Stunning as that gyuto at Buttermilk is, it's out of stock, and the equivalent at EE is almost $40. Further, I've been wanting to try a nakiri (or usuba, but that's a different question) ever since seeing DamageInc's (I think it was his) 11-minute youtube of prepping a bunch of veggies with one. And it'd be a fun way to try white steel.  So, is the consensus that this would be a good nakiri with a good, consistent grind, or would something else be a better option?


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## Krakorak (Jul 21, 2016)

Look here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BHi-xQeB9EK/?tagged=yoshikazuikeda

It seems to be out of stock already, I couldn't find it on their webpage, but Bernalcutlery has a 15%-25% discount on all Shirogami knives in July (15% on Ikeda Shirogami knives), so maybe you will find there something else you will like and for a great price...And Josh from BC gets knives from Ikeda quite often, so maybe its a good idea to ask him, if you are interested only in nakiri...


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## Badgertooth (Jul 21, 2016)

That's a great deal on the nakiri if it's in stock at BC


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## Godslayer (Jul 21, 2016)

I just thought id mention we get 10% off at epic edge and its a 180mm vs 165mm. It also comes with a saya. I have 0 issue saying ikeda is an upper level smith. I have a honyaki mukimono and honyaki yanagiba on order from him now. When my babies arrive ill let everyone know how they perform.


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 21, 2016)

Ordered.

Y'all are enablers and bad influences. All of you! :justkidding:


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## Krassi (Jul 21, 2016)

Hi! Also ordered a 180mm Shiro Santoku from Cleancut.
Couldn't resist it somehow and for an EU guy its a super offer.

heres a coilshot of it send to me from cleancut





Ill put up more pics and stuff once its here.
Seeya, daniel!


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## Krassi (Jul 21, 2016)

ahh one more  made a side by side comparison with the picture on their site (with super highend NASA screenshot techniques) .. and well seems to be a little thinner one than the photo on the site .. i asked them to get me the coolest one .. well actually the thinnest and coolest one.. nice!
*http://imgur.com/oWFd9GN*


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## Iggy (Jul 22, 2016)

Looks pretty good Daniel :thumbsup:


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## Krassi (Jul 22, 2016)

Ah thanks Iggy... well ups allready send you the pics with mail by the way 
Well ill see how it will do... a "post-laser-age" Knife with super simple understatement look looked thrilling.

And i also had to buy me a new knife.. just to buy me a new knife.. no real need for a new knife.. just.. ehmm .. well the "Anonymous Knife Addicts" will know what i mean


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## Krakorak (Jul 25, 2016)

Krassi said:


> Hi! Also ordered a 180mm Shiro Santoku from Cleancut.
> Couldn't resist it somehow and for an EU guy its a super offer.
> 
> heres a coilshot of it send to me from cleancut
> ...



The choil shot looks almost like a copy of this one (which comes from an Ikeda 240 mm White 2 gyuto, also from Cleancut): http://rhamphorhynchus.rajce.idnes.cz/Yoshikazu_Ikeda_knives/#Ikeda_Pjotr_2402.jpg


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## Krassi (Jul 25, 2016)

Well nearly 100% ...i layed them over in photoshop.
ill see since that thing is coming soon.. best regards to eagle eyes Krakorak


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## Krakorak (Jul 25, 2016)

Krakorak is going to get a knife from Ikeda as well (although a bit later than you as it is something like a semi-custom), so he is quite curious what grind he might expect...that's the reason why he has probably all the published choil shots of Ikeda knives in his mind:-D (OK, I know, choil shot is not the same as the grind...but anyway...)..P.S. Herzliche Grüsse nach Deutschland;-)!


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 25, 2016)

Sometimes Fedex drives me nuts - the knife is HERE IN TOWN AT THE SORT FACILITY but isn't scheduled for delivery until Wednesday. What are they doing today and tomorrow, letting it ripen? :curse:


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## Godslayer (Jul 25, 2016)

DanHumphrey said:


> Sometimes Fedex drives me nuts - the knife is HERE IN TOWN AT THE SORT FACILITY but isn't scheduled for delivery until Wednesday. What are they doing today and tomorrow, letting it ripen? :curse:



Might come early... Hopefully


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## Krassi (Jul 25, 2016)

my knife is coming tomorrow.. its allready in a neigbour city 
i guess ill get some carrots and other stuff in my office tomorrow, to try it. ... or even even better.. drive home and test it )

@Krakorak: Danke Schön und auch herzlichen Glückwunsch!
i guess we can compare them as soon as they are in our hands 

i wanted a workhorse grind and this looks like one 

seeya


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## Krakorak (Jul 26, 2016)

Krassi said:


> i guess we can compare them as soon as they are in our hands
> 
> We certainly will!


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 26, 2016)

Godslayer said:


> Might come early... Hopefully



Yep, on truck for delivery today, so at least there's that.

Somehow though, it seems that no matter where I live, everyone always delivers at the end of the day. Blah.

Still better than tomorrow.


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## Krassi (Jul 26, 2016)

Hiho!

Got the knife and seems to be the one on the picture
http://imgur.com/a/k4Ttv

its not super sharp out of the box, but dr ohira will do his work later )
its having a good balance and ill givr it some good suffering later 

seeya


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 26, 2016)

It's here! I'm a touch salty, though, because it's much closer to 165mm than 180mm unless you include the neck. Is that normal? My 240mm Tanaka is 240mm, heel-to-tip. My girlfriend's 170mm Takamura is 170mm, heel-to-tip. This is almost exactly the same length as that one, in fact.

That said, I won't return it, because it should be enough to find out if I like the nakiri shape. It does mean I might not order from EE or an Ikeda knife without a picture against a ruler to see how long it actually is...

Edit: On the other hand, mine _is_ sharp, so either they sharpened it or I'm too unskilled to know what _sharp_ is (or both).


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## labor of love (Jul 26, 2016)

Sakai knives are usually measured tip to handle. It's just how they do things.


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## JBroida (Jul 26, 2016)

DanHumphrey said:


> It's here! I'm a touch salty, though, because it's much closer to 165mm than 180mm unless you include the neck. Is that normal? My 240mm Tanaka is 240mm, heel-to-tip. My girlfriend's 170mm Takamura is 170mm, heel-to-tip. This is almost exactly the same length as that one, in fact.
> 
> That said, I won't return it, because it should be enough to find out if I like the nakiri shape. It does mean I might not order from EE or an Ikeda knife without a picture against a ruler to see how long it actually is...
> 
> Edit: On the other hand, mine _is_ sharp, so either they sharpened it or I'm too unskilled to know what _sharp_ is (or both).



not just in sakai, but knives with machi are measured from the handle to the tip (so the neck length is included in the stated length)... its been this way for as long as i can remember


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 26, 2016)

JBroida said:


> not just in sakai, but knives with machi are measured from the handle to the tip (so the neck length is included in the stated length)... its been this way for as long as i can remember



Hmm... well, I'm glad I got the right one then (and 165s would seem very short!), but why is my Tanaka 240mm _without_ the neck? Is it just a little on the long side?


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## panda (Jul 26, 2016)

so that means knives with machi gap have two things that are annoying about them!!


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## Krassi (Jul 27, 2016)

Hiho!

little update on my santoku.
It was not really sharp out of the box (i had trouble cutting any hair on my arm), but thats just perfect for me, since i bought this Shirogami workhorse for grind-erama 3000 action on my stones...

well i was not disappointed :wink: .. full jns 1k, red aoto and 6k and then ohira aka renge suita and ohira ao renge suita and now its cutting awesome!
also cleaned it with nail lacquer remover before and gave it some polishing fleece and used the jnat mud for polishing the sides..
Its just for the first sharpening and i dondt give anything about a super finish.. i can make a nice nail stripe scratch finish anytime if i wreck anything, so it was just first try to get it sharp (because i was hungry and wanted to cook with the new knife ) )
the grind i put on it was my favorite convex grind (german "ballig" style without sauerkraut patina) with something between nothing and about 10 degrees woth lots of angle shaking  and as much stone contact on the sides as possible.. also a microphase after every stone. looks weird but works awesome for me.

now i am really happy with one of my first workhorse knifes and the weight of 142 gramms on a 180mm santoku is very nice with good balance.
well its not a laser like my rest but thats why i bought it and i like it!

on the rough stones the steel felt really hard!! i needed more force and time than with srs-15 or aogami super stuff.. sharpening it on jnats was very nice of course

also gave the handle some micromesh love and waxing (olive oil beewax wonder stuff i also use on my cuttingboards and on any handle)

its rustic looking the edges were a bit pointed but i love to bevel them with micromesh myself 

So made some fotos after the grinding.

*you can find much more here (also the pictures from cleancut):
http://imgur.com/a/dqgSK*










best regards, daniel! definetly a keeper


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## DanHumphrey (Aug 20, 2016)

For the record, I'm a bit cranky about mine - there's a bigass shallow overgrind on the bottom third of the blade's right side. It's not to the level of a hole, I don't think, but the bevel there is extremely small.

You also all suck for making me picky enough to be aware of these things! :angry1:

:justkidding:


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## Smashmasta (Oct 10, 2016)

I have a 165mm nakiri in shirogami 2, and it is amazing! Sharpening is like running your fingers against silk. Edge can easily get a super refined toothy edge. Feels perfectly balanced in hand. Wish I had more money to get more of us stuff.


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## labor of love (Nov 27, 2016)

Now is the time to buy an ikeda!


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## Badgertooth (Nov 28, 2016)

Is there a particular reason?


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## labor of love (Nov 28, 2016)

Badgertooth said:


> Is there a particular reason?



Good deal at ep edge cyber sale.


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## milkbaby (Nov 28, 2016)

labor of love said:


> Good deal at ep edge cyber sale.



It just changed to the next set of items...


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## labor of love (Nov 28, 2016)

milkbaby said:


> It just changed to the next set of items...



The 240mm was on sale for like $305ish. There's a couple of things I want but I'm not
sure I want to stay up all night to wait for them. 28 hr knife sale marathon!


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## fujiyama (Jul 11, 2017)

How similar do you guys think the Blue #1 Yoshikazu Ikeda Suminagashi and Mizuno Suminagashi gyutos are?

They look similar in specs and photos, and both are respected master blacksmiths. Yet the price difference is substantial.


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## khashy (Jul 11, 2017)

fujiyama said:


> How similar do you guys think the Blue #1 Yoshikazu Ikeda Suminagashi and Mizuno Suminagashi gyutos are?
> 
> They look similar in specs and photos, and both are respected master blacksmiths. Yet the price difference is substantial.



Judging by the pictures of the Ikeda on Bernal, the choil shot looks different as does the distal taper. 

I'm basing this purely on the photos of the Ikeda but I think the Miz has a slightly more continuous distal taper and is slightly thinner overall.

And also I'm certain that the Miz with an ebony handle is slightly lighter


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## fujiyama (Jul 11, 2017)

Thanks khashy,

I haven't seen the Mizuno choil shot. I noticed it is 29g lighter; it may very well be because of a difference in distal taper and overall thinness. I wonder if both are iron cladded.


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## fatboylim (Jul 11, 2017)

fujiyama said:


> How similar do you guys think the Blue #1 Yoshikazu Ikeda Suminagashi and Mizuno Suminagashi gyutos are?
> 
> They look similar in specs and photos, and both are respected master blacksmiths. Yet the price difference is substantial.



From memory the Mizuno are generally taller and Yoshikasu Ikeda is slightly shorter. Worth checking before buying.


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## khashy (Jul 11, 2017)

fujiyama said:


> Thanks khashy,
> 
> I haven't seen the Mizuno choil shot. I noticed it is 29g lighter; it may very well be because of a difference in distal taper and overall thinness. I wonder if both are iron cladded.



I'll post a choil shot of the Miz so you can compare.

I'll weight it too so you know exactly how heavy it is with an ebony handle

The Miz is iron clad, I suspect so is the Ikeda


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## khashy (Jul 11, 2017)

Here is the choil shot:







I couldn't weight it as I could not find where the missus has put the top bit of the weighting scales.

Height at choil: 47.76mm
Spine at choil: 2.67mm
Spine 1cm from tip: 0.89mm

FWIW I think the actual Suminagashi of the Miz is nicer looking, but if our I'm biased.

Let me know if you need any other measurements


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## Chicagohawkie (Jul 11, 2017)

Have a real nice Ikeda Honyaki. It was Geshin offering several years ago, I believe an Ittetsu? Real nice Hamon. The only drawback is the handle.


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## Wdestate (Jul 11, 2017)

i dont have the suminigashi ikeda but i have around 15 ikeda knives and i love every single one of them so much so i have replaced a lot of my other knives with his offerings.


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