Happy weekend everyone, back with another NKD, I suppose this will go on for a few more days as I’m getting literally like one knife everyday.

This is my first honyaki from Togashi, and I’ve heard nothing but great things about his work, especially when it comes to the hamon.

The Sanbonsugi pattern on this one is a little different from what I usually see, which is actually one of the reasons I like it so much. A friend of mine picked it out at the Hitohira store

Definitely one of those knives I could see myself taking out just to admire on a daily basis. The hamon has so much character in person, and the more I look at it, the more details I seem to notice. Probably will try to acid etch the surface hoping to bring out some bandings in the future.

Super exciting October for me so far! Ashi came in on Wednesday and the Nakiris showed up yesterday. Tested them all out last night after work.

First up:
Konosuke Swedish Stainless 240mm gyuto
Blacksmith: Ashi Hamono
Construction: Mono Steel
Weight: 135g
Purchased from CKTG latest restock shortly after receiving the restock email. Super excited I was able to grab it for under $300 shipped. That price also includes their finish sharpening service.
Initial thoughts…. AMazing cutter! My first Ashi and my first Japanese mono steel. It’s SUPER light compared to my other 240s so I will need a bit of time to adjust to it. Definitely will be using this these next few weeks to put it through the works. Funny story, that same night they restocked online I almost purchased a Konosuke GS+ 240 from someone in BST, and then almost purchased someone else’s Ashi from the group as well! Goes to show that sometimes patience pays off and don’t have FOMO.

2nd up:
Kyohei Shindo Blue 2 165mm nakiri
Weight: 176g
My first BST purchase! Purchased a nakiri bundle mainly for this guy lol. Other member bought it from Chef’s Edge, it’s pretty darn close to BNIB. Few minor scratches but otherwise brand new. I had been searching for this guy for a little while now, and I was finally able to snag one for a good price. First Shindo was a Santoku because it restocked first haha. Everyone knows how it cuts I won’t go into that. I like and I don’t like the ebony handle. Like it cause it’s better than the cheapy one with plastic ferrule, don’t like it cause it adds more weight and the balance is a little behind where I pinch now. May change it out later but for now it’s nice.

Last but not least:
Shiro Kamo AS 165mm nakiri
Weight: 144g
2nd nakiri in the bundle mentioned above. Super relieved for that. Other member bought it from Clean Cut and learned how to sharpen with this guy. It looked more scratched in the pictures than in person so I’m relieved a bit. I’m kind of torn on this guy. It has the profile that I really like for a nakiri, but just doesn’t perform like I’d like it to. Super flat blade, blade heavy, AS stainless clad, handle can take some water on it, and so sharp it kept getting stuck in my larchwood. It just didn’t perform well when I was tap chopping onions or trying to fast dice them. I originally was thinking that I was going to use it to learn how to sharpen since it looked pretty scratched (just bought everything I need to start), but it’s razor sharp now and the scratches aren’t bad so I don’t want to make them worse. Then I was thinking if I liked it i’d just keep it. Now since I wasn’t a fan of it, I may re-bundle it and sell it with my AS Shiro Kamo petty. I have 5 nakiri’s now (working on selling another one), and I don’t know how to thin blades yet, so this isn’t needed. I’m going to give it another shot and take my time on product to see how it feels going slower with it before I decide what i’m going to do with it.

Just realized how long this post was, not sure if anyone will even read the entire thing haha. Anyhow, that’s my 2 cents!

The Toyama drop at JNS today was absolutely crazy — everything sold out in what felt like seconds!
Who managed to grab one? And which model did you get?
Curious to hear how many of you actually managed to snag one before everything was gone. 😅

Takeshi Saji Maki-e Sujihiki - VG10W - Rainbow Dama

Koshinoitto (Kappabashi) Yanagiba - Aogami

Tojiro Shippu Gyuto - VG10

Takeshi Saji Gyuto - VG10W Rainbow Dama

Unknown Shop (Kappabashi) Deba - Tsuchime Kurouchi Carbon Steel

Unknown Shop (Kappabashi) Deba - Kurouchi Carbon Steel

Tojiro Shippu Paring Knife - VG10

Unknown Shop (Sakai) Petty Knife - VG10

Tojiro Shippu Petty Knife - VG10

Tojiro Atelier Classic - Nickel Damascus Steel

Tojiro Shippu Nakiri - VG10

Unknown Shop (Kappabashi) Deba - Aogami

Unknown Shop (Sakai) Nakiri - VG10

Takeshi Saji Kiritsuke - VG10W Rainbow Dama

I think that’s all of them— although I’m looking to get my hands on a custom Bob Kramer sometime soon. First time posting but I’ve been eyeing the forum for a while. I hope you guys enjoy looking at them as much as I do!

I bought a number of my knives in Japan, but I can’t recall a few of the stores.

First day with the Shindo Nakiri figured i’d see how well I could tap with it. Home cook working on getting more consistent and faster with my cuts! Saved it off my Instagram story reason why it’s zoomed out.

My quick grab carbon Gyuto continues to be my Mazaki. Love the feeling of how it cuts across a wide range of things.

Mazaki White #2 Kurouchi 210 mm Gyuto

2 posts in one day loll. This one isn’t for grabs but I still wanted to share it. This blade was for a friend of mine who is also a chef. The only things she requested were a red handle and a blade made of stainless. This is the result, a 210mm Gyuto made from AEBL steel with a mono padduck wood handle.

To mark the arrival of the custom-ordered *shinogi gyuto* I’ve been waiting for, I’d like to showcase my *Pungchundo* collection.
By combining the level of craftsmanship seen in Japanese artisans with the durability of modern steel, this brand is likely unrivaled in Korea.
-> magnacut petty, M390 nakiri, magnacut gyuto, M390 k-tip gyuto, M390 shinogi gyuto, 10v gyuto, M390 sujihiki.
Thanks for whatching! :)

Anyone going wanna pick something up for me? 🤣

Hello TCK,

I’ve reached the point in my collection where I’m only adding pieces that are either special or fill a functional gap.

This one ticks both boxes for me. I’m building a daily driver collection of two to three knives that’s going to replace a bunch of kitchen daily’s for me and my fiancé that coincides with a new kitchen extension at home. The main criteria is stainless, and filling one of those spots is a petty. Instinct would have naturally drawn me more to a 150mm as I’ve owned a few in the past however I wanted something I could use off the board, and I generally always peel vegetables with a knife so as soon as I picked up a 120mm I was sold on that size. Secondary to that, Kagekiyo, because why the hell not.

And here we are, Kagekiyo Ginsan Sakura Wa-Petty 120mm forged by the legendary Nakagawa and sharpened by Wakae-San, an up and coming in house sharpener at Baba Hamono.

On first impressions the wa handle felt too large but after using it for some time it provides balance and control where the full knife does the work and it feels like an extension of your arm. It’s literally the perfect size for what I need a petty for and the blade, wow. The contrast of the kasumi against the sakura handle is really classy.

October has been good to me this year and I’m filling two spots in my collection. This being the first one and there’s a very special second post coming next week that coincides with my birthday. As a bit of teaser it’s another Kagekiyo..

Stay tuned

Mike

Hey guys! Today I reset the patina on my Kagekiyo B1 with Flitz and noticed some tiny micro-pits that just won’t disappear. They look almost like very shallow little holes, but I can’t feel them with my fingernail. First time this has ever happened to me and it honestly surprised me quite a bit.

The knife has always been treated properly - never left wet for long, dried immediately after use, then usually wiped with camellia oil. There were also absolutely no visible signs of rust and nothing came off on the paper towel. Still, exactly on the kasumi part of the finish, and nowhere else, there are these tiny spots. They’re pretty hard to see and only show under a certain angle, but it still feels strange. The knife had a really dense, dark, visible patina before and it actually looked great - I was just experimenting with it.

Is this normal? Could it just be from oxidation under the patina, or did I do something wrong?

Luckily there’s nothing like this on the exposed core steel at the cutting edge, and the knife is still laser sharp. I assume once a new patina develops these spots probably won’t even be visible anymore, but it’s still a little worrying.

P.S. My next expensive knife is definitely going to be Ginsan or SG2 hahaha. It’s ridiculous how annoyed you can get over ruining a beautiful finish. I absolutely treat this knife like a working tool and it’s still the best knife I’ve ever used, but yeah... imperfections still bother me a little :)

Looking for opinions on this knife, got it first hand for 91k yen in Japan. Sorry for the bad pic got a quick snapshot in the store and its now tucked in my luggage

Hi TCK,

I would like to thank you all for indirectly helping me with my choice of first japanese knife.

Got into sharpening when a friend was complaining about the state of my no name soft German style knives.

I had said to my self when I get a decent edge on my knives, that I wanted a good japense knife. This all coincided around my birthday and my family wanted to offer me a knife. After many weeks/months of checking every knife available in Europe. I decided on an Ashi stainless Gyuto 210mm. What convinced me where the comments here saying that it's an amazing knife and even that some of you guys where saying that's it's the best knife in there collection.

So I got the knife yesterday, but it arrived chipped, and I wanted to check with you guys if this is considered 'normal'. What i have read is that the ootb edge can be so so, but the chipped edge wasn't on my bingo card.

Is it normale that a stainless Ashi can chip?

So I will need to take it to the stones and I would like to know you guys favourite finishing stone for a stainless Ashi?

Looking for a custom carbon steel chef’s knife. I see boatloads of Damascus, weird shapes, fossilized handles, etc.. I just want a great workhorse of a knife. I like Hohenmoorers, but they are a bit pricy - guessing due to tariffs.

I bought a Tamahagane mini katana blade from Pierluigi Ponzio, an Italian swordsmith that has mastered the art of that steel.

Got a custom made handle with white copper accents to balance the blades weight.

And got a custom made saya from a carpenter that became a sushi chef (crazy right)

Tamahagane it’s not supposed to be good in a kitchen environment but this guy has broken down a couple of bluefins already.

TnH Singetu Kiritsuke Gyuto 240mm white #2
Baba Hamono Kagekiyo Akaro 240mm white #1
Konosuke BY white #1 225mm
Jiro Yo 240mm sujihiki Tagayasan Handle #733
Shigafusa** **Kurouchi Santoku 165mm
Tetsujin Silver #3 Santoku 180mm Taihei Ebony
Ikeda x Kasahara Petty White #2 160mm

Some specials, the knives that are the pride of my collection.

Material: Aogami #2 + soft iron clad Aogami #1 core
Blade length: 238mm
Blade width at heel: 54.6mm
Weight: 218 grams
Taper: 3mm at heel - 1.5mm around tip

This knife is the next generation that stemmed from Boku-Enn, and honestly, the combination works incredibly well.

I’ve always loved Manaka’s Damascus patterns, while Xinguo, in my opinion, is capable of some of the best fit and finish out there. Put those two together and the chemistry is just pure perfection.

One of the coolest parts is the finish. Through a special acid etching process, the blade can reflect subtle rainbow colors when the light hits it at the right angle. It’s one of those things that’s difficult to fully capture in photos but looks absolutely fascinating in person.

The grind is also extremely thin and immediately reminds me of my Hado B1D, which is still one of my all time favorites. That combination of an aggressive thin grind, excellent F&F, and such a unique Damascus finish makes this one feel pretty special.

Mix of Aogami Super, Ginsan..VG10..

Hello knowledgeable knife knerds, lend me your expertise?

I'm just a home cook, currently I have a Victorinox chef's knife that I hate, mainly because it does not keep it's edge, and I suck at sharpening it. I have a Sharpal 162N diamond stone, and I've been getting better at using it but I take forever and the results are hit or miss.

So, I recently went down the rabbit hole of looking into fancy chef knives, specifically one that will keep it's edge for a long time so that I'd only have to periodically have it sharpened by a professional. I'm a scientist so looking into all the different steel types and properties is very interesting to me, but I'm also trying to remember that I just need a sharp knife, and 1 good general purpose knife at that.

Anyways, my first thought was to buy a Miyabi Kaizen II chef's knife, but as I dug in I found some other options, but the choices are really overwhelming. Here's what's on my mind:

Fujimoto Nashiji Gyuto 210mm or Ichigo Ao the first one seems highly rated, and they have a higher quoted hardness than the Miyabi while being around the same price. Not stainless cladded but that's ok. There seems to be a lot of other similar knives so I'm not married to any one particular knife. This is a no brainer over the Miyabi, right?

Msicard Basic Gyuto buying a made to order knife would be really cool, but just based on my limited knowledge of the different knife steels, AEBL or 52100 wouldn't have been my first choice. Am I too fixated on HRC?

Hatsukokoro Ryuhyo SG2 or ICHIE x Shibata SG2 Two examples of powdered steel knives. They are a step up in price than the Miyabi and everyhing else listed before. They look cool, and are made of a harder steel. Would I really see that much of a difference for almost double the price, or is it diminishing returns here?

Xin Guo Vanadis 8 Way too expensive for me. But. This is made with one of these exotic steels, if I look at the knife steel nerds charts it seems to have the highest area under the curve in terms of toughness and edge retention. If this is going to be a life changing difference, I'd shell out for it but I suspect its probably not.

Ikea Fjallroding The "don't go down the rabbit hole" choice. I'm probably going to buy one of these in any case to have something I don't mind hacking at things with, but, should I just buy this nakiri and the petty knife from this line, and learn how to sharpen better? (another option would be something from

Thanks for your help!

Recently i made this knife for a very good friend of mine and im quite happy with the result

the steel is 2'5mm sandvik 14c28n

and the scales are made from olive wood from my grandmothers town olive fields

It’s really a lot of fun. A quick, very finely shredded cabbage salad…

Hello, I was given this knife as a gift... Does anyone happen to have any information about it? I’m not exactly an expert, all I can say is that it’s an Asian-style knife made of carbon steel, and I really enjoy cooking with it! Beyond that, I don’t know much else! :) Thanks, everyone.

Towards the bolster the blade groove is much deeper on one side than the other. Is this just a cosmetic issue or should I get a replacement?

I'm a beginner :)