This is a great one. Or maybe a mid range choice. Not something cheap but something thats not crazy expensive and more of a show piece and not a work horse.
I have 2 Takamura knives and I love them. A 210 gyuto and a 180 (185?) Santoku. Out of the box rhey were scary - 110 on the BESS-C scale. Just stropping rhem on smooth leather brought them down to 80.
Really hard to pick one kit, so I guess I'll mix: The Konosuke from Ben. Absolutely amazing knife to look at! Still looking to get a Konosuke myself. A tie between Ians Moritaka Nakiri and Gage's Shiro Kamo Nakiri. Nice height, great steel and great blacksmiths on both. The Takamura R2 Petty from Gage, Just because I love my own Takamura R2 150mm petty so much.
From my 29 knives collection I like the most: Takamura R2 150 mm Petty, Kunio Masutani VG10 170mm Nakiri, Shiro Kamo AS kurouchi tsuchime 170mm Bunka, and Kei Kobayashi R2 240mm gyuto.
Great vid fellas! Really enjoyed seeing everyone's different choices and hearing why. Also, very cool to hear you guys having success and expanding! Gage damn near had me with the old warrior Takamura but alas, Ben's iron clad offerings won me over. But everyone had something cool.
As I am a Stainless Steel Guy I would get Nenox 240mm Gyuto - Hansan Yu Kurosaki 210mm Shizuku Gyuto - Hansan Takamura 135mm Petty - Gage This is a beautiful and very versatile kit. I will have a big boy 240mm Gyuto that is sharp but not too brittle and had a sturdy western handle. Then I will have a 210mm Yu Kurosaki SG2 lazer if i have less space or need really precise thin cuts. And finally a 135 Petty Knife that is a true lazer (Takamura SG2 are really thin lazers) for small and intricate tasks. This kit covers 95% of all cooking needs apart from really specific ones.
I like Ian's kit lots of character. My three Japanese knives I would pick Yosimitu 180mm Bunka white 2, 240 Watanabe Gyuto Yasuki blue steel, 270 Mazaki Gyuto white 2. Have a lot of favorites though
I have 2 Takadas the 210 I had hand picked to be long at 225 is my favorite. I have a Jikko nakiri sg2 with a tanto tip. It’s still round no point at the tip but the top profile is similar to a bunka, so odd I had to have it. The global utility is my go to for that hybrid built knuckle clearance that shape like a Kramer I am looking for in a guy to as I like my knives tall hence Takada 240 is massive. Ishikawa my next purchase single bevel funayuki or gyoto.
Im gonna have to go with jakes kit! I happened to be visiting the shop and was lucky enough to see and handle the godai in person and can say it really is an amazing knife!
I was thinking there'd be a Fujiwara Denka somewhere in the mix. Some really sweet knives to choose from here though, with an interesting mix of steels. Cool video.
I would love to see an episode about what your ideal knife would be, maybe taking individual features you enjoy about several different knives you own or have used as examples of those features.
@Ian Czechoslovakia was split in 1993 into Czech Republic and Slovakia. Can you expand a little more why did you buy this knife? I would like to know if I missed anything local while using German and Japanese knives myself.
Ben has that Tetsujin, which I'm lusting after right now, so I have to give him the nod this time. for my top three, I just got a Nigara anmon R2 240 and it's a effin' stunner, so that's my first. Second is my 210mm Aogami 2 Matsubara kiritsuke, and third 135mm Aogami Super Ikeda (Anryu) petty.
I gotta say Jakes kit then Gage and lastly Ians in that order. Jakes knife from the Tosho 22 is so beautiful. Then Gage and Ian cause im also a fan of nakiris 😁
Theres a reason the gyuto is the first knife we recommend to someone just getting into Japanese knives! Its the most versatile shape, and getting used the most we've come to love them the most! Kiritsukes are great too, but everyones got their preference!
Out of curiosity: Been looking at quite a few RU-vid videos on knives lately. Most shops are in Canada, one in NYC & the rest, mail order. I live in FL & if I were to purchase a knife, I would like to hold it in my hand first, for the feel of it. Secondly, are there any knife stores who employ women? Is there a no women cultural thing or are beards & tats a requirement?
Not going to pick. They are all great and special. I have a request for polishing or finishing stones. All the knives shown are well maintained and polished like unused. We have to see what kind of finishing stones or polishers you guys have to keep it so polished, other than just baking powder.
Bens got quite the collection of naturals, but there are a lot of tricks to get your knives looking clean without a ton of equipment. We're working on a refinishing video so stay tuned for that for all of our finishing "secrets" !
Hansan’s kit, glad to see a Nenox. Good knife with such a “is it worth it,” price tag. I think they’re worth it. Can’t go wrong with a Yu Kurosaki either.
