Tojiro Shirogami Santoku 165mm unboxing and review 

Thanks for the feedback! I just swapped the handle too, one of my favorite knives now. Check out the handle swap vid - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QAEMwB_OLoo.html

Slipity Really appreciate the feedback!

Greg Navarro Still waiting on delivery from Asia. Pictures look gorgeous though; stabilized burl wood with blue resin.

Handle just arrived! Hoping to get it done this coming weekend and will get the video up soon after.

Here it is! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QAEMwB_OLoo.html

Ah gotcha! Makes sense, my other shirogami and aogami knives aren’t nearly as reactive as this one either.

Really appreciate the feedback! The carbon steel isn’t difficult to maintain, you just need to make sure you wash it and dry thoroughly after each use. It will however definitely patina over time. If you’d prefer something that isn’t as finicky I’d recommend either the similarly priced Fibrox: amzn.to/3vJja10 or a Chinese VG10 like this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FBripASEqkY.html most likely these are not made from Japanese VG10 but the structurally identical 10cr14cromov but in my experience perform pretty much just as well.

​@@AGuThing thank you so much for a reply! I don't mind patina, I also don't mind wash and wipe, I do that with my knives already, so that's comforting. It's just videos online put so much emphasis on it, and having no experience with it, I don't know if it can rust to point of damage or not ( I think not?). It will be in daily use. I feel like supporting traditional Japanese knife making with my purchase, there's something special about it, they seem to care quite a lot on how they do things. Santoku is my goto knife for most tasks, I want the real deal. So thanks again.

Cypeq If you’re already in the habit of washing and wiping dry after use you should be totally fine. If you ever start to see rust develop you can clean it off pretty easily with some fine steel wool. You can also force a heavy layer of patina using vinegar, this layer will actually protect it from rusting.

@@AGuThing Thanks again for your help now I have two Japanese carbonsteel knives (petty and bunka), Shriogami #2 is real keen to stain even during use but yeah it turns out it's still easy to maintain. Aogami super is much more resilient, as much as it patinas over time, I've not seen rusty stains on it ever, not that I'm giving it a chance it's always washed and wiped dry. Thanks for tips.

Cypeq my pleasure! Glad to hear that you’re finding the maintenance to be relatively easy

Mark Triplett Started to patina. Unavoidable with carbon steel. If you want a more uniform look you can look into forcing an even patina with vinegar. Once you have that oxide layer created it’ll be more resistant to spot staining.

@@AGuThing I have forced a patina on a couple carbon steel pocket knives that I have, but I read that it was better to let the patina on this type of knife form naturally and the knife would cut smoother.

Mark Triplett I’ve gone both ways and haven’t noticed a difference in cutting performance. That being said I’ve come to really appreciate the wabi sabi aesthetic of letting a patina form slowly and naturally.

@@AGuThing I think that I will let it patina naturally. I think the garlic is what stained the blade.

@@AGuThing When will you upload the video where you are replacing the handle?

I did not like the handle. Felt pretty cheap. Oiling with butcher block oil helps with keeping it clean and prevents cracking but I still didn’t like it so I swapped it for a nice Wa handle. Super simple process, check out my video on it here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QAEMwB_OLoo.html

I don’t disagree. While I love the way my sg2 knives cut, I really appreciate the character that develops with the patina on the Tojiro over time. This knife has certainly brought me more joy than I would have ever guessed a $50 knife could. The only thing i didn’t like was the handle but that was an easy swap. Check it out here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QAEMwB_OLoo.html The leather thing is called a strop. Similar to a honing rod it doesn’t sharpen the edge, just realigns it or removes a wire edge burr. Better for high hardness Japanese knives than a honing steel as they are often harder than the honing steel. You can also use a ceramic honing rod on Japanese knives but that’s a bit more aggressive than stropping.

@@AGuThing I see, thanks! So, if one uses a Japanese knife, you would definitely recommend a strop over a metal honing rod, then? Would a honing rod damage them?

Emmanuel Yohan Lazzara Yup. If I strop my Japanese knives once or twice a week, they stay very sharp for a long time. When the strop is no longer effective I’ll go 20-30 swipes on the ceramic honing rod and that usually brings it back to razor sharp. Using this method I probably only need sharpen my knives on the stones once every 6-8 months. High hardness Japanese knives are more brittle than western knives and thus more prone to chipping. If used incorrectly the either of honing rods could chip your edge. Using a normal steel honing rod is very ineffective as the knife material has a higher degree of hardness than the rod.

@@AGuThing Good stuff! Thanks again!

Emmanuel Yohan Lazzara My pleasure!