Foo shops for a Japanese knife

[mikeman]



A 150mm petty is a very useful knife, but I'd strongly encourage you to think about a 240mm gyuto instead of a 210mm.  Not only will you use the extra length more than you might think, but the resulting change in profile creates a longer "sweet spot" of basically flat edge that will help you get faster and more efficient in your cuts.  

Okay, good to know. Way to give me another decision to make! It makes sense, and definitely something to consider– I'm just so used to the 8 inch.

 

[gomestar]

i stuck with 8" and am happy.

but i agree the 150mm petty is super useful. It's what I reach for whenever I'm making something that isn't a 2+ course dinner.

 

[Fred G. Unn]



A 150mm petty is a very useful knife, but I'd strongly encourage you to think about a 240mm gyuto instead of a 210mm.

+1. My gateway knife was a 210mm Shun, which is now my wife's knife. I haven't touched it since I got my 240mm Hattori FH, which is my main daily use knife.

 

[otc]

I like my 240...but it works best if you have plenty of counter space and a big cutting board.

 

[mikeman]

Being on Styleforum, we're obviously all into quality, and handmade stuff. I found it super cool that Takamura are all made by a Father and his three son's from start to finish– I guess many knives are made in one spot and finished elsewhere.

 

[shoefan]

There are a lot of great knives out there. Like most things, there are diminishing returns as you go up in price.

The Shigefusa's are excellent knives -- I have a 240 mm kasumi gyuto, a 300 mm kasumi yanagiba, and a kurouchi 150mm petty. I really enjoy using them and sharpening them. I also have a number of other knives -- the Zwilling Kramer knives are a pretty good factory-made replica of Bob Kramer's multi-thousand dollar custom knives; a guy named Marko Tsourkan in NY state is making some great knives; other American makers are making some outstanding knives. Plus, of course, there are myriad Japanese smiths making fantastic products. Today I ordered a Heiji semi-stainless santoku for my wife to try; from Japan-Tool, it was under $150 with 2 - 3 day delivery from Japan (http://www.japan-tool.com/zc/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=30_34&products_id=453). Heiji was trained by the same master as Shigefusa.

In the US, probably the best source for Japanese knives is Japanese Knife Imports; the proprietor, Jon Broida, really knows his stuff, seems really upstanding and honest, and brings in products that he has tweaked to his tastes. There is also Epicurean Edge in Seattle, and of course Korin in NYC. Maxim at Japanese Natural Stones does offer cheap shipping worldwide and has some nice knife on offer. Also, a guy started a new knife business in Chicago, Buttermilk Supply. He has some nice knives, including a line called Shigehiro that sounds interesting and has been getting positive reviews. He has a couple of kurouchi Shigefusa's in stock as well.

Chefs Knives to Go has a more mixed reputation among the kitchen knife crowd.

Japan Woodworker sometimes gets in Shigefusa's, and often offers them at a good price -- you can put in an order and get notified if/when they get stock in from Shigefusa. They often have good prices when they go get them. Maxim also has a mailing list and sends out a notice when he gets them in or has them incoming. I picked up my Shigefusa petty from him.

Unlike clothing, knives retain their value pretty well.

 

[chogall]

Knife retain their value extremely well and do appreciate in prices. Imagine if you have Bob Cramers knife made a decade ago for less than $1k...

 

[Fred G. Unn]



In the US, probably the best source for Japanese knives is Japanese Knife Imports; the proprietor, Jon Broida, really knows his stuff, seems really upstanding and honest, and brings in products that he has tweaked to his tastes. There is also Epicurean Edge in Seattle, and of course Korin in NYC. Maxim at Japanese Natural Stones does offer cheap shipping worldwide and has some nice knife on offer. Also, a guy started a new knife business in Chicago, Buttermilk Supply. He has some nice knives, including a line called Shigehiro that sounds interesting and has been getting positive reviews. He has a couple of kurouchi Shigefusa's in stock as well.

Chefs Knives to Go has a more mixed reputation among the kitchen knife crowd.

Japan Woodworker sometimes gets in Shigefusa's, and often offers them at a good price -- you can put in an order and get notified if/when they get stock in from Shigefusa. They often have good prices when they go get them. Maxim also has a mailing list and sends out a notice when he gets them in or has them incoming. I picked up my Shigefusa petty from him.

I wanted to recommend Japanese Chef's Knife too. I've ordered a couple of times from them, and they were very helpful: http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/default.asp

For NYC guys, in addition to Korin, oddly enough the Williams Sonoma at Columbus Circle has a very large selection including brands I've never seen in any other WS or any WS catalog like Kikuichi, Nenox, and Masanobu. Just wanted to mention it in case anyone is planning on doing xmas shopping with Amex points. It's been a while since I've been in the store though, so the brands they carry may have changed, but they have a very different inventory than any other WS I've ever been in.

 

[Manton]

MTC Kitchen, 45th btw 2nd and 3rd (close to 3rd).

I am not that into pettys. I use my little paring knife constantly but a petty seems too big to be a parer and too small to be anything else. The sad thing is that a lot of the best makers make really good pettys but almost no comparable 3" parers.

Actually, if I needed a new one, I would get this:

http://korin.com/Masamoto-Molybdenum-Paring?sc=27&category=8550039

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

So Yamashita (Japan-Tool) is fantastic, he's gotten me some really awesome stuff that is otherwise very difficult to procure and has done so at very honest pricing. Very personalized service, in fact about the best service I've ever experienced. So has walked me through anything I've needed help on from picking natural stones to finishing, sharpening, ect.

 

[mikeman]

Takamura knives were ordered! I'll post some pictures when they arrive.

 

[Fred G. Unn]

PSA - Japanese Chef's Knife sale is on for all knives except Masamoto. Not a huge sale, but looks like most stuff is 10-15% off:
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/products.html

 

[braised]

Yes, but Mizuno is on sale. It's the good stuff:

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/MizunoHonyakiDXSeries.html#Honyaki

 

[otc]

Just ordered the 140grit diamond edge pro stone from Chef Knives To Go as well as some other edge pro accessories (magnet, drill stop collar since my 600 is wearing much faster than my other stones, spring for quick stone changes, etc.).
Will mostly use it to flatten my other stones (as opposed to rubbing them on each other).

Also ordered a 12" messermeister ceramic hone from amazon (thought it looked better than the CKTG one)...will see how this compares to steel.

 

[dieworkwear]

Anyone have tips on how to clean a leather strop? Been relying on my strop more, but the metals seem to build up quickly.