I have 2. I’ve owned 3. By far the most overpriced and perhaps over rated knife out there. It’s still cool because of how it’s made and the high demand, but even still they are over priced imo. As a knife it’s nothing special. Super blue is already one of the most brittle knife steels you can get and when it’s taken that hard it’s as brittle as anything you can get. The fit and finish is a joke. I regrinded my gyoto which required a lot of work to even out the blade roads or bevels. But it was worth it because I followed that up with a contrasting kasumi style finish and it looks much better. As a knife like one you’re going to use… I have $120 knives that are better tools. I would not buy it again but I would sell the two I own. Japanese knife myth bros should probably also realize that super blue doesn’t even have the edge retention of a basic stainless steel like VG10. That’s exactly why they’re so easy o sharpen. Very little abrasion resistance. I do love very hard steels, but not when they’re that brittle. A modern hitachi steel like ZDP189 is vastly superior in every way. It doesn’t rust at all, it holds an edge probably 10x longer, it’s vastly less prone to chipping, and it’s not even difficult to sharpen nor does it require special abrasives. Any normal whetstone works, which is why they designed it with only chromium caribides. Also if you check hitachis own data sheets they tell you that super blue isn’t even the traditional steel that considered the highest grade for culinary knives. That would be blue #1. IMO blue #2 is a better kitchen knife steel than blue super as well. Vastly less chip prone. They’re all low alloy low edge retention steels anyway. And steel doesn’t even matter very much. Yes the geometry was good out of the box. Yes it’s cool considering how it’s made and the history. No it’s not worth it unless you’re a collector. As a tool it’s a poor choice. You could a yoshikane AND a sukenari for the same cost as one denka. I’d take either over the denka.
@@markbrown9138 i have 2 mabs, a 150 petty and a 180 bunka and the are insanely good knives. the reason i have those sizes (and mab over denka) though is simply the fact that those price points are the only ones that seem fair. the price increase for the bigger sizes are absurd for these knives.
I think the Denka is conditionally worth the price tag. But it depends greatly on what your values and priorities are. I go to this local Mexican restaurant, and I love it. The meals I get there are always awesome, but the dishes are almost always a little bit different because they are just cooking back there, they aren't using sous vide machines and scales. The Denka line is like that, lots of effort and history goes into, and a great knowledge of steel. If your priority is having great performance in a hand made package with great edge retention and relatively easy sharpening the Denka is for you. If you want an aesthetically perfect functional piece of art that also happens to cut really well, then there are a lot of better options out there for you than the Denka line. Just my two cents.
One of the best qualities of your reviews, Gage, is the balance and honesty. It'd be easy to rave & promote products to the Heavens, but your acknowledgment of shortcomings or negative aspects of some knives give much-desired credibility to your assessments. All that helps make decisions about knives easier. For example, those fit & finish issues with Denkas would likely get on my nerves, so maybe I'll give them a miss for now. In future, when my sharpening skills etc are better, maybe I'll reconsider. If I'm shortchanging myself on performance, well, my decision! Thanks again, keep up your great work!
Love my Denka Nakiri. Luckily I'm a WA handle guy, because it seems that most of the inconsistencies are with the YO handled knives. My Nakiri has a pretty much flawless fit and finish, except a little bit of discolouration spots on the Kourouchi finish. There are a few spots where the Kurouchi finish is already almost non existent and/or a bit reddish of colour, but is is really easy for me to ignore. The performance of the knife is bonkers!
Thanks so much for the comment. Yes, We've found that as well. The Yo handles can be REALLY rough around the edges. The wa handles are generally really nice and have nice fit and finish. Hard to get too picky with these as the kurouchi, as I'm sure you're aware, is meant to be a rustic finish and in its nature, not perfect. Hard to beat the performance of a Denka!
There’s sharp, and then there’s Fujiwara sharp. I have 4. I have a 7.9 inch Nashiji gyuto that’s my goto for slicing 1 KG beef roasts. I have a 6.2 petty I use for trimming steaks. The white steel is so sharp I can’t fathom needing his Denka series. I recommend his steel if performance is your #1 purchase need.
Honestly, if you can't correct an imperfection on a Fujiwara, you probably need more time (read: not ready). I put 2-ish hours into regrinding the prime bevel to my specific liking and a strop polish, easily the best knife I've ever handled. everything said in the video is 100% and you can send me all of the fujiwara scratch and dent please.
Hey, Gage and company! Greetings from Hollywood, CA! I’m a big fan of your channel and have been for a very long time. I just sprung for a Fujiwara Denka Bunka 180mm in Aogomi Super and it arrived today! Such a delightful addition to my collection. Thank you for your quality content and for being such likable, knowledgeable peeps! Wish your shop was here! 🤗 Best always!! Pam
Thank you so much Pam! So happy to hear you're enjoying the new knife and that it reached you safe and sound. We appreciate your business and your support of our RUclips channel so much! Thank you thank you!!
My first ever japanese knive was the Fujiwara Nashiji Petty 150mm. As soon as I got it , I started dreaming about the denka. 2 years later, a good friend of mine visited the man himself in Tokyo and purchased for me a 195mm Denka Gyuto with the Red pakka wood western handle. Those are hard to find outside of his shop. Was the price steep - Yes, Was the fit and finish perfet - No, Was it worth it - Yes. Once I had it in my hands and started cutting a carrot, I smiled instantly. On my daily rack, I usually keep the Fujiwara 195 red handle with a Takamura 210 Gyuto red handle. They look like brothers and they cover the Stainless and Carbon needs for my daily cooking. Fujiwara is not super focused on the fit and finish but somehow his knives are special. One day when he is gone, those knives will be a real heritage piece to pass on the next generation . I stronly advise people to invest in one of his knives ( maboroshi looks like the best ration - price /performance). And as for you guys @Sharpknife shop, i Advise you to collaborate with fujiwara for the forging part and work with a sharpener to finish the pieces and use a special Sharp knife shop kanji. this is the case with the Morihei Hisamoto line and recently the Sugi cutlery /TF/ Myojin Colab that took us all by surprise.
My first fujiwara San knife is his nashiji nakiri at first I quite a bit disappointed in the fit and finish of the knife but I after I used it for the first time instantly become my favourite and one of the best performing knife I ever own a month later I bought his maboroshi gyuto....still savings to get at least one of his denka knife....as a chef I really enjoyed using his knife chopping a bag of onion become more enjoyable
My Denka 210 is my favorite knife in the collection. I also love my Denka 150 petty and 165 nakiri. Can the finish be better? Sure. But I’ll choose performance over the finish as A it doesn’t bug me so much if it doesn’t affect the handle I’m holding and B I’m not opposed to putting in some extra work. That being said, the biggest pain is probably for the sharpeners when comes time to thin the knife looking to remove all the low spots 😂
My Favorite blacksmith is Yu Kurosaki. He makes beautiful knives like Fujin SG2 with a blue turquoise handle. Just beautiful, great Fit and finished What's yours?
I have 7 Denkas the little imperfections don't matter they make his knives unique. to the untrained eye a Denka will look unappealing, ugly but omg that sharpness and edge retention is unmatched.
a lot of them have much worse than "little imperfections though" and for the price of these knives that is unacceptable. make sure you ask for pictures when buying one, otherwise its a complete lottery lol.
I was pretty lucky my maroboshi santoku was fine but I feel like it’s a bit of luck what you will get. I would definitely stick to the Wa handles because the F&F on some of the Yo handles is terrible and not easily fixed.
Gage and Jake, if a knife isn't "true" out of the box, one might rightly think that the maker is not attentive to his/her craft. It seems so counter to the Japanese ethos that a knife could be shipped with so many problems. So I have to ask, what are the most important characteristics of a knife and when does it become a knife? For me, it is ease of cutting, comfort of cutting over long periods, then edge retention and ease of sharpening.
The most important thing is that the blade is straight from tip to spine, has a proper heat treat and the edge geometry should be perfect. Everything else can be touched up with sandpaper and a little time
I don’t have any Japanese knives and after a year of researching I’m planning to get Fujiwara in the future. Definitely not as a first knife, I’m not worthy lol
I own a Fujiwara Marboroshi 210 Gyuto. I really like it. A true work horse of a knife. The finish was not perfect, but the longer I use it - the more I like it. It's a blast. Super sharp, easy to sharpen and beside beeing quite hart, not too brittle. You can do everything with it. I like the work of Fujiwara San. Great knives for real kitchen work.
Based on what criteria? What makes a knife good? The fact that it costs $800 because they make it old school style in a modern industrial world where you could sell an equivalent knife for about $150? It’s a myth is what it actually is. They’re expensive. The fit and finish is a joke. And steel is almost brittle as glass and still doesn’t even have the edge retention of VG10
@@markbrown9138 it cuts better than anything else out there. It has the best edge retention out of all the Japanese steels. And it’s easy to sharpen. I don’t really care for my denka or Japanese knives in general anymore because I am more into apex ultra steel now.
@@convict240 honestly you sound like a 15 year old that has no actual practical experience with any of this stuff, just reading about it online. Any basic stainless steel has better “edge retention” than low alloy “super blue” steel. That’s exactly why it’s so easy to sharpen. The biggest issue with super blue steel is the fact that it’s very brittle and chips easily. That’s why blue #1 is considered to be a higher grade steel in Japan. Hitachi, The company that invented this line of steel in the first place and produces it says the same thing right on their website under the data sheet. Hitachi also makes modern steels like ZDP 189, which was specifically designed for high end culinary knives, and which in my experience will stay sharp at least 10x longer than super blue when it comes to culinary use, gets just as hard, is less brittle and unlike super blue doesn’t rust. They’re called traditional steels for a reason. Because they’re obsolete relics. It’s like trying to argue a 50 year old car is better than a modern car.
easily one of the highest performance knives you can get. hes one of few who still forge welds his own steel and gets the heat treat to an absurd hardness. the gets the white #1 on the maraboshi up to a 65/66
You were right to be reserved to sell these knives as theyr finish and flaws are not to be ignored. Yes the heat treatment is great, yes the steel is ok, but...that ends with the benefits! There are better geometry, better handles, better finishes, better prices to plenty other knives that offer more than these Denka or Maboroshi lines from Fujiwara. You know what makes them sell at these high prices? All of you praising them like there is nothing better in the world! America's marketing made them expensive and popular! There are plenty of better european steels than any japanese steel, better working technology than theyr old fashioned style specially when it comes to heat treatment, better handles and finishes, overall better less expensive knives. Thia is not a guess, it is a fact based upon metalurgical science when it comes to steels and also a fact considering the knives i've seen and held in my hands from different blacksmiths from arround the world. They make better knives but nobody promoting them. This is absolutely NOT normal! A person with a little knowledge would not pay this much for such a low quality finish, only naives buy them for the so called "performance" and "history".
Do you have a Fujiwara? If so was it worth the work, and if not, do you still want one just like us?! Let us know down below!
i have a 210 Gyuto with western grip, and i love it ! fits like a glove, and ist very sharp! nakiri 195 is yet to come ❤
I have an octagonal 210mm gyuto Nashiji. It’s an amazing knife
I have 2. I’ve owned 3. By far the most overpriced and perhaps over rated knife out there. It’s still cool because of how it’s made and the high demand, but even still they are over priced imo. As a knife it’s nothing special. Super blue is already one of the most brittle knife steels you can get and when it’s taken that hard it’s as brittle as anything you can get. The fit and finish is a joke. I regrinded my gyoto which required a lot of work to even out the blade roads or bevels. But it was worth it because I followed that up with a contrasting kasumi style finish and it looks much better. As a knife like one you’re going to use… I have $120 knives that are better tools. I would not buy it again but I would sell the two I own. Japanese knife myth bros should probably also realize that super blue doesn’t even have the edge retention of a basic stainless steel like VG10. That’s exactly why they’re so easy o sharpen. Very little abrasion resistance. I do love very hard steels, but not when they’re that brittle. A modern hitachi steel like ZDP189 is vastly superior in every way. It doesn’t rust at all, it holds an edge probably 10x longer, it’s vastly less prone to chipping, and it’s not even difficult to sharpen nor does it require special abrasives. Any normal whetstone works, which is why they designed it with only chromium caribides. Also if you check hitachis own data sheets they tell you that super blue isn’t even the traditional steel that considered the highest grade for culinary knives. That would be blue #1. IMO blue #2 is a better kitchen knife steel than blue super as well. Vastly less chip prone. They’re all low alloy low edge retention steels anyway. And steel doesn’t even matter very much. Yes the geometry was good out of the box. Yes it’s cool considering how it’s made and the history. No it’s not worth it unless you’re a collector. As a tool it’s a poor choice. You could a yoshikane AND a sukenari for the same cost as one denka. I’d take either over the denka.
@@markbrown9138 i have 2 mabs, a 150 petty and a 180 bunka and the are insanely good knives. the reason i have those sizes (and mab over denka) though is simply the fact that those price points are the only ones that seem fair. the price increase for the bigger sizes are absurd for these knives.
I think the Denka is conditionally worth the price tag. But it depends greatly on what your values and priorities are.
I go to this local Mexican restaurant, and I love it. The meals I get there are always awesome, but the dishes are almost always a little bit different because they are just cooking back there, they aren't using sous vide machines and scales. The Denka line is like that, lots of effort and history goes into, and a great knowledge of steel. If your priority is having great performance in a hand made package with great edge retention and relatively easy sharpening the Denka is for you. If you want an aesthetically perfect functional piece of art that also happens to cut really well, then there are a lot of better options out there for you than the Denka line. Just my two cents.
I've got a 165mm Nakiri that Obi Wan Kenobi would be happy to chop up his veggies with. Function over form. Love it.
One of the best qualities of your reviews, Gage, is the balance and honesty. It'd be easy to rave & promote products to the Heavens, but your acknowledgment of shortcomings or negative aspects of some knives give much-desired credibility to your assessments. All that helps make decisions about knives easier. For example, those fit & finish issues with Denkas would likely get on my nerves, so maybe I'll give them a miss for now. In future, when my sharpening skills etc are better, maybe I'll reconsider. If I'm shortchanging myself on performance, well, my decision! Thanks again, keep up your great work!
Love my Denka Nakiri. Luckily I'm a WA handle guy, because it seems that most of the inconsistencies are with the YO handled knives. My Nakiri has a pretty much flawless fit and finish, except a little bit of discolouration spots on the Kourouchi finish. There are a few spots where the Kurouchi finish is already almost non existent and/or a bit reddish of colour, but is is really easy for me to ignore. The performance of the knife is bonkers!
Thanks so much for the comment. Yes, We've found that as well. The Yo handles can be REALLY rough around the edges. The wa handles are generally really nice and have nice fit and finish. Hard to get too picky with these as the kurouchi, as I'm sure you're aware, is meant to be a rustic finish and in its nature, not perfect. Hard to beat the performance of a Denka!
There’s sharp, and then there’s Fujiwara sharp. I have 4. I have a 7.9 inch Nashiji gyuto that’s my goto for slicing 1 KG beef roasts. I have a 6.2 petty I use for trimming steaks. The white steel is so sharp I can’t fathom needing his Denka series.
I recommend his steel if performance is your #1 purchase need.
Aogami is less brittle
Honestly, if you can't correct an imperfection on a Fujiwara, you probably need more time (read: not ready). I put 2-ish hours into regrinding the prime bevel to my specific liking and a strop polish, easily the best knife I've ever handled.
everything said in the video is 100% and you can send me all of the fujiwara scratch and dent please.
I have the 195 mm denka nakiri. It is beautiful
Hey, Gage and company! Greetings from Hollywood, CA! I’m a big fan of your channel and have been for a very long time. I just sprung for a Fujiwara Denka Bunka 180mm in Aogomi Super and it arrived today! Such a delightful addition to my collection. Thank you for your quality content and for being such likable, knowledgeable peeps! Wish your shop was here! 🤗
Best always!!
Pam
Thank you so much Pam! So happy to hear you're enjoying the new knife and that it reached you safe and sound. We appreciate your business and your support of our RUclips channel so much! Thank you thank you!!
My first ever japanese knive was the Fujiwara Nashiji Petty 150mm. As soon as I got it , I started dreaming about the denka. 2 years later, a good friend of mine visited the man himself in Tokyo and purchased for me a 195mm Denka Gyuto with the Red pakka wood western handle. Those are hard to find outside of his shop. Was the price steep - Yes, Was the fit and finish perfet - No, Was it worth it - Yes. Once I had it in my hands and started cutting a carrot, I smiled instantly. On my daily rack, I usually keep the Fujiwara 195 red handle with a Takamura 210 Gyuto red handle. They look like brothers and they cover the Stainless and Carbon needs for my daily cooking. Fujiwara is not super focused on the fit and finish but somehow his knives are special. One day when he is gone, those knives will be a real heritage piece to pass on the next generation . I stronly advise people to invest in one of his knives ( maboroshi looks like the best ration - price /performance). And as for you guys @Sharpknife shop, i Advise you to collaborate with fujiwara for the forging part and work with a sharpener to finish the pieces and use a special Sharp knife shop kanji. this is the case with the Morihei Hisamoto line and recently the Sugi cutlery /TF/ Myojin Colab that took us all by surprise.
Those knives turned out sweet and we would absolutely love to do something like that in the future!
My first fujiwara San knife is his nashiji nakiri at first I quite a bit disappointed in the fit and finish of the knife but I after I used it for the first time instantly become my favourite and one of the best performing knife I ever own a month later I bought his maboroshi gyuto....still savings to get at least one of his denka knife....as a chef I really enjoyed using his knife chopping a bag of onion become more enjoyable
Appreciate your candid comments regarding the Fujiwara knives!
My Denka 210 is my favorite knife in the collection. I also love my Denka 150 petty and 165 nakiri. Can the finish be better? Sure. But I’ll choose performance over the finish as A it doesn’t bug me so much if it doesn’t affect the handle I’m holding and B I’m not opposed to putting in some extra work. That being said, the biggest pain is probably for the sharpeners when comes time to thin the knife looking to remove all the low spots 😂
My Favorite blacksmith is Yu Kurosaki. He makes beautiful knives like Fujin SG2 with a blue turquoise handle. Just beautiful, great Fit and finished
What's yours?
Who doesn’t know this legend ❤
I have 7 Denkas the little imperfections don't matter they make his knives unique. to the untrained eye a Denka will look unappealing, ugly but omg that sharpness and edge retention is unmatched.
a lot of them have much worse than "little imperfections though" and for the price of these knives that is unacceptable. make sure you ask for pictures when buying one, otherwise its a complete lottery lol.
I was pretty lucky my maroboshi santoku was fine but I feel like it’s a bit of luck what you will get. I would definitely stick to the Wa handles because the F&F on some of the Yo handles is terrible and not easily fixed.
the yo handle fits much nicer !!
I have a 135mm TF petty , pear skin , western handle. Its a chef knife killer.
Excellent context man keep it up!
Gage and Jake, if a knife isn't "true" out of the box, one might rightly think that the maker is not attentive to his/her craft. It seems so counter to the Japanese ethos that a knife could be shipped with so many problems. So I have to ask, what are the most important characteristics of a knife and when does it become a knife? For me, it is ease of cutting, comfort of cutting over long periods, then edge retention and ease of sharpening.
The most important thing is that the blade is straight from tip to spine, has a proper heat treat and the edge geometry should be perfect. Everything else can be touched up with sandpaper and a little time
@@troyounce3295 heat treat, handle and blade geometry.
I don’t have any Japanese knives and after a year of researching I’m planning to get Fujiwara in the future. Definitely not as a first knife, I’m not worthy lol
I own a Fujiwara Marboroshi 210 Gyuto. I really like it. A true work horse of a knife. The finish was not perfect, but the longer I use it - the more I like it. It's a blast. Super sharp, easy to sharpen and beside beeing quite hart, not too brittle. You can do everything with it. I like the work of Fujiwara San. Great knives for real kitchen work.
Cutting test please :)
A good denka is quite possibly the best knife there is. Better than Kato, Shig, Toyama, Tsukasa, Konosuke, or any honyaki.
Based on what criteria? What makes a knife good? The fact that it costs $800 because they make it old school style in a modern industrial world where you could sell an equivalent knife for about $150? It’s a myth is what it actually is. They’re expensive. The fit and finish is a joke. And steel is almost brittle as glass and still doesn’t even have the edge retention of VG10
@@markbrown9138 it cuts better than anything else out there. It has the best edge retention out of all the Japanese steels. And it’s easy to sharpen. I don’t really care for my denka or Japanese knives in general anymore because I am more into apex ultra steel now.
@@convict240 honestly you sound like a 15 year old that has no actual practical experience with any of this stuff, just reading about it online. Any basic stainless steel has better “edge retention” than low alloy “super blue” steel. That’s exactly why it’s so easy to sharpen. The biggest issue with super blue steel is the fact that it’s very brittle and chips easily. That’s why blue #1 is considered to be a higher grade steel in Japan. Hitachi, The company that invented this line of steel in the first place and produces it says the same thing right on their website under the data sheet. Hitachi also makes modern steels like ZDP 189, which was specifically designed for high end culinary knives, and which in my experience will stay sharp at least 10x longer than super blue when it comes to culinary use, gets just as hard, is less brittle and unlike super blue doesn’t rust. They’re called traditional steels for a reason. Because they’re obsolete relics. It’s like trying to argue a 50 year old car is better than a modern car.
@@markbrown9138 ok
In your opinion why are the Denka so pricy?
Hype?
Performance?
I don’t understand how a subpar finish can be so expensive.
easily one of the highest performance knives you can get. hes one of few who still forge welds his own steel and gets the heat treat to an absurd hardness. the gets the white #1 on the maraboshi up to a 65/66
@@AC-wl7ve most other smiths get their steel prelaminated from hitachi company. Fujiwara makes real handcraft.
You were right to be reserved to sell these knives as theyr finish and flaws are not to be ignored.
Yes the heat treatment is great, yes the steel is ok, but...that ends with the benefits!
There are better geometry, better handles, better finishes, better prices to plenty other knives that offer more than these Denka or Maboroshi lines from Fujiwara.
You know what makes them sell at these high prices?
All of you praising them like there is nothing better in the world!
America's marketing made them expensive and popular!
There are plenty of better european steels than any japanese steel, better working technology than theyr old fashioned style specially when it comes to heat treatment, better handles and finishes, overall better less expensive knives.
Thia is not a guess, it is a fact based upon metalurgical science when it comes to steels and also a fact considering the knives i've seen and held in my hands from different blacksmiths from arround the world.
They make better knives but nobody promoting them.
This is absolutely NOT normal!
A person with a little knowledge would not pay this much for such a low quality finish, only naives buy them for the so called "performance" and "history".