Attention: I no longer do business with chefknivestogo. Find a bricks and mortar store to test knives in person, it's so much better than buying something online and guessing. Also, support you local knife makers! Go to knife shows and be amazed at what our local craftsman can produce!
Absolutely. Japanese knives are kinda stagnant asf. Tend to be over priced and just stagnant. Only available through resellers many of which are shady. No quality control. No warranties. Shady sellers put whatever price they want. Sell used stuff as new, sell factory seconds with dings and flaws as pristine. etc. All the time. Japanese knives are not innovating at all. They have a lot of marketing behind them by resellers which creates false mystique promoted by people pushing myths. Nothing special about them. Masakage in particular are over priced hype knives for people who are too smart to fall for social media scam knives, so they're at least getting something authentic, but it's probably the least desirable of the Japanese stuff to those in the know. Tradition can be okay but it can also be really dumb and regressive, hold back innovation and progress. I have no clue why anyone would still be using white steel to make a kitchen knife. Even the company that invented and produces white steel Hitachi says it's for razors and things like that not kitchen knives.
Man , I still watch your videos , For years now, on and off . enjoy them still. I own several good hand made knives. Thank you for your tiem and effort. I miss your videos.
Thank you very much, it's comments like this that keep me going. I will continue to do my best making these for you, and please let me know if you'd like to see something improved. :)
Im a fairly new subscriber and I wanted to let you know your reviews are very fine. Almost as fine as the knives you show. It can be hard to find informative videos for japanese kitchen knives. Thank you for you quality, concision and accessibility.
I bought the Yuki. It is amazing, but fragile. My edge broke in several spots cutting a butternut squash. CKTG fixed it for me for the price of sharpening service.
That video gives me hungry...Hum !!! What is there inside my freezer Prawns and sweet and sour sauce... That kind of video is a trap for me ! I love knives, top quality professional equipment. And it oftenopen my appetit of course ! lol and logical !
It's kinda in the intro but not extremely obvious. It just says "Chef Knives To Go Reviews". The site is chefknivestogo.com. I just ordered a couple of Yamashin knives from them and can't wait til they get here. lol They will be my first actual Japanese knives. The prices aren't bad there from what I can tell. Granted they have some REALLY expensive artisan made knives, but they also have some great value stuff too.
Very informative video - thanks! I'm going to grab myself a Yuki Nakiri - but how do you recommend sharpening it? Freehand stones I guess. I have both the Lansky and KME sharpening systems, but they only go to 17 degrees while this knife is ground at 15 degrees. The KME gives a sharper edge, but also has a tendency to scratch more - and it would be such a shame to spoil a beautiful finish like this.
A lot of Japanese knife collectors strongly believe in freehand sharpening on Japanese waterstones. That being said there are those that use a system like the Edge Pro or Wicked Edge. Honestly, no matter what you use to sharpen the knife the angle of the edge is not of paramount importance, the consistency of the angle is. If you freehand sharpen you will never get the exact degree of the bevel (it will constantly change ever so slightly over the years due to sharpening) and the guided systems aren't necessarily perfect either as far as edge angle is concerned. You will never notice a difference between 15 and 17 degrees on a knife as thin as these, so while I personally love to freehand sharpen (it is therapeutic, lol) it really doesn't matter a whole lot.
***** Great advice - thanks. I think I'll go for the 17 degree bevel with my KME as I know the system. But waterstones will be a future purchase for sure.
You are very welcome. It just seems that a LOT of people get caught up in edge angles and sharpening methods when they aren't as huge a deal as they are made out to be. One thing I do need to mention is that with the harder Japanese knives, be careful when using diamond plates/stones. The metal is so hard the diamonds can actually chip the fine edge of a sharp blade. If the blade is under 60 Rockwell you are probably fine, but over 60 I'd stay away from diamond plates or stones just to be safe, especially for finishing the blade. For setting bevels it might not be as big a deal... I wouldn't do it, but still... lol Any knife that costs $200 or more is an investment and worth protecting. ;)
Would you recommend having two laser knives? I own a takamura r2 gyuto and it’s very thin, after watching you chop the vegetables with the yuki reminded me of my takamura. Do you find there’s a big difference with a lack of tip?
It takes getting used to for sure. I love my nakiri but you’ll find yourself trying to slide the tip forward for the final release that you would do with a bunka/Gyuto. You have to really learn to not rely on the tip.
carol tang look into different style Bunkas. They are like a nakiri had a baby with a Gyuto. They have a tallish flat blade and a pointed tip. Best of both worlds. Best knife purchase I ever made. I got mine from chef knives to go (no affiliation). They have a Masakage Yuki bunka among many other brands. Anyway take care.
I was thinking about bunka as well because I have a santoku and I’m not a fan of how it cuts. I can never make clean chops of vegetables (accordion cuts) which is why I was thinking about getting a nakiri because of the flat surface
carol tang I found your next knife! Yoshimitsu Blue #2 Bunka 175mm www.chefknivestogo.xn--c%7C-bsa/yobl2bu17.html lol! Check it out. There’s a video on it as well! Ok I’m done I promise.
Buy a cheap thin nakiri to start, you'll probably never feel the need to upgrade. CKTG isn't the only place you can buy one, there are plenty of custom makers and Japanese knife websites that would be happy to sell you one. Good Luck!
Both over priced hype knives sold to people as "hand forged works of art' but in reality they're hand ground from stamped out templates of pre laminated sheet steel. Nothing you said about the steel was remotely accurate, as expected. They're both hollow ground, which is interesting. The problem with the white steel knife is it's over priced and the steel is obsolete. vg-10 and other basic modern steels get just as hard, take just as fine of an edge, but hold that edge probably twice as long if not more. Yes they will be a bit harder to sharpen, that thing is comically easy to sharpen which is why it dulls so fast too. The problem with the super blue knife is it's overpriced. Super blue can be a fun user steel, at least it's taken up to a target hardness of 64 rc which you can only find in premium modern steels. That said for half the money you could get something from tojiro or miyabi or even nigara if you have a thing for fake hand made knives that are actually just low volume mass produced stamped like everything else, made out of a steel like SG2, which will of course be harder to sharpen but will run circles around the super blue in real world performance. The question is how difficult to sharpen vs how quick to dull. White steel is obsolete garbage. Super blue is a fun user steel. Holds an edge pretty good and very easy to sharpen. R2 will hold an edge twice as long but also take twice the effort to sharpen, gets just as sharp, less likely to chip that super blue and of course does not rust. Tough choice. So much hype in bs in knife land
Attention: I no longer do business with chefknivestogo. Find a bricks and mortar store to test knives in person, it's so much better than buying something online and guessing. Also, support you local knife makers! Go to knife shows and be amazed at what our local craftsman can produce!
Why did you stop doing business with them?
Why did you stop? Was there a problem?
@Democrats Are just nazis might be because they are dodgy
Absolutely. Japanese knives are kinda stagnant asf. Tend to be over priced and just stagnant. Only available through resellers many of which are shady. No quality control. No warranties. Shady sellers put whatever price they want. Sell used stuff as new, sell factory seconds with dings and flaws as pristine. etc. All the time. Japanese knives are not innovating at all. They have a lot of marketing behind them by resellers which creates false mystique promoted by people pushing myths. Nothing special about them. Masakage in particular are over priced hype knives for people who are too smart to fall for social media scam knives, so they're at least getting something authentic, but it's probably the least desirable of the Japanese stuff to those in the know.
Tradition can be okay but it can also be really dumb and regressive, hold back innovation and progress. I have no clue why anyone would still be using white steel to make a kitchen knife. Even the company that invented and produces white steel Hitachi says it's for razors and things like that not kitchen knives.
Man , I still watch your videos , For years now, on and off . enjoy them still. I own several good hand made knives. Thank you for your tiem and effort. I miss your videos.
Thank you very much, it's comments like this that keep me going. I will continue to do my best making these for you, and please let me know if you'd like to see something improved. :)
Im a fairly new subscriber and I wanted to let you know your reviews are very fine. Almost as fine as the knives you show. It can be hard to find informative videos for japanese kitchen knives. Thank you for you quality, concision and accessibility.
Thats the white steel effect. The fine carbides just make cleaner, smoother cuts. Love both of these blades though
superb cutting. I am getting one of these knives for myself.
I bought the Yuki. It is amazing, but fragile. My edge broke in several spots cutting a butternut squash. CKTG fixed it for me for the price of sharpening service.
Nice review, Thanks for sharing.
This was a great review and impressed with the performance of the knives. I was hoping to see a link in the information panel though.
Excellent review, dude.
I ordered the Yuki one in the UK. 125£. the in-laws will bring in 2 days. feel like a little boy before Xmas
Just don't make any bets on unlicensed pikey boxing matches and you should be hunky-dory ;)
both beautiful knives but can def visually see which one goes through the veggies smoother.
Aww man, I never thought I could fall in love with a knife... until I did.
love the vids
That video gives me hungry...Hum !!! What is there inside my freezer
Prawns and sweet and sour sauce...
That kind of video is a trap for me ! I love knives, top quality professional equipment.
And it oftenopen my appetit of course ! lol and logical !
l like that knife with white grip
Very nice!
What I've learned from this is that one need not settle with "one knife that does all" unless stuck in a small kitchen cooking for at most two people.
NIce review - you should really put a link to your website through the video though.
It's kinda in the intro but not extremely obvious. It just says "Chef Knives To Go Reviews". The site is chefknivestogo.com. I just ordered a couple of Yamashin knives from them and can't wait til they get here. lol They will be my first actual Japanese knives. The prices aren't bad there from what I can tell. Granted they have some REALLY expensive artisan made knives, but they also have some great value stuff too.
I can feel it
Very informative video - thanks! I'm going to grab myself a Yuki Nakiri - but how do you recommend sharpening it? Freehand stones I guess. I have both the Lansky and KME sharpening systems, but they only go to 17 degrees while this knife is ground at 15 degrees. The KME gives a sharper edge, but also has a tendency to scratch more - and it would be such a shame to spoil a beautiful finish like this.
A lot of Japanese knife collectors strongly believe in freehand sharpening on Japanese waterstones. That being said there are those that use a system like the Edge Pro or Wicked Edge. Honestly, no matter what you use to sharpen the knife the angle of the edge is not of paramount importance, the consistency of the angle is. If you freehand sharpen you will never get the exact degree of the bevel (it will constantly change ever so slightly over the years due to sharpening) and the guided systems aren't necessarily perfect either as far as edge angle is concerned. You will never notice a difference between 15 and 17 degrees on a knife as thin as these, so while I personally love to freehand sharpen (it is therapeutic, lol) it really doesn't matter a whole lot.
***** Great advice - thanks. I think I'll go for the 17 degree bevel with my KME as I know the system. But waterstones will be a future purchase for sure.
You are very welcome. It just seems that a LOT of people get caught up in edge angles and sharpening methods when they aren't as huge a deal as they are made out to be. One thing I do need to mention is that with the harder Japanese knives, be careful when using diamond plates/stones. The metal is so hard the diamonds can actually chip the fine edge of a sharp blade. If the blade is under 60 Rockwell you are probably fine, but over 60 I'd stay away from diamond plates or stones just to be safe, especially for finishing the blade. For setting bevels it might not be as big a deal... I wouldn't do it, but still... lol Any knife that costs $200 or more is an investment and worth protecting. ;)
My God, when he's sliding his fingers along the edge...
He knows what he's doing though...
*points gun at head* it’s fine he knows what he’s doing
Where did you get your cutting bored and what are the measurments
i see what you did there at the end ;)
You make a video and you make dinner:D
Would you recommend having two laser knives? I own a takamura r2 gyuto and it’s very thin, after watching you chop the vegetables with the yuki reminded me of my takamura. Do you find there’s a big difference with a lack of tip?
It takes getting used to for sure. I love my nakiri but you’ll find yourself trying to slide the tip forward for the final release that you would do with a bunka/Gyuto. You have to really learn to not rely on the tip.
Ok I see, that is definitely something I need to get use to because I enjoying using the tip.
carol tang look into different style Bunkas. They are like a nakiri had a baby with a Gyuto. They have a tallish flat blade and a pointed tip. Best of both worlds. Best knife purchase I ever made. I got mine from chef knives to go (no affiliation). They have a Masakage Yuki bunka among many other brands. Anyway take care.
I was thinking about bunka as well because I have a santoku and I’m not a fan of how it cuts. I can never make clean chops of vegetables (accordion cuts) which is why I was thinking about getting a nakiri because of the flat surface
carol tang I found your next knife!
Yoshimitsu Blue #2 Bunka 175mm
www.chefknivestogo.xn--c%7C-bsa/yobl2bu17.html
lol! Check it out. There’s a video on it as well! Ok I’m done I promise.
:D :D :D Yes indeed!
So whens the supper party? :P
Dat chameleon intro
What is your cutting board?
Looks like a Jones end grain board (I have one)
can these knives handle boneless meat?
Yep!
nice, might have to make the investment
Buy a cheap thin nakiri to start, you'll probably never feel the need to upgrade. CKTG isn't the only place you can buy one, there are plenty of custom makers and Japanese knife websites that would be happy to sell you one. Good Luck!
There's only one "i" in "ambidextrous"
just saying.
I hope u use that chopped veggies
Herbie hancock
Both over priced hype knives sold to people as "hand forged works of art' but in reality they're hand ground from stamped out templates of pre laminated sheet steel. Nothing you said about the steel was remotely accurate, as expected. They're both hollow ground, which is interesting. The problem with the white steel knife is it's over priced and the steel is obsolete. vg-10 and other basic modern steels get just as hard, take just as fine of an edge, but hold that edge probably twice as long if not more. Yes they will be a bit harder to sharpen, that thing is comically easy to sharpen which is why it dulls so fast too. The problem with the super blue knife is it's overpriced. Super blue can be a fun user steel, at least it's taken up to a target hardness of 64 rc which you can only find in premium modern steels. That said for half the money you could get something from tojiro or miyabi or even nigara if you have a thing for fake hand made knives that are actually just low volume mass produced stamped like everything else, made out of a steel like SG2, which will of course be harder to sharpen but will run circles around the super blue in real world performance. The question is how difficult to sharpen vs how quick to dull. White steel is obsolete garbage. Super blue is a fun user steel. Holds an edge pretty good and very easy to sharpen. R2 will hold an edge twice as long but also take twice the effort to sharpen, gets just as sharp, less likely to chip that super blue and of course does not rust. Tough choice. So much hype in bs in knife land
Just say you're broke lol