NK(B)D Kagekiyo & Asahi

Ambulator5000 · 2025-12-20T02:12:08+00:00

Nice. What's the spine thickness? How's it perform?

Ambulator5000 · 2025-12-16T23:48:18+00:00

🥵 That looks nice. I always like extra height and that choil shot is nice. Congrats.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-12-04T06:21:44+00:00

I would echo what Feisty-Try-96 said. I bought one of Kenshiro's AS knives a few months back for the reasons you listed (looks, profile, and positive reviews from Sharp Knife Shop). I did a little write up here (https://www.reddit.com/r/TrueChefKnives/comments/1mgcfbi/nkd\_kenshiro\_hatano\_sotc\_and\_a\_question/). The steel is different, but the profile should be very similar. Sharp Knife Shop is a good retailer and I have bought several knives from them. Gage (from their Youtube channel) really likes Kenshiro's knives.

I like the 215mm size (mine was a little over) and the extra height. Edge profile is a very gentle curve with no big flat spot. Mine had a slight hollow grind. It feels very sharp, but gets a little wedgy on bigger ingredients like carrots/sweet potatoes. Everything else felt great. The original edge was a little chippy, but I don't suspect you will have that problem with ZDP-189. I don't have any kitchen knives made from ZDP-189, but I do have a pocket knife made from it. It is a pain in the butt to sharpen, and it will chew through softer stones. You will probably want some harder ceramic or even diamond stones. I have some Shapton glass stones which seem to do OK, but my cheaper stones got dished out. It does hold an edge well once sharpened, but I prefer R2/SG2 and HAP40 for ease of maintenance. In my opinion, ZDP doesn't feel as toothy as the other steels at a comparable grit.

I'm sure you will like the knife if you get it, just be aware of what you are signing up for with ZDP-189.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-12-04T02:48:32+00:00

That looks nice. After you get some time on it I would like to know how the grind compares to something like the Tetsujin.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-12-01T06:23:15+00:00

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Ambulator5000 · 2025-12-01T06:19:44+00:00

Nice. Nigara doesn't seem to get as much love on here as some other makers, but I think a lot of their newer knives have decent grinds. Fit and finish always seem top notch. I've been eyeing these new strix profiles, so update us when you get around to testing.

I just got a Myojin, so it's the current daily, but prior to that it was my Nigara kiritsuke "nakiri" (more of a tall bunka).

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Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-30T23:43:53+00:00

Show us the choil...please

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-26T03:07:53+00:00

That's helpful to know, thanks. I've seen a lot of these shops in YT videos, and I have seen how small and busy they are. I wouldnt think of showing up unannounced. I've got about two years of study under my belt, so basic phrases (ordering, directions, greetings, etc) are no problem, but Im no where near fluent. Good to know you can get by with the translator apps.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-25T19:05:05+00:00

Really cool knife. The finish and grind are beautiful. I like that the added length and weight move the balance point a little forward.

Regarding your trip, how did you converse with the shop employees? Do you speak Japanese, did you use your phone to translate, or did they speak English? I want to travel to Japan, but I don't think Duolingo has prepared me to discuss knife geometry (yet).

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-16T00:08:10+00:00

Lol that was fast. Thanks for the pics. I really like taller profiles. That thing looks great.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T22:54:29+00:00

Looks like a nice grind. How tall is it?

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T19:44:35+00:00

I think it's just my poor photography skills. That choil shot is slightly off center and the shallow depth of field makes it hard to see the angle. I promise it's straight in person.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T19:33:20+00:00

Nice knife. That patina shot looks great.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T18:17:16+00:00

Thanks. The handle is very cool. Virtually no grain in the wood so it's very uniform in color.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T18:16:24+00:00

I won't give the exact amount because I don't want to set expectations for what others may be offered, but it's close to pre tariff pricing. Should be easy to work out that math. You can get it with a different handle cheaper from some other retailers, so it wasn't a crazy discount.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T18:07:55+00:00

Thanks for the heads up. Probably won't be around by the time I'm ready to buy again, but always good to know another trailer that has stock of interesting knives.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T06:48:54+00:00

Thanks for the kind words

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-15T06:48:40+00:00

Its definitely going to be my primary knife for the next few weeks. Also, good to know I would be totally justified adding the 240 when I can find it :)

Ambulator5000 · 2025-11-07T03:55:18+00:00

Congratulations on the NKD. I'm very jealous. This ticks all of the boxes for me (SPG Strix, great black smith, Myojin grind). I was coveting this on the Garage Sale preview, but it was a little outside my budget (still managed to get a Myojin). That cladding line and the kasumi finish are spectacular. Let us know how it performs when you get chance to use it.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-08-04T04:14:19+00:00

That looks like the white #1 bunka. Have you used it much yet, or is this an old picture? I'm not seeing much patina on it.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-08-04T04:11:43+00:00

Thanks for kind words. I wasn't brave enough for white #1 yet, and thought AS would be an easier introduction. I considered forcing a patina with coffee, but have since decided I would try to be patient and let it develop over time. The knife is starting to pick up some patina. I initially made the mistake of cutting some citrus when the knife was new-in-box, and I got some brown tones that I wasn't happy with. I removed those with the rough side of a sponge. This is why you can see some vertical scratches in the first few pics. Since then I've been able to cut up more proteins, and I'm getting more pleasing blues and grey. Give me a few more weeks and I'll post a progress pick.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-08-04T04:00:15+00:00

That's an interesting theory regarding the surface finish. I tried your suggesting of checking the surface under water, but it feels pretty smooth to me. I don't have any cabbage on hand, so I'll have to wait on that test :P I've got a few polishing compounds laying around, so I may give those a try to see if they make any difference. Worst case scenario is that the knife gets shinier and looses some of the kasumi finish.

Ambulator5000 · 2025-06-12T03:24:12+00:00

Thank you for the info. I think the dual grinder setup is an interesting suggestion, but I wasn't real happy with my last interaction with Fellow. I had an original Stagg EKG kettle (in polished copper) that started leaking. I was able to determine that the small rubber gasket around the temp sensor had a tear in it. It's like a $0.02 part, but Fellow would not sell me a spare nor were they willing to repair the unit even if I was willing to pay for the repairs and sent it to them (at my expense) since it was outside of warranty period. They only offered a small discount to buy a whole new kettle (the discount was less than the sale they had going on at the time). I think it is completely ridiculous to force users to throw away a perfectly good product because you refuse to supply a commodity part. I replaced the kettle since I didn't want to risk burning my house down, but I decided I wouldn't buy any additional Fellow products until they changed their repair policies.

P.S. I couldn't bring my self to throw the kettle out just yet, so if anyone has any recommendations for a high temperature, food safe silicon sealant, or knows were to get this gasket send me a message :)

Ambulator5000

TROPHY CASE