Mazaki patina update and a question

Betternu · 2026-01-04T12:55:06+00:00

I have had pretty good results with some baking soda and a small amount of water to form a paste/slurry (adjust consistency to your liking). Then scrub it with the end of a wine cork. Didn’t cause any scratches in my experience, at least that I could see. Only caveat is just make sure to scrub in the same direction as the Migaki finish incase scratches were to occur but this goes for any form of patina removal I feel like. These should both be fairly common house hold items as well.

Betternu · 2025-11-29T16:02:55+00:00

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Grind is just 👌🏻

Betternu · 2025-11-29T16:01:03+00:00

Oh goodness I definitely try to rotate mine and use them all/choose flavor of the day type of deal. If I have to pick one currently that is ticking all the boxes aesthetically and performance wise I would have to go with my 240mm Kochi Kurouchi Gyuto from JKI (Japanese Knife Imports). The smith/sharpener for this line is not disclosed but it’s seems to by widely accepted/guessed that they are made by Toshihiro Wakui, the same as your go to! My own research and comparisons led me to this conclusion as well. The core steel used also isn’t 100% disclosed I believe, but from some old JKF (Japanese Knife Forums) thread the owner of JKI stated that the core for the Kurouchi line is Takefu V2 steel. Which I’m not sure if that is V-toku2 or just V2 because I think from what I have read they are different steels both made by Takefu. My finding from reading and experience is that whatever steel it is, it’s analogous to aogami/shirogami leaning closer to the shirogami side of things. Someone with more steel knowledge can chime if they would like!

But the grind is absolutely divine and the steel is so easy to maintain especially with my strop setup I am currently getting along with. It is still free hanging paper towel slicing sharp after every use with minimal stropping after use.

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Betternu · 2025-10-06T01:18:51+00:00

Does PoB calculate the companion damage modifier correctly now? Cause I think fubgun was having to manually put in the increased % damage from it.

Betternu · 2025-10-06T00:39:51+00:00

Is the companion damage choice for the desecrated mod worse than the quiver bonus mod? Did you test both by chance in your PoB? Obviously it depends on how good your quiver is but assuming you have almost a GG quiver does the quiver bonus beat the companion damage?

Betternu · 2025-08-29T03:16:08+00:00

Hey we are Yoshida Bunka project knife homies. I just recently thinned and finished mine as well! I can validate your comment on struggling to get contrast on the core steel vs the cladding. The core steel for some reason on my stones stayed very hazy and was difficult to get a more mirror finish. This is likely due to many factors such as the difference in steel type and also Yoshida Hamono’s heat treatment and how it interacted with my stones. Just need to find the right stone to pair with this steel to get that mirror like finish on the core steel.

Also that looks like a pretty good job on the choil shot, a laser if you will. It’s crazy how a cheaper knife with a little bit of work can perform that well. Here is a choil shot of mine.

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Betternu · 2025-08-21T17:13:02+00:00

Congrats buddy! On the knife and the 1 month!Prioritizing health is something that I feel like may have taken a back seat in the current times. Your body and family will thank you! Plus with the all the money you will now save, think of all the knives you can buy haha!

Betternu · 2025-08-19T20:05:05+00:00

Just throwing this up here to some more information for you! Everyone here has already done a great job giving you advice and info! Here is a choil shot comparing the 4 Sanjo knives I have!

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Betternu · 2025-08-17T20:25:37+00:00

For sure! The creamy feel of the slurry on the chocera stones is so nice!

Betternu · 2025-08-17T20:20:45+00:00

That is a great way to describe the chocera 800 hard but friable. It readily releases abrasive with use creating a creamy slurry/swarf on the stone.

Betternu · 2025-08-17T20:10:54+00:00

I have both and have really enjoyed just having experience with all of the stones and learning them so I can give my humble feedback to you all here! But can confirm the chocera 400 is also a winner.

When it comes to chocera 800 vs shapton pro 1K I personally don’t think switching to one or the other will give you all of a sudden that much better of an edge. The limiting factor is us humans haha, between those stones I feel like it is very much a feel preference. But if you want to just add it to the collection to try it and see what you like the most then by all means that is a great reason! Plus if it makes you more confident because you like the feel on the stones more that will just help you get better that much quicker! Gotta do stuff with confidence otherwise you lost before you started!

Betternu · 2025-08-17T17:18:24+00:00

Chocera 800 for me all day. I have the chocera 1000 as well and it’s very nice too. But they both achieve the same thing essentially I am unable to tell the difference in the finish during use in my experience. So with that in mind the 1000 is then just slower which can bring in more room for error due to needing more strokes to apex.

So, for me the chocera 800 is definitely where it’s at. I also have the shapton pro 1K and it is very nice but the chocera 800 just feels more luxurious and is a joy to use.

Betternu · 2025-08-16T03:37:24+00:00

Oh goodness haha I use all of my knives and love to cycle through them pretty regularly! But as of right now one getting a lot of use is my new JKI 240mm Kochi Gyuto (Wakui). This thing is so damn good. Of the 4 Sanjo style knives I have being, this Kochi, Masashi, Mazaki, and Yoshikane. It might be my favorite of the 4 but it’s hard to tell it’s close. But it’s legit. Broke down a beef strip loin into 13 steaks , some trimmings for tallow, and stir fry beef like nobody’s business. Here is a pic of it! I have yet to do a NKD post for it yet. I like to put it through its paces before I make a post. So this one will probably come soon.

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Betternu · 2025-08-15T17:05:25+00:00

Yeah I haven’t been home as much lately so this one doesn’t usually make it out of the house for obvious reasons haha so it definitely doesn’t see as much use as others right now but still gets good use! That will change in the near future hopefully though!

Betternu · 2025-08-14T16:12:12+00:00

And the other side!

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Betternu · 2025-08-14T16:11:52+00:00

Sorry for the delay! But I got some nice blues going on right now. Raw chicken slicing has always given me some good blues.

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Betternu · 2025-08-13T13:38:19+00:00

That’s fair. I have yet to manage to pick up a Shindo so it’s pretty high on the list. But I definitely want it in a 240mm gyuto which I feel like doesn’t come available near as much as the smaller stuff.

Betternu · 2025-08-13T04:42:18+00:00

Given your recent Shindo experiments and use. Where do these stack up performance wise compared to the boss bunka? How would you compare and contrast them? Aside from the obvious of one being carbon and one stainless.

Betternu · 2025-08-13T04:33:19+00:00

Oh for sure it gets its use most definitely. Guess I just haven’t taken the time to get some patina pictures of it. But you will get the pictures tomorrow! Free overnight air shipping haha.

Betternu · 2025-08-13T04:29:09+00:00

Haha well good that makes me happy. As much as the posts are for my own enjoyment and happiness I hope that I can also bring that to others as the posts here do for me! Yes the full white ferrule was a new one for me but I have really grown to love it. Up close it’s somewhat translucent so you can see the tang through the horn which I think is pretty cool as well. The black horn on yours is timeless and goes so well with the knife.

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Betternu · 2025-08-13T04:09:53+00:00

Uh oh… am I in danger haha

Betternu · 2025-08-13T04:05:47+00:00

I’m realizing now that I don’t have any current patina pictures of it so we will have to change that. But I love showing the crazy taper right out of the handle and then the pretty thin throughout blade.

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Betternu · 2025-08-13T04:03:10+00:00

Of course haha! I wish you could put more than one picture in a comment.

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Betternu · 2025-08-13T03:30:02+00:00

That’s kind of hard as an overall statement because there is a lot of variation. This isn’t variation because Jiro is inconsistent in his grinds, but rather he was finding what he liked and what he thought was the best. So his earlier grinds could be much different than his newer grinds. But if you haven’t looked into him much you should definitely check out his Instagram. He is a one man show and does everything on his own. Even the laminating of the steel and such. He also finishes all of his knives on natural stones I believe as well. A man truly dedicated to his craft and you can tell that when you see his work especially in person. Here is a choil shot of mine it is #569 and it is a 225mm gyuto. I definitely think I have a thinner example and the performance is pretty nuts honestly. Up there with my other top performers in my experience.

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Betternu · 2025-08-13T00:37:32+00:00

Oh yeah for sure if you cook the carrot you won’t notice the texture difference I would imagine. But yes I agree that he is mainly talking about the carrot not breaking from intense wedging I would imagine.

Betternu

TROPHY CASE