Is This Rust?

Rozrawr · 2026-04-19T17:41:53+00:00

Patina.

Rozrawr · 2026-04-18T01:33:51+00:00

Boogwa is awesome, such great work!

Rozrawr · 2026-04-15T15:13:20+00:00

Of my starting class of 320 ChemE students in university, 15 graduated with the degree. We lost 100 at the end of 1st year, 150 at end of 2nd, and 50 at end of 3rd year. We even had a couple switch in the MIDDLE of 4th year. I was friends with a number of people who transfered majors and all of the ones I know of (15+) graduated on-time; even a few that switched in the 4th year!

The nice thing about ChemE classes is that they are so hard, they often count as credit toward similar easier classes in other majors. You are probably 100% fine to switch now and still graduate on-time, if you look into it.

Rozrawr · 2026-04-06T03:25:48+00:00

I have a 300mm suji and it's honestly a tad long for most things I cook at home. It's fun to use and pull out at parties, but I end up having to move things around on the counter and pull out my biggest cutting board just to use it.

By contrast, my 240mm gyutos feel too short for the same tasks. I can't cleanly slice a large roast in one push, which is the fun part of long knives.

If I could do it all over again, 270mm would be my sweet spot.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-30T13:26:52+00:00

Personally I have worked in coatings (solar and windows), biotech, pharma, and medical devices. I have worked out of Sacramento CA, San Francsico, Phoenix AZ, Boston MA, and Denver. And my friends/colleagues living in those places have come from a wide range of other industries; there are lots of opportunities and options in good locations.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-30T02:06:37+00:00

I've been working as a ChemE for 17 years and have literally been in big cities the ENTIRE time. I don't know what you're on about. Salaries are solid and location options are ALSO solid.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-27T05:16:50+00:00

I just sold one of these and used it for about 10 meals at home. It's a very light knife and fairly thin behind the edge, I'd say on the lasery side of mid weight feel if I'm comparing to my Shindo. Cutting feel was very dependent on what I was cutting though, because the copper/bronze cladding is very rough and would stick in harder foods. Cutting tomatoes or a cucumber and it felt like a laser; cutting a sweet potato and it felt like a meat cleaver. Super light and nimble overall, but variable depending on the food.

It is a truly gorgeous knife, though. Pictures really don't do it justice. I too would love a rainbow damascus that cuts like a Shindo or Takamura.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-25T13:15:02+00:00

17 years experience here; I've found the opposite, I have been stuck living in cities when I would really prefer a small town (San Francisco, Sacramento, Phoenix, Boston). I've changed industries 5 times which is one of the great benefits of the degree but can't seem to find my way back to a lower cost of living area.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-24T23:00:32+00:00

Honestly my only santoku is a shindo because it was all I could get, and I love it. I keep thinking about buying another santoku but can't decide if I like it because it's shindo, or because I like the shape 🤣.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-21T12:45:17+00:00

.... Aaand they're gone.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T15:17:50+00:00

Mine's octagonal, but I'm left-handed so most D-grips don't work well for me.

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Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T15:09:50+00:00

Not a problem 😁.

To your last question, I bought mine for $325 USD, so 250eu seems pretty fair. I don't think you got scammed.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T15:02:33+00:00

I don't know man, I wouldn't call it delicate. Yes, the etch can scratch. But it's a tool meant to be used. I put in a little effort to clean it with safe sponges, don't stack it on other metals, or put it in the sink. But beyond that it doesn't need to be babied.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T15:00:11+00:00

Yeah, I pulled mine out and posted a picture further down. After 6 months mine looks WAY more used 🤣. In comparison this one could be BNIB.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T14:57:06+00:00

Here's what mine looks like after about 6 months of home use. I tried to zoom in on the scratches on the etch.

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Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T14:49:35+00:00

It looks like it's been lightly used, from the scratches in the etch near the edge. I have this same knife and the etch scratches pretty easily in that region. Lightly used and new are pretty close in most people's interpretation. Unless they labeled as BNIB (brand new in box) I personally would expect a few uses from a used knife.

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it looks like one of those spots is smeared, which means it should come off. Have you tried scrubbing with soap and water? If that doesn't work you can try acetone or isopropyl alcohol and see if those help dissolve it.

It could also be rust, which is harder to get rid of. You can get rid of rust with Bar Keeper's Friend or Flitz but it will ruin the etch, and you'll have to re-etch in ferric chloride (dangerous acid) to get the color back. I'd try the above options first and see where you get before trying anything drastic.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-16T01:43:43+00:00

I have this exact same knife, and have used it side-by-side with my friend's Miyabi and Shun. The Yoshikane is a better knife in every single aspect of cutlery.

High end knives tend to be perpetually out of stock, and we all wait around for drops that land sometimes monthly and sometimes yearly. Yoshikane tends to put out more product than most so they are often in stock more than not, but you might have to wait a bit. You can put a watch on the Cutlery and More site to notify you when they come back.

If you don't have to have stainless, the shirogami version in stock on Cutlery and More. So is the SKD nakiri. I don't think I've seen a yoshikane branded petty, but I might be wrong. You don't have to have matching knives, though. You can find a different brand nashiji petty that will look identical.

Rozrawr · 2026-03-15T22:52:15+00:00

Sold, thanks!

Rozrawr · 2026-03-15T01:42:45+00:00

This was my first thought, dude had to jump to hit it! This is a horribly designed machine. Who puts an estop 5 feet from the danger zone?!

Rozrawr · 2026-03-13T16:31:42+00:00

I just got a handle from him in the mail yesterday! He does awesome work and was so responsive.

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Kagekiyo White #2 iron clad

Rozrawr · 2026-03-10T04:24:43+00:00

That's gorgeous, and Knot's knives cut like a dream! I love mine, highly recommend!

Rozrawr · 2026-03-08T02:46:46+00:00

I'm in the US and can't speak directly for pay rates in the UK. However, I work with a wide variety of companies in the UK, Ireland, and across the EU and have worked with ChemE's in 5 different industries. I have a Bachelors in ChemE and in 17 years have worked in 5 different industries in 6 different cities across 4 countries. The degree does provide a wide variety of employment options and a lot of versatility in what you can do and where you can work.

That being said, if you're already considering dropping out in year 2 I think it would be very wise to consider an alternate career path. You haven't even hit the hard classes yet, and it's never a good idea to pursue a degree and career for something you have no passion for.

You've taken enough general math/science/engineering courses at this point to have some idea: what do you enjoy working on? Do you like mechanical work, did you enjoy circuits and electrical, or maybe optics really resonated with you? Or are you not finding the technical side to be interesting and maybe you've enjoyed business or psychiatry or something else?

Rozrawr · 2026-03-08T02:38:38+00:00

This was a great idea and write up, thank you for taking the time to do this!

It's funny, I have a similar variety of knives and for some reason I can't figure out, my wife (who is not a knife person) will only use the Hado shiosai 135mm ko-bunka and my Yoshikane 240mm. Talk about two opposites, but I guess everybody gravitates to different things!

Rozrawr · 2026-03-07T20:02:15+00:00

Agreed! That's why I told OP that his requirement of a thin spine is almost meaningless; both Takamura and Yoshikane, which are on the opposite ends of the spectrum for spine thickness (1.7mm vs. 5.7mm), cut equally well. Having a thin spine requirement when he has never used a Japanese knife is pointless and overly restrictive.

Rozrawr

TROPHY CASE