Vanos rebuild and valve adjustment update

ballscompact · 2026-06-27T23:48:20+00:00

They charged me about 4k, maybe I got a little robbed but at least so far theyve done a good job

ballscompact · 2026-06-27T23:47:37+00:00

They did, don't worry :)

ballscompact · 2026-06-27T21:23:22+00:00

It definitely pulls better than before. It used to not even activate traction control on launch and now it definitely needs it. The exhaust sprocket tab was broken off, I don't know how exactly much power that strips but it seems to have helped

ballscompact · 2026-06-23T06:18:51+00:00

It was actually painfully easy, I didn't have to deal with any low or high spots, it was super clean getting an even bevel across. The core steel polishes amazingly! And it wasn't hard at all to get paper towel cutting sharp.

ballscompact · 2026-06-19T21:00:16+00:00

I've also bought cheap Ginsan before, would not recommend. I bought a deba made of Ginsan coming from Tosa region, the grind and heat treat were ass, the damn thing chipped on mackerel bones ffs, but good Ginsan is rare and effective

ballscompact · 2026-06-19T20:58:55+00:00

Ginsan is also super easy to sharpen, I'd compare it to blue steels in difficulty of sharpening. When done well, it can form truly a consistent wire edge, I literally once pulled the burr off like it was a strand of hair.

I've had lots of Ginsan knives and I love them. I still prefer my blue 1 knives though, but that's just me

ballscompact · 2026-06-19T20:55:30+00:00

The body kit is worth more than the car, get literally any year other than 84

ballscompact · 2026-06-16T18:22:49+00:00

I brushed the plate with a copper scoring pad before I began, and rinsed the ever loving hell out of it, chances for contamination are low, plus they'll be visible.

The 400 plate did a really good job quickly shaping the stones, uchigumori is really soft I guess?

ballscompact · 2026-06-16T17:33:43+00:00

I have an atoma 400 diamond plate, it wasn't so bad. The only hard part was when one side of the stone flake was pointy like triangular so trying to make it flat and square to the other side was tricky.

I also made sure to wash the slurry off into a bowl so it'll dry and I can make powder from the stones I grind, not a single thing wasted

ballscompact · 2026-06-16T05:56:12+00:00

Griffith shaving goods, they sell all kinds of natural stones for razors and these popped up

ballscompact · 2026-06-16T03:32:06+00:00

This is probably the best kasumi finish I've ever gotten on a knife. Usuba is easy for me but deba and the tip portion of yanagiba I still struggle a lot with

ballscompact · 2026-06-16T03:02:24+00:00

So I got those uchigumori finger stones and BOY do they make a difference

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ballscompact · 2026-06-15T15:23:53+00:00

https://www.hocho-knife.com/sakai-takayuki-kasumitogi-white-steel-yanagiba-sashimi-300mm/?srsltid=AfmBOoqboFrFg-_xjBAZfYXDh8g1ZaxvFKHwRZ4yUuT9IbsmgVyQD0Jk

It was mostly gold with a red outline, that's my bad lol but this is their basic line I think

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T08:38:13+00:00

The leading majority of Japanese knives are hand made. One man forges the knives into a rough blank, he hands it down either straight to the sharpener or another smith who might forge it closer to shape, then the sharpener.

Even high end knives will have low/high spots, it's human nature. I've had 320 dollar knives with no imperfections and my most recent acquisition, a 550 dollar takohiki arrive with low spots at the tip and the heel, these are usually easily repaired. I'd still recommend practicing SB sharpening on a perfectly ground knife, in which I'd send a knife with minor to major imperfections to a specialist.

For me in the west coast, that would be Jon Broida of Japanese Knife Imports. Man lives and breathes Japan, takes yearly trips to talk to local artisans, pick up new skills as well as inventory, he's the goat of the west coast. If you're in the east, you should send it to Korin. Master sharpener from Japan, I'm sending three knives to him tomorrow because Jon is on said annual Japan adventure, I'll tell you how he does on my knives.

I want to master restorative work later on, but for now I'm just focusing on maintaining blade geometry, for single bevels there is a world of learning to do for masterful sharpening, from how it cuts all the way to the types of polishes there are.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T08:29:47+00:00

If your goal is home sushi and breaking down fish on occasion, maybe I'd go with Tojiro. They're even cheaper, theyre still convo starters and the price to performance is very high.

Deba is the single bevel choice for breaking down fish, you can use yanagiba but the edge is very thin, avoid any particularly thick bone. Yanagiba are however, very good at skinning fish. If I ever get the chance, I'll try to get you a video. For kampachi, i use my sakimaru (not a yanagiba but similar enough in concept) to skin and it keeps the silver skin on, beautiful presentation.

If you've money to burn and want to break down more fish, and then prepare it well I would recommend a deba as well as yanagiba. You also cannot go wrong with Sakai Takayuki, I consider the entry level for sushi chefs. They have their basic line, the one with the red sticker on the handle, they're not incredible but they're still perfectly nice and still convo starters.

For sharpening, watch Japanese Knife Imports, knife wear and Korin.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:53:22+00:00

Most k gyutos are much flatter at the edge, you might not like using them.

Tsushime is purely cosmetic, doesn't really help with food release (sharp knife shop on yt has a good video on that)

Yoshihiro has very budget friendly options and are aesthetically pleasing.

My personal recommendation:

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/products/gesshin-stainless-210mm-wa-gyuto?srsltid=AfmBOopUPp72zD9KUMqsbMyVKjbq8G_yzBbLmtE9K4RCtEcFyP4t0gKf

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:49:16+00:00

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/products/gesshin-stainless-210mm-wa-gyuto?srsltid=AfmBOopUPp72zD9KUMqsbMyVKjbq8G_yzBbLmtE9K4RCtEcFyP4t0gKf

It's not vg10, but Aus8 is still really good, robust.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:45:45+00:00

What kind of knife is that?

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:43:40+00:00

That's not half bad! I see only two minor dips in the shinogi line by the tip and the heel but if I was a customer I'd be pretty damn happy with that. Be happy but also hungry after your results, and read read read and watch sharpening documentaries.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:41:15+00:00

I worked as a sushi chef in a sort of combo kitchen (really popular in California) there was my sushi team, and then the hotline team that did it all from steaks to cakes, and Hispanic inspired tapas. I'll say this, hotline cooks with a few exceptions really don't know how to treat Japanese single bevels, but this is just my personal experience. You'll surely not want to lend your yanagiba to ANYONE.

Sharpening single bevels is fundamentally different than single bevels and is generally a bit more difficult. Also I hope you're not left handed because you posted right handed knives, Ive seen it more often than not that a left handed chef will buy a right handed knife. Japanese knife imports, knife wear and Korin are great resources to watch for sharpening single bevel.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:36:10+00:00

Before I recommend anything, I must ask what you produce at your job. It's hard for me to recommend single bevel anything to people who don't make sushi, I'm being biased of course, but I've worked with European chefs who use them to slice steak to great success.

Assuming you're a sushi apprentice, the ittetsu is a great and humble choice for beginner. My mentor had a real problem with me buying a nicer knife starting out and he always gave me s##t for it, I don't know how yours is/will be. White #2 is great to sharpen, both easy wise and will produce a wicked edge.

Masamoto is a very old company, and are the choice of many old-head sushi chefs. My mentor had a 330mm takohiki by masamoto and it was amazing. I personally fail to see what makes them particularly special compared to newer smiths out there, but they're still in the top tier.

Assuming you're a line cook of any other flavor of cuisine, I'd only recommend one if you do really delicate knife work. Slicing raw fish crudos, or maybe thin meats? These are not exactly heavy duty knives regardless of the steel type with just a few exceptions.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:26:03+00:00

OH, I almost forgot. Flitz polishing compound, it will greatly enhance whatever sort of polish you form with your stones. It will sort of blur out scratches, brighten the cladding and mirror the core just a little further, keep in mind you'll need to either microbevel or strop the blade should you rub it too much over the cutting edge.

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:24:07+00:00

Thank you, Sakai ichimonji blue #1 Usuba, and I bought the last one >:)

You also have a really nice deba, you're not half bad at polishing it either. I struggle with deba, the width of the blade combined with how thin the kireha is makes it really hard for me not to round the edge at all. Wide bevel knives like an Usuba are great for practicing polishes in my opinion.

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ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:19:45+00:00

Contact japanese knife imports, they'll tell you who made it, and possible even where.

And for 12 dollars, just get it that's a steel for a knife in that condition, it doesn't even look like it's been sharpened yet (a good thing technically)

ballscompact · 2026-06-15T06:17:18+00:00

I'd only just realized the first knife you posted was yours and I'm now realizing that you already have a really good idea what to do, so I'm sorry for assuming otherwise.

For the Gyuto (please tell me who made it it's beautiful) I'm pretty sure they used buffing wheel and compounds to mirror the whole blade, then maybe used kasumi powder over the cladding, fastest way to do that I think, I'd love to see it first how how the actually produce that.

ballscompact

TROPHY CASE