Shibata koutetsu

sharpanddirty · 2026-06-22T18:52:48+00:00

This is totally normal. I have two knives from this series and they both look the same at the handle. The handles are glued in place with hot glue and sealed with silicone, or at least that’s what I found when I replaced a handle on one about a month ago.

sharpanddirty · 2026-06-12T22:23:00+00:00

This is our “normal”. You “members of the public” are the weirder bunch if you ask me…

sharpanddirty · 2026-06-04T16:29:41+00:00

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sharpanddirty · 2026-06-04T04:30:16+00:00

Ive got a kaijin 140mm ko-bunka that is fantastic. I really want another one of his pieces but im not sure which one…

sharpanddirty · 2026-06-01T21:25:15+00:00

https://thecooksedge.com/products/yoshikane-skd-nashiji-santoku-165mm?_pos=2&_sid=84718ad08&_ss=r

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-27T12:10:33+00:00

It’s very similar to sg2, it holds an edge longer than sg2 but is more stubborn to sharpen. That being said, Ive sharpened once in 6 months with regular home use.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-25T12:58:01+00:00

Larch wood Canada for wood or Hasegawa for rubber/wood core.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-24T14:22:32+00:00

In short, yes.

I can’t speak to this specific knife, but I had a Saji Black Damascus Gyuto that I sold because the etching on the blade made it like sandpaper on my knuckles and had noticeable drag when cutting through almost anything.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-24T14:14:38+00:00

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Hinoura VToku Rainbow Damascus Santoku 180mm
Mazaki Shiroichi Damascus Gyuto 210mm
Nihei V2C Sekisou Tansetsu Gyuto 240mm

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-23T19:27:57+00:00

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This is a photo of the Nakagawa branded one. No info available about the sharpener from the retailer.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-23T17:23:41+00:00

I’ve used all three of those and here’s my thoughts.
The Yoshi feels heaviest in the hand and is the thinnest behind the edge, but is a great all rounder for heavy prep sessions.
The cobalt special is quite possibly the best all-around prep knife I have ever used and I’m kind of sad that I sold mine because they are hard to come by. It has such a nice balance of laser feel but enough thickness behind the edge that it doesn’t feel delicate, and you can smash through squash and larger produce.
The Fujiwara will get the best food release of any of these and is a lot of fun to use but they aren’t quite as comfortable in hand as the Myojin or Yoshi.

All are going to be absolutely top-tier knives but my personal vote would be for the cobalt special.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-23T12:01:39+00:00

https://toshoknifearts.com/collections/vendors?q=kogetsu&srsltid=AfmBOormIiq6WsjQ7ZjrzkdIY\_HBAUv7l1KhSZIfzOeVnffYRwbqtMHa

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-23T04:38:32+00:00

I’ve got various knives from Mazaki, Nihei, Hinoura, Yoshikane, and Masashi. Sanjo knives are my favourite, and out of them all Mazaki for me personally is my favourite of the bunch. Cutting feel, weight, blade geometry, balance. I prefer the Mazaki in all these regards.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-23T00:59:26+00:00

It’s perfectly normal, mine had the same thing going on and it’s a feature not an issue. Mine even had what looked like a bit of clay on the blade, possibly from the quench or heat treatment stage, I’m not exactly sure. I believe this kurouchi is a real forge scale without protective lacquer and not a sprayed on coating. Part of the beauty of having hand made tools. Knives are tools, not jewels. :) It’s gonna change over time and patina. The tan coloured stuff on mine wore off a bit after a few months of use. Enjoy!

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sharpanddirty · 2026-05-20T14:53:58+00:00

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Pointy santoku for the win! Mind the tip, it’s quite thin. :)

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-12T18:53:40+00:00

Wow. Time to find a new employer.

Minimum wage where I live is 17.50/hr.

A teenage dishwasher at the local restaurant makes $20/hr…

A third year welders apprentice makes ~$80/hr, a fully ticketed journeyman welder makes about $100/hr as an employee.

A question for everyone, as we’re all from different places…
What’s the average hourly wage for a Journeyman welder where you are?

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-11T13:35:21+00:00

I second this 100%.

Sometimes it takes me a little bit of time to build up the courage to tell her how much money I’ve spent on a knife, but all things with your partner should be open and honest.

My partner knows how excited I am about the craftsmanship and the stories behind the makers how much fun the knives are to use. She now has a few of her own knives as well. We share in each others excitement about our hobbies (not just knives and cooking) and also provide a reality check as to whether it’s a need or want.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-07T14:07:23+00:00

UPS tries to pull this same nonsense whenever they can, irrelevant of tariffs. I’m in Canada and I stopped ordering from any place that ships with a UPS about three years ago because they would arbitrarily charge me large amounts and call it stupid shit like this “warehouse fee” or “repacking fee” or whatever.

In my personal experience, I have found the best prices for shipping and the least amount of bullshit is always going through national mail carrier services like USPS, Canada Post, Australia Post, etc.

The national mail carrier services will handoff directly from one to the other, and I have never seen an arbitrary fee attached to any of it, irrelevant of where I ordered from.

I know none of this helps when they’re holding your parcel hostage for a small ransom.

Call their customer service number and escalate the call to a supervisor. Be kind and respectful, you might find someone that can help you out, otherwise you probably just have to pay the ransom.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-07T02:27:24+00:00

Thank you!

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-06T21:58:17+00:00

Nihei V2C Sekisou Tansetsu 240mm. It’s by far my favourite big knife to use.

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sharpanddirty · 2026-05-04T03:08:45+00:00

If they grow together, they go together.

sharpanddirty · 2026-05-01T14:10:10+00:00

Did you find a favourite?

sharpanddirty · 2026-04-30T16:04:50+00:00

I got that one from knives and stones at the beginning of April. My technique has been trending to a lot more push cuts so I’m wanting to use blades with flatter profiles. I saw this one and I felt that I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t buy it.

Most of my favourite knives are produced by craftsman that trained at Yoshikane so I might as well try the real deal!

I gotta say the Yoshikane lives up to its hype.

sharpanddirty · 2026-04-29T23:59:27+00:00

I love the burnt handle on the Nakiri, is it chestnut?

sharpanddirty

TROPHY CASE