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Jap Chef Knives eBay 15% off: Tojiro DP3 ~$75, Kasumi 20cm ~ $131 + More @ Various Stores eBay

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Jap Chef Knives eBay 15% off: Tojiro DP3 ~$75, Kasumi 20cm ~ $131 + More @ Various Stores eBay
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KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 11:10 ebay.com.au (370 clicks)
Last edited 10/11/2015 - 10:44 by 3 other users
CLICK15

As i have been looking to purchase a high quality japanese chef knife, I have posted some that i have been watching. This post will continue to be updated during the day. Original CLICK15 15% off deal

It appears as soon as the coupon code went live, some stores jacked up shipping price extra $19. I sent a complaint to ebay for it, not sure if it will get resolved.

Update: vic basement called me this morning and told me shipping rates vary across Australia. $28 for WA, 12 for vic, 9 for Sydney metro

Value (Sub $100)

Tojiro 210mm Chef Knife ~$75
Material: VG10 Stainless Steel, 3 layer
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/TOJIRO-DP-3-Layer-Cobalt-Gyuto-Ch…
Review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTiqtJ4Dliw

Global 20cm chef knife ~$80
http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Global-Cooks-Knife-G2-20cm-Mult…
Baseline comparison

Shun Sora 8" chefs knife ~$83
Vg10 edge "hamon"
http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Express-Post-Shun-Sora-8-Chef-Knife…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkFMQ12ZF2Y

Good starting knife, you get the quality and performance of some of these more expensive ones

Pro/Enthusiast grade
Warning: these are not your average knives, they are far superior and technically advanced to your standard Global G2/wusthof knives.

Kasumi 20cm Chefs Knife ~$120-$135
32 layer Damascus Steel, VG10, extremely sharp.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Kasumi-Chefs-Knife-20cm-Free-ship…

http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Kasumi-Chef-Knife-20cm-/22186773924…
demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNrHj82gZqg

Victoria basement jacked up shipping $19 when coupon went live. Will keep posted when resolving complaint.

Zwilling Miyabi Chefs Knife 5000DP ~$175
Specs: CMV60 core 64layers
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Zwilling-Miyabi-5000DP-Gyutoh-200…
Demonstration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8rg71EadPQ

Suehiro Japanese Dual Whetstone 3000/1000 grit (General Sharpening & Honing)
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/141738999706?_trksid=p2060353.m27…
Guiderail
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311379257073?_trksid=p2060353.m27…

Long term thinking of investing in a 6-8000 grit and a sub 800 grit, but the 3000/1000 should be good for the time being.

Home & Garden Japanese Kasumi Knife Miyabi

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closed Comments

  • sayako on 27/09/2015 - 12:09

    Please do let us know which sellers jack up their price too, thanks!

  • shroomish on 27/09/2015 - 12:10
    -3

    jesus, if you have access to a forge and a few tools you can make a top quality knife yourself out of scrap

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 12:27

      Why don't you start making them? I'll review them for you.
      I'll be surprised if you can forge vg10 or vg60 knives.

      If only Jesus was a blacksmith. He could probably craft the handles though

      • DeafMutePretender on 27/09/2015 - 15:55
        +2

        Jesus

        "Slice the other cheek" does have a ring to it.

    • simulacrum on 27/09/2015 - 20:33

      a rail spike will never retain a sharp edge the same way as good steel does. By the time you've built the forge, bought the tools, spent a bunch of time learning to use them to turn out something decent. Bought decent steel, learned to work it and the optimal heat treatment for it.. you've spent well over 100 bucks, especially if you value your time… not that it wouldn't be fun as a hobby.

  • mmd on 27/09/2015 - 12:32

    Highly doubt the seller will be made accountable. Look at Dick smith and co.
    Out of those 3 knives, which knife would you recommend?

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 13:02
      +1

      If you're not an enthusiast, the shun Sora would be a superior option than most knives you would come across. The only reason I didn't buy a shun Sora was because it didn't have the pretty Damascus steel, wasn't layered(folded), and didn't like the look of the hamon. But if I had to buy one under $100 I would get this.

      A friend of mine who is a chef acquired a Miyabi, I have used it and it is seriously a beautiful knife and has extremely good sharpness. Feels great too. I compare it to a global g2 (one I used everyday).

      I expect the Kasumi to be in the middle, most home stores will sell global g2 at this price, so to get Damascus steel 32 layered vg10 is in my eyes, a bargain. I have done a lot of research and it seems to offer similar performance to the miyabi, similar in beauty. I ordered one Kasumi

      Won't regret buying a miyabi though

      • Kozhutki on 27/09/2015 - 13:52

        Great comment.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 19:21
      +2

      I added a tojiro 210mm chefs knife. VG10 core, stainless clad. can't go wrong with that one either

      • mmd on 27/09/2015 - 19:31

        and what's the best way to sharpen these knives?
        I bought an Ikea knife sharpener, but I don't think that's going to cut it (pun intended)

        • simulacrum on 27/09/2015 - 20:39

          Any device that involves pulling your knife through a slot to sharpen it, is really not worth it, unless you use really cheap knives. It'll ruin the edge of your good ones. This egullet thread is a good place to start: http://forums.egullet.org/topic/26036-knife-maintenance-and-…

          Basically, I'd recommend you either buy a Chinese knock-off of something like a lansky or EdgePro Apex sharpening system (basically something that will hold a little stone at a fixed angle to your knife blade); or buy 2 whetstones and learn to use them. Check out Murray Carter's videos on youtube (or any other youtube vids that come up for whetstone sharpening). He's a master knifemaker who learned from a Japanese master and just uses two King brand stones 1000 grit and 6000 grit; then strops with a bit of newspaper. He gets them shaving sharp without too much work, and has won cutting competitions with his knives. One could probably obtain illegal copies of his knife sharpening DVD's for via the usual channels, if one had no moral qualms with that kind of thing.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 28/09/2015 - 02:26

          Best way is to learn how to do it properly using a proper whetstone. I shared the link in the description for what i thought was a decent japanese whetstone for general sharpening/honing. Guiderails to get the appropriate angle is also available for those who are inexperienced.

          Once you have learned how to do it, if you have prepared the whetstone, you can get razor sharp blade after 5-10 minutes, with appropriate practice and depending how dull you let it become before you sharpened it..

          Very good tutorial from a sushi chef who uses miyabi knives
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTKV5-ZSWcE

      • kickling on 28/09/2015 - 12:16

        +1 to Tojiro and any VG10 Jap knives.

        Also +1 to Suehiro for whetstones.

        Perfect partnership.

  • shmahoo on 27/09/2015 - 12:55

    Any deals on kitanas like the chick had on the new series of Heroes Reborn?

  • simulacrum on 27/09/2015 - 13:02

    I would check out "Tojiro DP" which are VG10 blades and "Tojiro shirogami" for carbon steel. This guys has decent prices: http://stores.ebay.com.au/Japanese-tools-whetstone-for-sword…

    Also good chance to buy Japanese whetstones too.. if you're into that sort of thing.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 13:04

      Thanks I'll add it

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 17:02

      I ended up buying a suehiro 1000/3000 dual whetstone for about $25 from Japan. Really cheap. Other reputable Japanese brands are selling for around 40-100

      • simulacrum on 27/09/2015 - 18:55

        Nice one! I couldn't help
        myself and bought a set of shapton pros :)

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 19:16

          How much did you pay?

        • simulacrum on 29/09/2015 - 10:01

          @nairdajun:
          $56 each for 1000 and 2000, $85 for 5000. I used my $50 voucher from the last ebay deal on this purchase.

          From what I've been able to determine, the shapton ha no kuromaku (aka shapton pro) and the naniwa chosera are particularly hard stones, that are fairly aggressive and slow to dish.. but are less forgiving than softer stones like King. There's a Japanese deer hunter called virtuovice on youtube that does a lot of sharpening videos, covering a lot of different stone brands, naguras, stropping compounds etc.

          I've been emailing a toolshop in Japan to get a natural nagura for the 5000 stone too.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 12/10/2015 - 17:46

          @simulacrum: will they give you one for free? D=

        • simulacrum on 12/10/2015 - 19:14

          @nairdajun: No unfortunately :(. But its not crazy expensive (like japanese natural sharpening stones tend to be). This is the shop: http://translate.google.co.jp/translate?sl=ja&tl=en&prev=_t&…

          Teshiba takes orders by email and accepts paypal.

          The Tenjou grade (purple box) is probably the one you want. virtuovice on youtube has a few vids on nagura stones.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 13/10/2015 - 16:50

          @simulacrum: i cant read it and the translate isnt working… =( How much is it?

        • simulacrum on 15/10/2015 - 09:23

          @nairdajun:

          Google translates "tenjou" as "Heavens". this is the price he has currently. I got a TT-4 and it does the job. I think you ideally want one with a fair bit of white in the stone.

          Heavens grade, Nagura

          TT-1 heavenly grade 121g 1560 yen Selling in
          TT-2 heavenly grade 132g 1700 yen Selling in
          TT-3 heavens grade 119g 1530 yen Selling in
          TT-4 heavenly grade 137g 1760. circle sale
          TT-5 heavenly grade 129g 1660 yen Selling settled

          TB-1 on the heavens by 123g 1580 yen Selling in
          TB-2 heavenly another on 184g 2370 yen Selling settled
          TB-3 on the heavens by 185g 2380 yen Selling in
          TB-4 heavenly another on 194g 2500 yen Selling in
          TB-5 on the heavens by 232g 2990 yen Selling in

          You can email Teshiba at [email protected] with your shipping address and ask for a full quote. He'll add a few bucks for shipping and a couple of bucks for the Paypal fee.

  • saddybedangdang on 27/09/2015 - 13:11

    I'm looking to buy a chef's knife, would Global knives be the best I can get for under $100? ~Thanks for post OP!

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 15:52

      Global are good benchmark/baseline, but i think the Shun is a slightly better option one for the money.

      This guy owns global/wusthof, and a shun sora. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ou_VnzD9tVg
      I have owned Global G2, versatile and good quality, but the niche japanese smiths just take it to an extra level.

      Mirror finish

    • simulacrum on 27/09/2015 - 18:53
      +1

      Depends if you like the blade profile and handle shape. You can pick up a 240mm Tojiro DP gyuto at the moment for well under 100 with the discount. It's arguably better.

      • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 27/09/2015 - 19:19
        +1

        Yeah the tojiro dp3 I included in the description is also a VG10, the cutlery store in America that sells these say that they sell a lot of them. I would guess they sell a lot of those to many professional chefs.

        The shun has a nice hamon, if you're into that sort of thing

        • saddybedangdang on 28/09/2015 - 12:06
          +2

          awesome, i ended up grabbing the tojiro dp3 included in your description. 15% off was great too. thanks mate!

        • kickling on 28/09/2015 - 12:16
          +2

          @saddybedangdang: You won't be disappointed.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 29/09/2015 - 03:20
          +1

          @saddybedangdang: coming to your house for some tomato carpaccio. Get practicing!

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 15/10/2015 - 14:30
          +1

          @saddybedangdang:
          Have you got yours yet? I just got mine a few days ago. I must admit I'm very satisfied. It doesn't come out of the box sharp enough to slice paper, but it's keen enough to slice through a sponge

        • saddybedangdang on 15/10/2015 - 15:17

          @nairdajun: Yep! it's definitely sharp. My family and I love it, we haven't owned a quality knife like this before so we are very fragile/careful around it. Very impressed with it's ease in slicing, went out and bought a pineapple just for the fun of it haha

        • simulacrum on 16/10/2015 - 13:25

          @saddybedangdang:

          VG10 is a good steel. If you can get a pair of King whetstones (1000 and 6000) and practice on your cheaper knives, you should be able to get that hair-popping sharp without too much trouble.

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 17/10/2015 - 01:36

          @simulacrum: I'm going to practice with my mums global g2 first lol. That one actually needs a sharpen

        • saddybedangdang on 20/10/2015 - 17:58

          Awesome, I'm looking to get a whetstone soon. These Japanese King whetstones 1000/6000 go for around $90 on eBay. Would that go perfect for this knife? the 1000/6000 is the grit right?

        • simulacrum on 21/10/2015 - 14:21
          +1

          @saddybedangdang:

          yeah i reckon a 1000 and 6000 combo is good for almost any knife. Followed by a strop if you want that final polish. Check out Murray Carter's videos on youtube (or torrent). He's a Japanese trained master bladesmith, and he uses a King 1000 stone and 6000 stone, then strops on newspaper. Using that combo he beat a bunch of knife sharpeners in a contest on a knife forum.. most of the other competitors used more complex progressions of more expensive stones. According to Carter its 95% skill and experience and 5% equipment.

          For close to that figure you could get the higher range of King stones that carter uses. Apart from being a better grade, they are also thicker and will last longer.

          $58 for the 6000: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Japanese-whetstone-King-S-1-6000-…

          and $38 for the 1000: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/330890335222?_trksid=p2055119.m14…

          Alternatively here's a listing for (lower grade) stones with free shipping: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Japanese-waterstone-whetstone-Kin…

          And here's a combo stone for 60ish bucks: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Japanese-whetstone-KING-combi-100…

  • Dark Zeus on 27/09/2015 - 13:13

    Geez, what are you nairdajun? Are you pro blacksmith?

  • Kozhutki on 27/09/2015 - 13:53

    Kasumi 20cm Chefs Knife is out of stock by the way.

    • OzBragain on 27/09/2015 - 15:35

      Still 6 available from the Victoria's Basement link

      • Kozhutki on 27/09/2015 - 21:59

        My mistake, didn't see the second link.

  • Tuba on 27/09/2015 - 16:48

    Should I Shun IO Shen knives?

  • [Deactivated] on 27/09/2015 - 17:08
    +3

    The best one are made of valyrian steel.. unfortunately Valyria is doomed. ..

  • commandershephard on 27/09/2015 - 22:40

    nairda, would you be able to provide a link to a whetstone that you recommend?

    thanks!

    edit: is it the same as the 330 mate one above?

    cheers

  • cwongtech on 28/09/2015 - 00:20

    Global Masuta @ $180 delivered
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Global-Masuta-5pc-Knife-Block…
    Global 18cm santoku + 9cm paring knife in gift box @ $93.5 delivered, santoku alone usually sells for $104 at peters
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/291395287821

    This is kitchenwaredirect's ebay store. Works out to be cheaper than their website (even with the current free shipping offer)

  • wfdTamar on 28/09/2015 - 07:31

    Good info for those looking to go better than the best knife block sets at department stores - thanks.

    So if you get these fancier Japanese knifes, for the novice, are they more difficult to keep in the manner to which they have become accustomed (sharp) than the standard domestic kind of knifes? I mean are we going to have trouble once the initial sharpness wears off and find it such a pain to maintain that we'll give up?

    • OzBragain on 28/09/2015 - 07:50

      Harder steel means the knife will hold it's edge longer but the sharpening process will be more involved.

      If you get something like the Lansky sharpening system then it shouldn't be too much trouble. Whetstones will be a steeper learning curve but worth it in the end.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 29/09/2015 - 03:09

      Good info for those looking to go better than the best knife block sets at department stores - thanks.

      Dont mean to be nitpicky but David Jones sells Miyabi knives lol

      http://shop.davidjones.com.au/djs/en/davidjones/gyutoh-chefs…

      i currently consider Miyabi 5000s to be the top end of the scale, anything beyond the Miyabi 5000s (i.e. Miyabi 7000s) is probably unnecessary (some would say the 5000 is also unnecessary). Chef Devaux from How to Make Sushi uses the 5000s. Technically the 5000s are better than the Kasumi i linked because it has twice as many layers.

      What ozbragain said is pretty insightful. I would stress taking the time to learn to do whetstone sharpening. Once you become familiar and proficient at it, it shouldnt take you more than 10 minutes to maintain the edge of your knife. If you get the damascus steel knives, you should only need to sharpen them once a month or even less.

      I watched a video from i think Carter Cutlery who was saying that wheels, V Frames, are not very good. They dont allow you the flexibility, the ability to restore edges from chips. Best way is to use a stone. Learn to do it properly, and in the future if god forbid chips appear you know how to restore them. IMO its better value to spend on good stone rather than a wheel system. if you consistently maintain your edge once every two months on a 1000/3000 grit stone you shouldnt need to buy any other stones unless you get chips

      • wfdTamar on 29/09/2015 - 11:25
        +1

        That knife you linked to is currently $231 and I can get another $14 off with cashback so $217.

  • OzBragain on 28/09/2015 - 07:52

    OP - your whetstone link is linking to a guide

  • cwongtech on 28/09/2015 - 12:53

    P.s.

    Guiderail
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/311379257073?_trksid=p2060353.m27…

    That one is absolute crap. I bought one and it doesn't do much.
    http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/NEW-Global-MinoSharp-Whetstone-Sh…
    This one is a bit more dear, but it definitely is better quality, only downside is when you use it excessively metal WILL come off it (I reshaped a victorinox rosewood chef's knife 22cm to have a more acute angle)

    Also have a Japanese whetstone from JCK and a chinese one as well.
    The chinese one which is smaller (higher grit though, 3000/8000), I do use a bit more than the Jap one but definitely more noticeable wear.

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 28/09/2015 - 16:22

      Thanks for your input. Guess I'll just use it to get the right angle so I can practice doing it without a guiderail

  • iamdragoon on 28/09/2015 - 17:00

    hey op, off topic. how do you rate these?
    http://www.kiya-hamono.co.jp/english/index.html

    heading to japan to buy these

    • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 29/09/2015 - 02:59

      If the Kiya knives are comparable to the tojiro DP3 and cost about the same, then you have a strong contender.

      It all depends on how much the kiya knives will cost, what materials are used, what processes are used, if its multi-layered, and the feel of the handle/weight (which is impossible to tell over the internet). For a standard 3 knife set (i.e. Global anniversary) i wouldnt pay more than $150 for a set, or else those knives will be competing with Tojiro's DP3 VG10 series. Personally it seems like its easier to consider a knife (i.e. Tojiro DP3) that has a lot of subject matter experts backing it, many reviews, and vendor feedback. It means that the likelihood of you being satisfied with your purchase is probably higher compared to say one that we cant really find much of that information. I only learned about tojiro last week, and so if i had to compare between kiya and tojiro, i would pick tojiro. Tojiro is also endorsed by Heston, if that gives you any confidence.

      If the info above doesnt help you, i have only one thing to recommend:

      Go to Kappabashi, Seki or any of the well known cutlery/catering wares districts/regions in japan and talk to the vendors who sell a variety of brands, and bring the following list of specs, from most important to least. Because youre looking to spend good money on an "investment", i am assuming that the knives you look for will cost anywhere from $80-200 AUD for a chef knife, and minimum of around $180 a set (of 3). However if you go to kappabashi and go to a good knife vendor, i am sure that they will stock a variety of Shun, Miyabi, Tojiro, Kasumi, and other more popular brands. If they have Kiya knives there too, then you can ask the vendor for comparisons.

      Assumed/essential:
      Forged
      VG10? High Carbon Steel Stainless/stain resistant
      Full tang
      Multi-layered (stainless clad, VG10 spine)

      Nice to haves:
      Damascus Pattern
      Multi Layered (30s/60s/120s layers)
      wooden handle

      • iamdragoon on 30/09/2015 - 10:53

        Thanks heaps for very detailed information OP.
        I do plan to go Kappabashi St and buy it there. When i was researching it varies the prices, but your estimation was right. approx 140-200 for a knife.
        any recommendations for a good vendor?

        • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 30/09/2015 - 15:50
          +1

          Sorry never been to Japan so I can't say! For $140-200 per knife I wouldn't buy that. For a little bit more you can go now to David Jones and buy yourself a miyabi 5000 for ~$220 which is in my opinion the top end of knives. Otherwise the sumitomo Kasumi I just bought for $130 from vic basement. Pairing and utility knives are obviously cheaper.

          http://shop.davidjones.com.au/djs/en/davidjones/gyutoh-chefs…
          ~$217 with cashback

          Check out Mac superior bread knife if you go to Japan, a lot of people recommend it as the best bread knife yet. My current lineup would be

          Tojiro dp3 ~$75 (everyday use, one I wouldn't mind people using)
          Kasumi chefs knife ~$130 (my personal special knife)
          Mac superior bread knife
          Kasumi/miyabi pairing knife
          Sushi/sashimi knife (haven't decided which brand)

        • simulacrum on 30/09/2015 - 16:53
          +1

          If you're going to Japan, I wouldn't necessarily feel too bound to larger knife brands that are known in the West. Like many of the best Japanese things, many of the best local knifemakers simply don't bother marketing to the rest of the world.

          I assume you are going to make a trip to Osaka (if not you really should, for the food and atmosphere alone.. its a quick bullet train ride away from Tokyo). In Osaka you can catch a local train to the town of Sakai. It is a traditional knifemaking town where many of the bladesmiths still forge their blades the old fashioned way.

          Check out this post: http://yayasyumyums.blogspot.com.au/2011/08/knife-shops-in-j…

          Also look at picking up some water stones - Ideally "Shapton Ha no kuromaku" or "Naniwa Chosera" if your budget can stretch that far. something like 1000 and 5000 grit.. or if you want to stretch further, maybe 1000, 2000 and 8000ish.

          The other thing I would say is if you're going to buy a knife in Japan, and especially if you consider getting a hand forged one, have a think about getting one in carbon steel. Here's a simplistic explanation of why: http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/why-buy-carbon-steel-kniv…

          Or this more in-depth article: http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/misc/articles/kkchoser/ind…

          I'm intensely jealous of you btw! Hope you have a great trip.

  • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 29/09/2015 - 14:01

    I decided to also buy a Tojiro DP3, will let you guys know what i think.

  • KnifeEnthusiastBoi on 12/10/2015 - 17:39

    Out of the box the Tojiro DP3 is quite good. Tested it on a carrot and feel like its actually doing the work and not me. it comes out of the box quite sharp. Not sharp enough to cut through paper however, so you may need to sharpen it some more if you're after that level of sharpness.

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