It isn't all about winning. It isn't always straightforward. I'm not rigorously testing these knives against each other in an A/B test, but it is important to understand what properties of a knife make it perform well, under certain circumstances.
Franki, couldn't agree more. Denkas are awesome, but they are also expensive and handmade. So you pay a lot for something that may need a little tuning out of the box. For a lot of folks the less expensive, more consistent option is the right choice. Good video, always nice to see you pop up in the feed.
Thanks John for watching and commenting. Clearly you’ve pressed that notification bell since you know when new videos are live. Have had lots of things going on so thank you for watching even if my content is more infrequent here 😊 That Masutani is insanely impressive at the price point. Highly recommend.
My man, it's all about time. Eventually it'll get thinned, but right now no time to do such a thing and it isn't like it is performing atrociously, but absolutely a thinning should help. I need to do the same to my Denka 150mm petty.
I think it is disappointing that the Fujiwara isn't very sharp out of the box. You are not the only person I have watched who has mentioned that. For the price of it, I would expect something really special.
Unfortunately people often give passes to some of these smiths because of their reputation. Or say, well the smith did it this way because it is intended for the user to put on their own edge. I guess a we’ll never truly know if it’s one or the other. One thing is certain, fit and finish is rough but it sure performs amazing once you put a new edge on it.
For me personally, once I know the feel of the knife, it also depends on what I feel like using on a particular day. I can’t honestly say I have a one that doesn’t cut well, but they all feel slight (or more than slightly) different. To me, that is the appeal of artisanal work. So many variables go into it. I made the mistake of thinning one of my santokus, and I don’t think I will do that again as in my opinion, the grind is part of the personality of the blade which is an extension of who made & sharpened it. I feel as if I have gained some performance but at some cost to the soul of the work. Admittedly I am not working in a professional kitchen for my livelihood so understand my feelings might be different if I was. Anyways, love your work and balanced views Franki. Thanks for sharing.
I definitely hear where you’re coming from. I’m somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where I ‘sit’ metaphorically I respect all trains of thought. Which is why I like having these open discussions. Seeing where people draw the line. So thank you for watching, sharing, and commenting. ❤️
haha toujours de la salade de mon coter. J'ai besoin d'une grosse salade par semaine, minimum. Donc ca me va de couper toutes ces ingredients pour en suite en faire une salade.
Honestly, if someone is looking simply for performance, you dont need to spend a lot of $$$. The Denka is more of a collector's piece. It's sure that if you spend the time and effort on it, you can thin and polish and have it performs like a dream. on the other hand the price tag is also quite Salty. If you are someone who does not own a Japanese Nakiri and is looking for the first one, a normal 100-300 usd Nakiri will be the perfect choice.
Agreed. As Hai Phan said I should thin it. But I don’t got time to thin it, nor should an expensive knife like that need thinning right away. The Masutani out of the box has been very impressive. Though I disagree that it isn’t because the Denka doesn’t perform as well as expected at that price point that it is simply more of a collectible. If someone has the money and wants it, that’s their prerogative. The feeling of using a Denka is quite special. It isn’t crap either even without the thinning, but if one has the time it can be made even better. Collectors piece is up to the user and sometimes the maker, not necessarily driven by price.
Appreciate it Pick Media. A guy named Bryder is what inspired me to even start video. But a guy named Jacob “Dishwasher” is what inspired me to be better 😊 you might know him?
My experience with VG 1 steel is not good. Inexpensive and I can only get it sharpened to a certain point but nowhere near as sharp as I wanted it. Different company so it could’ve been the heat treatment of the other brand. That being said, I agree with you that if the knife is 1/4 the cost and performs at 75% of the other than you have to give it the winning title. It’s hard to do! You pay extra to perform better! Lamborghinis and Ferraris are a lot more money but they blow away their competitors. The Fujiwara is so much more expensive but the hardness and potential is almost unlimited. Like you said, it’s like they gave you an unfinished Lamborghini and you have to do some work when you get it, but when you do, you have the winning race car. The other car can only go so fast. It’s a Honda! It’s much cheaper and it looks great and it drives well but it’s never gonna be as good as the Ferrari. You’re in a tough spot when you’re trying to be subjective because you have to go with your gut. You said it was out of the box. It really was hurting me to watch it try to go through the tomato. I’d love to see you sharpen it and show us the potential of VG1 steel. I was going to do that video but it was a borrowed knife. I just think the top speed of VG1 is 100 miles an hour. That being said I don’t know how much faster I needed to go. The Fuji name as a certain amount of romance and legend and lure. It chips very easily which is also something to consider because of its hardness. You’re having to use it against very thick vegetables and at the same time those vegetables are the ones that could break the edge. Especially the root end of a spaghetti squash. Thanks for the video!
You’re on the money about a lot of this. I for one at this stage in my collection don’t equate price with performance anymore. I’ll pay more for a look or technique I am after without expecting a direct increase in performance. Performance is on a logarithmic curve. At some point the amount you spend doesn’t equate to a similar difference in performance. I went into this thinking the VG steel would suck really given my two Asai knives are nothing to brag about. But despite the sad performance on the cherry tomato, everything else just about really impressed me.
I think a fun future H2H video would be something like a Miyabi Artisan gyuto versus a handmade one of similar length. Let's see how a major manufacturer's "premium" factory product stacks up. Shouldn't be hard to aquire one, you could give the Miyabi away to a local culinary school or as a prize on your channel afterwards.
Love it!!! I have not that on H2H menu but with knives I already own. The premium Zuiun bunka against the Saji rainbow Damascus bunka is what I’m thinking. Also… I have two giveaways planned on this channel but I want to hit 2K subscribers first as a milestone. So if you know anyone who would enjoy this content, don’t be shy and share away 😊
@@KitchenKnifeGuy awesome! I have actually been looking at the Zuinin line for a minute. Specifically the bunka because bunkas are cool, and the sujihiki because I could actually use one of those. I just worry about some of the same problems with their suji you ran into with the Kurosaki, specifically the super thin blade.
@@johnniemiec3286 my two largest complaints with the Kurosaki suji where one aesthetic and one functional. Super shiny it really reminded me of a cheap blade, no offense to the maker of course. And thin wasn't as much an issue as thin and extremely pliable. I can ask to see if the Zuiun suji is the same. Just let me know :) Looks like I chose well then for an eventual H2H :)
@@KitchenKnifeGuy if you could find out about that sujihiki that would be awesome. I love the aestetics of the Zuinin line and my collection is honestly weak on slicers so that could be a great fit. I appreciate it.
I have liked your video dude and I like your channel so I may subscribe soon. But, I do have one question, if I may? .. It looks like a really balanced and useful "comparison", up until very near the end you admit that you gave one of the knives a post-unboxing tune up, but not the other? Hence, unleveling "a level playing field"!🤣... It could almost make sense to me if you chose to do that with the(much, much!) cheaper knife. But, yoy did it the other way around?.... Why??🤔🤔
Hi Mosah. Thank you so much for watching and for leaving a comment. Absolutely it’ll be a pleasure to answer your question. The Denka I had used for over a year without needing to be sharpened. It was visibly suffering in performance. Different steels even with the same stone treatment will have a different end result. My goal was to simply get it to be sharp again as it suffered from not being so. These heads to heads for that matter will never truly be same playing field type of comparisons. I can try as much as possible but even two of the same knives since handmade might behave differently. But knowing both were sharp, how sharp wasn’t as important as how do they deal with the same veg given their different grinds and steel compositions etc. That make sense ?
I don't know where to start here. I guess if I go to your conclusion I'll say you do not understand the concept of "wabi sabi." It doesn't excuse poor workmanship, it embraces the fact that nothing is perfect and nothing is permanent. TF forges some of the best knifes from a mettalurgy aspect and then takes that hardness to a degree of sharpness that may result in some areas of overgrind or scratches. But he accepts that as a compromise for his exceptional heat treat and edge. I embrace his approach and rustic appearance.To me cutting ability and edge retention are what counts.
No you make a fair point. I don't not understand the concept. Wabi sabi is often a term misconstrued and I did a poor job at correcting the misconception of 'used as an excuse for poor fit and finish'. Had I used your words, would have rung truer. My favourite knife is my Denka 210 gyuto and the video you commented on is from years ago. There's so much more that I know now, then I did then.
Hi there. Why not? Aogami Super in the hands of someone that doesn’t know how to heat treat it or sharpen it may not be as sharp as or as high a performer as even this VG-1. Besides what’s important to knife performance is also blade geometry. It’s not all about the steel only. That’s why I do these head2heads. Sometimes they’re a ridiculous comparison and we learn a lot. But even if you had the best seed to produce the best tomato plant, there’s too many other factors that determine if the seed will produce the best plant. What’s the quality of the soil. How often was the garden watered. Was it hot enough to promote growth. AS is just one elements that makes up the knife and there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t be compared to anything else.
You are comparing the wrong steels, blade geometry, steel heat treatment, sharpening angle (unknown here), sharpening grits (unknwn for Denka), fact that the Denka was used and not both sharpened before this video, and also there is also 1 aspect of your cutting skills. Therefore, this test prooves absolutely nothing from a technical perspective.
Just gonna go ahead and say it… You honestly looked very awkward using both knives… I can’t for the life of me figure out why you were cutting the way you were with some of the tests… your carrot batons were very inconsistent? Can I ask - no real judgement - have you worked as a cook? Also - Those poor mangos were so incredibly underripe…
I use what I have on hand at the moment. I’m not a professional chef and clearly it shows. But none of that matters. I’m a passionate home cook who makes delicious food even if the baton sizes are inconsistent 😉 so don’t worry not offended. This isn’t a channel for those that want to learn how to cut or be a professional chef. This is a channel to share my knowledge about my collection and Japanese kitchen knives. A channel that throws no shade at people for how they cook or what they cook. I
It isn't all about winning. It isn't always straightforward. I'm not rigorously testing these knives against each other in an A/B test, but it is important to understand what properties of a knife make it perform well, under certain circumstances.
Franki, couldn't agree more. Denkas are awesome, but they are also expensive and handmade. So you pay a lot for something that may need a little tuning out of the box. For a lot of folks the less expensive, more consistent option is the right choice. Good video, always nice to see you pop up in the feed.
Thanks John for watching and commenting. Clearly you’ve pressed that notification bell since you know when new videos are live. Have had lots of things going on so thank you for watching even if my content is more infrequent here 😊
That Masutani is insanely impressive at the price point. Highly recommend.
Thin that Denka!
My man, it's all about time. Eventually it'll get thinned, but right now no time to do such a thing and it isn't like it is performing atrociously, but absolutely a thinning should help. I need to do the same to my Denka 150mm petty.
I think it is disappointing that the Fujiwara isn't very sharp out of the box. You are not the only person I have watched who has mentioned that. For the price of it, I would expect something really special.
Unfortunately people often give passes to some of these smiths because of their reputation. Or say, well the smith did it this way because it is intended for the user to put on their own edge. I guess a we’ll never truly know if it’s one or the other. One thing is certain, fit and finish is rough but it sure performs amazing once you put a new edge on it.
For me personally, once I know the feel of the knife, it also depends on what I feel like using on a particular day. I can’t honestly say I have a one that doesn’t cut well, but they all feel slight (or more than slightly) different. To me, that is the appeal of artisanal work. So many variables go into it. I made the mistake of thinning one of my santokus, and I don’t think I will do that again as in my opinion, the grind is part of the personality of the blade which is an extension of who made & sharpened it. I feel as if I have gained some performance but at some cost to the soul of the work. Admittedly I am not working in a professional kitchen for my livelihood so understand my feelings might be different if I was. Anyways, love your work and balanced views Franki. Thanks for sharing.
I definitely hear where you’re coming from. I’m somewhere in the middle. Regardless of where I ‘sit’ metaphorically I respect all trains of thought. Which is why I like having these open discussions. Seeing where people draw the line.
So thank you for watching, sharing, and commenting. ❤️
Bon travail !! Bon vidéo !!! Bonne musique !!! Bonne salade pour dinner ;-)
haha toujours de la salade de mon coter. J'ai besoin d'une grosse salade par semaine, minimum. Donc ca me va de couper toutes ces ingredients pour en suite en faire une salade.
Honestly, if someone is looking simply for performance, you dont need to spend a lot of $$$. The Denka is more of a collector's piece. It's sure that if you spend the time and effort on it, you can thin and polish and have it performs like a dream. on the other hand the price tag is also quite Salty. If you are someone who does not own a Japanese Nakiri and is looking for the first one, a normal 100-300 usd Nakiri will be the perfect choice.
Agreed. As Hai Phan said I should thin it. But I don’t got time to thin it, nor should an expensive knife like that need thinning right away. The Masutani out of the box has been very impressive. Though I disagree that it isn’t because the Denka doesn’t perform as well as expected at that price point that it is simply more of a collectible. If someone has the money and wants it, that’s their prerogative. The feeling of using a Denka is quite special. It isn’t crap either even without the thinning, but if one has the time it can be made even better. Collectors piece is up to the user and sometimes the maker, not necessarily driven by price.
Great video! Very fair and realistic comparison between these two knives. Super smooth transitions and snappy edits too!
Appreciate it Pick Media. A guy named Bryder is what inspired me to even start video. But a guy named Jacob “Dishwasher” is what inspired me to be better 😊 you might know him?
@@KitchenKnifeGuy May have met him in passing ;)
Great video again!
You’re too kind. Thank you Grant ❤️
please do a head to head betwen a bunka vs a kiritsuke, im trying to decide betwen those for my next knife
Message me on Instagram and we can talk about it
My experience with VG 1 steel is not good. Inexpensive and I can only get it sharpened to a certain point but nowhere near as sharp as I wanted it. Different company so it could’ve been the heat treatment of the other brand. That being said, I agree with you that if the knife is 1/4 the cost and performs at 75% of the other than you have to give it the winning title. It’s hard to do! You pay extra to perform better! Lamborghinis and Ferraris are a lot more money but they blow away their competitors. The Fujiwara is so much more expensive but the hardness and potential is almost unlimited. Like you said, it’s like they gave you an unfinished Lamborghini and you have to do some work when you get it, but when you do, you have the winning race car. The other car can only go so fast. It’s a Honda! It’s much cheaper and it looks great and it drives well but it’s never gonna be as good as the Ferrari. You’re in a tough spot when you’re trying to be subjective because you have to go with your gut. You said it was out of the box. It really was hurting me to watch it try to go through the tomato. I’d love to see you sharpen it and show us the potential of VG1 steel. I was going to do that video but it was a borrowed knife. I just think the top speed of VG1 is 100 miles an hour. That being said I don’t know how much faster I needed to go. The Fuji name as a certain amount of romance and legend and lure. It chips very easily which is also something to consider because of its hardness. You’re having to use it against very thick vegetables and at the same time those vegetables are the ones that could break the edge. Especially the root end of a spaghetti squash. Thanks for the video!
You’re on the money about a lot of this. I for one at this stage in my collection don’t equate price with performance anymore. I’ll pay more for a look or technique I am after without expecting a direct increase in performance. Performance is on a logarithmic curve. At some point the amount you spend doesn’t equate to a similar difference in performance.
I went into this thinking the VG steel would suck really given my two Asai knives are nothing to brag about. But despite the sad performance on the cherry tomato, everything else just about really impressed me.
I got Masutani VG1 Santoku, i love this knife
Riiight. It’s so under rated.
I think a fun future H2H video would be something like a Miyabi Artisan gyuto versus a handmade one of similar length. Let's see how a major manufacturer's "premium" factory product stacks up. Shouldn't be hard to aquire one, you could give the Miyabi away to a local culinary school or as a prize on your channel afterwards.
Love it!!! I have not that on H2H menu but with knives I already own. The premium Zuiun bunka against the Saji rainbow Damascus bunka is what I’m thinking.
Also… I have two giveaways planned on this channel but I want to hit 2K subscribers first as a milestone. So if you know anyone who would enjoy this content, don’t be shy and share away 😊
@@KitchenKnifeGuy awesome! I have actually been looking at the Zuinin line for a minute. Specifically the bunka because bunkas are cool, and the sujihiki because I could actually use one of those. I just worry about some of the same problems with their suji you ran into with the Kurosaki, specifically the super thin blade.
@@johnniemiec3286 my two largest complaints with the Kurosaki suji where one aesthetic and one functional. Super shiny it really reminded me of a cheap blade, no offense to the maker of course. And thin wasn't as much an issue as thin and extremely pliable. I can ask to see if the Zuiun suji is the same. Just let me know :)
Looks like I chose well then for an eventual H2H :)
@@KitchenKnifeGuy if you could find out about that sujihiki that would be awesome. I love the aestetics of the Zuinin line and my collection is honestly weak on slicers so that could be a great fit. I appreciate it.
I got you.
I have liked your video dude and I like your channel so I may subscribe soon. But, I do have one question, if I may? .. It looks like a really balanced and useful "comparison", up until very near the end you admit that you gave one of the knives a post-unboxing tune up, but not the other? Hence, unleveling "a level playing field"!🤣... It could almost make sense to me if you chose to do that with the(much, much!) cheaper knife. But, yoy did it the other way around?.... Why??🤔🤔
Hi Mosah. Thank you so much for watching and for leaving a comment. Absolutely it’ll be a pleasure to answer your question. The Denka I had used for over a year without needing to be sharpened. It was visibly suffering in performance. Different steels even with the same stone treatment will have a different end result. My goal was to simply get it to be sharp again as it suffered from not being so.
These heads to heads for that matter will never truly be same playing field type of comparisons. I can try as much as possible but even two of the same knives since handmade might behave differently. But knowing both were sharp, how sharp wasn’t as important as how do they deal with the same veg given their different grinds and steel compositions etc. That make sense ?
I don't know where to start here. I guess if I go to your conclusion I'll say you do not understand the concept of "wabi sabi." It doesn't excuse poor workmanship, it embraces the fact that nothing is perfect and nothing is permanent. TF forges some of the best knifes from a mettalurgy aspect and then takes that hardness to a degree of sharpness that may result in some areas of overgrind or scratches. But he accepts that as a compromise for his exceptional heat treat and edge. I embrace his approach and rustic appearance.To me cutting ability and edge retention are what counts.
No you make a fair point. I don't not understand the concept. Wabi sabi is often a term misconstrued and I did a poor job at correcting the misconception of 'used as an excuse for poor fit and finish'. Had I used your words, would have rung truer. My favourite knife is my Denka 210 gyuto and the video you commented on is from years ago. There's so much more that I know now, then I did then.
Can’t compare blue super verses an average stainless steel.
Hi there. Why not? Aogami Super in the hands of someone that doesn’t know how to heat treat it or sharpen it may not be as sharp as or as high a performer as even this VG-1. Besides what’s important to knife performance is also blade geometry. It’s not all about the steel only. That’s why I do these head2heads. Sometimes they’re a ridiculous comparison and we learn a lot.
But even if you had the best seed to produce the best tomato plant, there’s too many other factors that determine if the seed will produce the best plant. What’s the quality of the soil. How often was the garden watered. Was it hot enough to promote growth. AS is just one elements that makes up the knife and there’s absolutely no reason why it can’t be compared to anything else.
You are comparing the wrong steels, blade geometry, steel heat treatment, sharpening angle (unknown here), sharpening grits (unknwn for Denka), fact that the Denka was used and not both sharpened before this video, and also there is also 1 aspect of your cutting skills.
Therefore, this test prooves absolutely nothing from a technical perspective.
I do these for fun. You are correct about everything.
Just gonna go ahead and say it…
You honestly looked very awkward using both knives… I can’t for the life of me figure out why you were cutting the way you were with some of the tests… your carrot batons were very inconsistent?
Can I ask - no real judgement - have you worked as a cook?
Also - Those poor mangos were so incredibly underripe…
I use what I have on hand at the moment. I’m not a professional chef and clearly it shows. But none of that matters. I’m a passionate home cook who makes delicious food even if the baton sizes are inconsistent 😉 so don’t worry not offended.
This isn’t a channel for those that want to learn how to cut or be a professional chef. This is a channel to share my knowledge about my collection and Japanese kitchen knives. A channel that throws no shade at people for how they cook or what they cook. I