Sharpening
- As mentioned above, Kumagoro was sharpened to 30° angle included. Quite thin compared to European knives, but rather thick for Japanese standards. So far so good. Edge holding is very good, even though I had my doubts about it, due to the 61HRC hardness. I'm very glad I was wrong on this one :) Initial edge was quite sharp, but I've finished it with 2 mic abrasive film first, then gyuto went for 1 mic (12000 grit) Japanese waterstone and the whole thing was finished with CrO (Chromium Oxide) powder loaded leather strop and finally 0.3mic Al2O3 film plus final stropping on leather. Needless to say the final edge was blazing sharp, highly polished edge. Hair whittling was just an ordinary cutting. Later on I've acquired 0.25mic diamond spray from Dave at Japanese Knife Sharpening and used it for another refinishing of Kumagoro. Edge sharpness improved, not dramatically, but it was still better, somehow felt little bit more aggressive too. I do realize that for a human being it's impossible to tell 0.3mic from 0.25mic, but knife sharpness is a different thing nevertheless.I'll update this section as soon as I lower the angle on the edge.
Usage
- Kumagoro was my first non-stainless gyuto and as such requires more care compared to stainless Akifusa gyuto. On the other hand I've had my trusty Watanabe Nakiri for a while, which is also made out of high carbon, non-stainless steel, namely Aogami, or Blue Steel and it worked just fine, no rust whatsoever, just the patina, although not very well defined. Kumagoro is made of Aogami(blue) II, very similar to Aogami, just increased amount of Tungsten(W) and other alloys. As far as I understand Aogami II is tougher, Aogami is more wear resistant. Which works fine for me, nakiri is more for delicate cutting, while gyuto may have to cut tougher stuff, although the way I pamper my kitchen knives it's probably impossible for my gyutos to go anywhere near bones or something of that sort.From practical point of view I like Kumagoro blade geometry more than Ikeda gyuto's. Although they don't really differ significantly, but Kumagoro has wider blade, especially closer to the tip, thus more belly. Dimples on hammer finished knife do help with sticky pieces of tomato, onions and other substances. Can't say it prevents sticking completely, butclearly better than smooth blades. Like I said, ironwood is quite heavy wood, plus Kumagoro's handle isn't small either, so balance is rather even, little bit blade heavy still. Which works fine for me. Also, because of its thin blade slicing and cutting in general is very efficient. Especially noticeable on small objects such as shallots, radish, garlic, etc. Obviously, Watanabe Small Nakri works even better, but compared to other knives Kumagoro does very good job. Wide blade gives good clearance for the fingers when chopping and enough space for claw hand finger knuckles too, i.e. your left, guiding hand (if you're right handed). In short so far it's been a very good user knife in my kitchen and firmly stays in that category.
Specifications:
- Blade - 240.00mm(9.45")
- Thickness - 3.00mm
- OAL - 380.00mm(14.96")
- Steel - Aogami II 60-61HRC
- Handle - Arizona Desert Ironwood
- Weight - 244.00g(8.25oz)
- Acquired - 07/2008 Price - 158.00$
Related reading:
- Akifusa(Ikeda) 240mm Gyuto Knife Review
- Watanabe 270mm Honyaki Gyuto Knife Review
- Shigefusa 270mm Kitaeji Gyuto Knife Review
- Sanetsu 270mm ZDP-189 Gyuto Knife Review
- Aritsugu 270mm A-Type Gyuto Knife Review
- Tadatsuna 270mm White Steel Gyuto Knife Review
- Tojiro DP Gyuto 240mm(9.5") Japanese Kitchen Knife Review
- Watanabe Small Nakiri Knife Review
- Kobayashi Suminagashi Nakiri Knife Review
- Tadatsuna White Steel Kamagata Usuba Knife Review
Last updated - 05/19/19