Julian's 170mm W2 Honyaki 'Stock' Ko-gyuto

This knife is a great example of what happens when a customer decides they want on of my 'stock' knives. A stock knife, is one of my knives that I've made for whatever reason (for another customer usually, but sometimes just because I feel like it!), that either didn't go to its original home for whatever reason, or didn't have an original home to go to, so I put them up for sale. This was an example of the former...as the person who ordered it originally decided they wanted a longer knife. Julian saw the potential in it, and since buying a 'stock' knife also buys you a bump to the front of the line...he's only had to wait a few weeks for his gem to be finished.

So, if you're looking for a knife from me...but don't want a 40 week wait...snatching these up when they come available is a good way to go about it.

One other thing I'd like to point out, is that knives like this are why the dual taper handle design you see here was developed. The blade is very short, thin, and due to these factors is simply GOING to be light weight. The dual taper handle takes a lot of weight off the but end of the blade, restoring some of the balance and 'feel' that is often lost on the shorter blades.

173mm x 49mm x 2.9mm thick over the heel.

Steel - AISI W2 from Aldo at New Jersey Steel Baron
Handle - Stabilized (K&G) California buckeye burl, reclaimed copper, and 165yr old wrought iron spacers.



Thanks for looking!!

 

Hiya guys! So this is my little ko gyuto, and I've been using it for around two weeks now in a pro environment. Thought I'd share my thoughts and experiences with Cris's work.
So the first few days after I received the knife, I didn't use anything else in my kit. The knife is super comfy in hand, and due to it's length, is extremely nimble. The dual taper handle design is strange at first, but I quickly got used to it and now prefer it over standard octagonal and western shapes. It fits my hand super well and it encourages forward momentum, making it easier to do tasks where i'd rather have a longer blade. The blade itself, besides looking incredible, performs right up there with the best. I own DT san mai, Mizuno honyaki, Rodrigue, and a Kato workhorse gyuto. Cris's f&f surpassed all of these and his "all-purpose" grind really stands out and shines as one of the best I've ever worked with. It is thin and falls through everything without flexing or feeling too light to accomplish heavy root veg or thick produce. I used it to break down a bunch of fruit, where it did an awesome job. It handled watermelon and pineapple like a champ. I honestly didn't feel like I needed more blade due to how nimble this knife is in hand. I've also been using it as my line knife, where it has also been doing a fantastic job. Cooked proteins are easy, it even performs well on seared fish and large thick proteins like rib-eye medallions. All this being said, the area I thought it did the best in is edge retention. I haven't had a single knife I've owned stand up to the hard plastic cutting boards the way this one does. I haven't even felt like I really need to touch it up in two weeks of banging it on plastic for 10-14 hours a day. As of last night, it was still dicing tomatoes like a boss, not exactly with the same ease as when it first arrived, but certainly not to the point I feel it actually needs it. All this being said, I'm extremely pleased with my purchase from Cris. He's incredibly down to earth and easy to deal with, he's also an excellent communicator and someone I wouldn't hesitate to buy from again. I'll be updating this review and supplementing it with videos and more pictures as the weeks go on .
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
This is a pic after two weeks of heavy use
http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w9/coexist44/IMAG0222_zpsmywxqarm.jpg
If anyone has any questions or would like to know how this knife performs on food I didn't mention, feel free to send me a pm. I'll respond with a video .

 

Thanks Julian!! I love it when my work meets or exceeds my customer's expectations!

As far as questions...I'll have to raise my hand, lol. If only to have you post video .