Takeda Classic AS 240

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Altadan
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Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by Altadan »

First off, I'd like to give a big thanks to Ashy2classy for agreeing to a fun little "knife-swap."
I am still blown by the generous and trusting gesture we all call "passarounds," but to swap knives in such good faith is just one more step forward.
Thank you very much for allowing me to test-drive your Takeda classic 240!
disclosure: I am but a humble home-cook.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This knife is several things at once:
it is long (what I’ve on hand clocks in at 256mm),
tall and broad-faced (66mm at the heel, and keeps most of it throughout).
I can’t accurately measure how thick it is, but I can say that it comes out thin at the handle, and tapers thinner and thinner towards the tip.
The whole package weighs 174g, and balances around the heart symbol, somewhat in front of the pinch.
Despite the blade-heavy balance and overall striking visual size, the knife is surprisingly nimble.
~
Takeda AS 240 (256mm).JPG
Takeda AS 240 (66mm).JPG
Takeda AS 240 (66mm).JPG (35.37 KiB) Viewed 5669 times

For salads, this thing is a champ.
THE champ.

That S-grind leaves cucumbers, in whatever shape you cut them, just lying there in place waiting to be scooped into the bowl (here's a video; but please please skip the first minute - its embarassing :roll: I tried to go a little Cguarin on those cucs...) ).
Carrots give way to it; matchsticks fall in awe, and confetti drops off in submission in respect (here's another video for ya).
Slicing onions is the obvious trick, and it never fails to impress. Juliennes just stack to one side. Fine dicing is as orderly as it can get. Just a pleasure (Last video I took is here).
Note: though the distal taper is impressive, the bulge of the S-grind, near the tip, does mean that the Takeda does not quite "ghost" through onions.
In fact, everything I cut with this knife demanded either a slight increase of umph. A bit more push before the Takeda goes through. It takes very little to get used to it. Really, if there is any trade-off for having that incredible food-release these Takedas are so famous for, it is that - it does not slip, ghost, or fall through food - but it can certainly blow!

Handling his impressive piece of cutlery is much easier than the eyes might suggest. For all its size, it is rather nimble and well balanced, as I mentioned above.
Though the profile looks rather Santoku-ish, the length and overall curve make it plenty versatile when it comes to technique (though as you may see in some of the vids, the curve goes all the way through, and finding the sweet spot takes a few days).
~
256mm next to a 165mm santoku, just for reference
256mm next to a 165mm santoku, just for reference
~
The only hard produce I cut with it were carrots and sweet pots, and in both cases it did very very well. The sweet potatoes rarely stick, but they can cause wedging with certain knives. I was pleased to find neither with the Takeda. Carrots were a breeze.
On that note, I should mention that the edge on these Aogami Super beasts is lively, wicked, and long-lasting.
I didn't get around to sharpen this one, not so much for lack of confidence as much as just being overwhelmed with other things (Boy #3 just born a couple weeks ago).
It's been said on these forums that the Takedas are "polarizing," you either like it or you don't. I can see why.
If money is not a factor, and you're already a dozen gyutos deep into this obses... excuse me, "journey," then by all means, you need to own this knife.
If money is, however, an issue, then... then I warmly recommend you get your hands on this knife to at least try it. After you tried it, you may very well want to save up for it :mrgreen:
Seriously though, if I were a prep-cook in a salad-heavy restaurant that demands volume, I'd have a hard time imagining anything sweeter than this.

There's more to say, surely, but I've run out of ideas for now. I know many others have owned theirs for much longer, and so I leave it to them to contribute to this post.
Hope this helps, and
thanks again, Ashy!
“If we conquer our passions it is more from their weakness than from our strength.”
― François de La Rochefoucauld
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Jeff B
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by Jeff B »

Good read Dan.

I'm glad to see that these "behind the scenes" swaps still happen. They've been going on for a long time now.
Though I've offered up a few pretty nice knives to some good members without hesitation, I've been shocked at
some of the stuff that's been sent to me for test drives! Knives that I'd be very wary of letting out of my sight.
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
milkbaby
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by milkbaby »

My Takeda medium gyuto has very similar measurements. I really enjoy it, but I can definitely understand how it can be a polarizing knife. I've said it before, but considering the size of the knife and how light it is, the thing feels like a toy in hand.
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by JoeWheels »

We have the same knife, 240x70mm, definitely "giant Santoku."
Breezes though anything, zero wedging, perfect food release.
Wet sticky potatoes just stay where they're supposed to.

I constantly hear "this is the best knife we have."
And "we're never selling this."
And (careful here) "we don't need any other knives!"
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Altadan
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by Altadan »

JoeWheels wrote: Sat Sep 07, 2019 3:42 pm
I constantly hear "this is the best knife we have."
And "we're never selling this."
And (careful here) "we don't need any other knives!"

The operative word is "need"
But you know what, I really haven't found anything the Takeda didn't do either well, very well, or outstanding.
That being said, to get the "takeda magic" you often have to give up the other jknife magic of just slipping through stuff, the way, say, a Fuji does ^_^
And so... you end up owning more than one knife :lol:
“If we conquer our passions it is more from their weakness than from our strength.”
― François de La Rochefoucauld
JoeWheels
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by JoeWheels »

Never felt I was giving up anything when using the Takedas, otherwise I'd just grab another knife.

"Owning more than one knife" is an understatement, speaking for most of us here.
Stnakamu
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by Stnakamu »

Love my takeda
CharlieHustle
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Re: Takeda Classic AS 240

Post by CharlieHustle »

Absolutely love the finish on this knife
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