Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

For questions/topics that don't fit into the other, more specific forums.
anthonyc
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 2:57 am

Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by anthonyc »

Hi everyone,

I thought this would be a fun discussion to see play out and see if there was any consensus.

Name your opinion on the Knife of the Decade!
ButlerHoosierChef
Posts: 722
Joined: Tue Oct 31, 2017 9:34 pm
Location: Greenfield Indiana
Has thanked: 68 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by ButlerHoosierChef »

Definitely Konosuke Fujiyama. Almost hands down. Besides Kato and Shigs which the blacksmiths are close to retiring you don't have a more sought after knife that is in mass production. The sharpener and blacksmith combine to make one of the best products for basically the entire decade at a reasonable price in multiple different steels for every year.
Barashka
Posts: 228
Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:35 pm
Location: Chicago
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Barashka »

If we're talking a single knife .. it might have to be the KS .. few knives lasted through the decade and kept being produced and coveted and relevant all the way through.
I think Shigs go way back too, right?
I don't know of any other knife line that lasted this long .. who's been here since 2010s??
Kalaeb
Posts: 3271
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:59 pm
Location: Wisconsin
Has thanked: 208 times
Been thanked: 390 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Kalaeb »

For me it would either have to be the sheep horn/ San Mai from Bill Burke owned by Chef Colin, or the composit Damascus from Devin that made the decade for me.
Wjhunt
Posts: 302
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2018 12:36 pm
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 44 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Wjhunt »

+1 on the Fujiyama. The Konosuke hd was very difficult to purchase a few years ago too.
I would like to give some love to the knife that lives on my cutting board, Gihei Blue #2.
jmcnelly85
Posts: 2657
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 8:59 pm
Has thanked: 24 times
Been thanked: 415 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by jmcnelly85 »

Radar53
Posts: 1855
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 2:44 am
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Has thanked: 354 times
Been thanked: 583 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Radar53 »

+1 from me. I'm a bit of a sucker for Damascus and this knife just sticks in my brain.

The other knife that always seems to be talked about with reverence & in hushed tones is the Nubatama Black Steel knife.

Both of the above are well out of my consideration though, so for a more readily available scenario I would say that the Shibata Kashima had a significant impact when it appeared, amazing even many who aren't really into lasers as well those more classically oriented. I do have this knife and while it is not my favourite JK, it is the one I compare all my other gyutos to.
Cheers Grant

Just because you're not paranoid doesn't mean they're not going to get you!!
salemj
Posts: 3709
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:27 pm
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Has thanked: 197 times
Been thanked: 528 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by salemj »

+1 on Konosuke Fujiyama. I can imagine many customs that are worth higher rankings, but I don't feel a custom or short-supply knife really works as well for a moniker like this. Of larger-batch knives, the Fujiyama seems to fit all the criteria, including a virtual lack of production (as it is known here in North America) prior to 2010 if vague recollection serves me, which I don't think is the case for the KS.
~Joe

Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and own mostly Konosukes but have used over a dozen brands.
anthonyc
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 2:57 am

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by anthonyc »

Id love to hear Steve Gamache or Mark Richmond's thoughts on this. Not many people who have had the opportunity to handle and view as many different blades as these two men!
nakneker
Posts: 2359
Joined: Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:37 am
Location: Taylor, Az
Has thanked: 185 times
Been thanked: 142 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by nakneker »

Production knife? The Kono Fujiyama series would get my vote too. Customs?, that’s a different can of worms.
“The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.”
pgugger
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Nov 18, 2017 11:59 am
Location: New Jersey, USA
Has thanked: 2 times
Been thanked: 6 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by pgugger »

I have only gotten into this in the past few years but just from reading forums, it seems like it has to be a knife from Konosuke, particularly the Fujiyamas or maybe the HD2. These are at the top of my list to try in 2020... I guess I’m only one decade behind the curve!

Also, I’m not sure how far back Takeda goes but anyone think his line of knives is a contender? They are certainly unique and loved by many.
User avatar
lsboogy
Posts: 1486
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2018 1:23 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 132 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by lsboogy »

How about Suisin or Nenohi - they make a good number of knives and they are gold standards for the most part
Cutuu
Posts: 3533
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:00 pm
Has thanked: 285 times
Been thanked: 105 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Cutuu »

lsboogy wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2020 3:03 pm How about Suisin or Nenohi - they make a good number of knives and they are gold standards for the most part
Gold standards, according to who? I know they are pricey, but I haven't heard mass praise, especially for the price. But that's just what I have and haven't heard. By no means do I pretend to have hands on experience to base an opinion. The suisin I have heard more positive things as of value for price.
User avatar
Corradobrit
Posts: 185
Joined: Thu Feb 08, 2018 10:36 am
Been thanked: 5 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Corradobrit »

TFTFTF
inzite
Posts: 323
Joined: Fri May 19, 2017 10:04 pm
Location: Toronto
Has thanked: 16 times
Been thanked: 29 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by inzite »

Corradobrit wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2020 8:02 pmTFTFTF
TFTFTFTFTF :D :D
User avatar
lsboogy
Posts: 1486
Joined: Tue Jun 05, 2018 1:23 pm
Location: Minneapolis
Has thanked: 41 times
Been thanked: 132 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by lsboogy »

I think I have seen more nenohi knives at high end Japanese sushi houses than any other brand. There is a reason they bring the prices that they do. I have a few, almost never use them - I like double bevel knives more. I'm still getting used to a new CHII blade I helped Carter design this year. Fits me like a glove and is just a kitchen beast for me - I'd nominate it if it were more than a custom blade. I'm going to take it to work this week to look at the steel under a SEM. My SO has basically told me she is getting a similar knife for her next year.
User avatar
Jeff B
Posts: 14741
Joined: Fri Jan 27, 2017 5:59 pm
Location: Louisville, Kentucky
Has thanked: 1954 times
Been thanked: 2324 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Jeff B »

There has to be a mention of the Hiromoto AS. If not for the halt in production in early 2015? it would still be a top seller.
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
salemj
Posts: 3709
Joined: Thu Jan 26, 2017 9:27 pm
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Has thanked: 197 times
Been thanked: 528 times

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by salemj »

Jeff B wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2020 11:33 pm There has to be a mention of the Hiromoto AS. If not for the halt in production in early 2015? it would still be a top seller.
That's a great point. I guess one hesitation for me would be how many times I've seen that knife re-sold as "thinned" (and usually etched). I've never used one, but all of that chatter has given me the impression that - despite all of fame from the WSJ review way back - it was easily and quickly outpaced by other Japanese knives once people discovered them. I'm not suggesting it isn't a great knife...I'm just saying that I don't know that one review and a lot of buzz gets my vote. (The same goes for the Misono UX-10, which also had its moments in the limelight and major, MAJOR sales to boot, mostly due to a single Top Chef winner endorsement that lead to countless "retweets.")
~Joe

Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and own mostly Konosukes but have used over a dozen brands.
t3chi3
Posts: 68
Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:46 am

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by t3chi3 »

I have a nenohi kiritsuke and it's a beautiful...museum piece.
Kramer
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2019 12:48 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Knife of the Decade 2010-2019

Post by Kramer »

It seems only reasonable to me to name a singleton custom which is far superior than others, or a production knife that has made great impact to the community. In the latter case, I’d say KS or Kono Fujiyama/HD(2).
Post Reply