u/Tough_Entertainer_70

I must say that I've been Shibata curious for some time now but haven't gotten around to pull the trigger. I'm halfway in with my CCK x Shibata collab but I wanted one that is Shibata start to finish. Off a random post here by the folks at CKTG I went and perused the New Arrivals selections and found what I couldn't believe I was seeing but a Sabatier Inspired design by one other than Takayuki Shibata himself.

Without a second thought I knew it was something I simply had to have. Some of you may be aware of my vintage Sabatier collection and my love for it. To see a Japanese blade that had legendary cutting quality paired with a profile that I adore I knew it was time to no longer be curious and be wholeheartedly bought in. Here is my first one:

Shibata Kashima 210 mm Gyuto in R-2 (SG2)

My favorite profile in my favorite length in a stainless steel which I'm boosting up the collection on, man the timing was just right here.

TCK Family. I hope you all are well. I've had a lot of fun with my Nakiri and Chukas lately and thought about sharing them.

Left to Right:

Ittetsu Shirogami #1 165mm (my first Japanese knife)

Shindo Aogami #2 165 mm

Touroku Sakai Shirogami #2 (the urushi powder urushi lacquered handle on this thing is insane)

Shiro Kamo Aogami Super 165 mm extra tall with custom sugi handle

CCK x Shibata Carbon Collab 200 mm (my honorary Rectangle that's part trapezoid

Hatsukokoro x Sentan Shirogami #2 165 mm cleaver

Without a doubt my Shiro Kamo is the go to for me but the Shindo is stupid sharp and fun. The Touroku Sakai is an insane Workhorse performer that just feels amazing on long prep sessions and the CCK is one of the most fun and unique knives I own.

Just wanted to remknd everyone how awesome the Shiro Kamo AS Extra Tall Nakiri is at dominating prep work. Here is is doing work for soupe à l'oignon. Such a clean and effortless cutter.

Hope everyone is enjoying something delicious to eat that your knives made more fun to prepare.

I've had a little luck recently coming across some absolute gems. I was in a shop to pick up something I'd been chasing down a while and lo and behold, they had this beauty as well. I've got plenty of wide bevels and didn't need another per se but upon inspecting this particular specimen, I was sold

The grind and fit and finish on this particular model felt to me at the very top of what I would ask for for this particular knife so while weeeeelllll outside what I was budgeting for the day, I didn't want to regret it in the future passing on such an top example of this is smith x sharpener combo so out I walked with my brand new

Tanaka x Kyuzo 240 mm Gyuto Migaki Finish Stainless Clad Blue #1

This thing is just lovely. The way the cladding starts super dark by the heel and just floats away like clouds towards the tip. The super aggressive grind and the lovely handle with what I can only describe is a pearl looking horn ferrule. It's such a work of art i'm reticent to use it but excited to put it through the paces.

Happy cutting TCK Fam!

I saw this specific piece pop up online a little while ago and just fell in love with the look. I took a minute and thought about how it would fit into my current lineup and looked for a self justification on purchasing (we all know how that ends up)

A small internal struggle later, the knifeaholic in me won and I joyfully clicked through the buying prompts and ended up with a

Nakagawa Blue #1 240 mm Iron Clad Bokashi Finish Gyuto sharpened by Kawakita

To my eye this is a stunning knife and paired with the oak handle that is lightly charred and an urushi finish it's peak aesthetics. The grind itself is something I love (this was my final justification) and it fits right between my Doi Workhorse and my Tetsujin Blue.

Rating it's performance, it is stellar. Super sharp with a high F&F right out of the box. The only place where it falls short in my opinion is something that my Aogami knives struggle with at times when they're this sharp, is it slides a little on skinned fruits and veggies. When it needs a new edge I'll focus on getting it a little toothier but for now it's meats, fibrous and dense veg that skin isn't an issue.

I had to dig deep on the sharpener btw so my information may be wrong and if it is, I'd love one of you really well connected and informative people to help me out with a correction.

I was traveling on business and when I do have some free time I like to swing into local knife shops to support local businesses. This time is the Coutelier NOLA edition.

The staff there are always so fun to chat with and provide great service. If you're in town I do recommend you swing by.

I have had a gap in my collection that I've been slow to fill but when I saw this I knew it was the the one. As I mentioned yesterday I babe been boosting my stainless options and I've needed a suji so voila this fills the need. The knife is:

Yu Kurosaki 240 mm Sujihiki Gekko in VG XEOS with stainless cladding.

This thing truly is a sight to behold in the hand. Kurosaki just had a finish like no other maker I've seen. In my collection are mostly classical looking knives and a lot of Kurouchi so when I put this into the lineup it really stands out. Sort of like parking a Porsche 918 in a garage full of muscle cars.

Happy slicing TCK Family!

I've heard about the legend that is Takamura. I have wanted to beef up my stainless offerings a bit and this beauty popped up for sale so I said what the heck.

I just returned from a business trip and this was on the porch just eating to be opened. I'm such a sucker for a western handle too.

Man this is such a lovely knife. So we'll finished and precise in its construction and look. I cannot wait to work it over this weekend.

Takamura SG2 210 mm Gyuto

Oh and daaaaamn it's thiiiiin

This thing is so fun and slicey. MKijg quick work of the stir-fry prep tonight

CCK x Shibata Collab Chuka K-Tip CCK Carbon Steel 195 mm

Man did I say how much fun it is to use this knife? Well let me say it again. This thing is unique, sharp, and a joy to use.

Happy cutting TCK Family

I had a chance to add a big Shindo and I took it. Side note I'm Shindo'd out now so more for the rest of you.

They said this one was a "Big" 240 and they were definitely not lying. It feels like my field machete when I hold it. Definitely a different feel on the steel too. All my other Shindo are Blue #2.

Shindo 240 mm Togatta Gyuto in SRK8 steel

(it states is essentially the same properties as White #2 in its chemical makeup)

I got a chance to cut with it a few times and like all my other Shindos it's just an amazing cutter.

I also love trhe distal taper as it's very sanjo like and that is what I prefer in a knife.

Left to Right

Gold Handled Vera Lachio Mystery Stainless Slicer (works great for cakes!!)

Good Cooks Watermelon Serrated Slicer

Pampered Chef Carving Knife High Carbon German Steel (it's actually very sharp and get's very sharp) with pakka wood handle. Don't underestimate this one

Henckels 4 Star Bread Knife FRIDOUR Stainless

Henckels 4 Star Chef's Knife FRIDOUR Stainless

Cuisinart Scalloped Santoku Mystery Stainless (This is my go to for slicing butter or cheeses and I don't want to clean a charp knife)

Misen Paring Knife - An old travel throw away that doesn't seem to get thrown away

Anyhow, I'm certain many of you have a mystery drawer of sharp or semi sharp things that you have just hanging around. Thought I'd share my deepest darkest secrets of my knife collection

This little fella popped up for a bargain and I just had to grab it. It's always fun to have an extremely sharp knife in a workable size. This particular one too had a nice little shindo shimmy and it's about as flexible as my victoriox filet knife.

Shindo Aogami #2 165 mm Bunka

Happy cutting TCK Family

TF is outta this world let's celebrate his craftsmanship with some celebratory posts this fine Friday.

I'm start it out with something small

Terayusa Fujiwara Denka no Hotou Aogami Super Stainless clad Paring knife with a western handle. This little fella clocks in at just 92 mm.

Talk about overkill on my end.... I had a pile of leftovers to utilize and I needed one onion so what did I grab?

My Sabatier petty? No... My Moyokyuuichi santoku... No... Overkill time

240mm Tetsujin Blue #2 metal flow.

I mean, why own amazing knives if you aren't going to really use them. Anyhow pics for proof.

210 mm is my jam and K Tips are another of my boxes I like to check, so when I randomly came across this Moritaka with a light colored handle to boot I jumped all over it.

The Knife

210 mm Moritaka AS Kiritsuke

This thing is certainly one of the sharpest out of the box knives over had the pleasure of breaking in. Whew, it's just shaaaaaarp. I look forward to taking it through some serious work to get a greater feel but it crushed a quick veggie prep on day 1.

Made a throw together fritatta out of the garden and freezer. Had to cut some frozen stuff so Mr Indestructible comes to the rescue

New West Knife Works 190 mm Gyuto s35vn powder steel

This thing is so light and so durable its not the fanciest knife I own but it puts in work gets pretty darn sharp and is easy to hone if I'm working through a ton of stuff. Also has zero issues with frozen things so put it came.

Watanabe Pro Blue #2 Santoku for a little pork green curry for me

I got this little fella a little bit ago and never got around to giving it a proper focus.

Knife:

Itsuo Doi Homura Guren 150mm Petty Blue #2 Ironclad

I had been looking for a slightly thicker k-tip petty for a while and this one just spoke to me. It's pretty decent in height at the heel and while having a thicker spine has a beautiful taper and works wonders on thick flesh veggies while doing a wonderful brunoise on a shallot with that fine tip. Overall super versatile.

Also PSA I'm an idiot. First time I used it, I was cooking off-site and threw it in a protect blade guard. Must not have been dry because about a week later when I was unpacking that bag (yeah also stupid on my part) I went to take the blade guard off and the dreaded stuck feeling. Yup rust right on the shinogi line. I'm pretty sure that water splashed on the guard at some point and since it was felt lined it absorbed and I screwed up. I am a tools not jewels person so I roughly scrubbed off the rust and hit it with a coffee patina to up the protection level against further rust. It looks cool as hell in person with the rusty remnants (visual only) down the shinogi with the coffee patina making it super dark. Anyhow it doesn't show up on camera but it's uniquely mine and I love it.

A few years ago, my wife unexpectedly gifted me a Knack Series 1 Large backpack for business travel. This has been unexpectedly an absolute workhorse on the road. It's about to board it's 200th flight give or take a couple and it still looks new. It stays clean and the front and top pouch are game changers for ease of access. I've only used the expansion about a dozen times but it is a lifesaver on short trips when you only want to carry one bag. Is it the best, probably not, is it worth the money, ABSOLUTELY. Maybe not the coolest bag on here but it had exceeded every expectation and looks to have years left on it with how it's wearing.

Small note I have also used it extensively locally and it has seen some sort of use over 150-200 days annually over the course of 3+ yeara

Well kind of. I had my brand new Doi Homura Petty in a felt lined blade guard and somehow moisture for in. Super solid line of rust across the iron cladding. Not really any issue I suppose but it's the first heavr amount of rust I've had on any knife I own. Bound to happen eventually...

My plan is to keep it oiled and run with it unless I'm missing something here.