Octaveman

Good questions. The buffalo horn hilt is the black part of the handle (or light colored as in the pic). He doesn't make it clear but it's my understanding that the hilt/ferrule on his master grade knives already is buffalo horn but with a round handle. I could be wrong with this one though. Either way, I would save the $40 and apply it to a new handle at EE.com. That $40 would be better spent there plus with better handle materials and the option of customization that apparently Watanabe doesn't do anymore. The knife itself is still a great value in a hand-made yanagiba for $185. Spend some more on a great handle and you have one awesome knife. Another great option to Watanabe is Mizuno Tanrenjo. This great online retailer allows for the poosiblility of even more customization with buffalo hilt color, handle material, blade finish, etc. Although not shown specifically, I know you can get an Ebony handle with light colored buffalo horn ferrule if you wished. Check it out. To get ebony handle with a 270mm honkasumi knife, it would cost $280. The same option with Watanabe and the new handle from EE.com would be $255 but you'd have to spend extra for shipping to and from EE.com so it would even out. http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/MizunoCustomOrderShop.html Or you could go with just the standard HonKasumi series with Ho wood but with various colors of buffalo horn for $210. http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HonKasumiSeries.html Mizuno is a very respectable manufacturer. Not quite as glamorous as getting one hand-made but they make very good knives. Plus dealing with this online shop is a pure joy. Customer service is off the charts and they only charge $7 shipping from Japan and you will get your knife in about 4 days.

Holy smokes, you're right!! This must be a recent thing with not making ebony handles anymore. The excerpt you posted was about the buffalo horn hilt/ferrule. He typed this up because people were requesting various colors of buffalo horn for their knives and he apparently couldn't get them. Some makers are willing to accomodate and some aren't. Purely up to the maker. So, he doesn't make ebony handles anymore. No biggie. You can get octagon in the Ho wood for the extra $40 bucks. But honestly, I say get the knife without any extra's and then send it to the website below for a better ebony handle with buffalo horn ferrule. It's much much nicer than Ho wood, adds a little more weight to help balancing the knife and it's more elegant looking. An awesome look is a ebony handle and light colored buffalo horn ferrule pictured below. Dan at EE.com is a fantastic at putting on new handles. He redid the handle on one of my knives and for many other people I know. http://www.epicureanedge.com Yes, all Japanese knife makers make these knives with white or blue carbon steel as the core surrounded by wrought iron. There are some that may use different materials but this is pretty much the standard kasumi method of knife production. Watanabe's Pro line of knives are all Honkasumi meaning that the level of finish is much higher than standard Kasumi knives but the materials are the same.

I agree with Dick. I have Falk pans and love them. Brushed sides do not require polishing. You can let the pan for it's natural patina or clean the copper with Barkeepers Friend. No big deal. I'm pretty sure the cost would be siginificantly cheaper with the volume discount at the website below than All-Clad. On a side note, it's a pure waste of money to buy copper lids. It does nothing other than get scratched up and matches your pan. Provides no benefit when cooking. Go to Bridge Kitchenware.com and buy some SS lids that work just fine and are 90% cheaper. http://www.copperpans.com/

A Yanagiba? Have I got the place for you to get it. This guy makes fantastic knives and are very very reasonable. I suggest 270mm for this knife and also recommend adding an Ebony Octagon handle. I've had one of his Yanagiba's before and it was an outstanding knife. You can get either white steel or blue steel but honestly white steel being the cheaper is not noticably different. http://watanabeblade.com/english/pro/pro.htm Everythin in your list looks great. The only thing I would mention is that you really won't need a steel. If your getting the Shapton Pro stones, they don't require soaking so just whip it out and run the knife over for a few swipes and your done. I have a hand American glass smooth steel and never use it because I just get out my 5k stone and hone it with that. Your choice of course but just showing you another option. Glad to see someone doing their research before just plunging into buying what everyone else is getting at the local department store or Williams-Sonoma. Regarding the Honesuki, the Hattori FH Honesuki is supposed to be out in a few months if you can wait. Here's a pic of the prototype. It's double beveled so looks are deceiving. It just has a wide front bevel on it. Works as an advantage.

How did I do that? The others I listed are great knives as well. Specially the Suisin. The length is the biggest issue here. Weight is not. I say go to a store that has 10" knives and just look at it from a length standpoint disregarding it's weight. Pinch grip it and see what you think then try to determine if an extra inch would be a problem. If you think you want a 270mm but not sure about the length. It won't take long to get used to it. If I was to use a 240mm now it would seem small to me. Completely depends on what you would need a knife for? A Honesuki is a fantastic boning knife. It goes through ribs, joints, etc. Just not through big bones like leg or thigh. This is a must since the gyuto is not made for this. This could double as a petty if you don't have much use for a petty. Most Honesuki's are about 150mm-160mm and that's pretty much the same as a general petty. I have the large JK Adams block HERE (top of page). It is very well made and fits 270mm knives in the top slots. Honestly, there's another option that is very nice. THESE knife racks are VERY well made and VERY nice and VERY strong. I have one a love it. Doesn't scratch the blades as no metal is involved and the magnets are underneath the surface. They are reasonably priced and can be custom made to your length. Very nice.

Not necessarily the expert but I have used many many many Japanese knives and just two Euro knives. There are a few Japanese knives I haven't used so I point out issues from what others who are in the know have said. Performance is a term that is not easily defined. Does it holds it's edge? For how long? What usage is the knife subjected to? Does it cut better? Is it because it's thinner or because it's harder? How long are you considering duration of sharpness? Are you cutting soft veggies or hard veggies? I could go on but you get the point that it's not that easy to answer this question. I have not used a Blazen gyuto but from people who own them say it's geometry is very good (thin with a nice taper from spine to edge), it holds it's edge longer than most other knives doing the same kind of work, it's not too hard to keep it sharp with touch-ups but thorough sharpenings can be a little more work due to it's hardness. Fit and finish are close to the best you'll see in Japanese knives. I have used the KF gyuto and it too is a very good knife. One of the main differences is materials used. Higher quality linen micarta handle material and is hand contoured. This material will not shrink or swell with humidity nor get slippery when wet. Nice sized too. Fit and finish IS the best you will see in japanese knives. The profile and geometry of the blade were designed by professional and home chefs. In other words actual users of the knives designed them, not some boardroom committee or a person trying to reinvent the mousetrap. The VG10 is special in some way in the Hattori does something to it to make it stronger I think. Not really sure but it just doesn't react like typical VG10 on the stones. Sharpens up very well and is not difficult to keep it that way. essentially these knives were designed and Hattori was chosen to make them THE best knives on the market. Are there other knives you could consider? Sure, a few... Suisin INOX Honyaki Wa-gyuto One helluva knife. Stainless, fantastic. Hiromoto Tenmi Jyuraku AS series Fantastic knife, Blue Super core surrounded by stainless. Misono UX10 Always been a great knife. Hiroo Itou if you can wait until they become available and you've saved more money. 100% hand-made. Togiharu G-1 Very nice knife for the price. got a really good review from a guy I know. I used to buy 240's but made the leap to 270's. I like them better. It might be overkill for most stuff but I like having the extra room so I don't have to worry so much about making sure the food is under the blade. I even use them on garlic and shallots. Fun. Depends on the brand but generally speaking the handles usually get slightly larger with blade length. The thing about Japanese knives is that they are made hard, thin and light so balance of even the 270's are only less than 1/2 in front of the bolster. The 240's are pretty all designed to balance right at the bolster. If you were to get into a Wa-gyuto (a gyuto with traditional Japanese handle) then balance would definately be toward the blade with even a 240 but it's still not bad. You betcha Bob

Good plan. Bread knives are not as important as your chef. Just make sure you get one without points in your edges. Reverse scallops I think is what they call it. I have the MAC roast slicer/bread knife...SB105 I think is the model number. The Blazen is a fine knife and would highly recommend. Are the FH knives worth the extra $100? That depends on the individual. On paper, probably not to many but these two are different. Comfort, balance and the hand-made nature of the Hattori FH line is very appealing. The Blazen's powdered steel blade and blade geometry is also very appealing. It's your call. You'd be happy with either one. BTW, I would get at least the 240mm size. The 210 is pretty small when you consider the gyuto can be used for 90% of your chopping duties. If you use a pinch grip when you hold your knives then you'd be losing about 30mm of usable edge right under your fingers too. It would scare a lot of people. Then you DO care. Japanese will give you the lasting quality you desire. Sounds good. Getting Shapton Pro or Shapton Glassstones? Can't go wrong with Blazen or the Hattori FH. 240mm would be a better option than 210mm. I suggest visiting http://www.foodieforums.com/vbulletin/index.php for plenty of knife talk. Cheers, Bob

From what I can see it's made for QVC distribution. Reviews say it's very similar to Le Crueset and very nicely made. I say go for it. I might get one too.

I keep my boards on their side on the counter when not in use. The joy not only comes from looking at the board but also from using it. Like I said before, my board gets daily use and gets dirty and I don't care. I don't buy things to not use them or be afraid to use them. I have knives costing thousands and I use and abuse them (within reason, of course) so why would I treat my board any differently? Go ahead and get the end-grain board that you desire and enjoy it to the fullest. The Chinese chopping blocks sold by the Wok Shop are really only practical if you have the room. Bolting it down to a small table would be cool and would certainly be a conversation piece too. But they're rustic and very heavy. Completely different from those sold by The Boardsmith.

Good grief.

Cool, Pat, I'd love to see pics when you get it. Glad people are enjoying my posts too. Speaking of pictures, it would be great if people posted pics of their boards to see what's out there. On a side note, I can't recall if it was in this thread or another thread about someone looking for a tree cross section to use as a chopping block. It just occurred to me that the place linked below has them and quite reasonable too. Get one wide enough, attach it to a small table top and you have a mobile chopping block. If I had the room, I would definately like one of the thick Chinese blocks. Chinese Chopping Block (thick sucker) Ironwood Chopping Block Bob

Well, you're not far off with that. He was right with regard to mild toxicity of dust from dark woods. I've been reading a thread started on another forum and the tannins in the Mahogany and even Walnut can be toxic to some that may cause an allergic reaction but this is no different than tannins in tea for example. Some people are even allergic to pine so it all depends on the individual. Of course breathing dust could cause problems regardless of the material but from what I gather one could wipe down the surface every now and then with bleach if there is a serious concern. Besides, any new board should be thoroughly cleaned and oiled to remove any remaining dust from being made. I personally haven't experienced any issues with my board.

Scubadoo...thanks. His other boards are just as nice too. The knife...ah well, the knife is now in a tie as my favorite with another one. If anyone is interested I already have a bunch of shots uploaded of it HERE (yes, I love to take pics). Cleo...I chose Walnut soley for the deep brown color. I've seen pics of walnut boards from people I know that have bought them from David and it kinda sold itself really. I would love to get one of his maple butcher blocks but I already have an rather expensive 18x24 maple Boos board I got a few years ago. All the boards he sells are very nice and you honestly can't go wrong with any wood type. There is a scale that is used to judge the hardness of wood called the Janka scale. Woods in the range of about 1000 to 1500 on this scale are not too soft and not too hard for use as a cutting board. This is no steadfast rule just an opinion of a guy I know that works with wood. Then there's the issue of whether the grain is a tight or an open grain. I don't know the details on Mahogany so I suggest just emailing David and ask questions. He's real nice to deal with. Wood that make for really good boards are below. Whatever you do get end grain at least 1.75" thick. My board is 2" thick. I really like the look of his Mahogany boards too but chose dark brown over dark red. Honestly, talk to David and see where that takes you. Remember that this would be a custom board so you could also ask for a special pattern to your board just like his pics. Or even with or w/o a juice groove. Rock Maple 1450 Mahogany 750 Cherry 950 Walnut 1010 Teak 1150 Ash 1320 Birch 1260 Bamboo 1180-1800 (hardest of all the above but still within a decent janka range) Menon...I've never heard that before but I'm no wood expert so it could very well be true. I do know that there are usually several different species of the same wood so maybe there really is a species of Mahogany that is mildy toxic but I seriously doubt David would make boards out of it. I know, I rambled. The kids are in bed and nothing on TV I'm interested in so why not. Bob

Hi Bekki, everyday this board is used. I have a bigger maple board for larger prep but this one gets used for pretty much everything. I've even used it as a presentation cheese board. The feet are VERY non-skid. It's tough to move even when I try. I do suggest getting larger than you think you may want. Also, I got mine without juice grooves to give me more usable cutting area. Don't worry about getting it messy. It cleans up real well and as long as you keep oil it with food grade mineral oil once a week, you'll be fine. Keep in mind that Dave is officially ending his online board making business at the end of the year. He did tell me he would take orders as they come in but he won't be keeping a stock of boards to sell. I got my board in about a month because he didn't have enough wood in stock. I think normally it's a couple of weeks to make/ship.

Gweixel, send Dave an email. He's good at getting back to you. You should discuss this with him first. Cleo, end grain is better for your knives and will last longer than edge grain. Problem is end grain is generally more expensive. Not much of an issue really when you consider how long you'll use it. It's a good idea to get a board at least 1" thick to keep the board from warping. I just got my Walnut board from the Boardsmith and love it. Wish it was bigger though. Pics are around here somewhere in another cutting board thread if ya want to check it out. Clickity edited to add url.

Popeyes. Love the spicy chicken and the non-standard sides. The buscuits rule.

You just HAD to buy two didn't ya?

Exactly and agreed...we're on the same page. It most likely would be cheaper direct...that's a good point. Depending on the maker, the wait could be anywhere from a few months to a year or more. A simple inquiry as you stated is all that's needed. You might be pleasantly surprised too.

Mike, if you're referring to my post regarding the shortness of Radar's knives, you are 100% correct that any custom knife maker can make pretty much any knife the way you'd like but I never made the blanket statement that "custom knives are too short". Those knives at EE.com made by Radar are knives made to the makers specs with the intent to sell them to the public. They were never "custom" knives commissioned by an individual and yes, these hand made knives are too short for me to consider for purchase. If it was me that was in the market for a true custom blade I certainly wouldn't wait for it to show up for sale on the internet. Nor would I buy one of his knives and call it a custom.

Funny, I looked for Mike Sumner and obviously didn't find anything so I gave up. Mike Radar has some real nice knives. I almost bought one but then I looked at what I already have and the balance in my checking account. Reality set in real quick. Seriously though, great stuff but I wish he made them a few inches longer. Drew at EE.com thinks very highly of them.

I don't get it. Well, I mean I get some of the attraction to this knife because it looks cool and it comes with it's own stand to cover up even more valuable counter space. What I don't get is that people are willing to spend more money for this design when the Shun Classic Chef has essentially the same rocking profile if not more of a rocking profile. If you put these knives side by side or even on top one another, you can see the difference in the edge profile. One could argue that the picture below shows the classic sitting on it's heal and the KO is resting in front of the heal. Well, okay, then move it back to rest on it's heal and then notice where the tip would be...pretty much exactly where the Classic is. So, is the KO worth an extra $80+ for the illusion of a better rocker? Take the classic blade shape and make a few design mods to the spine, change the handle and add a massive bolster and you have the KO. The handle design is not condusive to the proper way of pinch gripping a knife. Matter of fact with the bolster designed the way it is I don't think you'd be able to use a pinch grip. To use the tip for various things you'd have to raise the handle end pretty high to get the tip flat on the board for your cuts. Too many things are functionally wrong with this knife that I can't recommend it to anyone. I have little problem recommending Shun knives in general just not the KO design. Besides, as a serious Japanese blade user, I have aboslutely NO problems rocking with any gyuto I've used and own so I just don't get why people feel that an edge with such a huge curve is a good thing. Just a few thoughts for what they're worth.

If you only use it for pancakes, get the non-stick. Cast iron is very difficult to control the heat with. If you get it too hot and you start burning your pancakes it will take a siginificant amount of time to cool it off enough for use. Then it's more time spent trying to get the temp right. The non-stick benefit of CI comes after seasoning and unless you plan to cook a lot of bacon with it and season it and take care of it then it would be a good choice but still, I come back to what you're using it for. Bacon? Sausage? Pancakes? I have three well seasoned CI pans (including a CI griddle I use for fish on the grill outside) and I would still get a non-stick griddle just for the ease of use. CI is great for searing and frying at high temps. For low temp cooking why bother. While visiting my mother one weekend I used her NS griddle for just this exact purpose (breakfast) and was happy with the way it performed. No problems at all.

Just received my end-grain board yesterday. The quality of craftsmanship is outstanding and I recommend this guy (David) without reservation. It's made from Walnut and is 12x18. I probably should've asked for a 14x18 but it's fine. Just got to get used to the fact that it's much smaller than my other board. Also had to throw in a pic of my new favorite knife I received the week prior. Man, it's been a good couple of weeks. www.theboardsmith.com

I ate all Boll Weevil once on thought it was awful. The worst preformed-at-the-factory patty I ever ate. That was in 1985 ...never been back since. I used to live on Alvarado in those apartments across the street from DZ Akins and there used to be a Doodle Burgers right there on the corner. Now THEY had some good stuff. I thought I heard or read some time ago of one still around...maybe near that small strip of stores by Washington and India street. Probably not there anymore.

One of the biggest problems with people that have sore backs all the time is because their abdominal muscles are weak. The upper body is relying on your back to support itself when the abdominals should be helping keeping you upright. Work stations that are too low will put undue stress on your back and not allow your stomach muscles to hep out. Do sit ups, crunches, leg lifts. As far as your knees are concerned, don't lock them. Do squats every so often to keep your back stretched and your thighs stretched.