RYUSEN - fyi

[mikemac]

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/RYUSEN.html

[Octaveman]

Interesting, Koki is not the price leader with this line. Epiceurean Edge is cheaper. Although she still has a better selection and her customer service is tops, she's not the cheapest across the board anymore.

Curious, who here is willing to spend the extra 40% to get better fit/finish and a saya over the Tojiro Powdered Steel? I dunno, I think the Tojiro really isn't THAT bad fit/finish wise to warrant the add'l expense just so it will look a little better. I mean, I didn't buy it to look at it.

Cheers,
Bob

[louisianacook]

Well, compare the two cheapest prices on these knives.
Tojiro $148.50
Blazen $208.00

Difference = $59.50 minus the price of a fitted saya ~ $30-$70 minus a few dollars for better fit and finish and I think you might have a wash. If I didn't have the Tojiro Powder now, I would definitely buy the Blazen as I have a need for knives with saya's.
Lee

[mikemac]

I think thats a different knife, Ryusen Damascus (aka Hattori HD)...as for F & F...isn't the S1 a mystery/powder steel at 60hrc for over $300?

[ QUOTE ]
Epiceurean Edge is cheaper....

Curious, who here is willing to spend the extra 40% to get better fit/finish

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[Octaveman]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, compare the two cheapest prices on these knives.
Tojiro $148.50
Blazen $208.00

Difference = $59.50 minus the price of a fitted saya ~ $30-$70 minus a few dollars for better fit and finish and I think you might have a wash. If I didn't have the Tojiro Powder now, I would definitely buy the Blazen as I have a need for knives with saya's.
Lee

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I know Watanabe charges $70 for a saya but that's way way way more than I would ever pay for a saya and way way way more than anyone should pay, I think. I have two Kikuichi knives and I paid $15 for one saya and $21 for the other.

So you sell your Tojiro to buy a Blazen:

Loss on Tojiro = $25-$30 (reasonable loss, I think, for a used Tojiro)
Add'l cost of Blazen over Tojiro = $60

Total additional for better F/F and a Saya = $85 - $90!!!!

If you don't have a Tojiro PS and really wanted a powdered steel knife then maybe, just maybe it would be worth it to buy the Blazen. But if you already have a Tojiro, I don't see the point since they're essentially the same knife if not exactly the same blade. If you want a Saya that bad for your Tojiro, see if Koki could sell you one. Ask her to fit one on the Tojiro to check for fit and if good, get the saya and save some money (don't forget to let us know if it works /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif). Still, $264 for a 270mm Gyuto that is NOT a Nenox S1 is hard to choke down.

Bob

[Octaveman]

Epicurean Edge has Blazen knives and they are about $17 cheaper than Koki. I did notice that the Saya offered at EE and JCK are different. The Saya at EE has Blazen inscribed on them.

[louisianacook]

I said $30 & $70 because that is what I have paid for saya's. I recently bought a saya for my Masamoto yanagi from Koki it was 33.00, and you know who the $70.00 one came from. There was no way I was getting a Watanabe honyaki gyuto and no saya, $70.00 or not.

BTW this knife is fabulous, used it extensively last night when slicing a bunch of onions/shallots for my french onion soup. Slightly thicker profile than what I generally like in a gyutou, but an outstanding performer all the way, plus the mirror finish really makes you want to hold and use it everyday.
Lee

[weldon]

The $264 still gives you a knife for 100$ cheaper than a 270 S-1 and you get a saya with it. The blade is supposedly a bit harder than the S-1. So you're looking at a benjamin seperating each for the Tojiro, the Ryusen, and the S-1. It sounds to me like a fair price for what you are getting.

JMHO

-w

[Octaveman]

Lee, you were talking about the fabulous Honyaki right? I'm envious. I would like to justify a Watanabe Honyaki right now but am unable. I suppose I could give up other knives I want but I'm not buying a couple of knives per month so it would take me a while to save up. I have a problem where there's so many things I want that it's hard to decide if I'd rather have more inexpensive things or fewer expensive things. I guess I could easly sock away a couple hundred a month without the wife noticing. Then I may be able to get the Watanabe by the end of summer. But then there's the point where she sees it and says..."what's that?".

Getting back to the blazen, it would be a little under half of a 270mm Watanabe Honyaki Guyto with ebony handle. Given the choice of buying a Blazen now or the Watanabe in a few months is a no brainer. If the Blazen was cheaper then I could see the point but I still think it's not worth the money for the same blade as the Tojiro.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for paying more for something that has extra value but the blade is practically the same so why spend more money for it. Nicer handle...whatever, you don't cut with the handle and you don't look at it either when it's being used. Saya...has some value to it...but not at the cost difference over a Tojiro. Like I said, you can buy a cheap saya if that's what you need. You shouldn't buy a knife that is essentially the same as another brand just because it has a saya. Although Unagi at KF bought a Hiromoto because he wanted their Saya. I don't condone that kind of behavior/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif.

Bob

[bkrownd]

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I know Watanabe charges $70 for a saya but that's way way way more than I would ever pay for a saya and way way way more than anyone should pay, I think.


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That all depends on what it's made out of and how purty it is. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Sid Post]

I have a Saya from Koki for my 300mm Masamoto Gyuto. Fit was was great as was the price. However, the wood is soft and utilitarian looking. For my use it works very well. If I had a nicer knife, I would want a nicer Saya - YMMV /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[BobGeitz]

[ QUOTE ]
BTW this knife is fabulous, used it extensively last night when slicing a bunch of onions/shallots for my french onion soup. Slightly thicker profile than what I generally like in a gyutou, but an outstanding performer all the way, plus the mirror finish really makes you want to hold and use it everyday.

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Lee, you seem to be the only one writing in who has actually used the Blazen knife. How do you compare it to your new UX-10?

bob

[louisianacook]

The knife I was referring to was not a Blazen, it was my Watanabe honyaki gyutou. I am waiting for someone to review this knife as well... One thing I can review about the Blazen, if the HRC numbers are true, is that it will hold an edge longer than the UX10, but it will be much harder to sharpen.
Lee