Takeda Hamono Menkiribocho, from KF

[Andy777]

I got a new knife today, I made a post on KF but figured those here would enjoy the eye candy as well. It's a Takeday Hamono 24cm Menkiribocho made with Aogami Super Steel. Here's a bunch of pics
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It is a massive piece of steel weighing in at 454 grams, which isn't bad considering it's size. It measures 24.5cm x 9 cm. The edge is perfectly flat no curve whatsoever (I haven't decided if this adds to or takes away from it's function, it didn't bother me as I gave it a quick try out.) The spine at the handle is very thick and tapers alot out to the tip. here is a pic of the spine.

The fit and finish on this knife is excellent better even than Watanabe. This knife is a beautiful piece of craftmanship, the pics really don't do it justice. It is razor sharp but doesn't have a very polished edge. Louisianacook described it well at around 800 grit finish on the edge.

To give you an idea of how huge this knife is here is a comparison pic next to the Shun cleaver. Despite it's large size and weight it actually feels lighter than is should given it's size and thickness of the steel. I can tell I am really going to like this knife. I am very pleased with the quality of Takeda Hamono.

[Grouch]

I'll probably also ask this question on KF but heft-wise, how does it compare to the KF1301?

[Andy777]

It's pretty similar although this knife is much thicker on the spine which is surprising since the knife only weighs 20 grams more.

By the way, notice that my pictures are much better than usual with less glare? I took some points learned from fred's post on photography and improvised a little (since I was too lazy and tired to make a light tent [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]). Thanks Fred!

[Fred]

Andy, I have a tough time with the flat edges on Chinese cleavers when I'm slicing. The knife wants to force my hand into the correct position instead of letting me hold the knife naturally for me. How do you deal with this on the flat edged models?

Yes the photography is coming along well. I see you used two light sources for this shot.

[Andy777]

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How do you deal with this on the flat edged models?

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This is the first truly flat edged model I've tried so I'll let you know when I figure it out [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img].

[sudsy909]

andy would you mind sharing how much you paid for the knife and where you bought it from one of these days i'll have to borrow a digital camera from a friend and post some of my cleaver pics just meat cleavers but still impressive thanks for sharing ryan

[Andy777]

Takeda Hamono catolog

[Scott]

Andy,

That is one nice cleaver. Dimensionally what is the difference between this cleaver and your Watanabe? Is it primarily that this one tapers from the handle to tip? I'm curious as there seems to be about a 75g difference between the two. If so, I would imagine that the balance is a bit better with the Takeda cleaver.

Also, could you be a bit more specific about why you found this cleaver better than the Watanabe (other than AS steel)? Also, since the edge is (apparently) rougher than other knives/cleavers, how does/did that affect its cutting performance? Have you put a finished edge on it yet?

When I went out to the Takeda web site, I didn't see any cleavers. Was this a special order item? If so, I would imagine that it was a bit more expensive than your Watanabe. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

I know, I know, questions, questions, questions. I geuss that it is a consequence of having to live vicariously through others such as yourself... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Scott

[Andy777]

Lets see where to start. I don't think that this cleaver is better than the Watanabe but the finish was better, I guess if you count the hammer marks and the low grit edge the it isn't but as far as smoothed edges smooth feel to the blade, the handle finish (its epoxied into place) it is finished better.

Even though it doesn't have a very polished edge it still cuts very well(and polishing it is not a big deal anyway) I will probably have just a slight bit of curve added to the edge because the end of the blade kept sticking into my boos block every time I chopped, a slight curve (maybe a 4mm lift on each end) would solve that.

The knife is the "Menkirbocho" on the website it's actually for cutting noodles the 24cm model is a lot wider than the 21 cm model.

This knife is longer than the Watanabe but 2cm less wide it's also thinner which accounts for the weight difference.

let me know if you have any more questions its my pleasure to answer them.