Need recommendation for sushi knife

[Josh]

I think I would go for either the first or the last one the last is stainless so it is probable more practical . You should be able to sharpen it nicely on the WE at something like 16* maybe once in say three sharpenings it will be necessary to thin the profile they work best thin . Perhaps even take a photo of the section so you will have that as a reference for knowing when it should be thinned the cutting bevel should be very small around or less than 1/32 of an inch.

But some of these have to be sharpened on a bench water stone, right? That way they can be zero ground?

[Leo Barr]

That does not matter you have the low angle adapter so you can keep it thin with that and I would sharpen the cutting bevel at 15* just keep that bevel good and narrow when it is really narrow it really does not make any difference whether it is a v bevel or convex just keep it small.

[Josh]

So what did you mean by this?

Bear in mind a single sided blade should be Uraoshi sharpened which is done flat with leading edge strokes on a 1000-5000 grit bench stone .

[Leo Barr]

The Richmond is a normal bevel knife.
The yanagi , Debas etc are sharpened like a chisel & the flat side Uri is concave so to help clean slicing and to remove the burr it I urioshi sharpened as in flat on the stone and polished on fine grit so as to glide easily through the fish or whatever it is slicing this sharpening is done with the cutting edge leading as it is pushed over the stone then the blade is lifted off on the return stroke most knives of this type are left for the owner to do the urioshi sharpening but it has to be done at the end of each sharpening to remove the burr people often do not bother working much on the flat side but the advantage is a super smooth blade an it leaves a great finish on the fish flesh where as if it is not done the fish slices will not look as good nor will the knife perform so well.
Rest assured the Richmond is not this type since if it was it would say if it was for left or right handed people.

[Josh]

What about the Moritaka? It looks like one of the reviews says it is for right handed users…

[Leo Barr]

It does not look like it unless the cutting bevel is 70/30 but if it is it would have been sharpened for a right handed person . It is a very good looking knife I think the Richmond would be a better bet for more of a beginner for two reasons firstly it is stainless and probable a little less brittle the other knife requires more care and will chip more easily if misused plus it will need camellia oil on it when not in use since I think it is not stain resistant. Another thing is the whole section of the Richmond is thin like a Victorinox so it will not need thinning very often .
So I think that is the best knife for her it is light and pretty much an all rounder it’s a great Japanese starter knife and the price is very good and it will be easy to sharpen on the WE. I think that just about covers it all.

[Josh]

Thanks Leo, you’ve been a huge help and you supported your position on the Richmond very well. That is the knife I will recommend 🙂

[Leo Barr]

De nada

[Eamon Mc Gowan]

Okay? I need to ask a beginner question? I have been eyeballing Richmond knives for a month now. What makes a laser a laser? I’m pretty sure I’m going to get Leo’s recommendation too? But if there is something else? I also was looking at Josh’s first pick. But I am a absolutely a beginner in kitchen knives!

[Leo Barr]

Eamon I do not have one but there are several positive points they have a Yew handle with Buffalo horn ferrol they are stainless so not too brittle they are thin and light 5 oz they are I suppose similar to a victorinox so the whole blade is quite narrow so I suspect it will not need to be thinned when sharpening next for a limited period the price is 84$ the owners ratings give it a 5 star rating .the spine thickness at the heel is 2.23 mm so it will really cut through thick flesh well .
I think it would be very easy to sharpen as well

[Eamon Mc Gowan]

Leo, thank you very much! You really shine with Japanese Cutlery!

ps I’m still curious as to what makes a “laser” a laser?

[Blunt Cut]

ps I’m still curious as to what makes a “laser” a laser?

IMHO – 1 cent worth

Definition of “laser” term is subjective from person to person – whatever fit the bragging right. In general, it means thin spine (no more than 2.5mm for a 45+mm blade width) with zero grind (a giant bevel start at the spine all the way to the edge) and cutting edge is merely a acute angle micro-bevel (well, with subsequent sharpening the ‘micro’ does get bigger).

Looking at Richmond laser pic, their definition seems to be some sort of convex face, which goes steeper near the edge, then a regular cutting bevel. That cutting bevel isn’t micro, which suggest it’s not that thin behind the edge. Even taking possibly its cutting bevel angle is acute.

[Mark76]

Josh, you selected three great knives, but quite different.

As Leo said, the Moritaka and the Hiromoto are made of AS. It’s my favourite steel as it combines great edge-taking and edge-holding, but it does require maintenance (keeping dry, also during long use). The Hiromoto is clad with stainless steel, so it is less likely to rust (at least on the blade away from the edge).

The Richmond Artifex is stainless steel, but it is an odd one in the Artifex series. It is not made by Lamson, but by Fujiwara (which may not be a bad thing). I don’t know the FKM steel.

However, if this Artifex had the same profile as other Artifexes, it is not a laser. CKTG sell it as a knife for “cooking students”. It is too thick behind the edge and may wedge. What I did was have it convexed and thinned behind the edge by Tim Johnson (but maybe you can do this yourself) and then it performs great.

I don’t have a Hiromoto, but this is also a comment you read about that knife on kitchen knife forums: that it needs thinning behind the edge. (And because that exposes more of the AS, it is sometimes combined with etching, which also improves the looks.)

Eamon, what makes a laser a laser is its thinness (although opinions may vary 🙂 ). But not only at the spine, but particularly just behind the edge.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Leo Barr]

I would say that almost all knives need thinning my most recent purchase (the cheapest honyaki out there)
165mm Honyaki Nakiri Knife – Takagi I am in the process of thinning a slow process with blue steel ! Still I am doing it by hand and I would rather do it gradually I would say I am about a third of the way there after one thinning session taking four hours but man is it sharp I finished it on Shapton Glass 16K it has to be the sharpest edge I own.

[Josh]

Josh, you selected three great knives, but quite different.

As Leo said, the Moritaka and the Hiromoto are made of AS. It’s my favourite steel as it combines great edge-taking and edge-holding, but it does require maintenance (keeping dry, also during long use). The Hiromoto is clad with stainless steel, so it is less likely to rust (at least on the blade away from the edge).

The Richmond Artifex is stainless steel, but it is an odd one in the Artifex series. It is not made by Lamson, but by Fujiwara (which may not be a bad thing). I don’t know the FKM steel.

However, if this Artifex had the same profile as other Artifexes, it is not a laser. CKTG sell it as a knife for “cooking students”. It is too thick behind the edge and may wedge. What I did was have it convexed and thinned behind the edge by Tim Johnson (but maybe you can do this yourself) and then it performs great.

I don’t have a Hiromoto, but this is also a comment you read about that knife on kitchen knife forums: that it needs thinning behind the edge. (And because that exposes more of the AS, it is sometimes combined with etching, which also improves the looks.)

Eamon, what makes a laser a laser is its thinness (although opinions may vary 🙂 ). But not only at the spine, but particularly just behind the edge.

Mark, how thick was the Richmond Artifex behind the edge? Did you measure? It’s my understanding that knives need to be .010″ or less behind the edge to have maximum efficiency… I wish CKTG would put the thickness of the edge on their site lol

[Author]

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