Kurosaki Megumi 240 Gyuto

[cjmeik]

Here are a few brief impressions of the Kurosaki Megumi 240 gyuto that Chefspence was generous enough to send out on pass around. Thanks very much, Spencer. I had never used a Kurosaki knife and was eager to change that.

Aesthetics: It is an exceptionally good looking knife! Far more so in person, I think, than in photos, and I have never been much for blingy knives. The handle was standard issue Masakage and quite nice.

Feel: It was also far heavier than expected (which was a good thing to me as I typically prefer heavier knives). Though that’s not to say that it is a heavy weight. I didn’t weigh it and it very well may have come it right at the stated 6.8 ounces, but if you made me guess, I’d say something in the mid 7’s. True to the (seeming) Masakage style, this is a very rigid knife as well, with little to no distal taper.

Profile: The edge profile is general purpose with a continuous curve throughout. I would have liked to have seen a little more of a flat spot but I find myself to be less sensitive to edge profile as the years (knives) go by. The tip retained slightly less of that curvature and flattened slightly for some pretty decent tip chopping ability.

One mistake I might have made in test driving this knife was not sharpening it as soon as I got it. I think it came with SteveG’s residual 500 grit edge that was really quite serviceable, so I decided to leave it. But after doing a few test cuts after sharpening and before sending it out, some of my complaints with the grind seemed to have been lessened by the fresh edge. Never the less...

Grind: The knife has a clear right hand bias to its (a)symmetry. Being a righty, I only noticed this visually. It is plenty thin behind the edge and initiates a cut well… initially. After initiating the cut, however, I found it required quite a bit of effort to complete it, even through the softest of produce. Very low ingredients (cilantro, basil, parsley, peppers) were OK, as they never reached high enough up the grind to encounter the “drag zone.” Just about everything else was… a drag.

Potatoes were OK but it got stuck in sweets, cabbage too. After my first two horizantals in (admittedly) large onions, I decided not to do it anymore. It just required too much force and I worried about flinging the onion. Carrots were a mixed bag. Those of smaller diameter it cut cleanly, but past an inch, it started to crack them in about the last quarter of an inch.

As is typical, the flip side of a grind like this is food separation. It has it in spades. And though I appreciate that, I would have quickly sacrificed some of that separation for quite a bit less effort in the cut.

Now, historically for me, I have had a love/hate relationship with convex grinds. I was not a fan of the ever-lauded Anryu Hammered I once tried. The Shimo (Kuro) I tried was the best of these three but still not my cup of tea, grind-wise. On the other hand, a Shig I once tried was fanastic and the most convex knife I’d ever used. My Toyama 210, convex as it is, feels effortless compared to the Megumi. And my two Tanaka Sekiso’s… well, I own two.

As I used this knife, mentally, I kept coming back to Jsgillis86’s review and frequent recommendation of his Kurosaki AS more of a rough and tumble, “pro-knife,” version of the Koishi. That sentiment, albeit thoroughly paraphrased if not bastardized, really resonated with me while using the Megumi. All the right stuff is there but is just a touch more, say, “resilient,” than suits me. Think Rhonda Rousey vs Popeye’s Olive Oil.

Steel: I’ve written far more than I had planned but I have to touch on the “dreaded VG10.” I sharpen a lot of Shun VG10 and it gives me no issues, annoying as it is, but I was really eager to experience a “proper” VG10 treatment. Well, my sharpening session started off amazing and went straight down the crapper from there…

It took longer than expected to get a very small burr on my Chosera 400, but when I checked the edge, I had produced the sharpest 400 grit edge I have potentially ever created. I was floored and thought this was going to go very, very well. I went up to 1k, 3k, and then, my favorite, Ohira Aka Renge Suita. Both the suita and the Chosera 3k produce some of my favorite edges, but not this time.

I’m not in any way blaming the steel here. Maybe it just wasn’t my day. Maybe my chi was out of center or some crap like that, but after going back to the progessional drawing board a couple times, I needed to walk away… frustrated and dejected. After coming back to it the next day I managed to salvage an OK edge out of it (Chosera 400, 1k, 3k, Meara) and called it good enough. What I would give to have that initial 400 grit edge back though. A couple passes on leather and it would have split atoms.

I hope this review doesn’t sound too negative because that’s really not how I feel about the knife. It is just not for me. This is a fearless blade that would be well suited in a (theft-free) pro kitchen. Stephen summed it up well in this quote from his review of the Kuro AS: “If you're in the market for a lionhearted blade that begs for heavy use, well she might be the one.”

Again, a big thank you to Chefspence for his generosity and trust in sending out his baby(ies) on pass around. I really appreciated the opportunity to try this knife.

[Kit Craft]

I have been wanting to hear a review of this knife for awhile. I am not a big fan of stainless nor a lot of the Echizen smiths. The seem to grind in a way that as you said is wedgey and it just so happens that I use those ingredients a lot. My Yuki, Koishi and Mizu acted the same way or at least to an extent. I have no doubt this is a great knife for the person it matches but I fear that likely isn't me. Sad because I think it is a very stunning blade.

I find your description of the VG-10 session interesting. I too find that "well treated" vg-10 takes a wicked edge at the lower grit level and then deburred on say 2k. I don't know that I would want to deburr it entirely on a 500 grit stone, that would drive me freaking mad. However, I have had no issue with VG-10 and naturals. Most of them seem to do fine with it with the exception of my Hideriyama, which is a picky stone.

Regardless, nice write. Thank you for taking the time to share! It was very useful to me, who was considering this knife (well a 210).

[cjmeik]

Thanks for the feedback, Kit. Glad to hear I'm not entirely crazy.

I will say, however, I own a Koishi 240 and it is a COMPLETELY different bird despite the curved choil and provenance. It has a distinctly concave grind that leads to shoulders higher up the blade road. Some have complained about the shoulders acting as you describe but they aren't an issue on my example. My Koishi lives pass right through the tallest of ingredients. I will say though, I just touched up Spence's Kurosaki AS Laser and I might like his treatment of AS better than my Koishi. Further testing will be required and, no doubt, enjoyed.

Glad to hear your corroboration about VG10 at the low grits. That 400 grit edge was stunning. As I said in the review, issues further on in the progression could have been completely on me. Just not sure what went awry there...

[Kit Craft]

Thanks for the feedback, Kit. Glad to hear I'm not entirely crazy.

I will say, however, I own a Koishi 240 and it is a COMPLETELY different bird despite the curved choil and provenance. It has a distinctly concave grind that leads to shoulders higher up the blade road. Some have complained about the shoulders acting as you describe but they aren't an issue on my example. My Koishi lives pass right through the tallest of ingredients. I will say though, I just touched up Spence's Kurosaki AS Laser and I might like his treatment of AS better than my Koishi. Further testing will be required and, no doubt, enjoyed.

Glad to hear your corroboration about VG10 at the low grits. That 400 grit edge was stunning. As I said in the review, issues further on in the progression could have been completely on me. Just not sure what went awry there...

I think the issue with the Koishi extends to the Yuki as well or maybe it is a matter of preference. It seems to have sharp shoulders and wedges as well, in things like cabbage. I realize that Kato and Kurosaki have different grinds but the still seem to act similarly. Not poorly, exactly, just not to my taste. Maybe I am weird. If going for a wide bevel I much prefer it extend up the blade a good bit higher like on my Tanaka KU. The sekiso has hell of an example of convex as well.

As for the VG-10. I find a lot of stainless to be temperamental, particularly with naturals. Maybe, as you said, you just had an off day. I know I sure have them!

[jmcnelly85]

I remember when my laser was new the shoulders were a bit problematic on football sized sweet potatoes and the like, it'd go through but stop at the shoulder and needed some extra force. I thinned the shoulders very slightly so it wasn't as abrupt of a transition and now it's no problem. If you want to keep the ootb finish I strongly recommend against this, but it was probably only a 20 minute fix.

[jbart65]

My Koishi slips through everything effortlessly, Kit. Everything. No shoulder issues.

A Shimo I tried was not up to par, but the Kuro AS was fairly close in performance. The Shimo sounds similar to the Megumi.

CJ's sharpening experience is interesting. I just got Tanaka's VG10 that JMc sharpened and it cuts like, well, a Tanaka! The guy just can't do a bad knife.

As for stainless, I've had great experiences with ginsan. R2 as well (Takamura, Kuro).

The Takayuki ginsan is one of the best knives I've used. The Saji ginsan is a heckuva of all-round knife that gets uber sharp. The Konosuke ginsan is a chopper's delight with easy to sharpen steel. I bought a Kanehiro ginsan santoku for my wife and it cuts exceedingly well.

My favorite might be my .... Tanaka ginsan. Did I say Tanaka can't make a bad knife? (-:

[Kit Craft]

My Koishi slips through everything effortlessly, Kit. Everything. No shoulder issues.

A Shimo I tried was not up to par, but the Kuro AS was fairly close in performance. The Shimo sounds similar to the Megumi.

CJ's sharpening experience is interesting. I just got Tanaka's VG10 that JMc sharpened and it cuts like, well, a Tanaka! The guy just can't do a bad knife.

As for stainless, I've had great experiences with ginsan. R2 as well (Takamura, Kuro).

The Takayuki ginsan is one of the best knives I've used. The Saji ginsan is a heckuva of all-round knife that gets uber sharp. The Konosuke ginsan is a chopper's delight with easy to sharpen steel. I bought a Kanehiro ginsan santoku for my wife and it cuts exceedingly well.

My favorite might be my .... Tanaka ginsan. Did I say Tanaka can't make a bad knife? (-:

Sadly, mine did not. I know some other fellows that had similar issues. Then, there was a fellow here a few months back that got one that was mega thick from the spine to the edge. I simply do not seem to have good luck! Every knife I have tried from that particular Kato has had sharp shoulders, sadly.