Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

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J david
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Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by J david »

Yahiko shirogami hairline showed up today.
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I have been a fan of Sanjo style knives for a while now, and this one does not disappoint. The grind is very nice, the fit and finish is better than one would expect at the price point. The spine is rounded over, but not polished. The choil is eased but not polished. The handle is small, which i like, and nice but there is a tiny step between the handle and ferule. The small handle gives a forward balance to the knife, which i also like. To be honest, I am perfectly fine with this level of fit and finish. I can polish up here and there and sand the handle flush with the ferule. The important thing is that the knife is comfortable to use out of the box and if I don't have to pay for extra finishing that I can do myself, all the better.

The profile is nice and flat for the rear 1/3 and the tip is very low, the lowest I have used. This is fine with me as my technique rarely has the tip digging into the board. The lower tip also makes it more comfortable to do tip work without having to raise the heel very much.

I could not help comparing this knife to what has been my favorite go to for a while now, my Toyama 240. The Yahiko has similar dimensions but weighs in at 1.2oz lighter. Toyama has a low tip as well, but not nearly as low as the Yahiko.
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Here is the Toyama over the Yahiko.
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The choil shots are remarkably similar as well. First the Yahiko.
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And the Toyama.
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Here is a comparison of the spines, Yahiko on the left, Toyama on the right.
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I have only had the opportunity to cut a couple of onions, carrots, and celery since I've only had the knife for a couple of hours at this point. It performed very well indeed even considering the ho-hum out of the box edge that wasn't terrible, but couldn't shave arm hair. Comparing it to my Toyama favorably is some of the highest praise I can give and at less than half the cost, it is a real winner. I look forward to putting this one on the stones and seeing what the steel is capable of. I will update this with further impressions after I've had some more time with it. So far, I like it.

Edited to add: I have it on good authority that Toyama is NOT the maker of this knife. Since the Yahiko blacksmith's identity is withheld, I do not want to give the impression that these are a re-branded Toyama. I simply found them to be remarkably similar as I'm sure many knives from this region are.
milkbaby
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by milkbaby »

I like the pic, the finish looks very attractive. Is the handle really small or the Toyama handle really large?

Are you right handed or left handed? The Toyama choil shot shows asymmetry versus the Yahiko which looks symmetrical.
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Kit Craft
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by Kit Craft »

milkbaby wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 6:27 pm I like the pic, the finish looks very attractive. Is the handle really small or the Toyama handle really large?

Are you right handed or left handed? The Toyama choil shot shows asymmetry versus the Yahiko which looks symmetrical.
Is that what I am seeing? It looks to me like the Toyama is thinner further into the grind but at the same time something looked different...I guess that would explain what I am seeing.

Thanks for the write up, btw, JD. This one is now on my list. I think I will put this way up the list and ask for one for my birthday. The comparison to a Toyama, just, that is enough for me to at least give it a shake.
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by J david »

milkbaby wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 6:27 pm I like the pic, the finish looks very attractive. Is the handle really small or the Toyama handle really large?

Are you right handed or left handed? The Toyama choil shot shows asymmetry versus the Yahiko which looks symmetrical.
The handle is really small as compared to most 240's. I would say the Toyama handle is average. It is way shorter than most and somewhat smaller diameter as well.
I am right handed. The Toyama is definately a righty bias. The Yahiko is more symmetrical, but still a bit if a right hand bias. If I keep the knife, I will increase this bias through thinning. The way it is out of the box, i think it would work well for a lefty.
J david
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by J david »

Kit Craft wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:08 pm
milkbaby wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 6:27 pm I like the pic, the finish looks very attractive. Is the handle really small or the Toyama handle really large?

Are you right handed or left handed? The Toyama choil shot shows asymmetry versus the Yahiko which looks symmetrical.
Is that what I am seeing? It looks to me like the Toyama is thinner further into the grind but at the same time something looked different...I guess that would explain what I am seeing.

Thanks for the write up, btw, JD. This one is now on my list. I think I will put this way up the list and ask for one for my birthday. The comparison to a Toyama, just, that is enough for me to at least give it a shake.
I know you like shorter knives than me, and do well with santokus. The profile is kind of a santoku / gyuto hybrid of sorts in that it is kinda flat and has a low tip. You should definately give it a spin. If the shorter versions fallow the same profile it might be right up your alley.
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Kit Craft
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by Kit Craft »

J david wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:35 pm
Kit Craft wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:08 pm
milkbaby wrote: Mon Nov 27, 2017 6:27 pm I like the pic, the finish looks very attractive. Is the handle really small or the Toyama handle really large?

Are you right handed or left handed? The Toyama choil shot shows asymmetry versus the Yahiko which looks symmetrical.
Is that what I am seeing? It looks to me like the Toyama is thinner further into the grind but at the same time something looked different...I guess that would explain what I am seeing.

Thanks for the write up, btw, JD. This one is now on my list. I think I will put this way up the list and ask for one for my birthday. The comparison to a Toyama, just, that is enough for me to at least give it a shake.
I know you like shorter knives than me, and do well with santokus. The profile is kind of a santoku / gyuto hybrid of sorts in that it is kinda flat and has a low tip. You should definately give it a spin. If the shorter versions fallow the same profile it might be right up your alley.
I am trying to branch out and see if I can change that. I have a 240 hd2 on the way and a 240 Misono dragon.

That said, it sounds promising, thanks!
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by Organized »

Great information here. Thanks. That handle is small for sure. Looks like a solid knife otherwise.
J david
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by J david »

Organized wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2017 4:06 am Great information here. Thanks. That handle is small for sure. Looks like a solid knife otherwise.
I actually like the smaller handle, but I have smaller hands. The nice thing about the handle is it gives it a weight forward balance which I prefer, very similar to the Toyama even though it is 15% lighter.
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Re: Yahiko Shirogami Hairline 240 out of the box impressions

Post by jbart65 »

The tip and general profile of the hairline are remarkably similar to my preferred 210, the Gassan Blue #2.

My Gassan was often described as a cross between a gyuto and a santoku. Oversized for a 210 at 220mm, and quite tall at 54mm. Quite flat and a great chopper and pusher, though less suitable for rocking. The tip excels at tip draws.

The Gassans are really nice but never sold well, probably because of a hybrid handle and funky hammered look. I almost sold mine, foolishly. Now I am planning to rehandle.

Not suggesting Gassan made the hairline, though. The choil on the Gassan and hairline are quite different and Gassan is from a different region, if I recall.
Jeffry B
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