Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

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Bluenoser87
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Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Bluenoser87 »

I just received the ebony version today and while I did use it to make dinner tonight, I don’t have a lot of time using it so this will just be some initial thoughts and measurements. I’m still pretty excited about snagging one of these, but I’ll try to keep this objective.

I’ve been reading a lot of comments comparing this to a Kono MM and another from the Konosuke IG saying the new Fuji has some elements of the HD2 in it. I happen to have both of those so I thought I’d do a quick initial comparison for anyone who’s curious. Unfortunately, I don’t have one of the older Fujis so it’s not a complete comparison, but here it is anyway.

Fit/Finish

My Fuji has an odd little gouge or cut about 3mm long on the spine edge near the tip that’s very sharp. There’s also a light circular gouge on the spine just past the heel. These things aren’t dealbreakers or anything, but the fit and finish isn’t quite what I was expecting. The tip also appears a little bent but it measures dead straight. My MM had the same bent tip appearance though it was actually bent. It’s otherwise flawless. The Fuji’s spine is very polished with generous chamfers along the edges compared to the MM’s squarer spine. The handle is fantastic and just like the one on the MM (slim).

This particular knife has an unfaded stamp compared to some of the other 2018 Fuji pics I’ve seen. I would’ve been pretty disappointed had this one arrived with the stamp mark half ground away and faded. It seems like a weird defect to have in a higher end knife. I can’t think of another product where the logo being partially removed would be considered normal…but that’s neither here nor there I guess as this one seems fine.
IMG_1080.JPG
Top to bottom - 240 HD2 with Ho wood, 240 MM Blue #2 Ebony, 240 Fuji Blue #2 Ebony
IMG_1079.JPG
Weight
240 Fuji (ebony) - 188 g
240 MM (ebony) - 194 g
240 HD2 (ho) - 142

Dimensions - digital calipers (.xx mm) and machinist’s rule (x mm)

Fuji - 230 edge length, 50 heel height, 390 overall length, 17 handle to heel, 17.00 neck height

MM - 229 edge length, 48 heel height, 393 overall length, 22 handle to heel, 20.30 neck height

HD2 - 236 edge length, 47 heel height, 396 overall length, 17 handle to heel, 15.89 neck height
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Bluenoser87 »

I traced out all 3, which was more difficult than I was expecting given I was trying to avoid messing up the edges or cutting off the ends of the pens. So, please excuse the crappy traces but I think it does show the differences pretty clearly. I tried to line these up at the spine and the heel.
IMG_1073.JPG
IMG_1078.JPG
IMG_1076.JPG
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Bluenoser87 »

Left to Right - Fuji, MM, HD2
IMG_1081.JPG
Spine Dimensions

Fuji - 3.38 @handle, 3.15 @heel, 2.31 @1/2length, 0.60 @1cm from tip

MM - 3.53 @handle, 3.37 @heel, 2.90 @1/2length, 0.60 @1cm from tip

HD2 - 2.44 @handle, 2.37 @heel, 2.10 @1/2length, 0.51 @1cm from tip

Choil
I know many of you folks are pretty articulate when it comes to this sort of thing, but I’ll take a stab at it. To me the grind looks flatter and higher on the Fuji compared to the more convex and thicker MM. The Fuji sort of looks like a thicker HD2 at least from the choil shot.

Fuji
IMG_1068.JPG
MM
IMG_1071.JPG
HD2
IMG_1072.JPG

Thoughts

I may add some more comments as I use this a bit more, but my initial impression is that this is a lot like the MM. There are some differences of course (Fuji is a little thinner, grind is a little different), but they’re a lot more subtle than I was expecting. I bought the MM when I was thinking the Fuji was unattainable. Now that I have them both in hand, I think I’d be happy with either one to be honest. That being said, I’ll be keeping both :D
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Organized »

Makes me want to pick up a MM! Thanks for sharing.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by mauichef »

Great first impressions. Love the photos too.
I am looking forward to hearing more as you get to know it.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Thin Man »

Great write-up. Thanks!
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by ashy2classy »

Great review and +1000 for the comparison photos and detailed specs! I was wondering how close they were to the MMs and it sounds like there's not a huge difference. Looking at the spine and choil shots of the "normal" Fujis, they seem noticeably thicker than the "thin" versions. I'd be interested to hear how the two different "versions" compare. Initially, I would have preferred the dimensions of your Fuji, but after using my Laurel model it's one of my favorites and I want to reach for it all the time. I'm super surprised how much I like the thing.

Glad to hear you're enjoying the new member of your Konosuke family. Thanks again for your thoughts and have fun!
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by salemj »

Thanks for the write up! I didn't try for one of the new Fujiyamas, but compared to my older ones, there are noticeable differences in the edge thickness, especially on the ginsan versions; there are also clear differences in the grind. The differences are slight, but they are there. They are noticeable enough that I actually "prefer" the MMs for daily duty, because they feel just a little bit more secure on the board with different ingredients when my attention is elsewhere (they "stick" a bit less and roll a bit better; likewise, food release is better on most things). Likewise, I prefer the Fujiyamas for producing the most exacting cuts and when processing larger ingredients in larger batches, oddly enough.

In previous posts I've written about what I perceive to see as similarities between the "new" FM Fujiyamas and the MM. I appreciate that you're trying to compare them. I think my curiosities focus a little less on just how thin the edge is (this difference seems small enough that it would be gone in any professional kitchen in probably something like 6 months), and much more on how the rest of the grind feels and performs. Your choil shots are revealing here: they look more distinct than some other photos, and it makes me think the performance characteristics might be a touch more distinct in this respect that I would have guess before; in fact, they look like they would compare to the differences between my own Fujis and MMs.

One big thing I notice between my MMs and my "older" Fujiyamas is that the shinogi line is very real on the old Fujis. The MM actually has a "taller" grind and while there is more convex lower in the grind, there is LESS grind variance higher in the grind due to the lack of a shinogi line, so taller ingredients can actually stick more, closer to the tip, on the MM than on the Fujis, whereas the concave grind on the Fuji bladeroad leads to more sticking on shallow ingredients and shoestrings, etc., but the shinogi "bump" does aid in food release when doing larger ingredients or when speeding through larger batches of prep. It is weird. The differences cannot be standardized: it depends what part of the knife you use, and how (and for me, which MM I use, and which Fuji). But they are obviously different grinds (again: I'm talking OLD Fujis and new MMs).

I'd be very curious if the bladeroad area is now convex on the Fujiyama rather than concave (as it has been). Both of my Fujis and my fuji-like Ginsan (my old one) all have concave bladeroad grinds. But my sense is that the new Fujis may differ just enough that they are now flat or convex when using a straight edge to compare. But to me, based on your pictures, the NEW Fujis still look concave on the bladeroad, even without the pronounced shinogi, and this may be precisely what the "old" sharpener trained the "new" sharpener to do, regardless of the presence of the shinogi.
~Joe

Comments: I'm short, a home cook, prefer lighter, thinner blades, and own mostly Konosukes but have used over a dozen brands.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Bluenoser87 »

salemj wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 10:36 am I'd be very curious if the bladeroad area is now convex on the Fujiyama rather than concave (as it has been). Both of my Fujis and my fuji-like Ginsan (my old one) all have concave bladeroad grinds. But my sense is that the new Fujis may differ just enough that they are now flat or convex when using a straight edge to compare. But to me, based on your pictures, the NEW Fujis still look concave on the bladeroad, even without the pronounced shinogi, and this may be precisely what the "old" sharpener trained the "new" sharpener to do, regardless of the presence of the shinogi.
I checked both this morning with a straightedge. The Fuji is definitely concave and a lot more so than the choil shot suggests. The more interesting comparison is probably between the new and old Fuji but this is what I’ve got haha. There’s definitely a bit of a bump on the new ones about where the pronounced shinogi line was on the old ones, it’s just not as obvious visually. How it compares to the old I have no idea. The MM has a similar looking concave grind though without the bump and is maybe a bit higher and more gradual. The choil shots really are a little misleading. Interestingly, my MM has a pretty flat grind on the right and pretty concave on the left. I’m thinking the tip on the MM seemed a little more bent than it was because of this grind. I’m left handed so a little asymmetry in my favor isn’t the worst thing that ever happened.

One other thing I forgot to mention is the blade profile. My MM has pretty much no flat spot at all whereas the new Fuji is flat for somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 the length from the heel.

These are definitely different knives but the differences are pretty subtle as far as I can tell. I’m not sure the differences warrant the crazy interest in the Fujis compared to the MM series. Don’t get me wrong, I definitely like the Fuji, but I wouldn’t spend much time being heartbroken over not being able to get one as long as the MMs are readily available.
Last edited by Bluenoser87 on Tue Jul 31, 2018 11:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by slobound »

I love this comparison! Thanks for the detailed write up.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Unsharp »

Thanks for the analysis and information. Good timing too.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Kalaeb »

Really well done, thank you. I especially liked the profile diagram. One thing I noticed is the lack of definitive flat. I think all to often we assume a J knife has to have some semblance of flat, often to a detriment. Many makers try to make a flater knife as a result, yet here we have three coveted j knife offerings that are very highly regarded with no flat.... I have been indirectly saying it for years...a large flat makes a knife thud. I think these profiles are near perfect.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Cutuu »

Anyone going to compare the tips? The fujis I thought had some thin high performing tips. Joe made it seem like the mms were not as extreme.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Bluenoser87 »

Cutuu wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:03 pm Anyone going to compare the tips? The fujis I thought had some thin high performing tips. Joe made it seem like the mms were not as extreme.
They're very similar. If anything, the MM is a little thinner but in use they perform about the same. You can kind of see the difference in how the spine is treated between the two in the image below. The Fuji's big spine chamfers end about where the core steel meets the cladding near the tip whereas the MM is squarer with very small rounds on the edges of the spine. It almost makes it look like the Fuji thickens up at the tip from some angles but it really doesn't.

MM comes from the left, Fuji from the right.
IMG_1104.JPG
I've been trying to use both knives back to back and they do perform a little differently. The MM feels a little more even when cutting, almost like the force is linear if that makes sense. The Fuji cuts initially lighter then I can feel what I assume is the grind a little more, especially on harder things like carrots. The difference is really subtle though. In use, I think the biggest difference in feel is that the Fuji is taller with a bigger flat spot. Also, I cut up a watermelon and I could feel the thicker spine on the MM a bit. It might wedge a bit on something like a big squash but I don't think I'd grab either of these knives for something like that anyway, even though I do know how to bend tips back straight now... As I'm using both more I am noticing more differences, but I think I still stand by my initial impression that these new Fujis are a lot like the MM and I'd be happy with either. I should mention that my MM doesn't really look like any of the others I've seen photos of and I think my traces from earlier in this thread show that. Maybe they were practicing their Fuji techniques when they made my MM and it came out extra similar, who knows.

Also, I sharpened the Fuji. It didn't really need it but I was curious how it would respond. It sharpened up just as easily as any of my other B#2 blades. I haven't sharpened my MM yet, but I'd be shocked if it was any different. While I had the stones out I also cleaned up those little dings on the spine I mentioned in the first post. It turns out they were a lot more minor than I thought and things are looking perfect now. One of them wasn't even a ding, but some sort of stubborn wax or something that was pretty difficult to get off.
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by ashy2classy »

Bluenoser87 wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 3:04 pm They're very similar....
Thanks for yet another great comparison! If I didn't get a Fuji, I would definitely be grabbing an MM to try. After I sold my 210 I had been wanting to try a 240 and given your comparisons, I would have probably been very happy with it.

Thanks again for all your great comments. Enjoy your Konos!
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Re: Konosuke Fujiyama Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm (2018) First Impression and comparison

Post by Bluenoser87 »

ashy2classy wrote: Sun Aug 05, 2018 8:05 pm Enjoy your Konos!
Thanks! I started out trying to get a wide range of different things but somewhere along the way I turned into a bit of a Kono fanboy I think. I’m up to 4 and a Kaneshige haha...
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