Kobayashi SG2 line

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Drewski
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Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by Drewski »

These look really nice! Anyone know anything about these? Or the maker? Besides being a British lawyer working with Keyser Soze, of course.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by enjay »

[Drops coffee mug.]
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by jmcnelly85 »

Tall, flat profiled pm workhorse without look at me Damascus... I’m starting to save money for this one.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by Drewski »

enjay wrote: Fri Aug 24, 2018 11:03 pm [Drops coffee mug.]
:lol: yaassssss
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by Drewski »

jmcnelly85 wrote: Sat Aug 25, 2018 12:27 am Tall, flat profiled pm workhorse without look at me Damascus... I’m starting to save money for this one.
The 210 looks a lot flatter than the 240, but that could just be the way the knife is being held in the picture.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

I only know a little about him. He’s a younger guy (I think he’s 40) that works for his father as a specialized sharpener in Seki. He’s doing the same business as my friends the Tsukaharas if you’re familiar with the Kohetsu HAP40s. This is his first line of knives that he designed and developed and they have the same vibe as the Shibata Kotetsu line we carry. I haven’t sharpened one yet but the grinds look excellent.

This is the kind of stuff I always jump on when offered. I can’t help myself even when inventory is way too high.

Love the Kyser Soze reference!!! Hahahah
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

PS my new employee took some funny choil shots. I’ll fix them.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by jbart65 »

I just picked up the 210 version. Really nice. It’s like Shibata has a younger brother. This was the sharpest knife I’ve ever gotten out of the box. Good all-round profile. I like the profile a touch better than the Shibata AS.

Quite laser-like, but the handle gives some heft. Very nice polished handle. Excellent fit and finish.

I’m impressed. Haven’t had a pm knife for awhile, but I wanted a stainless 210 that is sharper than ginsan or VG10. This one fits the bill.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by Altadan »

jbart65 wrote: Wed Feb 26, 2020 10:49 pm I just picked up the 210 version. Really nice. It’s like Shibata has a younger brother. This was the sharpest knife I’ve ever gotten out of the box. Good all-round profile. I like the profile a touch better than the Shibata AS.

Quite laser-like, but the handle gives some heft. Very nice polished handle. Excellent fit and finish.

I’m impressed. Haven’t had a pm knife for awhile, but I wanted a stainless 210 that is sharper than ginsan or VG10. This one fits the bill.
The profile on these is significantly more... mmm... belly-ish. Did you find yourself still push-pulling, or can it G&G (without digging into the wood, that is)?
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by jbart65 »

Haven't had a have a problem with any technique, Dan. Shibata is the only other knife I've used aside from the Kobayashi that glided through a skinside-up bell pepper as if there were no resistance at all. I really wasn't expecting that. And slicing thick and tall carrots ... right up there with the Shibata, Konosuke SKD, and Yahiko Ice.

I'd say the Koba has a bit less belly than than a Tanaka Sekiso (or VG10). Closer to a Takefu Village profile. Or maybe a cross between Takefu and Tanaka.

After angling my chopping motion slightly, like I do with Tanaka, the Kobayashi chopped soft ingredients just fine. Glide through carrots with push, pull and G&G. Given the thinness and lightness of the blade, I probably wouldn't try to chop harder and longer ingredients with the same force. A knife like this is very precise and responds well to controlled aggression.

I'll have more to say after I use it a bit, but having used so many knives, my first impressions rarely change a great deal with extended use. This is a heck of an all-round knife. Looks, handle, F&F, profile, versatility. Just a nice package at a reasonable price.

You're not going to love this if you are mainly a chopper, dislike lasers or shy away from PM steel, but I'd definitely recommend to most users.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by Altadan »

I've been attracted to that knife for a long while, actually. It's the nose-up profile that kept turning me away...
I much prefer a spear point, like the Yahiko Nashiji, or a lower point but more belly, like the Sekiso or VG10 (which is a heck of a knife! If only had some distal taper, that would be it!).
Just my preference. As usual, your recommendations are always worth considering!
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by jbart65 »

For a while I gravitated toward flatter knives, but I have reverted back to my normal universal ways. I have flat knives and round knives and stuff in between. Tall, medium and shorter knives. Carbon, stainless clad, stainless. VG10, hap40, R2. Got a santoku, nakiri, bunka, honesuki, petties, parers. 210s, 240s. Some with lots of distal, others with very little.

As such there are a lot of knives I like and use that won’t be suitable for some. I just like having a fairly large but manageable bag with lots of clubs. I might just use one knife in a prep session or I might use up to three. The Kobayashi wouldn’t be my desert-island knife, but it’s very impressive.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by MagneticStorm »

What WOULD be your desert island knife and why?
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by jbart65 »

MagneticStorm wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2020 6:28 pm What WOULD be your desert island knife and why?

The best two all-round knives I’ve had were a Masamoto KS (since sold) and my Tanaka Sekiso.

It’s well known the Sekiso is my preferred desert-island knife. Handles all ingredients from fresh herbs to butternut squash and all styles of cutting. Good separation. Meaty heel and precise tip. Stout but still agile. Tall to suit my preference. Just wish it were stainless clad instead instead of iron clad, not so much for easier care but to enjoy the Damascus finish more.

Other contenders would be the Kanehiro AS, Takayuki ginsan Damascus and my new favorite, the Makoto Ryusei that is almost the same as the old Kurosaki laser. Just does everything well and has a thinner grind and tip compared to the Sekiso. Stainless clad too.

I’d venture a guess that Watanabe stainless clad 240 would be totally in my wheelhouse too. I’ve got a 180 Watanabe nakiri that is the king of nakiris.

You’ll notice no lasers in the bunch. I always feel like I have to more careful with them than a mid weight knife. But my Yahiko ice (yoshikane) would be my pick if I went with a laser. Just feels a little more substantial than Konosuke and co. Very precise and versatile and a stupendous cutter.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by stalliondawg444 »

jbart65 wrote: Thu Feb 27, 2020 11:39 am Haven't had a have a problem with any technique, Dan. Shibata is the only other knife I've used aside from the Kobayashi that glided through a skinside-up bell pepper as if there were no resistance at all. I really wasn't expecting that. And slicing thick and tall carrots ... right up there with the Shibata, Konosuke SKD, and Yahiko Ice.

I'd say the Koba has a bit less belly than than a Tanaka Sekiso (or VG10). Closer to a Takefu Village profile. Or maybe a cross between Takefu and Tanaka.

After angling my chopping motion slightly, like I do with Tanaka, the Kobayashi chopped soft ingredients just fine. Glide through carrots with push, pull and G&G. Given the thinness and lightness of the blade, I probably wouldn't try to chop harder and longer ingredients with the same force. A knife like this is very precise and responds well to controlled aggression.

I'll have more to say after I use it a bit, but having used so many knives, my first impressions rarely change a great deal with extended use. This is a heck of an all-round knife. Looks, handle, F&F, profile, versatility. Just a nice package at a reasonable price.

You're not going to love this if you are mainly a chopper, dislike lasers or shy away from PM steel, but I'd definitely recommend to most users.
I've been eyeing this one, love the aesthetics of the handle too. Super helpful notes above. How is your experience with food release on this model?
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by jbart65 »

Food release is decent for such a smooth blade, but some product sticks more than others. Hasn’t bothered me. Very sharp high-level cutter. Handle not ideal for pros, but fine for home users.
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Re: Kobayashi SG2 line

Post by danielharati »

I have to 210 gyuto with the red handle, definitely eye catcher on my wall.

Blade performance is amazing, but a bit too fragile to my style of chopping. Fit and finish is perfect everything is polished up on the spine and choil.
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