Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

See what's happening with current or completed "Pass Arounds". Forum members occasionally send knives or sharpening stones around to a hand selected group of participants for short term use and feedback/reviews.
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jbart65
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by jbart65 »

The Ogata has most of the attributes I look for in a knife. White steel that’s easy to sharpen to a very fine edge. An extended flat spot. Enough curvature near the front for decent rocking. A svelte tip for detailed work. And enough heft to power through tougher ingredients without feeling heavy.

The Ogata looks nice, too. Very rustic, to be sure, but more southern retreat than Appalachian shack. The kurouchi finish is fading fast, it seems, but not in an ugly way. The layered, Damascus finish below the Kurouchi is a really nice touch. The gorgeous custom handle only enhances the charm.

I ran through a variety of ingredients with the Ogata and it never failed to perform well. Quite well. Chopping came natural, but it’s a good push cutter and more than serviceable rocker for small piles of herbs. It’s on the weightier side with a custom handle but never felt awkward to use. As Tom noted, it's sturdy and and has a feeling of confidence.

So why did this knife not quite resonate with me? I dunno. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t and I can’t always pinpoint why. I was a bit reminded of my reliable and powerful Terayasu Fujiwara, in fact, and that’s a good thing.

Yet this Ogata, weighing in at 8 ounces plus, is probably at the high end of my preferred weight range. I like knives between 6.5 and 7.5 ounces.

The tip, while on the thin side, was not quite as thin as I seem to prefer.

These are minor quibbles, though.

By all rights I should love this knife. It’s an excellent performer, with good fit and finish, and handsome appearance.

My guess is, I would prefer the plain Jane version on CKTG that weighs closer to 7 ounces. I suspect the tip performance would be more to my liking with less weight at the back end.

In any case, I do offer a conditional recommendation. Weight aside, the Ogata fits in with many fine offerings on CKTG in the $200 to $300 range. If a fully reactive knife if what you want, few offer the same value and performance at the current price.
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by Chefspence »

Well said Jeffrey.
I jut opened the package to check out the knife. Immediate thoughts;heavy(not terribly), rusticly elegant, overall beautiful with the handle, great looking tip, thin at the edge thought not too much somewhere in between my kuro Megumi and the Kamo r2 grind( not sure if that makes sense), f&f could be a little better though not bad(I've become picky in this dept), handle is sexy! Haven't used yet since I just opened, so I'll comment only on looks, feel, and handle. Obviously I think it looks great! Much better looking than on the website, and with the handle. Good job Gopher! The Ogata pics on cktg don't do it justice, and the stock handle, for some reason, I loath. I think it's ugly as hell. Same with in the Anryu. Though I've never seen it in person or held it, the handle turns me off somethin fierce. Really enjoying the KU, faded as it is. It does feel heavy, maybe adding the handle, and a bit weight forward, which is an immediate plus for me. Confident feeling. The handle again is beautiful, but big for my hands, but for these purposes, who gives a shit :) it's a fine addition. In the pinch, I enjoy how my middle finger sort of locks in place between the choil and the handle like it ain't goin nowhere no matter what happens! Well I leave it there. I am excited to play around. Thanks again George
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by slobound »

Looking forward to checking this out!
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by Georgek »

Thank you all participants so far.

The Ogata is now with cedarhouse, and then it goes to slobound and then gastro gnome
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by cedarhouse »

I didn't see a review page on the review sub forum. Here is a link to my review: https://ryansvignettes.wordpress.com/20 ... 0mm-guyto/

Thanks again, George. This is a very fine knife you have here.

I hope no one will find it too pompous but I am going to duplicate my review post in the review subforum...it makes it easier to search for the reviews in the future.
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by cedarhouse »

HAHA!

I never read other people's review until I'm done with mine. I love it. The first review says this is nothing like the Tanaka...my chosen point of comparison. Several others complement the KU/Damascus mix, which I'm ho hum on.

...and that is why I try not to read other reviews before I write mine...
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by Altadan »

Glad you got back on the horse to write a review. Some of us new-comers rely on Ryan's Vignettes,
“If we conquer our passions it is more from their weakness than from our strength.”
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by cedarhouse »

Very glad you find it useful, Altadan!

I keep promising myself I won't be such a stranger around here but somehow life keeps getting in the way. Maybe this time...
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by jbart65 »

Good to hear your thoughts, Ryan. I think my view on the Ogata is not dissimilar. I see you point on the Damascus and kurouchi. I kind of liked it, but it is a bit of an odd match. I have seen it on one other knife, though I can't remember which one.

Funny. My Tanaka Sekiso has more belly than the Ogata. Fairly noticeable. But I can chop with my Tanaka quite easily. I saw the Ogata as a bit of a cross between the Sekiso and my TF.
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by Georgek »

Jeffrey, the combination of damascus and KU was one of the main reasons that I got the knife initially, along with it's a bit flatter than normal (more belly) Takefu profile.
I am curious to see how long the already fading KU will stay on and how the blade will look once all of the KU is gone. Time will tell ! :)
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by slobound »

It's a looker...

Thankful for the chance to be a part of this passaround. I received the knife in good order from cedarhouse and upon opening the box, my initial impression was that it is a good looking knife. In hand, I would say it feels substantial but it is undoubtably thin behind the edge. The grind reminds me a little of my koishi. The handle from waywickedwoodworkz is beautiful, albeit, larger than my preference (I guess I have small hands - let the jokes commence). Kanji is delicate, adding to it's aesthetics. I will say I'm not a huge fan of KU with damascus but that's more personal preference.

I did a quick strop and went to the board with some cucumbers, mushrooms, ginger, garlic, onions, and red bell pepper. The knife performed well with rock chop, push cut, pull cut, but got some accordion action with the green onions with standard chopping. It has a more noticeable belly than my other knives, with some adjustment, I'm sure it wouldn't be an issue. The tip is thin and made quick work on the onion and experienced a little wedging with the cucumbers. Another observation is that after some continued use, the choil edge became slightly uncomfortable. If it were my knife, I would take down the edges on the choil and spine.

Picked up the Ogata a couple days later and did a few passes on the Rika 5K and then leather strop. The W#2 sharpened up quickly and took a scary sharp edge. Brought out some carrots to test and the new edge slid through like butter, very impressive.

IMO, this is a great knife at it's price point. It could really be a nice knife to add to the collection with a little finish work. For me, I don't think it would be the first knife that I reach for but it's definitely worth a look in the $200+ range. You could do much worse! I'll add some photos once i upload them to Imgur.
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by slobound »

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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by cjmeik »

This knife is exceptional. Full stop.

I could not care less about the damascus vs KU debate (which I kind of like, BTW) because this knife is about so much more than aesthetics. I almost feel like Ogata-san doesn't realize how well he makes a knife and feels the need to make it a bit more "dressy" than it otherwise might need to be. This knife is truly excellent… it needs no help.

I could not find an ingredient in which this knife would wedge. Quiet, glassy carrots, celery, and potatoes. The grind is high (to allow this) but still offers notable separation and release.

The profile of this knife is one of my favorites. Super useable! It has a nice, pointy tip, a little forward belly to rock if you choose, and a truly satisfying flat spot in the rear. Did I mention the height? Love the height! No consequences for lazy fingers here.

My only criticism is for the handle, which is strange because one of my favorite aspects of the knife was the handle. It might just be the most gorgeous handle I have ever seen in person. Its aesthetic is straight up my alley. But it is (IMO) grossly oversized. My largest handle (from a 80mm petty, through a dozen 240 gyutos, to a 300mm suji) is 23mm tall. This one is nearly 27mm tall. To me, it made an otherwise very nimble blade feel very awkward, which was disconcerting because its was so attractive and I wanted to like it so much. The handle was beautifully made… just simply too big. For the record, I am not small. 6', 210, LG/XL glove size.

Don't get me wrong, I would literally contact this handle's maker and have them make me a replica… only smaller.

After spending about three uses with this blade, I started internet stalking it. Nearly bought one several times. Still might. And to give more credence to that claim, I was going to sell my Koishi to fund the purchase. Still might.

Many thanks to George for his generosity in sending this beauty out on pass around. If you decide to move it on, George, drop me a PM!
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by gastro gnome »

I received the knife today in good condition. The handle really is all that. The knife feels good in the hand and I'm looking forward to getting some work in.
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by Georgek »

Got it back a few days ago. Thank you all for participating!
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by slobound »

Georgek wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:05 am Got it back a few days ago. Thank you all for participating!
Thanks for the opportunity, George!
Last edited by slobound on Mon Nov 20, 2017 1:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by slobound »

Georgek wrote: Mon Nov 20, 2017 6:05 am Got it back a few days ago. Thank you all for participating!
Thanks for the opportunity, George!
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Re: Ogata Shungo 240m guyto W#2 with iron cladding and custom handle

Post by Chefspence »

Finally posted my review. Thanks George
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