January knife-of-the-month Passaround (Matsubara Blue #2)

[easilver]

Hey Ed, still time to add me or did I miss the boat on this one?

The more the merrier:

AltaDan
BobZ
jBart65
Lepus
MisoSatisfried
Nmiller21k
eaSilver

BobZ and Nmiller are confirmed. Can the rest of you send me your info and Paypal then I will order

[jbart65]

Also: Remember to "friend" the $10 to Ed. No fee for that. Send it regular and Ed will only get $9.26.

[Altadan]

Where is that option located? I've been looking around just now and havent found it

[jbart65]

Click on the pay or send money option on the right. Or the send and request option at the top. Then click on send to family and friends in the us.

[easilver]

It's $7 not $10.

[jbart65]

I sent $10, Ed. Keep the change. (-:

[easilver]

I ordered the knife on 1/8 and it's arriving tomorrow, 1/12. I'll update once it gets here.

[easilver]

I like this knife!

The spine is stout, but it’s very thin behind the edge. The shallow-grind extends far enough up the blade so it cuts like a much thinner knife. It feels very maneuverable, feeling more like Deba than a Santoku. It has a flat spot near the heal, but not as much as a 240. I tend to cut using the front half of the knife, so the curve is noticeable.
Pickling carrots, onions, and green beans tomorrow, so I’ll get a better chance to evaluate it.

T-F W#2 240 / Syousin Suminagashi R2 240 / Yoshimi 240 Passaround / Matsubara 210 / Matsubara Tall Nakiri

[easilver]

Shipping out Monday in this order:
BobZ - CA
jbart65 - D.C.
Lepus - NC
AltaDan - TX
MisoSatisfried - MN
Nmiller21k - MN

get back to me if you want to change the order.

Having fun with this one. Would love to try the 240 some day.

[MisoSatisfried]

Did you etch your Kamo Ed? They look different on the site. Beautiful collection there! I'm super curious to hear how you think the two Matsubaras compare as I'm interested in picking up one of them, I'm just not sure which yet.

[easilver]

Did you etch your Kamo Ed? They look different on the site. Beautiful collection there! I'm super curious to hear how you think the two Matsubaras compare as I'm interested in picking up one of them, I'm just not sure which yet.

The lighting makes the Damascus on the Kamo look more pronounced, but it's actually very subtle. Both Matsubaras have the same steep & high grind, but are very different knives. The 210 Gyuto feels like it wants to cut from the tip-half of the blade. I find myself doing pull, draw, and glide cuts. The Tall Nakiri is pulling at the reins to chop. Up and down with little resistance. Frankly, I wouldn't mind having both these knives along with the 240 Gyuto.

[easilver]

On its way to BobZ

[MisoSatisfried]

That's awesome Ed, thanks.

[ashy2classy]

SH*T...totally interested in this. Any chance it's still open?

[easilver]

SH*T...totally interested in this. Any chance it's still open?

Sure!

PM me:

CKTG user name
Real name
Address
phone number (optional)
email (optional)
Sharpening level: (A+,A, A-, B+, B,...)

Paypal $7 to me using “Friends and Family”. My Paypal & email is: easilver@me.com

[easilver]

BobZ should have the knife by tomorrow.

Added one member, so route will be:
BobZ - CA
jbart65 - D.C.
Lepus - NC
AltaDan - TX
MisoSatisfried - MN
Nmiller21k - MN
Ashy2classy - PA

get back to me if you want to adjust this order.

What do y'all think of this procedure for the closing:
1. Set the minimum bid at 154 [= 209.95 - 8($7)]
2. Whoever is interested in purchasing will email or PM me anytime during the pass-around (the earlier the better)
3. Last user will hold the knife until the final owner is determined (saves 1 shipping charge)
4. All prospective buyers will negotiate the sale by reply-to-all email (an open bid)
5. Individual bids will be credited for over-payments (some paid $10) and the last user will be debited the shipping cost so they don't have an unfair advantage.
6. Appreciable excess funds will be shared between all.

Next time I might have CKTG send the knife to the first user and have it finish with me so I can handle shipping to the final owner.

What do you think?

[jbart65]

Rigorous approach, Ed. I'd offer one simplification. Everyone email you a secret bid if they want the knife. You email someone else on the list who is not bidding with your bid. You'd have to do it before others send their bid to you.

Winner gets the knife.

An open bidding process could lead to a higher bid, but it would also drag the process out.

Not sure I'd debit the last user, either. The person would have a slight advantage, sure, but if they bid more that's not a bad thing.

[Bensbites]

For what it’s worth, and I am not involved in this passaround, I think the person who purchased the knife should get he final bid. They put up the money and did the work, they basically own the knife.

If you all want a neutral 3rd party to collect email bids let me know.

Ben

[Bob Z]

So my week with the Matsubara B#2 210 went quick! and will be on its way to Jbart sat morning.
The knife arrived and needed a little stropping action as it didn't do well on paper towels. A few light passes on the Suehiro Rika 5K and then a few passes on compound did the trick. The walnut handle seemed dry, very dry! so a dose of oil, and then another but it was still kinda rough so i added a bit more oil and wet sanded it a bit with 600 grit sandpaper which did the job.

This is a pretty nice knife! Thanks Ed for opportunity!
I measured some:
Spine over heel: 3.3mm
Blade length: 215mm
Weight: 6oz
Height: 55mm

While this is too tall for my preferences, it cut well and looked good. I really liked the pewter colored finish on the Kurouchi which is a combo of Nashiji and Tsuchime finishes. I am considering getting one of the 180mm versions. I made a salad or two and some andouille cornbread stuffing with it.

I kept looking at the edge of the cladding and finally discovered the knife has a very thin coating on it which i didn't remove. So very little patina so far.

Reading the last post for this topic, I was thinking about that also as far as the bids go. How to make it fair? Should the buyer get the last chance to outbid the others? I agree that he should and that the final price be posted. Using a third party (or one of the bidders who doesn't want the knife like me) would be ok also.

[jbart65]

This is a very interesting knife, one of the more interesting I've encountered on CKTG. Very tall, funky finish - both the color and texture. Surprised me by how thin it is. Somewhat thick at the heel, but tapers beautifully to a thin and fluent tip.

Although I've only made one meal with it, I am impressed.

I was surprised by how well it rocked. The 210 doesn't have a big flat and it's probably best at pushing, but it rocks just fine and can chop low ingredients no problem.

Definitely see a Matsubara entering my collection this year. Perhaps even this one. Like the height and I need one 210 that can rock well and be a jack of all trades. My only other 210, a Gassan, is a chopper and pusher.

I wonder about the less that stellar early talk about the Matsubara KS clones. Perhaps this maker is best off doing knives in his own unique style. I might grab the tall Matsubara nakiri or a 240 B#2 if I don't add a 210.