wphill wrote: ↑Thu Jul 19, 2018 5:05 pm
CS,
Thoughtful commentary. I wholeheartedly agree about the balance point and that it probably would feel lighter if the balance point was much further back. 10mm is in the much range. As is, I feel as if I have a cleaver with a significant adjustment to master. Since I have hand issues, my admiration for Makoto may need to be extended to another one of his blades. Looking forward to reading more while I sit on the sidelines pondering and digesting any insights as to whether this is a good match for me. Maybe, it’s all in the grip as articulated in the current thread on cleavers. Until then, the blade will be in the box. One curious question...how do you think the grind compares to the gyuto? Same great quality but the geometry looks different.
I’d say moving it 10mm is easily doable when balance is at 65mm.... the handle is ho-wood, so it is very lightweight.... you could easily double the handles weight with stabilized woods and then if you add on a hefty stainless steel end-cap... forget about it!
I quickly took 6 quarters and taped them to the end of the handle and that moves balance point to 40mm from ferrule (5mm behind my pinch... a bit too handle heavy for me!. That is a 25mm shift backwards.... super light ho-wood handle is not the right choice in my eyes for this blade.
Edit: reduced to 4 quarters and that brought balance point to 46mm from ferrule (effectively moving balnce 19 mm back) which is basically spot on my pinch grip. It performs a lot more nimbly & offers much better control... I still think too handle heavy as I like a little blade forward of pinchost of the time
....... 3 quarters now (balance at 52mm)..... hmmmmmm.... I like the added chopping power but my “less-experienced hand” really favors the more control 4 quarters offers.... I think the my happy spot will be about 48mm balance point
@5.67 grams/quarter....
4 quarters comes out to about 23grams
3 quarter comes out to about 17 grams
So a simple 20 gram endcap on this ho-wood handle would bring me to the promised land... I think a fancy (heavier) handle with a 5-10 gram stainless/metal cap will do the trick.. @bensbites what do you think?