Is the Toyama worth the tag?

[Chefspence]

Simple, ignorant question...never used one, but only hear good things. I'm tempted, especially since I liked the gihei so much and was told I need to try the Toyama. So, in y'all's opinion, is it worth the price to try one out?

If so, I'd lean toward the stainless clad for sure, unless, again, there's opinions that could sway me to get the all reactive.

Thanks for playing!

[5698k]

Most definitely.

[gladius]

I have four of the iron clad and all are super knives well worth the coin.

[Cutuu]

Most definitely yes, mods please close. This is not up for debate , jk.

[Jeff B]

I have an iron clad gyuto and it's a great knife, have not used the stainless clad. Worth $400+, this is always debatable with no wrong answer.
The iron clad appear to get slightly higher praise than the stainless clad version. Have heard of some buying both and selling the stainless clad in favor of the iron clad version. The stainless clad is said to be slightly thinner and lighter than the iron clad counterpart.
It is also said that the iron clad version is not in production anymore, so in buying new, there may not be a choice in the matter for now if ever.

[delmar]

All relative. For me, yes. I've owned 3, 2 iron clad and 1 stainless. I prefer the iron, but that is just me.

They tend towards the beefy side of weight and feel, but they are wonderful knives. The 270 is a big beast, but in all the right ways.

Do you like Watanabes? Pretty similar and there is a connection between the smiths. Just a shot in the dark....

[Chefspence]

Most definitely yes, mods please close. This is not up for debate , jk.

Ha!

[Chefspence]

I have an iron clad gyuto and it's a great knife, have not used the stainless clad. Worth $400+, this is always debatable with no wrong answer.
The iron clad appear to get slightly higher praise than the stainless clad version. Have heard of some buying both and selling the stainless clad in favor of the iron clad version. The stainless clad is said to be slightly thinner and lighter than the iron clad counterpart.
It is also said that the iron clad version is not in production anymore, so in buying new, there may not be a choice in the matter for now if ever.

Thanks Jeff

[Chefspence]

All relative. For me, yes. I've owned 3, 2 iron clad and 1 stainless. I prefer the iron, but that is just me.

They tend towards the beefy side of weight and feel, but they are wonderful knives. The 270 is a big beast, but in all the right ways.

Do you like Watanabes? Pretty similar and there is a connection between the smiths. Just a shot in the dark....

Thanks Del. I haven't tried a Watanabe either. That was another I was told to try.

[Chefspence]

Well shit, I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and get one!

[Chefspence]

I have four of the iron clad and all are super knives well worth the coin.

Thanks gladius

[Chefspence]

Most definitely.

Thanks 5698k....are you a droid

[delmar]

Chef - watanabe and toyama are very similar. Story goes, Toyama studied under Watanabe's grandfather or great grandfather. Profile and grind *very* similar. Watanabe ground a bit more towards food release (at least on gyutos) and chop, but not by much. Watanbate a bit harder, so tad better retention, but harder to sharpen. If nakiri, I'd go watanabe (gold standard for many for nakiri that is readily available and not unicorn). If gyuto, pick your poison. Can't go wrong either way. I'd probably lean towards Toyama since you were asking, and a bit easier to get Toyama gyuto these days. Watanabe availability has been kinda fickle last year or so.

Toyama gyutos come up on classifieds regularly, iron clad too. Be patient, you'll find one. Or post WTB - I've had very good luck finding my huckleberries quickly that way lately.

[nakneker]

I’m in the minority it appears, I like the stainless. I’ve had an ironclad 240, 270 and a stainless 240. The stainless is my favorite but that could be the grind of that particular knife, they were all very similar. All of them were winners. I also have a 300 Damasus suji Toyama, beautiful blade. They are great knives, worth the price to play and hold their value much more than most. Can’t lose.

[gladius]

...oh yeah, the Suji - make that five.

I like my Toyama gyuto and nakiri more than the Watanabe gyuto and nakiri though the Watanabe knives are very good indeed.

[5698k]

Most definitely.

Thanks 5698k....are you a droid

Ha! No..another word about Toyama..I’d much rather pay $450.00 for a Toyama than $1000.00 for a Shig, I don’t feel the Shig is really that much nicer than the Toyama.

[slobound]

Definitely try one. The nice thing too is that it’s a fairly easy resell if you don’t love it! My Toyama is a keeper for me.

[pd7077]

I have an iron clad gyuto and it's a great knife, have not used the stainless clad. Worth $400+, this is always debatable with no wrong answer.
The iron clad appear to get slightly higher praise than the stainless clad version. Have heard of some buying both and selling the stainless clad in favor of the iron clad version. The stainless clad is said to be slightly thinner and lighter than the iron clad counterpart.
It is also said that the iron clad version is not in production anymore, so in buying new, there may not be a choice in the matter for now if ever.

Yes & no. I say this because while I’m a huge fan of Toyamas, it’s only for his older work. The caveat here is that my preference is for beefier grinds, and Toyama’s grinds have changed a bit over the years. Older Toyama 240 gyutos usually weight in at around 235-245g, and have much more convexity to them. Ones that I have handled since early 2018 and later have had a much thinner grinds (read: less of a workhorse) and weight around 205-215g. For me, the performance difference between the two was quite substantial. Both performed extremely well, but they felt like two totally different knives. Now that’s not a bad thing, but my predilection for heavier knives made me not like the newer Toyamas as much. This applies to both the iron and stainless clad. A couple weeks ago, I handled two iron clad Toyamas that were purchased in mid-2019, and both were sub-220g.

TLDR: Toyamas are fantastic knives, but there is a difference between the older and newer grinds. If you prefer heavier grinds, then search for an older one. If you like slightly thinner, middleweight grinds, then the newer ones will suit you just fine.

[Bluenoser87]

I had the same experience. I had a 240 from late 2018 and a 270 from 2019 and they were too light for my taste. I got an ironclad watanabe 270 in 2019 though and that one is amazing. It’s a heavy beast though. It was 270g or so I think before i swapped to a custom handle and made it even heavier. I’ll be keeping that one forever. I don’t know what the story is on the watanabe toyama connection but they’re extremely similar. Based on the 3 I’ve had I can’t draw any conclusions other than that my experience lines up with what Steve said. The two I sold were for what I paid for them new or very very close so it’s low risk to try one out. The stainless ones do seem to stick around longer in the classifieds though

[pgugger]

I can't comment on the stainless versus iron clad debate, but I agree with the consensus that Toyama knives are worth it. I have the stainless and was immediately impressed for its all around performance. Mine is 209 g.