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Miyabi Japanese Knives


willland

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I am technically referred to as a lifer with the company I have been employed with for the last 35 years.  So with each "milestone" year, I got to choose from the catalog and my choice was a Miyabi Kaizen 10-Piece Knife Block Set(msrp $1000.00).  Super pumped for these to arrive.  I have owned a mid level Sabatier classic forged set since 2001 and have gotten much use out of them but never was super impressed with the edge retention on these.  The Miyabi knives are said to be hand made and hand honed and razor sharp out of the box and pretty easy to keep restored to that edge but chipping can happen if not careful.

 

If any of you are familiar with these Miyabi knives and have any experience with them please share your thoughts.

10-pc Knife Block Set,,large

836114_01i_0115_s.jpg?sw=1350&sh=1000&sm=fit

 

Bill

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41 minutes ago, willland said:

I am technically referred to as a lifer with the company I have been employed with for the last 35 years.  So with each "milestone" year, I got to choose from the catalog and my choice was a Miyabi Kaizen 10-Piece Knife Block Set(msrp $1000.00).  Super pumped for these to arrive.  I have owned a mid level Sabatier classic forged set since 2001 and have gotten much use out of them but never was super impressed with the edge retention on these.  The Miyabi knives are said to be hand made and hand honed and razor sharp out of the box and pretty easy to keep restored to that edge but chipping can happen if not careful.

 

If any of you are familiar with these Miyabi knives and have any experience with them please share your thoughts.

10-pc Knife Block Set,,large

836114_01i_0115_s.jpg?sw=1350&sh=1000&sm=fit

 

Bill

I have always had German (Soligen) but super excited to hear what you think about these.

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I have a couple of Katana Swords you would like for the really BIG stuff to cut, like if you wanted to cut a Cow in half! LOL. It's all about the metallurgical composition. If you have high carbon steel, it will be more prone to chipping, but will hold it's edge longer. Look to Ken Onion sharpener tools once you have these. They are worthy of the best!

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4 hours ago, willland said:

Very fond of the Wustofs and Zwilling J.A. Henckels also.

 

Bill

If you were happy with those....                               

You'll be surprised with how sharp the Japanese knives are, my Mac knives are at 15 degrees both sides. Some are 14 and some are sharpened on one side only. Liked the Torijo ? too, but got a deal on what I have. Hone and then use a specific rollsharp a couple times yearly. Those Miyabi aren't from the budget bin. Had wustoffs for a long time and they never would stay sharp and I won't do the separate whetstone's and all that work for kitchen knives. I've never made tulips out of tuna either.

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6 minutes ago, JohnJ said:

You'll be surprised with how sharp the Japanese knives are, my Mac knives are at 15 degrees both sides.

Since these Miyabis are hand honed, the angle varies from 9 to 12 degrees.  Can we say "razor blade"?

 

Bill

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57 minutes ago, Dave1290 said:

Does that mean I have to go to Youtube?  hahaha  Was kinda wondering about it though to be honest.  I'll put it on my list!  :)

 

I only mentioned "restoring" because of my somewhat recent experiences with vintage cast iron skillets.

 

That is a nice classic knife.  Do you know what species the wood handle is?  Kind of looks like walnut.

 

Bill

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Clueless, never really looked at it so really don't know about the handle.  Yup it's at least that old.  Got it in the early 70's  and never really used it that much.  Too sharp for me to play with on ham or turkey so it lays in the drawer w/ a couple other one's I use from this old guy in Ohio. Hi name is Mooney Warther. who started carving everything from working pliers to working train engines then eventually started making knives for his wife to use in the kitchen.  Started w/a simple paring knife and progressed.  The museum is simply amaze balls!  His wife's button collection is also!  Not trying to thread crap but these knives really are the bomb for everyday use.  Pricey but fantastic and last forever.

 

Here's a link for a bit of historical info showing the place if you want to skim it.  EVERY thing is carved from wood or ivory by him!  

 

 

If you want to get a paring knife I highly recommend these.  My go to knife in the drawer but I have two.  Think I paid under $20 in the early 70's.  Free sharpening too!  They NEVER wear out.  Just about ready to take a drive over to Amish country near Dover, Ohio and get one sharpened.  Might just do it myself though  :)  All of them are killer!  https://warthercutlery.com/

 

  

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Over the years I’ve gathered several chef knives from many manufacturers that no doubt vary in their makeup. Regardless of brand I keep them all razor sharp having learned how to sharpen blades. They live in a dedicated drawer with their blades protected. They’re cleaned, dried and steeled after each use. I use a razor strop with steel polish as the final sharpening step and routinely in maintaining their sharpness. I have sharpened knives for others who do not keep them as jealously regarded as I do...... and they all eventually go dull. These are tools. Keep them at their peak and they will remain that way. And since they’re really used for relatively light duty applications they do not have to be extremely strong. I own $20 knives that are kept as sharp as my $100 knives.

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On 12/14/2019 at 1:16 PM, Westcoastdrums said:

No experience, but if you don't like em, PM me and I'll tell you where to send for proper disposal.   Congrats, I'm betting you will love the set.   

Careful now. Did you know that in France it's considered very bad luck to give a knife to someone?  I'm pretty sure France is all that far from Japan,  so let's hope he likes them.

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6 minutes ago, Westcoastdrums said:

No, I didn't. In that case, I certainly wouldn't want a set of fine knives gifted to me.   Please, no one send me such 

an old tale, once a knife draws blood you both learn to get along but they all bite. all sharp thing bite. I suppose it's a little like keeping snakes.

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