Anyone know were you can buy cheap Wa replacement handles?

Kentucky

Kentucky

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Dec 13, 2008
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Looking for some cheap Wa replacement handles domestically. Like the ones that come on Tojiro knives,etc..thanks
 
I have heard some folks say that you can find them at Asian markets, but I suspect those are and of thin on the ground where you are. :D Epicurean Edge and CKTG have more expensive ones in the $60-100 range. The guys that I know of who have the regular ones only install. With that said, you might drop Jon at JKI a line to see if he might sell you a handle full of them or you could ask Murray Carter where he gets his basic handles.
 
Dictum has some but there are the shipping costs to overcome,
I even asked Japanesechefsknives.com and they said it was difficult to get a replacement handle
However I got lucky and have 10 coming to me from a source I don't know I'm allowed to name
But as JDM says, you could try Murray Carter
 
Yes, unfortunately, the shipping costs from Germany are MUCH higher than the what folks pay the Japanese post office to ship small items from Tokyo, so things get expensive quickly. With that said, Dictum's prices on Hitachi steel are considerably lower than Work Shop Heaven, particularly since Dictum backs out the 20% or so VAT for non-EU orders. That makes the shipping cost a little les painful, but you have to work the shopping cart to figure out how many pieces you can get shipped at each shipping price level. With steel, I think you can get at least 2 bars shipped for the lowest price, but when you go to 3, the shipping goes up, so you might as well get 4 for the same cost.
Edit. I would appear that you can get at least 10-12 handles from Dictum for the lowest shipping price of 31 Euros. With the non VAT price of 20 euros for a ho wood handle with a buffalo hour ferrule, that works out to like $25.70 per handle if you order 10. The one with the non hour ferule would be a fair bit cheaper as long as you order in those quantities. it looks like the chestnut handles with the plastic ferrule would be around $13 a pop shipped.
hsc3_90293 said:
Dictum has some but there are the shipping costs to overcome,
I even asked Japanesechefsknives.com and they said it was difficult to get a replacement handle
However I got lucky and have 10 coming to me from a source I don't know I'm allowed to name
But as JDM says, you could try Murray Carter
Click to expand...
 
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With the strong dollar, I would say to place an order with Dictum and get a bunch of stuff.
 
It would be nice to get some handles like that made here...for something like 15 -30$ a piece, i wonder if a wood guy around here is willing to crank em out?
 
Thanks guys, We'er thinking about just cranking out a big order from dictum..Get some steel and handles too. I saw that they had the cheapest handles were only about $8 before shipping.
Question: Since we are obviously a non European union country when I order I should select Non-VAT correct?
 
yes w/o VAT, in the top right hand corner there is a country selection and you can choose w/o VAT
 
I think the VAT is automatically backed out when you choose a non-EU shipping destination but it doesn't hurt to make sure. After thinking about this, I recall seeing a video about the makers of this standard wa handles and it said that there are now only like 3 shops in Japan that do that work. There used to be a lot more. I don't know if they have consolidated or if a lot more knives are made in Japan with western style handles these days. They make them on old style machines run by real live people instead of computers, but they appear to be able to crank them out pretty fast.
 
jdm61 said:
...and it said that there are now only like 3 shops in Japan that do that work. There used to be a lot more. I don't know if they have consolidated or if a lot more knives are made in Japan with western style handles these days. They make them on old style machines run by real live people instead of computers, but they appear to be able to crank them out pretty fast.
Click to expand...

what I was told in an email -

"Each makers and craftsmen are struggling to find and get the Wa Handles (due
to handle maker's limited production and craftsmen's old average ages).

We apologize for the availability of the wa handles."
 
I found that video. They said that the number of handle shops in Sakai, which is where a LOT of the Japanese kitchen knives are made are down to 3 from a high of 30 a number of years back. i guess he upside of the "cottage industry" system in Japan is that you still get that Old World craftsmanship. The downside is that cottages are kind of thin on the ground these days. ;)
hsc3_90293 said:
what I was told in an email -

"Each makers and craftsmen are struggling to find and get the Wa Handles (due
to handle maker's limited production and craftsmen's old average ages).

We apologize for the availability of the wa handles."
Click to expand...
 
I think it is on my home computer, but there is a newer supplier from China. They make a lot of styles and sizes. I never ordered from them, but they were cheap ... $5 each, IIRC. There was a video of them being turned, the horn fitted, and the finishing.

There is also a chef's supplier that carries uniforms, really cheap knife rolls and cases, as well as replacement handles. I'll try and pull them up, too.
 
That would be greatly appreciated, good sir!!! :D
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I think it is on my home computer, but there is a newer supplier from China. They make a lot of styles and sizes. I never ordered from them, but they were cheap ... $5 each, IIRC. There was a video of them being turned, the horn fitted, and the finishing.

There is also a chef's supplier that carries uniforms, really cheap knife rolls and cases, as well as replacement handles. I'll try and pull them up, too.
Click to expand...
 
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