Recommendation? Is this knife worth buying

[heathcliff]

I have opportunity to buy a knife in similar price to Tojiro DP3 but with all blows and whistles I can't find any web site of this company and based on photos the blade profile does not seem to be symmetrical.. No idea if this is good or not. Sales person states this is 100% Japanese made knife. Please advise if its worth buying. Thank you!
Link to non-supporting vendor removed per forum guidelines.
Brand: Kotetsu
Model: VG-10 Damascus

 

[KenHash]

Only you can decide if it's worth buying.
The maker is Takayuki Shibata.

 

[scorpnsnake]

Buy it, send to me. I'll let you know if it was worth it or not.

 

[bikerdave47]

Now, that's real helpful...

 

[heathcliff]

About worth buying I meant if this is legit and if the grind is good as it’s not as symmetric as Tojiro. Of course aesthetics and if this knife meets my needs is up to me.

I read that this more rounded shape in the middle is used to help the food to not stick that much when cutting. But here is larger on one side and smaller on the other side. So not sure if this has any meaning here or it’s just an illusion or maybe just uneven grind from like manual sharpening

 

[KenHash]

Most hand made double bevel Japanese knives tend to be ground slightly in favor of a right handed user.
Tojiros are factory made and they tend to be closer to the 50/50 you see in European knives.

 

[heathcliff]

It’s not CKTG. It’s Polish local shop.

I’ll ask

 

[heathcliff]

Most hand made double bevel Japanese knives tend to be ground slightly in favor of a right handed user.
Tojiros are factory made and they tend to be closer to the 50/50 you see in European knives.

I am left-handed, so in this case, what disadvantages should I expect from this grind?

 

[KenHash]

I am left-handed, so in this case, what disadvantages should I expect from this grind?

You can expect a very slight bias to the right. Nowhere near a single bevel knife. But enough that many makers/vendors specifically
offer "left hand versions" of double bevel gyutos.

Jon Broida's site Japaneseknifeimports has a section for L/H knives. His Gesshin line is highly regarded.
Hitohira, Masahiro, Sabun, Tower all offer L.H gyutos. There are probably more if searched.

 

[heathcliff]

This makes sense thank you.

 

[heathcliff]

I measured the difference and it’s like 5% bias… I’m wondering if I would notice when cutting

 

[Lenny]

Are you talking about the primary grind or the edge bevel not being symmetrical?

 

[KenHash]

I measured the difference and it’s like 5% bias… I’m wondering if I would notice when cutting

Sorry but being right handed I have never tried a left hand double bevel.
I have used left handed single bevels but I'm sure that won't help.
Maybe someone here might have some experience.

 

[heathcliff]

Shop replied that this is production variability and within accepted error margin.

They said it’s done by small manufacture around Sakai.

 

[klaudek2137]

After small reaserch i find this one auction.

https://www.kitchenknives.co.uk/kotetsu-21cm-chef-s-knife-by-yasuda-hamono-ny101/

It says the brand is not kotetsu but yasuda hamono witch shop is lokated in japan so i think real japan knife but wrong marked name in auction title

 

[heathcliff]

Oh good to know. I also found this knife has plastic ferrule and it seems flat / without hammer marks on the opposite side of kanji which is strange. Seems they needed flat surface to stamp Kanji.

This flat surface is pushing me off as it looks cheap.

Meantime I got interested in Damascus Tsunehisa Bunka 17.5cm. It’s AUS10 so no much edge retention but not expensive and looks great. Also I seen from CATRA tests that AUS steel family has very good Thoughness so sounds good for heavier daily use.

 

[Dr. Rayeye]

I have opportunity to buy a knife in similar price to Tojiro DP3 but with all blows and whistles I can't find any web site of this company and based on photos the blade profile does not seem to be symmetrical.. No idea if this is good or not. Sales person states this is 100% Japanese made knife. Please advise if its worth buying. Thank you!
Link to non-supporting vendor removed per forum guidelines.
Brand: Kotetsu
Model: VG-10 Damascus

I have opportunity to buy a knife in similar price to Tojiro DP3 but with all blows and whistles I can't find any web site of this company and based on photos the blade profile does not seem to be symmetrical.. No idea if this is good or not. Sales person states this is 100% Japanese made knife. Please advise if its worth buying. Thank you!
Link to non-supporting vendor removed per forum guidelines.
Brand: Kotetsu
Model: VG-10 Damascus

Looks like a good deal to me. It's likely to be from a marketer in Japan who contracts with small producers to a common profile. It's quality checked before being sent out. It probably has a more hand crafted feel to it than a Tojiro. You can correct slight between left/right when you resharpen.