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No. I knew exactly which handle you ordered. Ebony is significantly denser than "ho," which is fairly light. The metal spacer adds some weight as well.

I'm not saying it's "too heavy," merely suggesting that you check and see what it does weigh. While I have my own preferences, I don't expect them to be yours. Nor is it my or anyone else's call as to what is and what is not too heavy or too anything else for you. You should have enough facts to make informed decisions, though, and you're worth the of my experience and knowledge -- limited as they are.

As it happens, I know someone who got a "J" (or it could have been an "L") handle for a Tadatsuna and was unhappy with it because the handle's weight changed much of what he liked about the knife to begin with -- not to mention the significant upcharge. Why should you be poorer and unhappy too?

BDL
 
Discussion starter · #22 ·
Originally Posted by boar_d_laze
Why should you be poorer and unhappy too?

BDL
exactly why i haven't gotten married yet...(!) /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

okay, kewl. thanks for the clarification. i have asked my good pal Kosuke-san what the difference in weight is between handle "C" and handle "J" - and will report back to let you know what he says.

what i do know meanwhile is that for Konosuke Suji's the thickness of the blade is the same between the wa-handle and the western handle types. but there is a significant weight difference between them:

270mm Suji - Western Pakka wood handle type ; 2.2mm / 180g

270mm Suji - Wa Ho-wood magnolia octagonal handle type ; 2.2mm / 110g
 
Discussion starter · #23 · (Edited)
so i heard back from Kosuke...

handle C: weighs about 33g

handle J: weighs about 70g

so if the 270mm Wa-handle Suji with Ho-wood magnolia octagonal handle type weighs 110g

then the 270mm Wa-handle Suji with ebony octagonal handle with a silver spacer between ferrule and ebony weighs 147g

wow. i didn't expect such a significant weight difference... very interesting....

still, on the plus side it is still 33g lighter than the western style handle...

if anyone is interested here are a couple of more weights i found out:

F (rosewood); about 45g

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I (ebony); about 70g
 
Discussion starter · #26 ·
Konosuke sent me pics of my finished knife today!

They wanted me to check that i'm happy before they send the knife - not sure what "bad" things i'm supposed to look for?

Can anyone see anything which is a problem in the 2 pics below??



 
Discussion starter · #31 ·
suji finally made it past customs today!!

only bad thing... get the distinct feeling that maybe i should have got a 300mm... this 270mm feels like maybe its a teensy bit short...
 
It sure is a beautiful knife.  Why are you thinking it seems short? (Already?) -- are you using it as a slicer on ham or roast beef or... are you using as an all-around "chef's knife"?

I have a short "suji" (210mm) which is my petty knife.  I love it as much as any kitchen knife I've ever used.  I have been made curious about a 300mm suji because of BDL's posts; I'm wondering if you're actually finding the 270 short already, or just thinking it might be.

And I'm wondering if the usage of a longer suji as a gyuto/chef's is idiosyncratrically BDL, or if it would make sense to try for the rest of us.  (So this last question is really for BDL, not ruscal -- BDL? And supposing one cooks very differently -- i.e., primarily vegetarian? Apart from the insanity that is wanting every length of every style in every steel... I know you love your 300mm suji, but as you often say about knives you would use vs recommend -- do you think this is "recommendable" or just you?)
 
More me.  You need to be very comfortable "coming over the top" with your grip in order to avoid busting your knuckles.  A gyuto's more practical if for no other reason than it doesn't take nearly as much thought.  If I were still catering or working the line, and/or if I didn't get so much encouragement from you guys, I wouldn't fool around nearly as much. 

So you see, it's your fault.

BDL
 
Happy to take the blame, for one!  And even though you've talked about a 6" slicer as a petty... it's YOUR fault I'm using a 210mm suji as one (Ok, 75% your fault).  The books all seem to say "chef's and parer".  Which is where I started. Not no mo'.
 
Discussion starter · #37 ·
when i first started exploring real knowledge on kitchen knives the longest knife i had was a 16cm global cooks knife.

one of my first "proper" purchases was to get a 240mm western handled gyuto. at first it seemed massive. but studying little clips on youtube i started to understand some technique and pretty soon found i was using the whole blade for veggie prep and suddenly didn't notice the size as being so outrageous.

i guess i was expecting the suji to feel super long first time i took it out of the box. like when you're a kid and your mom buys you new shoes and it takes a couple of months to grow into them.

but it didn't. i don't know if it feels short per say, but it certainly doesn't feel as long as i was expecting it to. i'm not sure if that means i shoulda got a longer blade or whether i got the perfect length. like you say i guess the proof will be in the pudding once i've had the chance to put some time into using the thing.

one thing i will say. ITS SUCH A PRETTY KNIFE!! i'm seriously considering buying a 240mm gyuto and a 150mm petty from the same supplier with the same steel and handle finish. means i'd probably retire my Tojiro DP santuko from misc prep duty and downgrade my Masamoto VG to take that job. i'd end up with 2 x 240mm gyuto's - a western and a japanese handle version, 2 x 150mm pettys - a western and a japanese handle version, this japanese handle 270mm suji, and a western handle bread knife.

feel a bit like a knife-aholic....
 
[...]

i guess i was expecting the suji to feel super long first time i took it out of the box. like when you're a kid and your mom buys you new shoes and it takes a couple of months to grow into them.

but it didn't. i don't know if it feels short per say, but it certainly doesn't feel as long as i was expecting it to. i'm not sure if that means i shoulda got a longer blade or whether i got the perfect length. like you say i guess the proof will be in the pudding once i've had the chance to put some time into using the thing.

[...] i'm seriously considering buying a 240mm gyuto [...]

feel a bit like a knife-aholic....
yes, knife-aholic. Me too (and it's kind of dumb for me, given that I'd do better to learn to cook better than worry about the next knife). Of course can't afford to truly indulge. But I will say... my second gyuto was a 270mm. So I'll encourage your addiction by saying, especially with your response to the new suji, you might want a 270mm instead of another 240mm gyuto. It doesn't make a much of a difference as from 210 to 240, or from 270 to 300, perhaps (as BDL says). But it seems to make plenty-enough difference to me. And you're wanting to move in that direction anyway, from what you've said.

Of course then you'll REALLY want the 300mm suji, because it'll feel like you "should" maybe. Sorry about that. I don't mean to push you to spend still more. But I bet you have the knife-craze in your eyes without my pushing, anyway. (I do... and totallly didn't earn it with advanced cooking skills. Still, I cooked with family members this weekend -- those who make better food than I -- and was appalled at their inefficient use of knives, and they were happy to learn how to stand, how to hold the knife, how to hold less tension, oh, everywhere, while cutting. So I suppose the interest in the tools did lead somewhere good).
 
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