Sanetu ZDP-189 165mm santoku

165mm santoku made by Sanetu. Softer stainless steel cladding over a ZDP-189 core; it boasts some crazy numbers, 3% carbon and 20% chromium powdered steel hardened to HRC 64-66. ZDP-189 is more or less identical in composition to the Crowy-X used in Hattori KDs. Fitted with nice cocobolo scales and a solid stainless steel bolster.

It’s my first santoku, and I was hasten about using such a short knife. And I’m not wrong about my foresight, my personal preference is still to over-9” blades as a main go to knife.

But having said that I’ve only used it once, not tried to sharpen it the tough ZDP-189 core; I will say it I like the cocobolo scales which is so much nicer than the resin-impregnated staminawood and pakkawood scales usually installed on Japanese knives. This has become my first collector’s knife, may or may not use it in the future.

I paid USD$146.70 for it during JCK’s annual X’Mas sale, they sell at $163; a 180mm KD santoku while being a very different knife compared to the Sanetu, sells for $940 (as of 24SEP08).

Hiromoto HC 270mm gyuto

My current go to chef’s knife, made of solid SK-4 high carbon (tool?) steel with a stainless steel bolster and riveted with pakkawood scales.

The HC series has been discontinued from production by Hiromoto, and I will miss this series’ ability to offer a great; easy to sharpen to a fine, clean edge; for a bargain price and acceptably high levels of fit and finish.

I paid USD$49.05 for it from JCK and is more or less that one would pay for in a Victorinox Fibrox locally, what an excellent deal. And they like to make them thin…. goooooood!

Photos of the knife new in the box and oiled up.

I had force patina on this knife by slicing lemons, then wrapping the blade in lemon juice soaked paper towel and cling film for an hour, which resulted in a ‘tiger stripe’ pattern patina development.

After 3/4 of a year’s use; patina set, spine and choil rounded, name and other markings engraved, rebeveled and sharpened to my liking.

Rehandling ideas: Exhibition Grade Desert Ironwood scales, 3x SS corby screws with Mosaic Pin inlaid over, Nickel Silver bolster brazed on, Black Canvas Micarta spacer and DIY pinless saya.

This grand old girl’s replacement will some distant day be a 270mm Fujiwara Kanefusa FKH gyuto also western pattern and a nice, bigger handle and the same SK-4 steel; itself to be rescaled with Lignum Vitae scales, Mosaic pins and brazed on tang extensions.

But superseded by a custom Moritaka Hamono Blue #2 300mm wa-gyuto next year, damascus cladding is a maybe since it will drive the price up from JYN13,500 to JYN26,000 from the kurouchi version… still a bargain for what you’re getting.

Original post:24SEP08, Updated:20OCT08

Hiromoto HC 120mm Petty

Here's is my Hiromoto HC-1 120mm Petty; high carbon steel (SK-4) blade hardened to HRC60 with a stainless steel bolster and Pakka wood scales. Does all the crazy sharp things carbon steel can do and easy to sharpen as always. This becomes my standard paring knife with the Victorinox sheepfoot paring knife for those skin tingling manoeuvres.

I forced patina on these little baby overnight with some leftover cider vinegar, even after one hour it got some matte black patina. This knife is certainly more reactive than HC-5 Gyuto for some reason, could be the different forced patina methods. Update: Date of commissioning: 14DEC07 Date of death: 23APR08 In an attempt to reduce the blade height and straighten the edge profile, I bent the very thin blade just ahead of the bolster while bearing down on it on a DMT D8XX diamond plate. I had noticed the bend and tried to correct it by bending it the other direction... thus snapping my favourite petty. Lest we forget.