We have been carrying some other Misuzu knives with the damascus cladding, now this is our first with a carbon steel called SKS93 and clad in stainless steel for easy sharpening and care. HRC for this steel is 60-61 Rockwell and it sharpens and performs similarly to Hitachi YCS3 carbon steel. This is a perfect knife to learn to sharpen on. It has steel on the core that will quickly develop a burr and the stainless cladding makes it easy to care for. It's a really fun knife to try and one of the best selling knives that Misuzu sells to their domestic customers over the past 70 years. Misuzu Knives are produced by a small family run blacksmith shop in Miki, Japan. This bunka is a great multi-use kitchen knife, with a long, flat profile ending in a sharp tip.
Please Note: These knives often come with small cosmetic scratches which happen during stamp engraving. They're minor and won't affect the use of the knives.Weight: 3.5 oz (98g)
Blade Length: 157 mm
Overall Length: 283 mm
Spine Thickness at Heel: 1.9 mm
Blade Height: 47.7 mm
Please Note: These knives often come with small cosmetic scratches which happen during stamp engraving. They're minor and won't affect the use of the knives.
Reviews
2 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval) Bunka? Honesuki? Yes., June 10, 2024Posted By: NoOneCanPutMeToSleep
I've been wanting one of the CTKG burnt oak handles for a while, and also wanted something in between a takamura chromax 130mm petty and a few 210mm+ gyutos. It turns out after slicing vege and meat for a stew as soon as I unboxed it and washed it, this might be my #1 go to knife. The K tip swipes into shallot like it wasn't there. The nearly flat profile is perfect for my tendencies to push/pull cuts lifting the blade completely off the board, and it's a layup to sharpen as a result. The SKS93 is pretty reactive, had a little rust spot develop when I think I left it on my cutting board after drying the knife, but there was a small droplet of water somewhere on the board. No biggy, it's in the same family of white steels. Just scrubbed it off with a little bit of bar keepers. It should patina nicely on the core steel.
The knife comes with sharp 90 degree edges, so I spent some time rounding the spine and the choil. I also took the advice from the video review and ground the handle where my pinch grip touches, now it feels like an extension of my hand. For the price, it's absolutely amazing. And if you don't care about having a plastic ferrule/rubber handle, it's even cheaper then!
I've been wanting one of the CTKG burnt oak handles for a while, and also wanted something in between a takamura chromax 130mm petty and a few 210mm+ gyutos. It turns out after slicing vege and meat for a stew as soon as I unboxed it and washed it, this might be my #1 go to knife. The K tip swipes into shallot like it wasn't there. The nearly flat profile is perfect for my tendencies to push/pull cuts lifting the blade completely off the board, and it's a layup to sharpen as a result. The SKS93 is pretty reactive, had a little rust spot develop when I think I left it on my cutting board after drying the knife, but there was a small droplet of water somewhere on the board. No biggy, it's in the same family of white steels. Just scrubbed it off with a little bit of bar keepers. It should patina nicely on the core steel.
The knife comes with sharp 90 degree edges, so I spent some time rounding the spine and the choil. I also took the advice from the video review and ground the handle where my pinch grip touches, now it feels like an extension of my hand. For the price, it's absolutely amazing. And if you don't care about having a plastic ferrule/rubber handle, it's even cheaper then!
Fantastic!Posted By: Andrew Romig
8 people found this review helpful
Incredible value. I very, very, very strongly recommend buying this version with the improved handle because it's a steal for just $18 more than the Ho-Wood/Plastic Ferrule version unless you're planning on doing a custom handle yourself. In the quick look video above, Steve notes that the lack of forward chamfering on the handle doesn't quite work for him and that he intends to relieve it a bit, but for my hands which are either a tight Large or a loose XL glove size it's a phenomenal fit as-is (and I just love octagonal handles in general). Likewise, I know the sharp upward rake of the tang isn't for everyone but it's very comfortable and controllable for me.
The other most striking aspect of the blade at a glance is what I'm (probably incorrectly) referring to as a rebated choil - that part of the back of the blade that comes rearward under the choil a little bit. At first I thought it was just a really cool cosmetic flair but given that the balance point is basically right there, it affords you a very secure and controllable pinch grip.
OOTB factory edge is very good - there's some room for improvement from the stones on my example, but it's more than good enough that I haven't felt the need to do so yet. The blade was very straight and true on my example with very even grind lines.
I put this thing to work slicing up some apples and initially encountered some minor wedging trying to start the cut at the rear of the knife, but quickly discovered that using the front half of the blade was much smoother given the distal taper. I could slay apples all day like that with ease and precision if I chose to.
On paper, SKS93 appears to split the difference between White #2 and #1 and my (admittedly limited) experience so far has been totally in-line with that. After half a dozen apples and green peppers, I observed no appreciable edge degradation and quite honestly, my knife skills aren't the best - so while that's not saying a lot, it is saying *something*.
Thanks to the stainless cladding, I observed zero reactivity of any kind (VERY surprising considering how readily my carbon and iron-clad blades react, but I'll admit this is my first stainless-clad carbon blade so there may be some element to that I don't understand). Do be aware, however, that the warning on the product page about light scratches on the stamped side of the blade are valid. In my case there are about 4 such scratches, most roughly half an inch long. It's one of those things you can only see in the right light and soft stainless cladding picks up scratches easily in use anyway, but if you're a perfectionist that aspect may drive you nuts. It doesn't really bother me; my knives are users, not drawer queens.
The final thing I want to point out is that as I see it, this knife can effectively double as a petty better than any other Santoku or Bunka I've yet encountered. The close to flat edge profile affords very precise slicing on the board or in hand, and the combination of being exceedingly lightweight along with the unusual handle rake and rebated choil afford a closer, tighter, more controlled grip than most knives of this general class seem to offer. This one gets a BIG two thumbs up from me. I'm not sure it would be suitable as someone's first and only kitchen blade, but it brings A LOT of versatility to the table you wouldn't expect and would, in my opinion, be all you'd need in tandem with a 210mm+ Gyuto or double-bevel Kiritsuke.
8 people found this review helpful
Incredible value. I very, very, very strongly recommend buying this version with the improved handle because it's a steal for just $18 more than the Ho-Wood/Plastic Ferrule version unless you're planning on doing a custom handle yourself. In the quick look video above, Steve notes that the lack of forward chamfering on the handle doesn't quite work for him and that he intends to relieve it a bit, but for my hands which are either a tight Large or a loose XL glove size it's a phenomenal fit as-is (and I just love octagonal handles in general). Likewise, I know the sharp upward rake of the tang isn't for everyone but it's very comfortable and controllable for me.
The other most striking aspect of the blade at a glance is what I'm (probably incorrectly) referring to as a rebated choil - that part of the back of the blade that comes rearward under the choil a little bit. At first I thought it was just a really cool cosmetic flair but given that the balance point is basically right there, it affords you a very secure and controllable pinch grip.
OOTB factory edge is very good - there's some room for improvement from the stones on my example, but it's more than good enough that I haven't felt the need to do so yet. The blade was very straight and true on my example with very even grind lines.
I put this thing to work slicing up some apples and initially encountered some minor wedging trying to start the cut at the rear of the knife, but quickly discovered that using the front half of the blade was much smoother given the distal taper. I could slay apples all day like that with ease and precision if I chose to.
On paper, SKS93 appears to split the difference between White #2 and #1 and my (admittedly limited) experience so far has been totally in-line with that. After half a dozen apples and green peppers, I observed no appreciable edge degradation and quite honestly, my knife skills aren't the best - so while that's not saying a lot, it is saying *something*.
Thanks to the stainless cladding, I observed zero reactivity of any kind (VERY surprising considering how readily my carbon and iron-clad blades react, but I'll admit this is my first stainless-clad carbon blade so there may be some element to that I don't understand). Do be aware, however, that the warning on the product page about light scratches on the stamped side of the blade are valid. In my case there are about 4 such scratches, most roughly half an inch long. It's one of those things you can only see in the right light and soft stainless cladding picks up scratches easily in use anyway, but if you're a perfectionist that aspect may drive you nuts. It doesn't really bother me; my knives are users, not drawer queens.
The final thing I want to point out is that as I see it, this knife can effectively double as a petty better than any other Santoku or Bunka I've yet encountered. The close to flat edge profile affords very precise slicing on the board or in hand, and the combination of being exceedingly lightweight along with the unusual handle rake and rebated choil afford a closer, tighter, more controlled grip than most knives of this general class seem to offer. This one gets a BIG two thumbs up from me. I'm not sure it would be suitable as someone's first and only kitchen blade, but it brings A LOT of versatility to the table you wouldn't expect and would, in my opinion, be all you'd need in tandem with a 210mm+ Gyuto or double-bevel Kiritsuke.
