Here’s what I just got from the knife sharpener that goes to my local farmers’ market:
YOU WILL BE THE FIRST FARMERS’ MARKET CUSTOMERS TO HAVE A CHANCE TO BUY THESE BEAUTIFUL YATA KNIVES!! MADE FROM BD1N STEEL, ACCOMPANIED BY A BEAUTIFUL CORIAN HANDLE!
Question, what is BD1N steel? Anyone heard about the brand before?
I haven’t, but the balance looks off. That’s a very short handle.
Hi sck,
BD1N steel is American steel–very high quality–roughly the same hardness as sg-2 powder steel. Used on Yaxell Dragon, and Ken Onion Sky.
See: http://www.cutleryandmore.com/yaxell-dragon
I have a Ken Onion sky detail knife that’s absolutely terrific!
Ray
Not a popular steel. It is a ok steel. Not heard of Yata the brand. It depends how much the guy is trying to sell it to you. Knives geometry and grind are very important too.
Today is market day and I went to check out the knives at the sharpening truck. A 8" Yata santouku is $110. He also has a Yaxell Dragon 8" santouku that uses the same steel for $140. According to him, Yata is not a Chinese brand (designed somewhere else, but I forgot what he said) but is made in the Chinese capital of knives in Yangjiang, Guangdong. Even though I wasn’t looking to buy, the white corian put me off a bit as the transition between the corian and the rivets weren’t as smooth as it should be. And perhaps the white semi-shiny color/ texture didn’t quite sing to me, so the workmanship felt a little lacking at that price point. Compared to my Wusthof santouku, the handle felt a little light.
Didn’t bring a phone book to test. Chem. Should have thrown a peach in the air and try to see if it sliced clean through. I am just kidding.
Thanks for reporting back. $100-140 is not outrageous for a good knife, but I am not convinced that you cannot get a better knife. The Yata knives have an unusual design which I don’t particularly like. Sorta of what Bookwich said, but I think we dislike different aspecst. For the Yata knives, I simply find the knife profile too curved for a Santoku.
I am not too critical of handle finishing, but it has to meet certain basic needs. For example, a Watanabe Nakiri I have has a unpolished handle which the handle does not tightly fit to the ferrule. Still, it is one of the best knives I have seen.
If you are interested in Santoku, I would recommend Miyabi Kaizen II (stainless steel, nice pattern, good returning policy, coming from a large cutlery company: Henckels), Glestain (stainless steel, quick food release, and nice profile)…and of course, many wonderful carbon steel knives.
Glestain food release ability is real. Here is a video if you haven’t had a chance to see it. It can really help you workflow. You can easily go through your food without stopping to wipe the food off your blade.
Hi sck,
Never heard of the Yata, but the “Dragon” is designed by Ken Onion (it’s 8.5 ") and manufactured by a big time Japanese Company. It’s a combination of a santoku and a nakiri and has been selling well–was sold out for awhile.
Ray
