Here's my second strategy question.

About a year ago, I bought a Masamoto VG10 Gyutou 8.2" chef's knife. The Gyutou is a "hybrid" knife that combines the super-hard steel and low-angle ultra-sharp edge of a Japanese kitchen knife with the slightly curved shape and double-bevel of a Western chef's knife. The Masamoto version was highly recommended by Cook's Illustrated after they tested a bunch of hybrid knives. The Masamoto Gyutou quickly sold out and it was months before my backorder was filled (sound familiar?)

The knife lived up to my expectations: super sharp, great balance and feel, excellent geometry. It's by far the best knife in my kitchen collection. The edge stayed sharp for a long time, then I proceeded to touch it up with the EP I was using at the time. I'm embarassed to say that this was the first time I took a really close look at the edge. The edge was beveled on both sides, but to my surprise the bevel was very shallow on one side. Here are a couple of photos:








Pretty dramatic difference. I probably should have contacted the vendor to see if the bevel is normal for this type of blade, but I didn't. I don't recall now which stones I used on the blade to restore the edge. I think it was just the 600 grit, which according to this source is equal to a 5000 grit stone (I'm skeptical -- is this really true?) At most I would have used the EP 220 grit, which the above source says is equal to 700 grit. Anyway, the point is that I didn't re-profile the edge, just touched it up.

Now, the same source I just cited mentioned in another place that sometimes Japanese knife factories make mistakes like this.

My first question for the experts: Is that true? Was this a mistake or deliberate?

My second question for the experts, related to the first: Should I re-profile the edge with equal bevels?

Hi Dick,

That is a very beautiful knife! I haven’t got any Japanese kitchen knives (yet ), but if I were to buy one right now, it would probably be very similar to that Masamoto. I love laminated VG-10: functional and beautiful.

The questions you ask can hopefully be answered in detail by the experts, which I am not. However, I do know that uneven edges (like chisel grinds) are quite common on Japanese knives.

Ken posted a video on this forum in which he displays how to create such edges: not by choosing a different angle for each side, but simply by abrading more on one side than on the other: here.

I googled your knife and think I found it here. (Is that the one?) It is supposed to have an asymmetric bevel of 70/30. I am curious to know what the advantage is of such an edge.

It would be a bit weird if Edge Pro were to use their own grit chart, but I am not sure they do. It seems as if they use the US ANSI standard, just like Wicked Edge does. (Here is the source.) However, in that case the zknives comparison chart you link to is simply wrong. Maybe Tom can help you out here.

Anyway, you can find a grit comparison chart for the most common grit systems here.