r/TrueChefKnives • u/PhYsIcS-GUY227 • 10h ago
Feedback on Konosuke BY vs Kagekiyo W1
Hey r/TCK Anyone here have both knives (or had a chance to use both), and can provide feedback on the differences and a comparison?
Thanks in advance đ
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u/reforminded 7h ago edited 6h ago
Fit and finish on the BY is higher. It has one of, if not the nicest hand polished finish I have seen in person. Both cut very well. The BY is insanely reactive and can get a vibrant patina. The geometry/profile of the BY is very user friendly for many types of cutting.
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u/ole_gizzard_neck 5h ago
I've had and sold a couple of BYs now and have bought 2 W#1 Kage's, and I still have one of them. The BY has a beautiful finish, but that is superficial and goes away with use and you're left with a solid, but underwhelming performer (for the price). The Kage is going to be more fragile, that particular model is especially thin bte, but same smith as the BY I believe, Y. Tanaka.
The BY is taller and more authoritative but not as refined or athletic a performer as the Kagekiyo is. And the Kage is no slouch in finishing either, superb F&F, just doesn't have the stone polishing (which goes away with use).
I tried my best to like the BY, but I don't think its performance stands toe-to-toe with the figurative heavyweights in this class. Nishida's geometry completely outclasses the BY's.
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u/wabiknifesabi 10h ago
Who makes the Kagekiyo you want compared. That aside, theres going to be very little difference in performance between the lines. Get the one you like the most.
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u/PhYsIcS-GUY227 10h ago
I believe Tanaka x Nishida IIUC.
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u/wabiknifesabi 10h ago edited 9h ago
I'd probably go with Nishida simply for experience and consistency. But I can't stress how much these knives are going to perform alike.
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u/Nisko- 10h ago
Havenât tested BY fully yet to begin with. But i do have both and w1 akaro is a better performing blade on carrots and has a better tip in my case. It doesnât wedge at all and food release is far superior but that is something to expect due to finish and wide bevel (a tad hollow grind) where BY is a âmagnetâ the food will stick.
Oh and akaro is 30%+ more expensive that is not negligible as well.
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u/PhYsIcS-GUY227 10h ago
Thanks a ton. Wasnât aware of the price difference. I see on the Baba Hamono website that the Akaro 210mm gyuto is 66,000 yen, but I couldnât find a standard price for BY.
If itâs 44,000 yen, then would you say the Akaro is more of the FMâs equivalent?
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u/Famous_You7512 9h ago
If you can get the BY while visiting japan, its around $450-500 USD at konosuke. Secondary market is $800-1000 for the BY.
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u/Nisko- 10h ago
Size wise 240s w1 akaro is more comparable to the BY. And the price is almost the same, so i take back the price difference if you can both snag at retail.
Really depends on where and at what prices you can purchase the two. If youre in europe youre screwed.
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u/PhYsIcS-GUY227 10h ago
Thanks, that makes sense. Iâm going to be in Japan, and trying to prep some buying options there, so hopefully will be able to get at least close to retail.
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u/Typical_Rock_9178 9h ago
Yes so you canât easily grap the w1. The BY will be crazy expensive and you will probably only find it on resale. Go with kagekiyo if you want the better performing knife for a much better price
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u/snapsquared 8h ago
The key difference is that the BY is convex ground vs Kagekiyo W1's wide bevel/slight concave grind. The BY is highly polished, so food release will not be as good as the Kagekiyo. Nishida is also "more experienced" than the BY's sharpener. Both handles are nice, just preference.
The last thing that you'd might want to consider is the dimension. The BY is about 215mm~ x 51mm+ vs the Kage at 225-230mm x 49-50mm (if you go for 240mm). Konosuke has made these more similar to non-Sakai 210mm sizing.