Higonokami - Steel

This is really difficult for me to review because i dont know about knives .But this knife is really beautiful and it feels sharp to me. Great service from HH .

Very simple very light very sharp ,great service from H.H again.

I wasn't sure what to expect but I was very pleasantly surprised, it is a basic design but all the better for that, just five components, wonderfully utilitarian almost Zen ,and of course with a fascinating history , Hand Made by Motosuke Nagao this is the genuine article . My fifth knife from heinnie grate service.

Excellent blade, handle as advertise but it isn’t exactly comfortable to hold. So maybe not so good for whittling.

This is my second Higonokami and I have to say I'm very disappointed with the quality this time around. Obviously being handmade in a traditional way, you need to expect the quality to vary somewhat, but this knife is very poorly made. The handle initially looked fine until I turned it sideways and noticed the lower half was badly bent (as opposed to my other Higo which is almost perfectly straight). The folding action to get the blade out is also way, way too stiff and makes it almost a chore to unfold. The worst problem is that blade itself is very badly blemished and ugly to look at. In addition, the back of the blade is quite noticeably chipped and the lever is very rough and uncomfortable. This is just a minor nitpick, but this Higo came in a cheap plastic sleeve which just makes it feel even more like a knockoff. I wasn't expecting much in the way of presentation, but my first one at least came in a little cardboard box. Presentation matters.

If you’re buying this I feel like you have to be buying it for the history (and the steel which seems great so far). Needed some work out the box with water stones, and does have a ‘handmade’ feel to it. I was hoping I could put up with the thin plate handle but it’s just not my cup of tea, especially given the blade just slaps down into it. 4 stars. Nice enough, and I’ll keep it, but to appreciate it I think you have to be buying into the style of it all rather than the finish and functionality.

This is my second higonokami. My first one had an excellent blade. After using this one a couple of times I noticed that the blade felt a bit rough. Looking at the cutting edge with a magnifying glass small chips were visible. Ran the blade over some ceramic which made it worse. Same with carbide and diamond rod. Found an old article on the internet where someone had the same problem with their higonokami blade . It was suggested that the cutting edge should be filed down then sharpened on a water stone. So I blunted it with a file then had a few minutes with the water stone. The outcome after very little effort was a smooth and sharp blade with no chips. No idea what caused this problem, maybe some sharpening issue in the factory?? Anyway, the blade is now good and I'm happy with the knife. Would have given it 5 stars but one star deducted for having to sort the cutting edge.

This is a very very basic knife. It is UK legal and is relatively small overall. It's not the greatest quality but I personally love it. I knew what I was in for but it's where it comes from and how it's made and the history behind the blade. Look up the information on the internet on Higonokami blades you will want one after you have researched it believe me you will

This is my first purchase and also first Higo knife. I love it because of the simple nature of its design, but also the blade shape and material. Worth every penny.