Hitohira FJ VG-1 Garasuki Pakka Handle

We love all knives from the FJ line, a favorite since their arrival in 2020. After visiting the craftsmen responsible for this line in Feb ’23 I only got to appreciate them more.
This maker doesn’t compromise in the heat treatment and grinding in any way. They purposely give their knives an above average hardness even though it makes the grinding much more time consuming. The edge retention of the FJ knives is noticeably better in comparison because of this excellent heat treatment. Their VG-10 en SG2 is without a doubt the best we’ve come across from this region.

Of all the lines we carry the VG-10 is my absolute favorite. Both the western and the Japanese handled versions are in my opinion the pinnacle of functionality. The WA handles are lighter and feel more laser-like while the western handle offers a more sturdy feel. Both have superb cutting performance, finish and sharpen way better than other VG-10 knives.
This series will outperform many others even from other price categories and they are in my humble opinion all that a knife needs to be.

We carry the FJ VG-10 with Wa and Yo handle, the VG-1 with western and the SG2 series. The VG-1 is a step down in hardness and fit ’n finish but also in price compared to the VG-10 line. The hardest of them all and the only series with a San Mai construction is the SG2. This steel takes the most effort which results in the higher price but it will have the longest lasting edge life.

The Honesuki is a Japanese style butchery knife used for breaking down and deboning poultry and lager cuts of meat. The honesuki Kaku in functionality leans more towards (but not only!) poultry filleting while the Maru version works better with other meats and lacks a bit of efficiency for poultry, mainly due to the lack of heel which on the Kaku is used to cut trough cartilage. Please pay close attention to the hand orientation of each individual knife as the Honesuki ofter has an asymmetric geometry.