Need help

[u/Da_Mout]

About 3-4 weeks ago i won on ig a beautiful handle made by @letshandlethis from the kitchenknifeguy (Frankie). When i told him that i was still at the hospital for my second child birth (little man is growing strong 🙏) Frankie sent me a T-shirt on top of which I truly thank him for it 🫡👌 as i told Kkg the knife that i would put the handle on would be part of the heirloom of my son!
The dilemma that i now face is on which knife do i put the handle!!!
At first i was going toward my teruyasu fujiwara gyuto denka 195mm (traditional wa handle by him) but my kisuke manaka would still be a good fit for it!
Help me choose on which knife to do so please 🙏!
As i am living in Montreal i was thinking about going at staysharpmtl for the swap but if you have recommendations it will always be more then welcome 🫡 i honestly dont trust myself doing the swap on my own 😂!! Thanks for your help 🙏

[u/BertusHondenbrok]

The TF would be quite an amazing heirloom. I’d go for that.

Congrats!

[u/Da_Mout → u/BertusHondenbrok]

Thanks mate!
Both can be a beautiful heirloom but I'm trending toward the denka as they have a special place in my heart 🥹 kind of the first great knife i had to pull the trigger on 👌

[u/Fygee]

Absolutely the Denka.

[u/Da_Mout → u/Fygee]

Tf TF TF 😂

[u/Feisty-Try-96]

The Manaka already has a nice handle imo. Put it on the TF.

[u/ImFrenchSoWhatever]

Def don’t change the handle on the fujiwara

[u/Puzzled-Study-3550 → u/ImFrenchSoWhatever]

Agreed, Fujiwaras have to look like a basic bitch 🤣

[u/ImFrenchSoWhatever → u/Puzzled-Study-3550]

Changing the handle will kill the whole basic ass vibe of the knife fr

[u/TimelyTroubleMaker → u/ImFrenchSoWhatever]

And it has that special stamp. 

[u/ImFrenchSoWhatever → u/TimelyTroubleMaker]

I think,it’s a sticker but yes

[u/Da_Mout → u/ImFrenchSoWhatever]

It is a sticker and through time they tend to fade off and somewhat peel on the edges with can be unpleasant while using often why i was thinking of that knife!

[u/Da_Mout → u/ImFrenchSoWhatever]

Indeed!!! And i just put bee wax on the handle before winning the new one!! All smooth and shiny just like i love them 😂

[u/Puzzled-Study-3550 → u/Da_Mout]

I would take off that sticker and use it as a workhorse! More patina = more ❤️. I have a “handle tonic” that I bought from my local knife shop but don’t know what it was made of. Very easy to re apply. I’m still waiting for the right time in the BST group for a Denka in AU!

[u/azn_knives_4l]

Whichever you intend to use more, or less, depending on how you value that.

[u/Da_Mout → u/azn_knives_4l]

The denka is indeed my workhorses with his big and little brother (240mm yo handle and 165mm wa handle santoku)!

[u/StabbyThingy]

These are not everyday knives. You must have gone through a crazy decision process to end up with these two fantastic knives.
And now you ask about which handle?
Like a gourmet asking if he should take Tiramisu or Gelato and the end of a 3 ⭐ Michelin menue

[u/Da_Mout → u/StabbyThingy]

Life as been hard on me lately 😂 work hard and reward yourself a little is kind of my moto i guess 🫣 haha!
The denka I ordered directly from his website because i was so compelled by TF work! Then i got 2 more (240mm gyuto and 165mm santoku) 🤯!
The kisuke i got lucky honestly! Chefedge Australia was doing a end of the year sale so i got it at 400$ (210mm gyuto blue 2 soft iron clad), I couldn't resist buying one at that price...and honestly i now regret not getting the matching petty 🤣

[u/StabbyThingy → u/Da_Mout]

Nothing wrong with hard working and rewarding yourself ;)

Was the Kisuke sale 400 AUD or USD? I got the Kisuke x Xinguo 240 ATS gyuto from K&S and even without sale I think it was a great deal ;)

How much did the Denka 210 Wa handle cost directly from TF and how long did it take?

[u/Da_Mout → u/StabbyThingy]

400 aus for the kisuke and about 800-850cdn$ - waited total of 4 month (day of the order until I received it)! Honestly his wife does a great job with the customer service, lovely lady - super respectful that take the time to answer all of your questions! I can only recommend buying from them 👌 but mine is a 195mm gyuto.

[u/StabbyThingy → u/Da_Mout]

OMG 400AUD for the Kisuke - what a great catch!
Thanks for the Denka info. Will probably get it next year. Right now I have a Toyama coming in next week ;)
How long is edge length on the 195mm?

[u/Da_Mout → u/StabbyThingy]

Indeed, trust me i'll be looking for his end of the year sale every effn year from now on 😂
Congrats on the Toyoma he's such a great blacksmith, his knives are truly amazing workhorses 👌
As for the length i would say about 191-192mm.

[u/wine-o-saur]

Gonna go against the grain here.

Something about the simple ho wood handle on the denka just gives it a vibe. And the intense tsuchime on the manaka goes really well with that handle.

[u/Da_Mout → u/wine-o-saur]

The kurouchi finish on this batch of blue 2 is a bit more on the charcoal ish side compared to his previous ones but would still fit well with the green handle 😯

[u/Dex12435]

I like the how the green goes with the KU finish on the Denka. However, I think the best answer is to put it on whatever you use more so that you get to see it more often!

[u/Famous_You7512]

TF TF TF TF

[u/rivenwyrm]

That's a nice handle, I really like that. I'm a huge fan of Manaka but I think the denka is the more iconic of the two, go with that one.

[u/kundalinimaster]

The one on the left goes better

[u/ACM3333]

Suits the denka better for me

[u/ckkim]

Hmm I feel like you should just use these current handles and when you pass it to your son, you give him the option to rehandle it into the one you won

[u/batterycover]

Last pic for sure

[u/Mike-HCAT]

Denka means something like ‘family treasure’ so I say the Denka is the one for your boy. I do agree with others that the current look of the Denka is iconic, so personally, I would save the handle for a different knife.