Skinnygoomba
Shohin
I can offer some insights on what I was looking for when I bought a grafting knife, but I cant speak to specific vendors beyond the one I purchased from. In general quality Japanese tools are made from laminated steel which is steel forge welded to iron, while the most expensive works are sometimes all steel that is hardened in the same manner as traditional swords, that is not a requirement for basic tools in my experience.
In Japanese tools the typical steels are; White 1, White 2, Blue 1 and Super Blue Hitachi steels with some makers having special blends made for them and some actually making their own steel and iron. Typically what's referred to as 'white' without the notation is going to be white 2. The basics of it are that the white steels are high carbon steel and that blue steel is a high carbon steel with tungsten and chromium making it more wear resistant.
Some of the absolute peak of quality in Japanese tools has been made with white number one, such as chisels where the maker was capable of making an incredibly hard edge that does not chip (I understand this to have a good deal of association with the particulars of how it is forge welded and the properties of the iron it is forge welded to). The majority of the high end makers are working with Blue steel and super blue in their higher end products and white steel in their mid-range products.
So, since I was looking for a user my qualifications were laminated steel to iron, with a good shape for grafting that was comfortable in the hand. The maker's reputation for quality matters a lot to me because in practical use it only becomes apparent on the sharpening stone and in use over years
In Japanese tools the typical steels are; White 1, White 2, Blue 1 and Super Blue Hitachi steels with some makers having special blends made for them and some actually making their own steel and iron. Typically what's referred to as 'white' without the notation is going to be white 2. The basics of it are that the white steels are high carbon steel and that blue steel is a high carbon steel with tungsten and chromium making it more wear resistant.
Some of the absolute peak of quality in Japanese tools has been made with white number one, such as chisels where the maker was capable of making an incredibly hard edge that does not chip (I understand this to have a good deal of association with the particulars of how it is forge welded and the properties of the iron it is forge welded to). The majority of the high end makers are working with Blue steel and super blue in their higher end products and white steel in their mid-range products.
So, since I was looking for a user my qualifications were laminated steel to iron, with a good shape for grafting that was comfortable in the hand. The maker's reputation for quality matters a lot to me because in practical use it only becomes apparent on the sharpening stone and in use over years
Anyways that old video I posted on grafting, the items he uses are still available -
