[kannonfyre]

I went to my dealer yesterday and he brought out a few japanese made field knives whose brand was "Tsuge". Does anyone here in THR know of them?? :confused:

The few examples I handled seem to be top-notch specimens and they do look awfully decent but I'm unwilling to devote good $$$ to an unknown brand with a reputation for producing POS blades.

Here's a website to a japanese retailer who seems to stock the "Tsuge" brand.

http://www.kt-cutler.com/eng/e_ts1.html

The pieces I was shown were the TS1, TS9 and TS24.

So any opinions? Is this a reputable manufacturer?

[Third_Rail]

I've been collecting knives for 5 or 6 years now.


I've never heard one word about them, good or bad. Heck, I've never heard of them at all.

[akluvr]

Decent enough looking knives. Since my Yen converter is broken, how much were they asking for the knives? Depending on steel quality and craftsmanship vs. price and customer service (who do you return them to when/if it breaks), it could be an o.k. deal. I'm not familiar with them, I order through Blue Ridge and they have a vast selection and some are quite non-known companies, these are definately the new kid on the block.

[hso]

Never heard of them, but that means little (even though I've been collecting for 30 years) for an Asian firm.

I would be cautious since many of their designs are knock offs of American and European manufacturers. Good companies in the US and Europe don't tend to copy competotor's designs that closely. Crappy companies do it all the time.

[kannonfyre]

To Akluvr,

US$248 for the TS-45 Tsuge Cross Combat 200. Other models were already sealed up and reserved by other customers.

http://www.kt-cutler.com/eng/e_ts45.html

Anyone else have any opinions about these knives? Most are made out of something called MVS-8 stainless steel. Maybe AUS-8A by another fancy name?

[Rupestris]

Anyone else have any opinions about these knives? Most are made out of something called MVS-8 stainless steel. Maybe AUS-8A by another fancy name?

It could very well be AUS-8 but screwed up in the translation. Some of the models they have Cocoboro handles.

I agree with hso. I noticed some of their stuff looks alot like Al Mar designs.

[akluvr]

For what they are asking for these, you can find some very reputable companies that are putting out some fine cutlery. I would shop around with the same dollar figure in mind and see what your money buys.

[hso]

http://bladeforums.com/forums/search.php?searchid=405953

Tsuge are mentioned a few times. Other companies are mentioned a lot more by the Asian knifenuts, but the ones that do say anything about them only say nice things.

That said, at $250 you are guaranteed of getting an excellent knife from many mainstream manufacturers without having to throw the dice.

[kannonfyre]

IF however some retailer was prepared to sell y'all any of the Tsuge models for the flat price of $150, which one would you pick?

[akluvr]

The Rambo in me leans toward #1, but the practical side of me says #24. I guess I'd go with #24, at least that's what my wife says I'd do.

[scott.cr]

Not strictly on-topic hear, but about 10 years ago I was in Tokyo on business. My translator-friend and I were walking back to our hotel one night after dinner, and I saw a middle-aged Japanese man hand-forging a blade in a dark alley shop.

Noticing my interest, my translator asked if I'd like to approach the 'smith. I said okay. As it turned out, the smith LOVED the interest from a Westerner and showed us around his shop. We ended up getting late-night coffee together. The smith spoke limited English, but we all had a nice evening.

I paid him $600 for a blade. I said make it how you would make your own "nice" knife for combat use. (IE. I don't want to bother you with cosmetic details and such.)

Six months later I received this knife in the mail. When I first saw it, all I could say was OMG. He even hand-cast the guard in bronze!

[hso]

If I couldn't find out more about them I wouldn't be interested in any of them for $150 except for the TS-85. Hitachi Blue is magical stuff if it's been properly heat treated.

ScottCR, you were very fortunate.

[scott.cr]

I received a new SOG Desert Dagger from A.G. Russell this week. It is made in Japan. (The sheath is absolute garbage though.)

For $100 I certainly cannot complain. It isn't the most symmetrical double-edge dagger type knife I own, but it has a fully soldered guard and the blade is dead straight.

The guy who ground the edges seemed to favor his left side though, because no matter which way is "up," the left-side edges are cut a little deeper than the right. The "belly" of the blade is perfect though.

[hso]

It always strikes me as amusing to see the handedness in grinding ability.