Japanese knives? Definitely, but ...

Those who own a quality Japanese knife will most likely confirm to us that its performance is significantly more significant than in the case of its non-Japanese competition. From a logical point of view, this is not a surprising phenomenon. It is just the result of simple pragmatic connections. Japanese cuisine is based on ingredients where the correct and clean cut is a matter not only of aesthetics, but especially of taste. For example, the penetration of soy sauce into a slice of raw fish is significantly determined by the quality of the cut. This requires a blade with a sharp blade angle. And such a blade only makes sense to format on suitable materials using appropriate techniques. Simple and understandable.

In truth, that simplicity is very relative. If this were not the case, the whole world would produce Japanese-type knives. And here's the trouble. It should be borne in mind that Japanese cutlery has been developing for more than 700 years. Techniques for processing various materials are strictly guarded by individual manufacturers and handed over only within their families. For example, for the brand KASUMI Master Fujiwara Kanefusa, a member of the 25th generation of the blacksmith clan, works as a professional consultant. Even the latest computer software will not replace such a vast experience. And here we come to the essence of this article.

Many manufacturers of kitchen knives are aware of the increasing popularity of Japanese hocho / hocho = knife /. Their approach varies. Some include one Japanese-shaped knife in their collections / most often santoku/, others add a whole range of so-called. Japanese knives. It should be noted that such knives have nothing to do with those from Japan. Neither material nor construction nor performance. In other words, complete misfortune.

Other manufacturers choose a more sophisticated method. They buy a smaller Japanese manufacturer and place its collection under their wings. In this case, there is not much room for objection. However, there is a risk that, as part of cost optimization, the parent company interferes more with its Japanese daughter than is appropriate. The result can be undesirable trade-offs in quality and, worse, in the product philosophy itself. An example from another industry is the unfortunate end of the iconic carmaker SAAB under the wings of the GM concern, which did not even have & nbsp; the notion of what got into his hands and so, unfortunately, it turned out. Another negative is pricing, which, in addition to basic costs, also includes a massive group margin. In the best case, you can buy an original Japanese knife, but for an exorbitant price.

The third case is the most pathetic and dangerous. If in the first case it is clear that these are non-Japanese knives in the shape of the Japanese ones and in the second case they are actually Japanese, although overpriced, the third case can be boldly called a fraud. Here is his basic model.

The Japanese-sounding name is selected. The more Japanese the better. Absolutely best referring to terms such as samurai / specifically Samura /, katana, resp. names of cities, Japanese trees, etc. The more cunning choose more complicated and hard-to-find names. Then an internet presentation is made in a professional studio. This is the main thing, because you can buy such "jewelry" only in an online environment, never in a brick-and-mortar store. The presentation usually contains impressive videos in which Yamamoto san, a member of the x-generation of the best blacksmiths, beats a hammer on a glowing blade. The names of the masters are chosen in the same way as the name of the knives. There are only a few million Yamamoto people in Japan. Try to find the right one. You will read about ultimate steel with a descriptive name. What's the name of one of the Japanese islands? This ultra-hard steel comes from two, three or four provinces. The author was probably inspired by the production of Scotch blend whiskey. Here, single-species distillates from individual distilleries are actually selected to form the selected blend, but this is certainly not the case in the steel industry. The icing on the cake is the packaging. However, the exclusive knife must be adequately packed. The most suitable is a flashy wooden cassette with rich padding. Just add a certificate printed on hard cardboard with the handwritten signature of the master blacksmith and the preciousness is in the world. I will be a star at work again.

Základ by sme mali, je čas na marketing. Ten je dôležitý, obráťme sa preto na profesionálov. Zalistujú produkt do obrovských on-line shopov, vyrobia stovky pozitívnych recenzií, vytvoria "živé" chaty. Nezabudnú ani na akcie kedy zázračne padnú ceny z 1300,-EUR na neodolateľných 600,-EUR. No nekúpte to...

Zabudli sme na niečo? Aha, taký nepodstatný detail – samotný nôž. Maličkosť, predsa prvý čínsky výrobca nám ho vyrobí za pár šupov. Horšie to bude s kazetou, tá musí byť tip-top. Obal predsa predáva.

Tak takto to v hrubých rysoch funguje. Povedzme si teda, na čo sa sústrediť, aby sme sa nestali obeťou týchto „lukratívnych ponúk“.

1. V Japonsku je síce veľa výrobcov kuchynských nožov, no pokiaľ nie ste zberateľom vyslovene malosériových exotických kúskov, zamerajte sa na osvedčené značky, ktoré majú za sebou určitú históriu. Nie je ich veľmi veľa.

2. Keď si vyberiete konkrétnu značku, kupujte ju od autorizovaného distribútora.

3. Snažte sa získať o predajcovi čo najviac informácii. Môžete si tiež overiť, či je skutočným predajcom danej značky. Stačí osloviť výrobcu.

4. Pokiaľ máte možnosť, prezrite si nôž pred zakúpením.

5. Nepodliehajte recenziám. Často sú umelo vytvorené pre účely marketingu.

Máme tu aj štvrtý prípad potencionálneho rizika. Ide o falzifikáty, alebo dnes tak populárne „fejky“. V Číne alebo na Taiwane vyrobia napodobeninu určitej značky. Pokútni predajcovia sa ich potom pokúšajú predať za „výhodné“ ceny. Ako miesto kontraktácie /skôr miesto činu/ najčastejšie slúžia parkoviská pred nákupnými strediskami. Však čo takto doladiť dnešný nákup? Ak by niekoho hneď neodradil tento spôsob predaja, mala by tak urobiť zjavná odlišnosť od originálov a podozrivo nízka cena. Pozor, týka sa to aj brúsnych kameňov.

Podnetom k tomuto článku sú skutočné prípady sklamaných kupujúcich, ktorí nám priniesli na posúdenie svoje „lukratívne“ nákupy. Prípady sme pozorne preverili vrátane konzultácií s našimi dodávateľmi. Žiaľ, výsledkom bolo sklamanie na oboch stranách. My sme sklamaní z podvodných praktík a kupujúci zo straty značnej finančnej čiastky.

©2010-2018 Copyright Roman Ulík, Nippon Knives, www.japonskenoze.sk, všetky práva vyhradené

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