Aogami No.1 (Blue Paper Steel No. 1)

As basic information of Aogami No.1, it contains a high amount of carbon, and higher amount of chromium and tungsten than Aogami No.2. For this reason, the price tends to be more expensive than No.2. Because of its stickiness and abrasion resistance, Aogami No.1 is highly recommended if you look for top-notch quality cutlery in the Aogami series.



One thing that should be noted is that it is highly likely that you feel slippery when you hold a knife and try to cut something due to high content of chromium. You can solve this issue by using a finishing whetstone which gives a bit rough touch. If you currently use No. 8000 whetstone, you can replace it with No. 6000.
By doing so, it adds sharpness to a blade as if it literally catches and bites food. If you are a skilled and experienced chef, even using No.10000 to finish the blade to the extent that it can be slippery, you should be able to treat and cut food beautifully.

A lot of people may pause to question, “Why does a rougher whetstone need to be used? We are talking about a blade of cutlery. Shouldn’t it be sharp enough to cut food very smoothly?”
When a chef using a knife feels a sense of sharpness of its blade, it simply means that the edge of the blade is rough as a micro saw, which consequently gives cut end of food rough finish. It’s true that it’s less efficient in cutting Sashimi with a knife finished with a rough whetstone.

*Phosphorus and Sulphur are chemical components affecting sharpness, and Japanese popular metal maker — Hitachi Metals — strictly gives control over them in their products.

What is Aogami No.1-A ?

Aogami No. 1-A contains 1.30-1.40% carbon of total ingredients. Due to its quenching and hardening properties, the blade can be sharper than that of “Aogami No.2”. On the other hand, its hardness may make sharpening difficult and therefore cause rust often. From theoretical viewpoint, the blade made of Aogami No.1-A can cut very well and its sharpness can last.  

What is Aogami No.1-B ?

Aogami No.1-B contains 1.20-1.30% carbon of total ingredients. It’s less hard than the Aogami No.1-A, but has more sharpness compared to the Aogami No.2. Due to its less hardness, a blade of finished product tends to be a bit soft. When you purchase an Aogami No.1 knife, you will have this Aogami No.1-B. It may be easier for us to handle and care for this  No.1-B compared to No.1-A.

Next time, we’ll explain the details about Aogami No.2 in the following chapters soon.
Keep your eyes on it!

Aogami No.2 (Blue Paper Steel No. 2)

Aogami Super (Blue Paper Super)

Summary of Aogami

 

Check Aogami (Blue Paper Steel) Knives >

If you have any question, please feel free to contact us anytime.

Thank you for reading and best regards!

All the Hocho-Knife staff
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“Hocho” represents Made-in-Japan (Sushi / Sashimi) Kitchen Knives,
that is the soul of the cook!
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