Best Japanese Style Skiving Knife and Steel?

[Brigg]

I have now experimented with various knives and tools for skiving and I have found that I like the straight single bevel Japanese-style skiving knife. I have a cheap $10 one which actually works quite well however, the handle is too fat to get the lower angles I would like.

I would like to buy a nicer one and I am wondering which knives you would recommend as well as which steel?

It seems to me the common steels are D2, White, Blue #2 and, Blue Super. From owning Japanese kitchen knives I know that Blue Super has the best edge retention but for cutting leather I wonder if the ability to more easily polish and sharpen White steel would make it superior for skiving.

I'd like to be under $100 unless there is a compelling reason to spend more on such a simple knife.

 

[Arturomex]

I have these:  https://leathercrafttools.com/item/11813/ in sizes 24, 36, 42 and 48mm. I spent a few hours resetting the bevel and working up the edges on each of them. It was worth the time.

The handles come unfinished and I put three coats of clear, water base Varathane on each of them, sanding lightly between coats, before I started working on the blades.

I'm not sure what the initial bevel was on them but I now have all of them at about 18~19 degrees which is just about what it takes to keep the handle off the strop.  The 24 and 36mm knives came set perpendicular to the handle. The 42 and 48 mm blades were a little off and I corrected that as well as part of the sharpening process.

They take an very sharp edge and will stay that way for quite a while if stropped regularly.

These are my "go to" knives these days and it's a joy to use them.  At $26 ~ $36 each, they're a bargain. Another case of not needing to spend a lot of money to get a good quailty tool.

Regards,

Arturo

Edited February 20, 2021 by Arturomex

[Hardrada]

I have these two:

https://www.goodsjapan.com/craft-sha-36mm-japanese-traditional-lethercraft-skiver-utility-leather-knife/a-19138

https://www.goodsjapan.com/kyoshin-elle-leathercraft-utility-leather-knife-rounded-french-curved-blade/a-20198

No modifications. And I learned to skive with the bevel up: probably not the best practice, but ah well.

I use the curved one more for trimming than for skiving.

Edited February 20, 2021 by Hardrada

[Brigg]

Thank you both for your help. I went for the Craftsha 39mm (wanted the 36mm but they only had the 39mm on Amazon).