Wa-sujihiki rec

Hi,

I'm a home cook looking to get a wa sujihiki for all purpose work, trimming, small fish, and slicing. Most of the sujis I see are yo handled, but I have an affinity for the wa. I'm looking in the budget range (sub $150), and preferably Stainless, but I take care of my carbons (I have two shirogami knives). I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for japanese handled sujis in that price range. Additionally, with the range of uses I envision for this slicer, do you think a 210 or a 240mm would be better?

Thank you,


Andrew

Greetings Andrew!

Inazuma wa 240 at JCK @ $130ish

I think for a suji, you should really look at 270. With a wa handle, you can choke up pretty far if need be and slice shallots or even herbs, but you also have enough length to slice that Easter rib roast simply by gripping back on the handle. The last thing you want from your slicer is to be sawing back and forth, either when trimming fillets, or slicing duck breasts. Definitely don't go less than 240.
This one is just $20 over budget, but comes with a saya, which almost nothing else in this price range does:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...esshin-uraku-270mm-stainless-wa-sujihiki.html

Hi, thanks for the replies! the Inazuma is something I was considering for my gyuto. I ended up with a 240mm Sakai Takayuki Damascus gyuto which I have to say looks almost identical to the Inazuma in every aspect except the handle. I think that the knife has slightly too much belly for me, so I'd like to try something a little different.

As for the Gesshin Uraku, I like that shape better (woah their gyuto has Shun-like belly!). I have a 10.5" henckels flexible slicer that I can touch up, but I was practicing with it and it seems a little too large to do tip work with right now (slicing onions, etc). So seeing as I do little roast carving and a 240 can handle my small loin roasts, steaks, and poultry slicing, I think that might be a better size for me right now (especially considering that I really intend it to multitask with plenty of small slicing and dicing tasks. I emailed Jon about a 240 suji because I didn't see one in that line.

I'd be interested in more suggestions if anybody else has thoughts on my logic/recommendations. Also, why does there appear to be a dearth of wa-sujis? Call me strange, but I want to continue building my Japanese steel collection with Japanese handles.

Thank you for your replies.

Good idea to ask Jon about a 240 Uraku suji, he might be able to order one. There are definitely very few choices for wa-suji under $200, unfortunately.
Also, keep in mind that sometimes the pictures on vendor's sites can be a little misleading when it comes to profile. I owned a Gesshin Gyuto and it was certainly nowhere near a Shun concerning the belly (pretty normal for a gyuto really). All the vendors here are really responsive, so ask away.
Good luck.

What about Gesshin Ginga ? or is it too expensive ?

Ginga is a little too pricey but I do like it.

As a follow up - what knives are the most versatile in your kit?