ok, what is wrong with Bolsters? and what is a good starter Gyoto?

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boomchakabowwow

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i get it..believe me i get it. i know i am in a room full of japanese knife fanatics. i get it.

i love cooking food. i love taking pictures. wish things could have gone differently and i had a career as a food/travel photographer..but i digress.

i have very random knives. i have one inexpensive japanese knife some guy talked me into buying while i was axe shopping. it is sharp, but will rust and tarnish before my eyes.

my other knives are a hodgepodge of stuff. some Wustof, my recent..Gustav Emil. i am experimenting with sharpening and my tool are surgical sharp. i just served my wife and her co-students some of my homemade Posole. it is served with chopped cabbage. i just reached for my 10" wustof classic, mostly because it is my longest blade. zip zip zip!! i turned the cabbage into fine lace-like garnish. it was beautiful!.

it got me thinking..what is wrong with a bolster on a knife? it adds strength, no? my knife might be 25 years old, and i still love it.

you guys have me googling a Gyoto..BAD!! i want one!! but a bunch of 10" knives in my arsenal..who knows? something would probably have to go.

having said that; what is a good inexpensive Gyoto for getting my feet wet?
 
well I think we're not opposed to bolsters so much as finger guards. It's just inconvenient and gets in the way of sharpening the heel of the knife
 
it got me thinking..what is wrong with a bolster on a knife? it adds strength, no? my knife might be 25 years old, and i still love it.
...
having said that; what is a good inexpensive Gyoto for getting my feet wet?

Bolsters that come all the way down the back of the blade mean it can soon become difficult to sharpen the knife properly. I just switched from a sabatier with a bolster like that to a japanese knife with bare blade. I thought I might miss it as I used to rest my finger on it I think, but I don't at all. Without it, you just show a little more respect to the knife, which is a good thing.

Cheap Gyuto - well I just bought a CarboNext and I did that because it seems to be the knife that everyone recommends round here when you ask that question (as I did a week or two back!).

CarboNext from JCK

Some pictures of my brand new knife.

If you want even cheaper, the FKM range from the same site come recommended as being great knives for a very good price indeed.

Fujiwara FKM range

I warn you now, if you hang around here for much longer than reading this post you will end up spending at least $100 on sharpening stones as well.......!

Enjoy!

RDPX
:cool2:
 
Yeah. Full bolsters are a PITA for sharpening and super strength (not that I believe that) is totally unnecessary. It's like being stuck with permanent training wheels. If you love your Wusthof, I say stick with it. I ended up with this disease because I didn't do a great job sharpening my Henckels. Oh, get a Suisin INOX Western it will have everything you like about your Wusthof just better.
 
I second the Inox suggestion. I just ordered my third, yup third, and have been super happy with my other too (one at home, and one in the work roll.) I also just orderd a Inox petty to add to the rotation. Never thought I would like semi-stainless so much. It will also e a good jumping point into full carbon for you if you are used to German SS
 
Full bolsters create an overgrind near the heel over time and need to be ground down to fix and properly sharpen the knife. Sucks. I have nothing against bolsters though, just the full ones. Let me bust that strength myth for ya too. None of my knives without a full bolster have broken or cracked or warped or anything because they didn't have one.
 
i hear bolsters that are welded on affect the heat treatment in that area of the knife and cause the steel at the heel to be weaker. i've had suisin inox western for a year now, it's a great relatively inexpensive knife and the f&f is very good for the price IMO
 
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