I used to be indecisive..

I want a new gyuto. This has been a theme of mine for quite a while now. Every time I seem to settle on one, another comes into my head that I think I want.

I'm wanting an all purpose gyuto, yo or wa handled.


What type of knife(s) do you think you want?
240 or 270 gyuto

Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?
I want something new. I'll be adding it into rotation with my fibrox and sabatier 10 inch chefs.

What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics- I don't really care - they're tools.
Edge Quality/Retention- Obviously important. Quality far more important than retention.
Ease of Use- ///
Comfort- I'll ease the choil and spine if I have to

What grip do you use?
Pinch

What kind of cutting motion do you use?
Depends what I'm cutting. A bunch of parsley will get rocked, a mirepoix will get push cut etc

Where do you store them?
Usually in my knife case with sayas/home made cardboard sayas

Have you ever oiled a handle?
I've never needed to

What kind of cutting board(s) do you use?
Wood at home, plastic at work

For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing?
Honing rod because I can. Using a strop wouldn't be an issue

Have they ever been sharpened?
I'm a competent sharpener

What is your budget?
Around 230$, although I'm more than happy to get something from B/S/T so don't let it limit recommendations please

What do you cook and how often?
Daily, will be used mostly for light, veg work making mirepoix, chopping parsley, chillis etc. Nothing heavier than cutting through a pumpkin, but I can use my sab for that if I need.

Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?
I'm a leftie. I'm also in the UK, so JCK would be best because of their shipping, but obviously I can order from other places.

My knife choices so far have gone from the Masamoto hc to Misono dragon to a Carbonext to Gesshin Kagero to Masamoto KS, and I'm currently considering a Moritaka, from a member here. As you can probably see, I'm all over the place. Any suggestions on what would be best for me to do?

Kagero looks promising for $230. PM stainless, good fit and finish. Why not?

If you buy something from the B/S/T, and look after it, you could use it for a few months, and if you like it keep it, if you don't you should be able to sell it for a similar price and try something else. Once you have tried some different styles, you will be better equipped to make a decision on a keeper.

You might find a Hiromoto AS in your price range - I lucked out with mine. Terrific knife "once you get the blade to your liking" meaning thin behind the cutting edge and it is a 70/30 asymmetric grind.

The first new OOTB knife I've gotten in a while (thank you Amazon coupon) is one of the newer Yoshihiro high carbon/molybdenum 270mm gyutos. It's a wonderful knife - great 70/30 AS grind, great steel, splendid working profile and it's a light working knife. What's not to like? CONS: HEY - needs sharpening out of the box, but hey - we're men right? it's what we do . . .

Ho wood handle is OK, but I stained it with vintage amber then shot it in clear body shop acrylic lacquer. Now it's a very sharp knife and it looks good too. did I mention sharp?

Bottom line - terrific knife for less than $200 and comes with a saya and free shipping from Yoshihiro Cutlery. And you get some coupons for some really excellent stuff you wouldn't think about till you have to spike an eel's head to a board.

Mike9 said:

.... And you get some coupons for some really excellent stuff you wouldn't think about till you have to spike an eel's head to a board.

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Lol

BluewayJapan on ebay have a 270 White #2 Sakai Yusuke wa-gyuto for $229.99 if you're willing to go with carbon

Von blewitt said:

If you buy something from the B/S/T, and look after it, you could use it for a few months, and if you like it keep it, if you don't you should be able to sell it for a similar price and try something else. Once you have tried some different styles, you will be better equipped to make a decision on a keeper.

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+1 Think of it as as "renting" a knife.

As the OP lives in the UK, the 'rent' is as much as double shipping costs, HM custom duties and handling costs unless he finds something within the EU.

The indecisiveness, might come from trying to find the best gyuto, instead of finding a gyuto that works best for you. It's a process of trial and error. That process isn't as easy as it was a few years ago, with all the price increases.

You already took the first step, with the Carbonext 210. What did you like or not like about the steel, the profile, the geometry, the way it cuts? If the experience you had with Carbonext was positive, except for the length, then maybe a larger Carbonext.

Identifying your cutting style can help in making a choice. I prefer my knifes to be better at chopping then slicing, so I am looking for a knife with some heft and that is higher in the heel. A work horse, instead of a laser. I'd rather have a knife that is tough, with really good edge retention. When the pressure is on, I want a knife that I know can take some abuse.

The BST section of the forum can have some great deals on knifes that are no longer popular. A 300mm Tadatsuna inox gyuto, went up for sale, at a great price. It didn't sell because the size wasn't popular nor the material. After a price drop, the knife sold, but it was quickly put back up for sale. There was another price drop and shipping was included. I had been wanting to try a Tadatsuna, so without too much to lose, I picked it up.

I wasn't expecting much, at the very least I could use it as a beater. I was surprised then how natural the knife felt in hand. The profile is close to ideal for my cutting style. As it turned out Tadatsuna runs short, so the 300mm was in the 280mm range. The steel feels like carbon on the stones. If I were to pick up another gyuto, it would be something similar to the Tadatsuna profile.

I've picked up knifes that were popular on the forum, but have been disappointed when I got them. Maybe my expectations were too high?

Good luck with your choice,

Jay

Jay

Benuser said:

As the OP lives in the UK, the 'rent' is as much as double shipping costs, HM custom duties and handling costs unless he finds something within the EU.

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I never claimed the rent was cheap.

Pensacola Tiger said:

I never claimed the rent was cheap.

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Word.

Got the Moritaka from the member here, hopefully I'll like it - if not, then I guess the rent will be due

Anyone used one of these and able to tell me what to expect?

rdm_magic said:

Got the Moritaka from the member here, hopefully I'll like it - if not, then I guess the rent will be due

Anyone used one of these and able to tell me what to expect?

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Hope you've got a good one. Are you familiar with the search engine or Google's 'site:'-function?

Benuser said:

Hope you've got a good one. Are you familiar with the search engine or Google's 'site:'-function?

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From the pics I've seen it seems to be good. I'm also hoping that someone from here wouldn't sell a lemon.

I've read most of the stuff on google, but more is always better..

I've recently picked up a 210 Moritaka to try the smaller size and to have as a gf/visitor knife. It's not the prettiest knife I own but it is light and nimble. My (homecook) experience has been:

Pro: Handles very well. Sharpens very well - makes me think I sharpen better than I do. Inexpensive.
Con: It does not like to be damp. I've learned that if I reach for the knife, to reach for a towel. It will start to rust in the time it takes to lay it down. And did I mention that it's fugly? But no obvious flaws.

Regards,

Dave

Have you noticed much staining/tainting of food Dave?

Not at all. I made a couple batches of salsa to check just that. It was a used knife with an established patina, don't know how much that was a factor.