Advice on a Deba

Looking for a traditional deba, the biggest fish I fillet is salmon. Was thinking of 180 takeda deba (looks beautiful) but for the same price I can get 210mm in something cheaper, or a much cheaper 180 such as tanaka. Would 180 do well enough? The takeda is available locally to me which I like.

I'm open to other options...I already have two yoshihiro knives and while I am happy with them, I would like to try different types of knives to get a feel them.

The Takeda deba is a double-bevel knife. I think you might prefer using a traditional single-bevel instead.

Yeah I thought it was a bit weird that it was double-bevel but it had a good review I found online in another forum. What would you recomend?

Looking at tanaka damascus right now http://www.metalmaster-ww.com/product/42

I only have 2 deba, so I don't have the experience to say what's the best bet for you out there.

My first and smaller deba is a Tanaka 165 kurouchi, and I've really enjoyed using it over the past almost-2-years. It sharpens up very nicely, and it's incredibly barebones but gets the job done well and comfortably. I recently got a new deba that's in a different category in terms of quality of construction, but I haven't been able to put much time into it as yet.

At least based on my 165 Tanaka and other Tanaka knives I have, I think you'll be pretty happy with the one you have your eye on. Then again, I know a few folks in the community haven't always had great experiences with Tanaka knives.

Probably best to let some of the other folks chime in on specific deba recommendations

I don't have any real recommendation, but the Tanakas almost always get great reviews for the blade, but the handle is about 50/50.
It depends on how much you really care about the handle, I would say.
You could always try Yamawaku....

I've never used a deba, but Brandon from FF is a sushi chef and always recommends the Hon Kasumi deba from EE(Epicurean Edge).

He is on his second one if that tells you anything...might be worth checking out.

Lefty said:

You could always try Yamawaku....

Click to expand...

i bought a yamawaku 165 deba recently and am ecstatic with it for the price. great handle, ugly plastic ferrule, but great knife. the grind on mine is much better than the picture on ebay. there's a tiny gap about 3/4" long at one point on the back where the iron and v2 meet, but it's a non issue at the price point. the v2 is relatively reactive, but the the iron i dont think could ever rust!

highly recommended if you only cook a few fish a month like me.

I'm really intrigued by his knives. I keep forgetting about them, but then I suddenly remember and really want to give one a try!

for ~$60 delivered there's no excuse not to have one

i think he should ditch the plastic ferrule though, i'd happily pay an extra $5-$10 for something natural. even @ $70 it would still be a bargain!

Good call! Let's write him!

only available from ebay?