The Globals are an interesting option. Very forgiving when abused, abundantly protective against corrosion. Some models are very well made. Good profile, nice geometry after preliminary thinning. Consider the G-2.
The Globals are an interesting option. Very forgiving when abused, abundantly protective against corrosion. Some models are very well made. Good profile, nice geometry after preliminary thinning. Consider the G-2.
I have a 240 saji R2 and love it, although the knife has a couple of issues. It doesn't have much in the way of distal taper and it's handle heavy.
As for your father's knife, I agree with the victorinox suggestions
You can get Tojiro in the UK, according to Heston B. Probably overpriced. MACs are better than GLOBALs also somewhat overpriced but I got a sweet deal on a factory second MTH-80 for $120 on eBay (printing mistake on blade logo, says "... in Japan").
GLOBAL G-2 is excellent. I got mine for A$70 + shipping new (the 'Masterchef edition'). I also have the G-4 (which sucks big time, hate it).
I see that you are in the UK... some of the 'Kitchen Devils' lines will do the job and work well with a Minosharp.
I have an Itou in R2, love that knife. Stays sharp for a long time. Good cutter.
Hey, why spend bucks on KFOP (Knives For Other People), ie non-knerds?
Look: http://www.kitchenwaredirect.com.au/...oks-Chef-Knife
Maybe because it's for my father and not for some 5th cousin that I've never seen and to whose wedding I'm forced to go ? But of course, generally you are right, that's why I'm trying to strike the balance between high quality, good looks and reasonable price, and some novelty factor, at least for him. To draw an analogue, my watch is a £50 Casio, good enough for me, in Canary Wharf in London I saw a watch for £20,000. Giving me a watch that costs thousands of pounds is a complete waste of money, but I sure can appreciate a watch that costs £400. I think if one is into watches he's got a deeper hole in his pocket than knife people...
Anyway - surprisingly I found an online ship that sells MAC, more overpriced that Globals. The Tojiro sold here that I saw endorsed by Heston B. are Tojiro Senkou, aka Tojiro Flash, they are very very much overpriced here. I'd consider also Tojiro DP but can't find it here either.
Thanks for all suggestions - I still have two months before I need it, so there is a chance will be able to get it through someone in the US
Which handle have you got ? The 240 is exactly the length I'm considering, but koki has it in Corian or Abalone - which looks somewhat over the top. I'm not inclined to spend big bucks on a handle. And as James said, he's very happy with his Saji also, I suppose with a more 'subdued' ironwood handle.
Any Tanaka owners out there ? I get the feeling that from quality point of view they are all in the same ball park ?
mac pro was the second japanese gyuto i ever bought, and i still own it til this day. they are very good knives with the best western handles, most certainly not overpriced. however, i do think they are overkill for people who arent into knives.
+100 on the K-sabs.