First Gyuto

After a lot of research I think I've settled on a Tanaka Damascus Gyutou knife 240mm as my first knife (no prior experience whatsoever) so I can practice cutting, maintenance, and sharpening. Do you guys think this is a good decision? Should I go with a 210mm instead or something cheaper to get more experience? What stone/board would I use with this knife and are there any other appliances that I should buy with it?

A lot of people say those tanakas can be pretty reactive. But theyre a popular choice for thin knives.

Welcome aboard Draw!

Since you are new here it would make a lot of sense to use the (sticky thread)questionaire - it would be easier than advice you on your knife choice.

Woops, sorry

LOCATION
What country are you in?



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Chef's knife

Are you right or left handed?
right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
western

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210/240

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
probably yes since I'm new

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
200


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
home

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
general kitchen tasks

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
none


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
none

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
no

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
yes

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
yes


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

Maybe Gesshin Gonbei AUS-10 240MM Gyuto. The 210mm is out of stock currently.

Tanaka Damascus can be a solid knife but is definitely a project - Finish on the blade can have some flaws that can be fixed rather easily, the stock handle is pretty budget and can use a replacement, the cladding is definitely quite reactive but simmers down after some use and proper treatment. After all those tune ups its a nice blade that cuts well & sharpens with ease but I wouldn't recommend one for a first Gyuto.

I have a thinned and rehandled 210mm that sees quite a bit of use. It does calm down once a patina starts. Not a laser but it does cut well with very little sticking. It's the knife on top.

It sounds that you are looking for all-around kitchen knife. Since you do not have experience sharpening knives I also suppose that you do not have any sharpening stones yet. So do not forget to make some budget for that too. For the start 2 stones (say 1000 and 600 grit) should do the job. If the budget is limited you can not go wrong with King 1000 & 6000 stones (there is maybe even a combination stones - that means basically 2 stones glued together), but there are many other options. Look at some sharpening videos on youtube - several vendors that are active here have their own youtube stream.

For the knife - if I were you I would definitely drop an email to Jon @ JKI (japneseknivesimport.com) - he has several lines that would fir your budget and needs. If you are not located in Europe (I just make a guess here that you are in US) than do check out Itinomonn knives from JNS (japanesenatiralstones.com). There are quite a few other places to get good knives, but Jon and Maksim are both very knowledgeable and helpful

Concerning the size - that is something you can only find out via using a knife. My $0.02 are - 210 is easier to use at the beginning (and 180 would be yet easier) and if you do not slice whole lot of meat than 210 blade will handle all possible veggie work. For meat slicing 210 blade may feel a touch too short. I am in the process of swapping my 210 gyuto for a 240 for this reason (and some others).

On the steel side - carbon steels have often superior properties to stainless (at least in the same price category), but this is not given and a well done (=heat treated in the first place) stainless steel can deliver very good performance. Carbon steel is in general easier to sharpen and feels nicer during sharpening. There is also the option of getting stainless-clad carbon core knife - so there is only a few mm of carbon over the width of the blade. If you feel that you can take care of carbon knife (never leave it wet and if used over longer period of time wiping the blade through out the use) and are fine with it getting patina (not really possible to avoid over time) there is no reason not to get a fully carbon knife.

Do not get hooked-up on damascus cladding - it may look better, but does not improve performance of the knife - but does not decrease it either

Hope this few general comments help - you will get more detailed info from more experienced members.

P.S. - Do browse this forum - many similar questions have been asked before.

Welcome to KKF!

I don't have any experience with these knives but they are often recommended around here for users just entering into the world of Japanese knives. Both are western and come well under budget leaving you enough for some stones. Both knives below are 240, which I find to be be the perfect size in a western handled knife.

Fujiwara FKM series $83: http://japanesechefsknife.com/FKMSeries.html#FKM
Carbonext $128: http://japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKICarboNextSeries.html#CarboNextSeries


Forgot to mention the cutting board. Typically you'd want to go with an end grain board but if you're just starting out you can get an edge grain board from bed bath and beyond (great deal if you have one of their non expiring coupons) or check out Boardsmith boards. I'd choose a maple, walnut or cherry and stay away from glass and bamboo. They are not very knife friendly.

Thanks for all the advice guys, how do you guys feel about the Gobei series?

Thanks for all the advice guys, how do you guys feel about the Gobei series?

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Well, you said western handle so that's what I recommended. If you want to go with a wa handle, the Gonbei hammered Damascus is a great choice. I've handled a few this year. They are light but not super thin so you don't have to baby them. They sharpen up easily and edge retention is pretty serviceable. They etch nicely too.

if i were to do it all over again, i probably would have chosen fujiwara fkh (carbon) as my first to figure out what direction would better suit my preferences and/or to figure out what they were to begin with.

haha, sorry theory, I did a little bit more research on wa vs yo handles and I think I like the aesthetics of the wa handle more and the flat surfaces look like they would make holding the knife a lot easier. Do you guys have any recommendations on which stone I should purchase for that Gobei (and where for the best prices)? Would the King 1000/6000 stone that Matus recommended still be the best choice? Is there anything else that I would need to purchase as well?

Also, would this edge grain cutting board work? And how should this knife be stored?

Draw, I guess it would. End grain is however much nicer to use (the board does not need to be fancy) and it does not tend to skew over time (because it usually is not made out of one piece of wood).

If you get stainless knife than all it matters that you store it safely for the blade - be it a dedicated knife drawer with some sort of insert a knife stand or (my preferred solution) a wooden magnetic rag. If you get carbon knife than you want to be be sure that every time you put it back to its place it is clean and dry. If you plan to store it over longer period or the humidity is high where you live - use a little camellia oil on the blade.

If the handle is made out of wood - it will profit greatly to be here-and then (when it starts to feel dry) waxed with a board-butter (mixture of bee's wax and mineral oil). BTW, your wooden board should be waxed too - it will last much longer and will be easier to keep clean.

Draw said:

Also, would this edge grain cutting board work? And how should this knife be stored?

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I'm not sure about the longevity or hardness of teak wood but go with what you can afford for right now and save for a really good end grain block. The Boardsmith is very highly regarded (he's a site supporter and has his own sub forum here as well if you want to take a look) and he's a very up front honest guy with impeccable customer service. Omni Butcher Blocks is another great maker, he's on Etsy. I own 6 of his blocks myself. I'd stay away from Boos boards based on my own experience with them. You should only have to buy one once, as long as you care for it properly it will last forever.

Draw said:

haha, sorry theory, I did a little bit more research on wa vs yo handles and I think I like the aesthetics of the wa handle more and the flat surfaces look like they would make holding the knife a lot easier. Do you guys have any recommendations on which stone I should purchase for that Gobei (and where for the best prices)? Would the King 1000/6000 stone that Matus recommended still be the best choice? Is there anything else that I would need to purchase as well?

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Either that, or Dave has a 1k/6k combo stone on his store.