Pulled the Trigger.. here is what im testing

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fergie

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Rather than continue on my previous post.. I just copied the last quote, which I very much agree with.. and I've ordered and will order the below so as to make my decision. I feel this was the only road to take( $ 900 bucks later !), save for going to an actual store front, which in western mass...is non-existant.

So here we go...if I have missed a "must try" knife beyond the 5 below. im game to order and check it out !!

labor of love said:
Even if you think you know what you want out of a knife, you'll never know for sure until you try it or buy it. If you want the honest truth, many of us here keep buying knives over and over again in search of the perfect knife for that individual. I sure as hell do. Try something, form an opinion about its performance based on its characteristics and keep shopping until you get closer and closer to what you want. Ginga and masamoto vg are both great knives. Good luck in your hunt.
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Agreed...nd its because of this that Ive pulled the trigger on the below so far.. On the way are

1: sakai grand cheff
2: Masamoto VG
3: Tojiro DP...I know I know... did this just because its constantly talked about, a crazy price and curiosity got the better of me.

Second forthcoming are

Gesshin Kagero
Gesshin Ginga
 
Namaxy said:
Where are you in western MA? I'm in Lenox. I drive down to Korin in NYC - they have a wide selection of knives to try.
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Ya westfield, work will take me to Lee next week. I didn't know Korin was in NYC.. work may take me there as well...but I already ordered 5 knives so I think im good for now :)
 
All-right so all knives are on the way. I guess it would make sense to provide my own review/opinion when I get them.
I believe what I've ordered represents a good quality cross section of 240 MM Stainless western gyutos. I decided to even get a low level..just cause this knife comes up constantly..i was so curious.

I should have all of these delivered within the next week and will post my findings and of course which one is the winner for me to keep.

they are as follows with price and retailer

Tojiro DP..$80..Amazon

Hiromoto Gingami#3.. $145.00..JKC

Sakai Takayuki Grand Cheff..$ 165.00..Chubo Knife

Masamoto VG..$ 180(on sale normally 195.00) CKTG

Gesshin Kagero..$ 230.00..JKI

There you have it...ill post pics and reviews when I can
 
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How are you going to test them, then return them? BST?
 
ThEoRy said:
How are you going to test them, then return them? BST?
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For feel, weight, handle comfort, balance, fit and finish. With similar steels generally, I'm not overly concerned about sharpening ease and whether one keeps an edge for 2 weeks longer than another.
They are all going to be very very sharp. But if I don't like the feel/balance.. the rest does not matter
 
knyfeknerd said:
#tojiroluv
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well its constantly receiving rave reviews.. so even though its generally classified as the "entry" into jknives, I couldn't ignore it. Who knows. Wouldn't it be funny if this knife, and the line in general would win out over the others.
It sure would save a boatload of cash that's for sure...but that's not really any concern. I budgeted around $ 600 for 3 knives and a stone or 2. I came into some unexpected $$ so this is my splurge (along with my new Golf clubs :) )
 
fergie said:
For feel, weight, handle comfort, balance, fit and finish. With similar steels generally, I'm not overly concerned about sharpening ease and whether one keeps an edge for 2 weeks longer than another.
They are all going to be very very sharp. But if I don't like the feel/balance.. the rest does not matter
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How are you going to ensure that they're all sharp? The level of sharpness of new knives varies greatly.
 
Honestly I think sharpening is more important than the knife itself, so really getting to know the right stones to fit you is an overlooked aspect.

I really like your approach, many of us eventually try at least 5 different gyutos in finding one that suits us, you're saving a lot of time by getting all at once.
 
How sharp an edge can get really isnt the primary concern at this point i would think. Even with an ootb edge the OP can still use the knives and figure out which one feels most comfortable.
 
labor of love said:
How sharp an edge can get really isnt the primary concern at this point i would think. Even with an ootb edge the OP can still use the knives and figure out which one feels most comfortable.
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For sure. But, in my experience, the feel of a properly sharpened knife is very different than a dull one when used, especially knives that are thicker, e.g. Heiji.
 
panda said:
It can be pimped out fixing f&f :D
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While you are right,it comes down to cost and or ability. If you already have the, equipment and the materials or just the materials and can do it yourself, sure I could see that. If not, by the time you spend the cash on the required items or simply pay to have someone do it, you could have just bought a much better knife. Truth be told, I will pimp a Tojiro. My bread knife for example. In fact I also aim to do a Gokujo once I acquire one, I just really like that profile for some boning tasks, but I fit into column A.
 
Most Tojiros I've owned or handled have been acceptable, and have all had pretty good edges.
 
Another approach would be to buy one knife and get two stones, i.e.: a 1000 and a 6000 and learn how to sharpen, freehand. I missed the beginning of the thread, so I don't know how skilled you are at sharpening, yet. However, I can''t say that I've followed my own advice, because once you get bit by the bug, it's all about getting the knives. Looking back, I don't know that I could have restrained myself, either. Thanks to the many generous people that are skilled at sharpening, I've learned a lot. But, in the first year of sharpening Japanese knives, you are just scratching the surface of the knowledge you need to be able to repeatedly sharpen a knife that will push cut a piece of receipt paper at every 1/2" and to get the edge geometry at it's very best. Most OTTB knives are not anywhere near the sharpest they can be and even the geometry can be improved in many knives. Just a few quick thoughts. Good luck!
 
Danvil said:
Another approach would be to buy one knife and get two stones, i.e.: a 1000 and a 6000 and learn how to sharpen, freehand. I missed the beginning of the thread, so I don't know how skilled you are at sharpening, yet. However, I can''t say that I've followed my own advice, because once you get bit by the bug, it's all about getting the knives. Looking back, I don't know that I could have restrained myself, either. Thanks to the many generous people that are skilled at sharpening, I've learned a lot. But, in the first year of sharpening Japanese knives, you are just scratching the surface of the knowledge you need to be able to repeatedly sharpen a knife that will push cut a piece of receipt paper at every 1/2" and to get the edge geometry at it's very best. Most OTTB knives are not anywhere near the sharpest they can be and even the geometry can be improved in many knives. Just a few quick thoughts. Good luck!
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As a reply to a few of the comments ootb edge and sharpness etc.....I don't care if a knife comes ready to split hairs. It could be uber Sharp...but if I hate the overall feel/ balance etc...then sharpness does not matter for that knife. I gotta start somewhere and can't cover every aspect. Touching an feeling 5 different knives is a solid start IMO
 
My Tojiro DP 240 Gyuto is the knife I sold that I still wish I kept, that knife is a poor man's laser. It's a little chippy, the handle pretty much sucks F&F wise, the choil needs to be rounded and the spine to an extent as well, but the blade is really sweet for the money, especially once you open it up and it's so cheap you just beat on it with no regard, plus I liked the profile a lot as well, solid balance, looks good for how generic and plain it is.

I'm a big fan and always recommend it to anyone looking to jump into J-Blades or just looking to finally buy an actual good kitchen knife.
 
I gave my tojiro to my mom. Even though i grew out of it a while back i still enjoy using it whenever i visit. Edge retention is good, and ive never had an issue with chipping. I cant believe that knife is made with the same steel as shun, i like sharpening tojiro dp a lot more.
 
labor of love said:
I cant believe that knife is made with the same steel as shun, i like sharpening tojiro dp a lot more.
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Funny, I just posted pretty much this exact thing on a different forum around the same time you posted this. My Shun Classic is a boar to sharpen. It never wants to get toothy, there's little feedback on the stones and it takes a ton of passes to get proper results.

The Tojiro isn't exactly a dream to sharpen, but it's a night and day difference IMHO.
 
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