Wa petty recommendation please

I recently got a Hiro AS 210 gyuto and loving it. it was my first "real" knife and I'm ready for more. I really like the knife but i want to try a wa handled knife and i think getting a petty would be a good choice for a second knife (let me know if you dont agree). Im open to either carbon or stainless (or clad like my gyuto which i like). only requirement really is a wa handle and budget of around $100 or so. I am a home cook, not professional. right handed.

I really like Shigeki Tanaka petty knives in this price range. He knows how to cook VG10 so it doesn't get brittle and sharpens easily. Good profile and grind as well.

icanhaschzbrgr said:

I really like Shigeki Tanaka petty knives in this price range. He knows how to cook VG10 so it doesn't get brittle and sharpens easily. Good profile and grind as well.

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cool, thanks i will look into that. under budget? what?!

I was asking almost the same question about a year ago… back then their cost was 20$ less then now.
In this price range you might also consider Zakuri and Tojiro. I personally prefer Tanaka because it's stainless and is pretty good cutter.

I would restrain costs on a petty. They will get some abuse, have a small contact area with the board, will be sharpened a lot.

thanks for suggestions. Would you recommend a different second knife (i.e. instead of a petty)?

Nothing wrong with a petty, just don't pay too much. They won't last forever. If you're in for a light weight consider the NOS Nogent by Thiers-Issard:

http://www.cookfoodgood.com/?p=409

Benuser said:

Nothing wrong with a petty, just don't pay too much. They won't last forever. If you're in for a light weight consider the NOS Nogent by Thiers-Issard:
http://www.cookfoodgood.com/?p=409

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Wouldn't the bolster be more of a problem than usual because of how often a petty needs to be sharpened?

It's a bit of work to have the fingerguard flush with the relief bevel, but once done it won't disturb you for a very long time.

Or this more radical approach by Geo87

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/19546-FS-sabatier-nongent-250mm-chef-150mm-petty

Different strokes for different folks.

I tried Nogent knives and the only two things I liked about them are light weight and affordable price. But profile is too low for my liking, meaning pinch grip isn't comfortable (though it applies only to petty knives). Finger guard is just ridiculous (I've tried grinding one of those and it was a real PITA). Edge holding is worse then any Japanese knife that I ever owned.
In my experience all the mentioned knives by Zakuri, Tanaka, Fujiwara or Carbonext would easily outperform Nogent. So apparently Nogent knives aren't my choice, but they seems to be pretty popular in Europe.

I'd also get the Tanaka. He makes some very good knives and they're pretty cheap. The 150 mm vg10 petty is $60 from metalmaster.

Thanks all, i ordered the Tanaka

I agree with anton on this one. The nongents are fun if you like vintage knives but they cannot compete with modern japanese knives in terms of edge retention. The bolster work required would make them less suited to a beginner also.

Ntxt