Which Petty to start building up a nice set of knives?

Hello!

LOCATION
What country are you in?
France



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)?
Petty

Are you right or left handed?
Right handed

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
I want to give a try to a Japanese handle.

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
I'm not sure...
It must complete a Hiromoto Tenmi-Jyuraku Aogami Super 190mm (7.4 inch) Santoku (TJ-35AS), my first Japanese knife.

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No, although I know Petty is likely to be exposed to quite acidic stuff.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
120 € (about 150USD).


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.)
See special requests/comments.

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
None

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
No

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)

Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
Aesthetic is important.

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
I think I prefer a lighter knife.

Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
Ability to use it right out of the box is not important. I will learn how to sharpen.
Easy to sharpen would be nice BUT I absolutely don't care if sharpening takes time. I prefer a better edge retention and something really sharp.

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
I don't know.


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Wood

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
I'll learn.

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
The Santoku and the petty will be a base for a larger set of knives, that I'll build up little by little.
I prefer choosing every knife very carefully and pay a bit more than having to/wanting to replace them within a few months or years.

Many thanks for your help!

Why not get the Hiromoto 150mm petty? It is stainless clad so you don't need to worry about acids as much. Just wipe it off occasionally if you are continuously using it on highly acidic foods for a long time.

You definitely want a 150mm in my opinion.

There is also the Tanaka VG10 line, konosuke HH or HD2, or kikuichi.

The Kono HH or HD2 petty's would fit right around your price range and definitely are light. Also, I would add the Gesshin Ginga to that list.

These are all "Laser" petty's in the sense that they are incredibly thin, light and agile, I would possibly consider exactly what type of knife you are after (laser or more robust) as that will help narrow down the pool of choices by a good deal.

Hiromoto petties are harder to come by now although I happen to have one lying around home that I'm not particularly fond of (I think I prefer unclad knives). I am particularly interested in the fujiwara sk4 petty knives as they are cheap and easy to sharpen (based on my experience with their chef knives and suji). Seeing as you're only just learning to sharpen, they are a good option in that they respond well on the stones so you can track your progress very quickly. My only concern is that the 150 petty knives seem like they would be pretty whippy and flexible which can be annoying in some circumstances.

masibu said:

My only concern is that the 150 petty knives seem like they would be pretty whippy and flexible which can be annoying in some circumstances.

Click to expand...

I know that would be the case with the konosuke and ginga, but is that the case with your hiromoto and the fujiwara? I thought those would be a little stiffer. I have a suisin Inox petty (Not IH but regular) and it is pretty flexible and my friends Kikuichi petty is a good bit stiffer. I would prefer the Kikuichi's stiffness for more regular use, but I like the flexibility of the suisin for cleaning fish and meat.

Welcome webzeb,

since you are located in France you may be 'eligible' for import taxes if you order from outside EU. With that said - the question also is - are you looking for a narrow (width at the heel) or taller petty.

One option for a narrower patty would be the 165mm Itinomonn from Maksim @ JNS (http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/) it is stainless-clad V2 and cost just a little more than your budget, but since the value of the knife is just above 1000DKK you will get free DHL Express shipping. At the same time (if your budget allows) you could get some sharpening stones - those from Maksim are pretty awesome and out there with the best Japanese synthetic stones.

First of all, many thanks everybody for your replies!

greasedbullet said:

Why not get the Hiromoto 150mm petty? It is stainless clad so you don't need to worry about acids as much. Just wipe it off occasionally if you are continuously using it on highly acidic foods for a long time.

You definitely want a 150mm in my opinion.

There is also the Tanaka VG10 line, konosuke HH or HD2, or kikuichi.

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, like masibu said it is almost impossible to find the Hiromoto Petty.
(But I would be very glad to find one!)

I don't know how it performs (I still have to read a few posts and reviews), but the Konosuke HH 150mm Petty is a good looking knife. It a bit pricey to me although...

Regarding the Tanaka VG10 line, I read posts that are somewhat a mixed bag.

I found different petty from Kikuichi: do you have a specific model in mind?

SolidSnake03 said:

The Kono HH or HD2 petty's would fit right around your price range and definitely are light. Also, I would add the Gesshin Ginga to that list.

These are all "Laser" petty's in the sense that they are incredibly thin, light and agile, I would possibly consider exactly what type of knife you are after (laser or more robust) as that will help narrow down the pool of choices by a good deal.

Click to expand...

I'm a newbie to Japanese knives, so it's difficult to say. I know that Japanese blades are, in general, lighter than their western equivalents.
However I think I'm more on the "light side". Do I need a "laser petty", I'm not sure, I don't know.

masibu said:

Hiromoto petties are harder to come by now although I happen to have one lying around home that I'm not particularly fond of (I think I prefer unclad knives). I am particularly interested in the fujiwara sk4 petty knives as they are cheap and easy to sharpen (based on my experience with their chef knives and suji). Seeing as you're only just learning to sharpen, they are a good option in that they respond well on the stones so you can track your progress very quickly. My only concern is that the 150 petty knives seem like they would be pretty whippy and flexible which can be annoying in some circumstances.

Click to expand...

Actually, I'm think about buying some cheap second knife, maybe a used one, just to train sharpening instead of ruining a good knife.:angel2:

greasedbullet said:

I know that would be the case with the konosuke and ginga, but is that the case with your hiromoto and the fujiwara? I thought those would be a little stiffer. I have a suisin Inox petty (Not IH but regular) and it is pretty flexible and my friends Kikuichi petty is a good bit stiffer. I would prefer the Kikuichi's stiffness for more regular use, but I like the flexibility of the suisin for cleaning fish and meat.

Click to expand...

Intersted in the answer.

Matus said:

Welcome webzeb,

since you are located in France you may be 'eligible' for import taxes if you order from outside EU. With that said - the question also is - are you looking for a narrow (width at the heel) or taller petty.

One option for a narrower patty would be the 165mm Itinomonn from Maksim @ JNS (http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/) it is stainless-clad V2 and cost just a little more than your budget, but since the value of the knife is just above 1000DKK you will get free DHL Express shipping. At the same time (if your budget allows) you could get some sharpening stones - those from Maksim are pretty awesome and out there with the best Japanese synthetic stones.

Click to expand...

I wiil take a look. Thank you for your advices!

greasedbullet said:

I know that would be the case with the konosuke and ginga, but is that the case with your hiromoto and the fujiwara? I thought those would be a little stiffer. I have a suisin Inox petty (Not IH but regular) and it is pretty flexible and my friends Kikuichi petty is a good bit stiffer. I would prefer the Kikuichi's stiffness for more regular use, but I like the flexibility of the suisin for cleaning fish and meat.

Click to expand...

The measurements on jck for the fujiwara indicate the petty is very thin. The 240 suji I have been using is pretty thin and a bit on the flexible side although not so much to be a hindrance. longer, thinner and narrower blades will exhibit more flex than usual though.

The hiromoto isnt flexible really, its fairly stiff but I wouldnt think of it as stiff as a boning knife. I am probably going to order a fujiwara petty in the next few weeks to confirm my suspicions.

webzeb said:

First of all, many thanks everybody for your replies!


Unfortunately, like masibu said it is almost impossible to find the Hiromoto Petty.
(But I would be very glad to find one!)

I don't know how it performs (I still have to read a few posts and reviews), but the Konosuke HH 150mm Petty is a good looking knife. It a bit pricey to me although...

Regarding the Tanaka VG10 line, I read posts that are somewhat a mixed bag.

I found different petty from Kikuichi: do you have a specific model in mind?


I wiil take a look. Thank you for your advices!

Click to expand...

Any kikuichi is good in my opinion. I would stick with stainless though if you are going with a lot of acidic foods.

Fujiwara fkm would be a good affordable option that performs well but would be good to learn to sharpen on.