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lal5000

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I've been searching for literally minutes and already picked and then disregarded at least 17 knives! I didnt realise there were so many different types of knives, materials etc..

I am in need of some help.

I am an extremely keen amateur cook. The kind of guy that picks up a £20 knife in TK MAXX every xmas with the hope it will see my through until February in reasonable condition!

I want to now invest in something that i can take care of and learn to sharpen properly

Please help me decide on a suitable, japanese knife..

Questionnaire below - may thanks in advance:


LOCATION
What country are you in? - UK. I'm looking to buy and import from Japan.



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in? Chef's knife (Gyuto or Santoku) I prefer Santoku but am worried it may be too small even with a 7inch blade. I have very large hands)

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)? around 8 inch

Do you require a stainless knife? Yes

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife? $250



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 slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, slicing meats, trimming meats, chopping pizzas?

What knife, if any, are you replacing? a cheap 8 inch santoku

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? Hammer Grip

What cutting motions do you primarily use? Rock, chop, slice

What improvements do you want from your current knife? sharp edge, maintains a sharp edge, low maintenance, thick blade, durable

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)? not fussed. prefer practicality

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)? Heavier knife, comfortable handle for big hands

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)? Sharp out of the box

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)? As long as possible. I need to learn to sharpen so want some time to practise on my old knives with a whetstone



KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? Yes - wood

Do you sharpen your own knives? Yes - but not very well. Ive been using a steel. Want to learn to use a whetstone

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? Definitely. Some advice on a good start whetstone would be appreciated as well

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? One step ahead ^^ YES

I look forward to your responses.

Laurence
 
Welcome!

I'll start with the no-no's first.
No rock chopping with your new J-knife.
No more using a steel.

Sorry, I'm a carbon junkie so that's all I've got.

Cheers!
 
Hi,

Thanks for your reply..

Both comments duly noted!

*searches youtube for tutorials on how to chop properly*
 
Im thinking maybe this one?

TJ-20G3 Hiromoto Tenmi-Jyuraku Gingami No.3 Series Gyuto 240mm
 
quick question why do you require a stainless knife? the Hiromoto AS (Aogami Super) is clad in stainless, and it is not being made anymore, not sure of the stock left at JCK, but the 240 is in stock
 
Not really sure. I assumed the stainless knife would be easier to maintain?

I had a look at that AS - would that be much better than the one I mentioned? and just as easy to maintain?
 
not just as easy to maintain, since you would have to worry about the edge getting a patina, but a lot of people think that a patina is cool, but the steel Aogami Super is not that reactive from what I hear, just keep it wiped down and you will be fine, and the advantage the AS has over stainless is that it will get SCARY sharp, as far as my experience has been with Carbon vs Stainless
 
That will be a huge step up from your previous knives. I recommend it. Japanese Chefs Knife has lots of choices in your range on their website. While you are shopping take a look at all the sponsoring vendors on the forum as well.

Next you will want to start learning more about sharpening with Japanese waterstones. It can be done from a $40 combo stone up to sky's the limit. Look up videos from Jon Broida and Japanese Knife Imports on you tube to cut through all the not so high quality sharpening info on the web.:D
 
Jon's videos on sharpening cannot be recommend enough, for people just starting out, or even seasoned sharpeners that feel as if they can take their edges to the NEXT level
 
Hmm. All very interesting.. Thanks for your comments. This was my worry re. the patina - for some reason i want to keep it sparkly clean! Super sharp maybe isn't a massive preference. Easy to maintain, comfortable to use and keeping a straight edge would be higher up my list..

Will have a look at the sponsoring vendors and read up on the whetstones. thanks for tips..

What would be great is if anyone could point me in the direction of 3 or 4 suitable knives to select from. I feel like im going in a bit blind!
 
Fujiwara FKM, Tojiro DP, Gesshin Uraku, Hiromoto AS, Carbonext
 
Nice one. I like the look of the Fujiwara.

And at that price i could get 2 or 3.

Are the more expensive ones significantly 'better' or will an amateur like me not be able to tell the difference?
 
just starting out, I would get one of those, you can always spend more once you get "addicted" which is bound to happen LOL
 
This is the thing.

it is 100% bound to happen.

I love to cook, I use my knives all the time and have been waiting for ages to get a proper one.

Maybe it makes sense to get a proper one and be done with it.

If you were starting out and you had $250 to spend and you had no knives - what would you do?

I have to say im leaning towards the Fujiwara Santoku 7inch + the 240mm Hiromoto AS Gyuto
 
deleted post; site linked was censored here
 
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Takamura do a couple of lines of R2 knives. They do a line where you could get a 240 within your budget.
I have a 210 from their Hana line and it's a seriously good knife. Nice and thin, easy to sharpen, and scary sharp, plus low maintenance.
If you get one of their R2 knives it should hold up against anything you get in the future.
There are other similar alternatives such as the Akifusa mentioned above.

It's really hard to recommend knives as there are so many different combinations of attributes :)

Enjoy the search ;)
 
There's a mighty day a comin' when the fugu hits your tummy, and you'll know that what I'm telling you is true:

[video=youtube;IJucHqvbqUA]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJucHqvbqUA[/video]

-Don't be afraid to call Jon unless you're a Fraggle. Definitely worth subscribing to his Youtube channel: Japanese Knife Imports
 
I'll say a Fujiwara FKM 180-240mm and a good set of stones to start with, Naniwa P 400 or beston 500, Bester 1200, and a King 4000
a good strop would be nice to if there's any left of your budget

The knife has a pretty good steel and enough steel behind the edge for you to start learn sharpening/thinning without ruining it
 
The Gesshin Ginga is a great 240mm Gyuto made from Gingami #3 - stainless, from Japanese Knife Imports. It may be out of stock at the moment though. Another great buy are the Semi-Stainless Carbonext knives from Japanese Chef Knives. They also have the Hiromoto Gingami #3 as well. If you wanted to try a good VG10 knife, then there's the Hattori FH. There's also the new Sanzanami (sp.?) from JCK that are a nice enough budget VG10... I just received the Hankotsu today. There really are a ton of options... I would start perusing JCK and JKI, and really determine what kind of steel/profile/weight, etc... That you want. Good luck!
 
JBroida said:
huh??? ... gesshin ginga is not ginsanko
Click to expand...

I apologize for providing incorrect information about the Gesshin Ginga... For whatever reason that I cannot remember, I thought it was Gin#3... My bad. What steel is the Ginga? Again, sorry for the confusion and if you ask my wife, it's perfectly normal for me to be wrong. :nono:
 
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