comparing 3 lasers: gesshin ginga ss, konosuke hd2, suisin inox honyaki

Hoping to start a new take on an old conversation here . . . I'm looking to add a stainless 240mm wa handled 'laser' gyuto to my collection and have narrowed the field to three top contenders: gesshin ginga ss, konosuke hd2, and suisin inox honyaki.

I know these three knives have been discussed in tons of threads, in different combinations and about different aspects, but I'm looking to get a direct comparison all in one place.

Can anyone rank each knife on a scale of 1 - 10 for each of the following ten categories?

1. Edge taking
2. Edge retention
3. Performance (cutting)
4. Ease of sharpening
5. Profile
6. Grind
7. Handle
8. F&F
9. Asthetics
10. Value for the money

Feel free to explain any ratings

THANK YOU!!

Hey!
So I should say, I don't actually have a ton of experience with these particular knives. I own a guessing ginga in white #2, I had an inox honyaki santoku, and a Kono HD2 suji. So take my words with a grain of salt.

In general, Suisin will probably out perform the others to some degree in all categories save ease of sharpening and value for $.
The difference in edge taking for all three is probably more in your court as the sharpener than the actual knives as they will be incrementally different in this regard. (I do think Suisin has rep for being trickier to de-burr, but by no means difficult)
The Suisin's main advantages may be edge retention, a slightly 'better' grind, and a nicer stock handle.
The Kono and Ginga are much much more reasonably priced and in my opinion offer more, dollar for dollar, than the Suisin.
Aesthetics is all personal opinion, some find the machi gap and screened kanji of Suisin off-putting for example.
Lastly, the Suisin is probably the most asymmetric (in my limited experience) and therefore least lefty friendly.

In short, if money is no object, go Suisin, otherwise I'd recommend the others due to the substantial price difference.

Hope this helps!

I hate when other people do this, but here goes anyway....what about the Tadatsuna Inox gyuto? Looks like an even better $ for $ value vs. the suisin. On #'s 2 & 3 on your list I would suggest an "8", and 6,7,8,9 & 10 I would go with a high "8" or "9".
That said, I haven't even seen the original 3 on your list, and I have completely missed the conversation about the Suisin Honyaki. Back in the day I thought that either Suisin was thought to be the OEM for Tadatsuna, or the other way around, or they shared an OEM

I've owned all three of the knives you are interested in.

Criteria #1 - #6 (edge taking, edge retention, performance (cutting), ease of sharpening, profile and grind) are essentially identical among the three.

The handle on the Suisin is rounded on the bottom, and may be more comfortable in your grip than the other two, which are standard octagonal. One thing to note is that the Suisin has a machi (the gap between the emotu (neck) and the front of the ferrule), which may not please you aesthetically. It also may affect the comfort, depending on how you hold the blade.

Fit and finish are comparable, all three having a rounded spine and decent handles. The Suisin has a slight edge, with the Gesshin Ginga next and the Konosuke HD2 bringing up the rear.

Aesthetics are very subjective. The kanji on the Suisin is not engraved, but just screened on. I've never cared for the big "HD2" stamped on the Konosuke, but you may like it.

Value for the money puts the Gesshin Ginga first (price includes a saya), the Konosuke HD2 second and the Suisin last.

BTW, with a nod to mikemac, the "laser" I kept is a Tadatsuna INOX.

Rick

I have Ginga and HD2 Gyutos and they are comparable. F&F is better on my Kono (please note I have Ginga directly from Ashi, no JKI). I like Ginga slightly better compared to HD2 because of a wider blade. However both are splendid cutters.
Value for money Ginga wins, its cheaper.

Regarding the Tada Inox, is the spine and choil rounded on that one like the Suisin, Gesshin and Kono? I like the look of the handles on those more than the rest save the Suisin.

SolidSnake03 said:

Regarding the Tada Inox, is the spine and choil rounded on that one like the Suisin, Gesshin and Kono? I like the look of the handles on those more than the rest save the Suisin.

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Yes.

Excellent, thank you! Ive owned the Gesshin Ginga and Kono HD and would love to try the rest some day but im particularly parcial to rounded spine and choil. Thanks

Ah, lets put all these qualitative characteristics in a quantitative form. Or not.

I've had the G Ginga, sold it and would buy it back in a heart beat. I have the Suisin IH, had it 2+ years. I used a loaner HD. You could put all three in a box, close your eyes and pick one - And you would have a great knife.

I asked Jon at JKI about the SIH and GG when I was first shopping for a J knife. One sharpened a little easier, the other had better edge retention. I got the Ginga first then a SIH came up on b/s/t that was priced to move and it moved to my house. They felt a little different, I preferred the engraved Kanji, I definitely preferred having 100 bucks in my pocket after buying the Ginga. Performance wise, whether on the board or on the stones, any differences were too nuanced for me to discern. The HD I had as a loaner was another fine knife, but not perceptibly better or worse than the others.

Rick - about that Tad...

daveb said:

Ah, lets put all these qualitative characteristics in a quantitative form. Or not.

I've had the G Ginga, sold it and would buy it back in a heart beat. I have the Suisin IH, had it 2+ years. I used a loaner HD. You could put all three in a box, close your eyes and pick one - And you would have a great knife.

I asked Jon at JKI about the SIH and GG when I was first shopping for a J knife. One sharpened a little easier, the other had better edge retention. I got the Ginga first then a SIH came up on b/s/t that was priced to move and it moved to my house. They felt a little different, I preferred the engraved Kanji, I definitely preferred having 100 bucks in my pocket after buying the Ginga. Performance wise, whether on the board or on the stones, any differences were too nuanced for me to discern. The HD I had as a loaner was another fine knife, but not perceptibly better or worse than the others.

Rick - about that Tad...

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DaveB, I know this stuff is subjective and not easily quantified (maybe impossible) - just thought it'd be a good way to get people talking about all these different aspects, all in the same place. Thank you for your thoughts on these knives! If the GG and SIH are so similar then GG does seem like an easy choice pricewise.

Are you all talking about the tadatsuna from aframestokyo? Only place I can find it for sale.

anyone know if it's an asymmetrical grind like the SIH or symmetrical like the GG?

(Just hacked my own thread ugh . . . It is impossible to stay on topic with so many good choices haha)

Yes, that Tad. I bought a Tad Inox suji from Rick that is the first knife in the bag when I'm going somewhere. Someday I'll own a Gyuto.

No worries on quan/qual, comes up a lot.

chiffonodd said:

Are you all talking about the tadatsuna from aframestokyo? Only place I can find it for sale.

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AFAIK that's the only place you can find them any more. Be sure to email them to verify stock before tripping the trigger if you go that route. Mine came directly from IT before they moved/sold but the last time I looked their web site was closed to on line orders. It's been a while since I looked at this but IIR the steel is Hitachi G3 on both the Suisin Honyaki and the IT. I doubt you will ever be looking back if you go with the Tad.

Duckfat said:

AFAIK that's the only place you can find them any more. Be sure to email them to verify stock before tripping the trigger if you go that route. Mine came directly from IT before they moved/sold but the last time I looked their web site was closed to on line orders. It's been a while since I looked at this but IIR the steel is Hitachi G3 on both the Suisin Honyaki and the IT. I doubt you will ever be looking back if you go with the Tad.

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Thanks for the reply - do you have any stats on the Tad 240? All I can find is "2mm" blade but I don't know where that's measures from. Thanks!

chiffonodd said:

If the GG and SIH are so similar then GG does seem like an easy choice pricewise.

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I know Jon has commented on this in other threads, since this one isn't in his subforum, he may be reluctant to reiterate those comments here...I suggest a google search of the forum for that. I do think the general consensus is: GG is a significantly better value, but the SIH is a slightly better product. </generalization>

Duckfat said:

AFAIK that's the only place you can find them any more. Be sure to email them to verify stock before tripping the trigger if you go that route. Mine came directly from IT before they moved/sold but the last time I looked their web site was closed to on line orders. It's been a while since I looked at this but IIR the steel is Hitachi G3 on both the Suisin Honyaki and the IT. I doubt you will ever be looking back if you go with the Tad.

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Not that it really matters, but the Suisin IH is Sandvik 19c27.

I looked at different makers "Inox" once. I remember Tadasuna being Ginsanko.

IRT difference between GG and SIH the easy answer is a phone (or skype) call to Jon. Or as Z suggested a forum search. In some old forum posts the Tad and the SIH were favorably compared, I'm sure Jon did not copy either when he set out to develop the GG but he certainly would have been aware of the different charactoristics of each and optimized design and price.

Back to putting one each in a box, closing your eyes and picking one. Like puppies. Sort of.

I could be wrong as this is only a rumour I read but the current tadasuna are a bit differnt than the ones made pre 2011 earthquake/ tsunami. They used to be more readily available now only A frames sells a small amount?

I've owned the kono hd2 and a tadasuna inox (post 2011) And honestly there's not a lot different other than the steel. Both have top notch F&F. I preferred the hd steel as I found it easier to sharpen.

Have you also considered throwing sakai yusuke into the mix?

Geo87 said:

I could be wrong as this is only a rumour I read but the current tadasuna are a bit differnt than the ones made pre 2011 earthquake/ tsunami. They used to be more readily available now only A frames sells a small amount?

I've owned the kono hd2 and a tadasuna inox (post 2011) And honestly there's not a lot different other than the steel. Both have top notch F&F. I preferred the hd steel as I found it easier to sharpen.

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It is only a rumor, according to the vendor.

Owning the HD kono and if have to be onest it s to light for me,I want to sell it

All lasers are light... Kinda comes with the territory

I knew and after a wild I realized was not my cup of tea &#128532;
I am looking forward to give it away for a good price