Ginga Gyuto - Stainless or Carbon?

Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Joined
Feb 21, 2015
Messages
2,330
Reaction score
1,167
About to pull the trigger on one of those ... I usually would always opt for Carbon, but I am hesitant right now and actually considering the stainless.

It's a bit of a weird reasoning behind it ... I know that they use Sandvik steel for the Stainless and I actually work for a different subsidiary of Sandvik and always wanted to own a knife made with "our" steel. This might be the chance. Or maybe down the road with another brand.

What are your thoughts?
 
I have the white #2 version and absolutely love it. Not too reactive and it sharpens so easily. The steel is very fine grained. I've heard a lot of good things about the stainless version but I guess it all depends on how much you like carbon over stainless. You could always get one of each and put one on BST :doublethumbsup:
 
Hi alterwisser,

can't say much about carbon version, but I do own 2 Ginga stainless knives which I ordered directly from Japan (it's the more economical choice to do as a European): A 210 petty (59HRC) and a 150 Petty (extra hardness upgrade, so 61HRC). Think they are a great bargain and really good knives for their price. Steel sharpens quite easily for a stainless and edge retention is good enough for me (I'm a hobby cook). Know quite a bunch of fellow Germans who made the same choice and nobody regretted it. If you're interested, there quite a good amount of feedback on them on the German "Messerforum".

In either case you can't really go wrong ordering one from Jon/JKI, regardless of the steel flavor.
 
Hi alterwisser,

can't say much about carbon version, but I do own 2 Ginga stainless knives which I ordered directly from Japan (it's the more economical choice to do as a European): A 210 petty (59HRC) and a 150 Petty (extra hardness upgrade, so 61HRC). Think they are a great bargain and really good knives for their price. Steel sharpens quite easily for a stainless and edge retention is good enough for me (I'm a hobby cook). Know quite a bunch of fellow Germans who made the same choice and nobody regretted it. If you're interested, there quite a good amount of feedback on them on the German "Messerforum".

In either case you can't really go wrong ordering one from Jon/JKI, regardless of the steel flavor.

Hallo Karnstein! Das hoert sich gut an ... maybe I should order a stainless petty as a "gift" for my wife and order the gyuto in carbon for myself ;)
 
I also owned a Ginga in white#2 and the reactivity is really low. Initially, I almost thought the seller sent me the stainless version. Overall, I'm very happy with the Ginga petty.
 
I' owned a stainless Ginga Gyuto, l Liked it a lot - sharpened readily, cut well, did not have to worry about getting busy and wiping/drying. Had some redundancy with other Gyutos and probably parted with the wrong knife. I bought a carbon Ginga petty to try the carbon variant and while a great cutter, the "groovy" colors it would turn were not for me. FWIW it did not discolor the food, only the knife.

If you're used to dealing with carbon, either would be a good choice.
 
You can get the carbon if you prefer it, and then grab a Kershaw Leek or something in 14c28n to satisfy the Sandvik thing.
 
I also owned a Ginga in white#2 and the reactivity is really low. Initially, I almost thought the seller sent me the stainless version.

they are coated with some kind of laquer, which gets lost over time, but makes em seem stainless at first.



 
ahh, that explains the little sheen on the blade and the low reactivitiy.
 
these are pictures of the removing process to show the laquer. after that it just takes on a usual white II patina.
 
I have the 180 petty in stainless. It gets a lot of use on the line cutting steaks during service. I'd be interested in the Gyuto if I didn't have a Konosuke HD. The petty I've only touched up on 5k grit stone and strop regularly. It keeps a solid edge.
 
FYI, Your actually suppose to remove the coating on the carbon before use.

I say, go with your gut. Or flip a coin like I always do when facing a dilemma and can't decide with reasoning.

When in doubt, you gamble.
 
Gesshin Ginga stain resistant 240mm with a saya is a good knife for the price. It could almost be considered a stainless laser. The steel is fine grained, easy to sharpen, not prone to chipping if you protect the edge.

It is a light knife reminds me of my carbon lasers except it is stainless.
 
Personally, I much prefer Ginga stainless for small pettys/sujis in the 150-210mm range. These types of knives are going to see a whole lot of citrus and other fruits in my line of work and at home, but for longer sujis and gyutos I tend to prefer carbon.
 
Back
Top