Top 5 best price/performance gyuto

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lachance89

lachance89

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hi,

I'm very new to the japanese knives world and shopping for my first one is like a never ending quest... to help me through my journey i just want to know about the best deals out there at any price mark, steels or handle. I know it must be a hard one for the ''connaiseurs'' but let's just have fun and see your top 5 nominees for pure price/performance ratio!
 
Kohetsu, tanaka, masakage mizu(anguish), gessin uruka/ginga, ittinomon. Takamura r2 would be up there to. If your looking for a particular knife there is a survey you can fill out and someone more knowledgeable than me can help you. For a first knife I'd probably make the survey for a gyuto 210-240 basic blue #2/ white #2 carbon steel cladded in a softer stainless. And than specify any thing you like ex: flatness of the blade, handle shape westren, wa etc. Maybe design features you like kurochi, damascus, hammered. Maybe ask for some stone recommendations as well.
 
For EU customers: Western carbons: Fujiwara FKH and Masahiro Virgin Carbon. Western stainless: Hiromoto Aus-10. All with JCK, japanesechefsknife.com
 
Shig, Kato, Tanaka, Kochi, Watanabe...but that changes monthly or so. If you're shopping for a knife, my favorites may be worthless for you. As suggested, you should fill out the questionnaire if you're in the market and that way we can tailor our suggestions to your needs/likes.

Welcome to the forum!
 
I still think that Tojiro DP is a fantastic deal, for price/performance.
 
You really can't go wrong with any of the recommendations in this thread. There as so many great knives for the money.
 
For a pro chef I always think the answer to this question is misono. Affordable to most people and very well made.
 
spoiledbroth said:
The hiro aus-10 in 240mm is only 117USD shipped! Pretty darn good deal, and still very cheap for a 240
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240mm Tojiro DP is $58 on Amazon. I prefer VG-10 to AUS-10, and the Tojiro DP knives tend to be thin BTE. Hard to beat $58, for that.
 
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I have owned both in 240 and prefer the hiromoto in the professional environment because I can't get this idea out of my head that anything 2mm or below at the heel is going to explode if someone else picks it up. I also think the hiro holds a better edge than the Tojiro but I do not appreciate Master Nagao's tendency to make short gyutos (sub 50mm at heel). One of the few things I like about my Tenmi Jyuraki G3 is the height, though I would agree that Hiromoto in general is thicker "BTE" than Tojiro.

Love the Tojiro DP Gyuto 240 (210 is very very short at heel), Western Deba 240 and the Nakiri is impressively thin BTE, at least the one I got was. Unfortunately almost every Tojiro I've bought has had a wonky handle with gaps below the ferrule and always, always the heel of the knife is overground by 1 or 2mm.

Also for the Canadian the Tojiro DP 240 was something closer to 90USD + shipping last time I looked on Amazon. Wish their PM knives were as reasonably priced but for the cost I'd rather try something I know will be good.
 
Sakai Yusuke lasers, certain Shimatanis, and Masakage during the annual (February?) sale.

Cheers,

Rick
 
How about those gokos in w#1 ? Seems like a deal for the blade quality...
 
lachance89 said:
How about those gokos in w#1 ? Seems like a deal for the blade quality...
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How do you know about the blade quality? cktg calls them rustic, that would be a big warning sign to me...plus they don't seem to get much love here...I've never tried one. Also, 60 hrc seems a bit low for a white #1 steel knife...jmo.

Other thing I would add is that any knife that doesn't have all 5 star reviews on that site is probably a problem (or at least potential problem).
 
Idk really much about the quality because i haven't tried it. I was surprised to see w#1 in this price range and haven't seen any negative reviews except for the F&F and the handle. Many users describe them as ''workhorse'' that works through a great range of products with no chipping problems + the stainless clad makes them user-friendly... i thought maybe it was a good starter?
 
Just go buy a cheap kohetsu $100-$140 blue #2 the 210 was my first true love(the one I own is in the bst for like $90 and is a steal at that price point( not mine but someone elses) trust me it's a fun little guy that will become your best friend in the kitchen.
 
+1 to what these people say (that narrows you down to what 10 or so other folks like). My point is to not get hung up on steel type or especially knife reviews on vendors sites;) You'll get better advice here if you fill out the questionnaire and suit it to you though as opposed to what other people like...everyone's tastes are different...at least here you get honest reviews though. Again, reviews on vendors sites are not necessarily the best place to look (actually probably the worst place to look).
 
Forgecraft 10inch if you can get them for under 40 and know how to tune a knife Masahiro virgin carbon for a great oob experience for stainless, tojiro, gesshin
 
imho,

The Tojiro DP is all you ever "need".
It gets sharp and will stay sharp for a reasonable amount of time.
And it's cheap as dirt.

It's stainless with plastic handles. You can thrash on it, leave it soaking in water for days and it's still good to go.
I think durability, fuss free stainless should be measured in performance too.

I'm a serious home cook and it's better knife than what 99% of my foodie friends have.
And I take better care and keep it sharper than that remaining 1%.
 
Culverin said:
imho,

The Tojiro DP is all you ever "need".
It gets sharp and will stay sharp for a reasonable amount of time.
And it's cheap as dirt.

It's stainless with plastic handles. You can thrash on it, leave it soaking in water for days and it's still good to go.
I think durability, fuss free stainless should be measured in performance too.

I'm a serious home cook and it's better knife than what 99% of my foodie friends have.
And I take better care and keep it sharper than that remaining 1%.
Click to expand...
actually the handles are made from recycled wood products, according to knifewear "Eco-wood is made with recycled wood dust, re-cycled wood chips and silicone"
 
chinacats said:
Shig, Kato, Tanaka, Kochi, Watanabe...but that changes monthly or so. If you're shopping for a knife, my favorites may be worthless for you. As suggested, you should fill out the questionnaire if you're in the market and that way we can tailor our suggestions to your needs/likes.

Welcome to the forum!
Click to expand...

:plus1:
 
Tojiro PS 240 gyuto is ~ $130 from knivesandstones. From the choil shot that James (not me, but PKJames) posted, it should be a great performer. Tanaka ginsanko and VG10 are also great deals (F&F is a little rough though and the handles are pretty lackluster; performance is phenomenal for the price); metalmaster has the Tanaka ginsanko and vg10 in 190 mm gyutos for $53 and $68 respectively.
 
I have to agree with Culverin. At the sub-60 dollar price point that the Tojiro DP 240 is going for these days, it hits near the top of the best bang for the buck list if you know how to sharpen a knife and deal with the inconsistencies of the initial edge. The dollar-yen exchange rate is a blessing for American knife buyers.
 
lachance89 said:
It's not a blessing for canadians shopping in USD though [emoji28]
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Masakage mizu from knifewear a 210 is $165 I think the 240 ie around $185-$190 too lazy to check free shipping over $200 buy a blade guard and a kitchen tool and your there. Takamura 210 is $199 from finejapaneseknives. Tojiro dp is on Amazon for sub $100. Zkramer not japanese is $200 from williams food equipment and is a Damn good stainless knife, bought my mom it. The takamura is the best laser for the $ in canada. The mizu is what I'd suggest for any first time buyer wanting to stay in canada. I love my kohetsu but the mizu is above it and the ootb edge is crazy sharp. The tojiro is a good cheapish knife but I'd never buy one, personal preference really. The henckles is good if you don't want to deal with fragility or carbon and is very comfy in the hands. Lots of decent Canadian options given how shiot the $ is. Id also suggest emailing tosho the website shows 90% of stuff out of stock but maybee he has a few good value gyutos hidden away. Worth a shot atleast. I checked the site and saw nothing of interest sub $200 but I know he has a lot of stock not listed. Also I presume good value to mean sub $200 and a good performer.
 
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