LOCATION
What country are you in?: USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?: Gyuto
Are you right or left handed? Right handed
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle? Japanese handle. Both octogon and D shaped are fine
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)? 210mm-240mm. If a 210, blade height still needs to be around 50mm. I like lots of knuckle clearance
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no): I'd prefer good semi-stainless or carbon, but stainless could work for the right knife
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 (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.): slicing, dicing, mincing, slicing proteins; I need an all-arounder.
What knife, if any, are you replacing? I have a german style calphalon 210 chef's knife that I've used for 15 years. I've abandoned that for Tojiro DP santoku I got for Christmas. I love the Tojiro's edge taking ability, but I'd like a bit more length. I'm still enough of a noob that I have to suppress a giggle sometimes when I cut tomatoes with the Tojiro fresh from the stones
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.): Pinch grip, hammer grip
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.): Push cut, chop, slice, rock
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)? I prize performance over aesthetics. I don't care what it looks like. Fit and finish issues such as rounding the choil or spine don't bother me. Lousy handles don't bother me as long as they're not epoxied on, and I can replace them (I'm a woodworker). I don't however want a project knife that requires significant thinning to be a good user. I prefer handmade over factory (mac/shun/tojiro etc).
I haven't used the Calphalon chef's knife since I bought the Tojiro 120mm Petty and Tojiro Santoku (got the santoku for christmas). Having seen "good" in the Tojiro, I'd like to see "great". I want more length than the santoku can offer, and I wish I had a longer flat spot. I don't need a 0 belly gyuto, but I think I'd prefer a knife with less belly. I find that I enjoy carbon steel, but I have 3 kids under the age of 4, and occasions frequently arise where I have to drop what I'm doing during dinner prep (pulling an upside-down, panicking 3 year old out of a hamper for example I can envision many scenarios where the knife will go down on the cutting board with no time to clean it for a few minutes. I'm pretty open to all but the most reactive carbons. Semi-stainless or blue #1 or blue #2 are attractive to me. Because I don't mind rustic, I'm happy to force the mother of all patinas if I need to in order to minimize reactivity on carbon to keep it safe from rust. I did that to a carbon steak knife and it suits me just fine.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)? I don't need a laser, just good all around knife. After using a german style chef's knife with a 3.7mm spine, everything feels like a laser to me
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)? Food release is more important to me than wedging; I don't cut many root vegetables. Ease of sharpening is a consideration. I haven't had any trouble with VG-10 thus far but I'm not sure I've got the skills or kit for real exotics like zdp189 or trouble prone steels.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)? Longer is better.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.) I use a homemade endgrain maple/walnut board, a silicone board, and plastic. I actually like the silicone one the best; I just need to find a bigger one.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.) Yes. I have a 600 grit eze-lap diamond stone, Shapton Pro 1500, Shapton Pro 8000, and I finish on a chromium oxide charged balsa. I've been enjoying sharpening a little too much. Now I don't have any arm hair left. It's been a big upgrade over my Chef's Choice.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.) I've had modest success at sharpening by hand thus far but I still have a lot to learn. I have to really concentrate on hand position and angle; it's not a muscle memory thing for me yet. I watch Jon's sharpening videos (from JKI) before I sharpen each time and I marvel at effortless it looks to him!
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.) Maybe. I think my stones are still better than my sharpening skills. It'll be a while before I outgrow them I think, but I'm open to a change if folks think that my kit is seriously deficient.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS: I know my budget is kind of limiting. I'd like to get as much value as I can given a small budget. I don't need to impress my friends; I take real joy in using a properly sharpened, well built tool, and that's what I care about. Performance is more important to me than polish. I don't mind rustic. I'm a woodworker, and all my favorite tools are at least 70 years old and look they were pulled out of a barn. My #4 Stanley smoothing plane cost me $25, but it will pull up see-through shavings all day long with it's old carbon steel blade. There have been times when it just feels like an extension of my arm. I'd like to find the gyuto version of the Stanley #4; a wood and steel cutting machine that will serve me well for a lifetime.
I don't mind waiting a few months if there is a wonderful knife someone recommends that's not in stock at the moment. I don't mind buying used. I don't mind buying direct if quality control issues are unusual for a particular knife/smith (back to my point about not wanting a reprofiling/thinning project).
As a side note I'm really interested in Heiji knives by Yoshibumi Takleishi even though they're a bit out of my budget. 15 years ago I was given a tamahagane razor made by Shigeyoshi Iwasaki (who trained Mr. Yoshibumi Takleishi early in his career) as a gift and it is the most perfect thing I've ever held. Iwasaki was also master to the Shigefusa smith and I hear good things about Shigefusa all the time on this forum. I don't hear Heiji mentioned nearly as often as though. I'm not sure why. Shigefusa is way out of my budget, Heiji might be possible if it's folks think it's a good value.
What country are you in?: USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?: Gyuto
Are you right or left handed? Right handed
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle? Japanese handle. Both octogon and D shaped are fine
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)? 210mm-240mm. If a 210, blade height still needs to be around 50mm. I like lots of knuckle clearance
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no): I'd prefer good semi-stainless or carbon, but stainless could work for the right knife
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 (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.): slicing, dicing, mincing, slicing proteins; I need an all-arounder.
What knife, if any, are you replacing? I have a german style calphalon 210 chef's knife that I've used for 15 years. I've abandoned that for Tojiro DP santoku I got for Christmas. I love the Tojiro's edge taking ability, but I'd like a bit more length. I'm still enough of a noob that I have to suppress a giggle sometimes when I cut tomatoes with the Tojiro fresh from the stones
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.): Pinch grip, hammer grip
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.): Push cut, chop, slice, rock
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)? I prize performance over aesthetics. I don't care what it looks like. Fit and finish issues such as rounding the choil or spine don't bother me. Lousy handles don't bother me as long as they're not epoxied on, and I can replace them (I'm a woodworker). I don't however want a project knife that requires significant thinning to be a good user. I prefer handmade over factory (mac/shun/tojiro etc).
I haven't used the Calphalon chef's knife since I bought the Tojiro 120mm Petty and Tojiro Santoku (got the santoku for christmas). Having seen "good" in the Tojiro, I'd like to see "great". I want more length than the santoku can offer, and I wish I had a longer flat spot. I don't need a 0 belly gyuto, but I think I'd prefer a knife with less belly. I find that I enjoy carbon steel, but I have 3 kids under the age of 4, and occasions frequently arise where I have to drop what I'm doing during dinner prep (pulling an upside-down, panicking 3 year old out of a hamper for example
I can envision many scenarios where the knife will go down on the cutting board with no time to clean it for a few minutes. I'm pretty open to all but the most reactive carbons. Semi-stainless or blue #1 or blue #2 are attractive to me. Because I don't mind rustic, I'm happy to force the mother of all patinas if I need to in order to minimize reactivity on carbon to keep it safe from rust. I did that to a carbon steak knife and it suits me just fine.Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)? I don't need a laser, just good all around knife. After using a german style chef's knife with a 3.7mm spine, everything feels like a laser to me
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)? Food release is more important to me than wedging; I don't cut many root vegetables. Ease of sharpening is a consideration. I haven't had any trouble with VG-10 thus far but I'm not sure I've got the skills or kit for real exotics like zdp189 or trouble prone steels.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)? Longer is better.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.) I use a homemade endgrain maple/walnut board, a silicone board, and plastic. I actually like the silicone one the best; I just need to find a bigger one.
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.) Yes. I have a 600 grit eze-lap diamond stone, Shapton Pro 1500, Shapton Pro 8000, and I finish on a chromium oxide charged balsa. I've been enjoying sharpening a little too much. Now I don't have any arm hair left. It's been a big upgrade over my Chef's Choice.
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.) I've had modest success at sharpening by hand thus far but I still have a lot to learn. I have to really concentrate on hand position and angle; it's not a muscle memory thing for me yet. I watch Jon's sharpening videos (from JKI) before I sharpen each time and I marvel at effortless it looks to him!
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.) Maybe. I think my stones are still better than my sharpening skills. It'll be a while before I outgrow them I think, but I'm open to a change if folks think that my kit is seriously deficient.
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS: I know my budget is kind of limiting. I'd like to get as much value as I can given a small budget. I don't need to impress my friends; I take real joy in using a properly sharpened, well built tool, and that's what I care about. Performance is more important to me than polish. I don't mind rustic. I'm a woodworker, and all my favorite tools are at least 70 years old and look they were pulled out of a barn. My #4 Stanley smoothing plane cost me $25, but it will pull up see-through shavings all day long with it's old carbon steel blade. There have been times when it just feels like an extension of my arm. I'd like to find the gyuto version of the Stanley #4; a wood and steel cutting machine that will serve me well for a lifetime.
I don't mind waiting a few months if there is a wonderful knife someone recommends that's not in stock at the moment. I don't mind buying used. I don't mind buying direct if quality control issues are unusual for a particular knife/smith (back to my point about not wanting a reprofiling/thinning project).
As a side note I'm really interested in Heiji knives by Yoshibumi Takleishi even though they're a bit out of my budget. 15 years ago I was given a tamahagane razor made by Shigeyoshi Iwasaki (who trained Mr. Yoshibumi Takleishi early in his career) as a gift and it is the most perfect thing I've ever held. Iwasaki was also master to the Shigefusa smith and I hear good things about Shigefusa all the time on this forum. I don't hear Heiji mentioned nearly as often as though. I'm not sure why. Shigefusa is way out of my budget, Heiji might be possible if it's folks think it's a good value.
