New to forum and looking to get some new knives!

LOCATION
Viva Las Vegas! (U.S)

KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife(s) are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Santokus, gyuto, chukabochos, cleavers, etc.

Are you right or left handed?
Lefty

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
No preference, but I am interested in Japanese knives in general.

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
190-240mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Stainless is preferred, no experience with carbon steel knives. I am worried about rust and blade reacting to foods.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$300 per knife


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Primarily used in high volume hotel kitchen
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, chopping, and dicing vegetables, avocados, fruits, butternut squash, tomatoes, potatoes, herbs, etc. etc.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch grip primarily.

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 cutting, lots of chopping, and slicing in that order, with some rocking

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.)
N/A

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)?
Doesn't matter as long as it works

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
I like both light and heavy knives depending on the tasks.

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)?
Something less reactive and easy to maintain (stainless is again preferred as I do not have any experience with carbon steel knives and my current setting does deal with a lot of water)

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
A relatively long edge retention is preferred.


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Synthetic
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes

SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
I'm looking to replace my very old kitchen knives that have been taking a beating over the years. One of them is a 20+ year old San Han Nga stainless steel vegetable cleaver and the other is a 10 year old RH Forschner hallow ground santoku that has been sharpened down to the scallops. The santoku is an absolute laser beam when it comes to most produce and is a very thin knife that holds its edge very well. I do worry when im tackling hard produce such as butternut squash and avocados, as well as worrying that one day it might chip again. The cleaver was my grandmother's and has been around for as long as I can remember. I am not exactly sure on the age but i can only assume it is around 20-30 years old. I like the style and function of the knife, but I do not like the steel. It doesn't hold an edge as well as I would like it to, and the steel is pretty soft. I really like my knives, but they are getting worn, bent, and would like to retire them soon.

With that out of the way I am looking for a new santoku (maybe a nakiri instead?), a gyuto or 2, and a new vegetable cleaver in the 350-520g range. The santoku I would prefer it to be in the around 180-190mm in length, and for the gyutos if any to be around 240mm. the grind for the knives should be something lefty friendly for 50/50. I do sharpen my own knives and do my best to my ability to make sure they are well taken care of and properly maintained and stored. I'm hoping a new knife or two would help improve my efficiency on my stations. If you guys have any questions on my end in regards to knife selection feel free to ask. Also if it helps, I do like taller knives.

This might be an interesting option from Jon at JKI: https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/santoku/products/gesshin-uraku-165mm-skd-santoku

The cladding is entirely stainless with a semi-stainless core (the steel your knife will actually cut with). I'd give Jon a call and have a discussion as he has several things in your budget that might interest you.

"Doesn't matter as long as it works"

If you're looking for function over form, for the price you cannot beat Misono (everything except the UX10 line is great value for money) or if you really want bang for your buck Tojiro DP or Tojiro High Speed Steel (cheapest vendor for the dp will often be Amazon, the high speed line can be purchased cheaply from Knives and Stones and will provide better edge retention than the DP)

Good luck! Don't go nuts buying multiple knives until you've used a Japanese knife for a few weeks/months. It will be helpful for you to know what you do and don't like before going on a spending spree.

Cheers

^^^^^^ best advice ever! Don't go nuts all at once! Do some research and check out what multiple vendors are offering.

Concur with above. Suggest you start with a stainless or my favourite, stainless clad, Gyuto. If you're comfortable with a 10" chef then a 270mm would prob suit you. No smaller than 240mm. Us it a bit and then think about next knife.

I find a Santoku to be largely redundant when used with a Gyuto. They both are used for the same tasks, but only one has a tip. If you do opt for the Santoku, I would look at a 180mm

Nakiri can be a game changer with veggies. Again 180mm.

Have fun

Edit: FSC

With plenty of choices out there im still a bit uncertain but I do have some things in mind to help limit the search for the knife for me. So far I am thinking for sure a 240mm Gyuto (50/50 or left handed friendly grind) with a pronounced belly, VG-10 stainless or something similar to that, as well as a 180mm santoku or nakiri with subtle belly and a very sharp tip.

Most excellent Nakiri on bst right now. 180mm, Watanabe, stainless clad. I'm trying to rationalize why I need two of them....

+1 on giving Jon a call and/or contacting the other vendors on board.

Oh man I failed to notice he's a lefty. May be best to call JKI as others have said and see if Jon can hook you up with something ground specifically for lefties. Otherwise you may indeed be better suited to something like misono, a few of their lines will be somewhat readily available ground for a left handed user. My bad.