Difference between Suji and slim gyuto?

Can someone tell me what the difference if any is between a tall sujihiki and a narrow gyuto. This is a gyuto but looks exactly like many sujis I've been looking at

suji's are usually longer, narrower and thicker and I wouldn't chop with a suji

quick link to info hub:
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/forumdisplay.php/4-The-Kitchen-Knife

The lines get blurry between the 2. The really isn't a true definition between when a tall sujihiki stops and a short gyuto starts. I think of it as a difference in profiles. In general, a suji tends to have a long slight curve and a gyuto tends to have a flat spot for chopping. I have seen exceptions to this too though.

Well I 've converted a bunch of old dirty carbons that had frowns into suji/gyuto hybrids. When you remove the frown and fix it you end up with that...

Would you say that sujis tend to be more flexible than gyutos? Or is that just a function of thickness?

youkinorn said:

Would you say that sujis tend to be more flexible than gyutos? Or is that just a function of thickness?

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In general, yes suji tend to be thinner/ more flexible. But, again, there are exceptions.

I only had one suji so far - it was 270 Yoshikane SLD from Maxim. It was neither flexible, nor thin. In my view suji is going to be thicker that a gyuto - firstly because it is long and not tall, so it needs to be thicker to maintain some mechanical stability, but mainly because it is designed to cut proteins - a soft material where thickness does the play as big of a role and at the same time it allows for more pronounced grind and this allows for less friction & sticktion. Tha is at least my understanding, I may be wrond here.

There are some chefs who have chosen specific sujis to use as their all-purpose knife instead of a gyuto. Iron chef Hiroyuki Sakai uses a 230 mm Nenox sujihiki, and chefs Hung Huynh and Jesse Schenker use a 240 mm Misono UX10 suji. I don't think all sujis are suitable for this though, and not all users are compatible with this either. Your technique needs to be pretty solid and precise to start with (i.e. when lining up your non-knife hand in the claw, there isn't as much height on the knife), and it probably helps if you don't have super thick hands and fingers.

I ended up getting a 240 mm Misono UX10 suji a few months ago to play with as an all-around knife/occasional gyuto-substitute, and I kind of like it. I had debated getting the Misono since I already had a Shun Elite 240 mm suji (it is a suji profile unlike many of Shun's other slicers, and it's 9.5" instead of 9"), which I did tried using as an all-around knife, and I didn't like it (I love it as a slicing knife though). But the Misono is relatively tall for a suji, and it has more slope as it gets taller at the heel, plus the Misono's very good Western handle gives me great grip, control and comfort for all-around knife work. My fingers are on the slender side, so I even get just enough clearance so my knuckles don't hit the board at all when chopping (prevents me from limiting my chopping position and angle such that my knife hand is away from the board).

Take this with a grain of salt never was a big fan of sugi's. Most slicing jobs can be done with a gyuto. There is less steel in a suji they wear down much faster in a production kitchen. Some of these chefs may use sugi's as main tool if they do a lot of cutting & keep their blades sharp they will not last long. Worn down a couple of them think they are a gip for value compared to a gyuto.

I used them for slicing sashimi until I saw the light when got my first quality Yanagiba. Never went back

I imagine those chefs have people that do the bulk of prep for them, but I agree that you wouldn't be able to put as many miles on a suji vs a gyuto.

I think if i were to buy a slicing knife i would go yanagiba over suji.

Funny, my dishie was just remarking on the same thing this morning. I think I'll get him to slice something 2morrow and see if he still feels the same way.:angel2:

Chef_ said:

I think if i were to buy a slicing knife i would go yanagiba over suji.

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Yanagibas don't slice cooked things too well.

Dardeau said:

Yanagibas don't slice cooked things too well.

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So what is the practical application of yanagibas in home kitchen? What can you slice with them and are they really that fragile?

Chef_ said:

I think if i were to buy a slicing knife i would go yanagiba over suji.

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I wouldn't (unless I was only slicing raw fish).

I2nogood said:

So what is the practical application of yanagibas in home kitchen? What can you slice with them and are they really that fragile?

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They're fine for soft meats with no crust (or bones), but roasts are too rough on the edge. I'd only ever use one for fish, hanger/ flank steaks, pork tenderloins and chicken breasts. A suju is a much better option for a home user (unless you eat a LOT of raw fish).

For a home user a suji is more versatile than a yanagiba. It will last many years with limited use. I was just saying that with heavy use they wear out much faster than a gyuto. I only used my yanagiba's for sashimi and sushi topping at work.

For home use I only break out my yanagiba on special occasions. Never bought any more suji's after the ones I wore out at work, find a gyuto can handle including slicing. That said if you want a slicing blade in your quiver nothing wrong at all investing in a nice suji.