Capable "small" kitchen knife?

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Dear fellow Kitchen Knife nuts,

I had a rule where I get rid of a knife before getting another.
Last week, I sold my Heiji 255 mm semistainless gyuto (a beast).
I'm holding onto my Heiji 220 mm Chukobocho (a really big beast).

My question-- what do you guys like as a capable "small" chef knife that won't scare the ladies?
I know that I'm oversimplifying/stereotyping, but it always seems like the ladies take a took at my gyuto/chuko and start edging away at the crazy guy. The dudes love em.

Currently, I've used a lee valley peasant chef knife--nimble, takes a wicked edge, sorta short compared to what I'm used to (cleavers). My Heiji gyuto was nice, but felt a bit big (most of the time, I'm cooking in a limited area).

Any suggestions? I'm seriously tempted to copy Schanop and get a 210 mm Santoku.
 
180 or 210 mm gyuto. I've gifted a few Tanakas in those sizes. Went over pretty well. The handles aren't too glamorous, but they're pretty easy to replace.
 
Takamura r2 180 mm gyuto or 165 santoku
Unbeatable at the price. A true laser.
 
I would say in general something like a lightweight 180 gyuto could fit the bill. Stainless, probably with western handle.
 
Guess the skill to be sharpened is finding ladies than can, in more than one way, take an edge :)

I guess taking advantage of cultural stereotypes and gauging which of them the person you are dealing with has (Cleavers are associated with butchers but also with tasty chinese cuisine; Yanagi with fine, hip, safe sushi - but they also look very swordlike to some people ... etc...) is the lesson to take here...

...

Have you tried ko-sized santokus/nakiris/kawamukis? They are actually surprisingly capable... and precise. Not so good as slicers, though, obviously. Considered a ladies knife but ... let us dudes just make the result of the work look good on us!

...

@Godslayer the R2 just look very, very elegant and un-butchery, so that is a good idea.
 
Takamura r2 180 mm gyuto or 165 santoku
Unbeatable at the price. A true laser.

I got my girl one of these. She immediately said "WOW it's sharp!", and while she's not even close to having the knife bug, she at least understands the difference between the knives I like and the basic Wusthofs she used to have.

Which she still has, but at least they're boxed up and out of the way and unused.

Edit: Though if I could go back and do it again, I'd get her the 180mm instead. It's a pretty enough knife that I don't think she'd have minded it being a bit longer than the one it replaced.
 
I have a $50 my blue 2 tanaka 180mm that is the best knife to money cost ratio I have ever spent.

Jeff
 
My wife is only using petty knife. One small (11cm-ish) and 2 15cm.
 
+1 for the Takamura R2 red handle, but I'd go for the 180 gyuto. It's nice, light, shiny, thin, small handle, sharp, stainless, great edge retention, very capable and kind of pretty. What's not for a girl to like (or a guy :laugh: )

Or the Tanaka VG10 Damascus 190 yo gyuto. All the same great qualities apply here too, but just slightly less so, but with the added bonus of a highly polished damascus finish. them girls like their bling!
And the cost-performance ratio is ridiculously good.
 
A bunka. More distinctive (less common) profile than a santoku.
 
Bunkas look positively martial to many people.

So is your choice of knife limited by your choice of lady, or are you trying not to narrow your choice of lady by your choice of knife? In the second case, just steer clear of ladies that are afraid of a cook (exception: ones that have a reason to be scared of knives due to prior trauma).
 
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