Kochi vs. Gesshin Kagekiyo Gyuto

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alterwisser

alterwisser

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I know few people are fans of Kiritsuke shaped Gyutos, but as I am mainly a push cutter (never rocking) and on top of that just a sucker for the looks of them, I finally want to get one for more daily use. I have a custom Haburn K-Tip, but that's more of an heirloom piece for my son than a daily driver.

So I am looking at two knives from Jon ... and two knives only. I never bought from him, everyone is raving about his service, so I feel it's finally time he gets some of my business after buying 40+ knives.

I am looking at the 240 Kochi (currently sold out, so I'd have to wait):

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...ochi-240mm-kurouchi-kiritsuke-shaped-wa-gyuto


And the Gesshin Kagekiyo in W#2

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...-kagekiyo-240mm-w-2-kiritsuke-shaped-wa-gyuto


The latter one is a little bit more expensive ($60), which I don't mind much. I probably like the Kochi handle better, but I heard it's rather big (which I don't like). Apart from that, I have no preference ...

Anyone who has experience with both LINES? I realize it's highly unlikely anyone has used both K-Tip gyutos, but maybe someone has used regular Gyutos from both lines ...

Would love to hear your feedback/experiences. Will also call Jon to get his take, of course...

cheers
 
Well, Jon jut took off for Japan for a one month long trip, so you will not be able to call him, though he may manage to answer emails.

I have not used Kagekiyo (yet) so I can not offer you a comparison, but I do have Kochi 180 K-tip santoku - a knife which I really love. Incredibly thin behind the edge and up the wide bevel (which comes slightly concave), the kurouchi is among the most best out there. The handle on mine is, when I come to think of it' very so slightly on the large side, but not oversized - I actually think it fits the knife of this size and weight well.

What I would like to point your attention to is the difference in profiles in the two gyutos you are looking at - the Kochi has much more belly towards the tip while the Kagekiyo seems more 'traditionally' shaped for a k-tip gyuto. I would expect that these two knives will feel differently in use. Also the Kochi is about 5 mm taller than the Kagekiyo (which is 'only' 47 mm tall), but at the same time the Kochi is about 20g lighter - that makes me expect the Kagekiyo to have more front-forward weight balance and give more 'choppy' feel compared to the Kochi. Putting all this together I would naively expect the Kochi to feel better for push-cutting than the Kagekiyo.

It would also appear that the wide bevel on the Kagekiyo is convex - that makes me expect that it will not be quite as thin some 5 - 10 mm behind the edge, but it could have better food release. But that is getting into the realm of phantasy.

Shoot Jon an email and give him a few days to answer. I hope I did not confuse you too much :)
 
Guten Morgen Matus ;)

No problem whatsoever, thanks a lot for the great insight! I don't mind waiting ... and the Kochi is sold out anyway. I didn't realize the Kag is only 47mm tall. That's putting me off a little bit, as I really do like taller blades ...




Matus said:
Well, Jon jut took off for Japan for a one month long trip, so you will not be able to call him, though he may manage to answer emails.

I have not used Kagekiyo (yet) so I can not offer you a comparison, but I do have Kochi 180 K-tip santoku - a knife which I really love. Incredibly thin behind the edge and up the wide bevel (which comes slightly concave), the kurouchi is among the most best out there. The handle on mine is, when I come to think of it' very so slightly on the large side, but not oversized - I actually think it fits the knife of this size and weight well.

What I would like to point your attention to is the difference in profiles in the two gyutos you are looking at - the Kochi has much more belly towards the tip while the Kagekiyo seems more 'traditionally' shaped for a k-tip gyuto. I would expect that these two knives will feel differently in use. Also the Kochi is about 5 mm taller than the Kagekiyo (which is 'only' 47 mm tall), but at the same time the Kochi is about 20g lighter - that makes me expect the Kagekiyo to have more front-forward weight balance and give more 'choppy' feel compared to the Kochi. Putting all this together I would naively expect the Kochi to feel better for push-cutting than the Kagekiyo.

It would also appear that the wide bevel on the Kagekiyo is convex - that makes me expect that it will not be quite as thin some 5 - 10 mm behind the edge, but it could have better food release. But that is getting into the realm of phantasy.

Shoot Jon an email and give him a few days to answer. I hope I did not confuse you too much :)
Click to expand...
 
I've owned 2 Kochi gyutos and the most recent had a smaller handle than the first. It's currently on my Tanaka so if you'd like measurements I can post them later.
 
i'm actually pretty on top of e-mails and whatnot right now, and the store is open and running as usual while i am gone this year (for the first time ever). There are people there who can answer questions if you call too. Heck, i even have someone there who can sharpen the knife before it ships if need be.
 
I was never able to get a clear idea of what the point of the K-tip was, and the threads here were sparse and non-specific. Can you possibly enlighten me on that?
 
I'm not certain but I think the profile on the kochi k tip is about the same as the regular Gyuto. I've owned a kagekiyo in the past and they're fantastic. But I prefer the way kochis cut.
 
DanHumphrey said:
I was never able to get a clear idea of what the point of the K-tip was, and the threads here were sparse and non-specific. Can you possibly enlighten me on that?
Click to expand...

90% of the time, its just an aesthetic thing for people, but in some cases the profile is a bit flatter (not always) and some people like that too
 
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