Edge retention on Misono 440?

Has anyone used the misono 440 in a pro environment? I'm looking for some cheap-ish stainless for house knives, other options in the same price bracket would also be appreciated

i dunno about that one, but if you're gonna drop $100 USD on a house knife i'd say go mac chef series?

Likewise... don't have experience on the actual knife... but in that price range there are a lot of other options. At 120 dollars for a 210 gyuto you could also look at

-Carbonext (cheaper)
-Tojiro DP (about...half as much)
-Fujiwara FKM (just over half as much)
-Sakai Teriyaki Grand Chef (slightly more expensive)
-Tojiro HSS (slightly more expensive)
-Masahiro MV or MVH (comparable pricing)
-Suisin Inox (comparable pricing, maybe slightly cheaper)

And that's probably leaving out quite a lot of good options. Who knows, maybe someone who used them all can chime in. Preizzo?

I owned a 440 about 8 years ago. My memory is pretty hazy although I think I disliked the handle, profile and weight(really heavy). Even when I was a noob I was picky! I much preferred the UX10, but of course you're looking for a bargain. I would suggest try before you buy.

I've been playing around with this concept for about a year now. And the Carbonext was my first gut reaction as well. I've contemplated a variety of other stainless options, and the prospect of upkeep made me think harder on the subject...

Had excellent results with the Hiromoto NS-10, much thinner than usual with Mr Nagao, and allowing a rather conservative edge. Great edge retention, even on crappy poly boards. https://www.scottsmarketplace.com/buy/77850/hiromoto-ns10-chef-knife-210mm-8-14/

I don't know about a pro environment obviously but the Masahiro MV-H is one of my favorite cheap knives, steel is really tough and it has a nice grind

Possibly relevant; who will be doing the sharpening and how? And how experienced will they be at it?

+1 for Tojiro DP
For half the price you get better heat treat / edge retention (60HRC vs 58-59HRC).
Unless your guys like to hack through bones and frozen stuff, then just get some cheapy / soft stainless euro knives.
Sorry for the negative comment, but i've seen so many chefs mistreating their knives, that i have lost all my illusions regarding proper house knives.

JCK Kagayaki Basic Series is an excellent knife for the price, handle on the larger side, very evenly balanced, asymmetrical blade with the back being flat, sharpens up easily for VG-1 and holds the edge...

labor of love said:

I owned a 440 about 8 years ago. My memory is pretty hazy although I think I disliked the handle, profile and weight(really heavy). Even when I was a noob I was picky! I much preferred the UX10, but of course you're looking for a bargain. I would suggest try before you buy.

Click to expand...

I think your recollection is off, or there was some other factor in play because while there are some slight design differences, the profile and weight between the Misono 440 and UX10 lines are pretty much the same. You can take a look at the charts below between the two and see. The handles are about the same size too, but there are some minor differences in the shape. I have three pieces from both the 440 and UX10 lines, and also I've handled a number of them in stores and can compare them side-by-side.

http://www.hocho-knife.com/misono-440-hyper-chrome-molybdenum-stainless-chef-knife-gyuto-210mm/
http://www.hocho-knife.com/misono-ux10-swedish-stainless-chef-knife-gyuto-210mm/

A bunch of good options discussed here, and I have experience with most of them. I think the Misono 440 is a pretty good choice for what you are looking for, and Misono designed this series pretty much targeted for your market, easy-to-sharpen solid performing line suitable for pro-level use but still relatively affordable. April Bloomfield is a well-known chef that favors the Misono 440 and I've heard of others.

A couple things to be aware of though for Misono gyutos:

1) There is a big jump in blade height, weight and heft, handle size from 210 mm to 240 mm - see this table for numbers. So while the 210 mm is relatively light (not quite laser) for a Western gyuto, the 240 mm is a bit towards the heavier side compared to peers (though not quite as heavy as say a Masamoto VG). However the 270 mm is only slightly heavier than the 240 mm and the even balance makes Misono one of my favorite makers for a 270 mm Western gyuto.

2) The 210 mm (and probably the 180 mm) gyutos have pretty low blade height, so they can feel a bit like a "tall suji". I have a Misono 440 210 mm and I don't mind this and I appreciate the variety this profile offers among my collection, but it may not be for everyone.

Another one to strongly consider is the aforementioned Masahiro MV 137XX/MV-Honyaki 148XX/MV-H 149XX series. Just well designed all around, comfortable handles, pretty flat profiles (but still allow some amount of rocking), easy-to-sharpen relatively fine grained steel that holds an edge almost as well as VG-10, but is much tougher and resists chipping. The 137XX series knives are heavier and more workhorse-types, whereas the 147XX/148XX series knives are lighter and thinner, pretty close to laser.

Tojiro is undoubtedly a good value, but either the Misono or Masahiro are more comfortable to use IMHO, and the steel is tougher. Also I'm not a fan of the profile of the Tojiro; the whole edge is gently curved and doesn't have a flat spot whereas both Misono and Masahiro have quite generous flat spots. They should have a bit better edge retention than AUS-8 like Fujiwara FKM or Suisin INOX.