Looking for a 150mm Japanese Petty

I haven't been able to find something I like at 2 sites I normally visit when knife shopping.

LOCATION
What country are you in?

USA

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

Japanese Petty 150mm (5.9-6.0in)

Are you right or left handed?

Left

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?

Western handle e.g. Shun Classic handle

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?

Japanese Petty 150mm (5.9-6.0in)

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)

Yes, stainless core (HRC 59+) with stainless cladding.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?

$100 but prefer around $50


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

Home

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.)

Only for vegetables. slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

J.A. Henckels International Classic 6-inch Utility Knife (Spain)

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

Grip with index finger on spine. I only use this grip for utility (petty) knives.
[video=youtube;HIQjJnv3GEY]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HIQjJnv3GEY[/video]

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.)

chopping and slicing

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.)

Taller heel for comfort. Too many petty knives are too low to the board where there is not enough clearance.

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)?

• Clad stainless steel (non Damascus)
• Durable handle

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?

• Thicker handle like a Shun Classic

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)?

• Thin knife (thin spine) less wedging < 1.8mm

I am also considering the Tojiro DP Gyuto 180mm. But for this thread lets stick to petty knives because it's still better for maneuverability.


Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?

• HRC 59+
• A quality stainless core steel for $100

KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)

Plastic and wood

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)

Yes

I'm confused by a couple things you specified.
1) Shun classic is not a typical "Western handle", it's more of a mix of Japanese and western.

2) "Thicker handle like a Shun classic" - are you referring to the large size handle on say like a Shun classic 8" chef knife? Because the Shun classic utility/petty shares the same small handle as with the paring knife, and I don't consider that thick at all (too small for a petty actually IMO)

Tanaka could be good. The Western VG-10 150mm petty is sold out:
http://www.metalmaster-ww.com/product/10

... but they have 190mm gyutos:
http://www.metalmaster-ww.com/product/117

I've got the petty (with the wa handle, though) and I like it. Decent height for board work, nice steel and profile, thin.

richard said:

I'm confused by a couple things you specified.
1) Shun classic is not a typical "Western handle", it's more of a mix of Japanese and western.

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I should have said non Wa handle. I'm looking for a Western handle with a half bolster.

richard said:

2) "Thicker handle like a Shun classic" - are you referring to the large size handle on say like a Shun classic 8" chef knife? Because the Shun classic utility/petty shares the same small handle as with the paring knife, and I don't consider that thick at all (too small for a petty actually IMO)

Click to expand...

I was referring to the Shun Classic utility/petty. Either way I'm looking for a thick handle. For example, the Tojiro DP Utility 150mm handle is too thin. It doesn't fill in the fingers enough for comfort. I hope this clears things up.

What kind of chef's knife do you have? The tasks you mention are best performed with a decent chef's knife or gyuto.

I was going to say you might want to look at a bunka or small chef's knife.

Benuser said:

What kind of chef's knife do you have? The tasks you mention are best performed with a decent chef's knife or gyuto.

Click to expand...

mise_en_place said:

I was going to say you might want to look at a bunka or small chef's knife.

Click to expand...

I have a gyuto, santoku, and western chef knives. I'm not going to mention the brands because its getting off topic.

The petty is supposed to replace the Henckels International Classic 6-inch Utility. Which I find more maneuverable more precise than a chefs knife. I get work done faster with the nimble size. But the Henckels has plenty of flaws. That's why I was very specific in my original post.

unprofessional_chef said:

I have a gyuto, santoku, and western chef knives. I'm not going to mention the brands because its getting off topic.

The petty is supposed to replace the Henckels International Classic 6-inch Utility. Which I find more maneuverable more precise than a chefs knife. I get work done faster with the nimble size. But the Henckels has plenty of flaws. That's why I was very specific in my original post.

Click to expand...

I understand what you're saying, but you're fixated on a particular style that doesn't seem to suit your needs e.g. more board clearance. That's like saying I'm looking for a van that can seat 6 but I need it to be low to the ground with a convertible top and must exceed speeds of 160 mph. What you're really looking for is a sports car.

What Benuser and I are saying is why don't you look at bunkas or small gyutos. Bunkas will have the board clearance you're looking for with a pointy tip and the "nimbleness" you speak of.

mise_en_place said:

I understand what you're saying, but you're fixated on a particular style that doesn't seem to suit your needs e.g. more board clearance. That's like saying I'm looking for a van that can seat 6 but I need it to be low to the ground with a convertible top and must exceed speeds of 160 mph. What you're really looking for is a sports car.

What Benuser and I are saying is why don't you look at bunkas or small gyutos. Bunkas will have the board clearance you're looking for with a pointy tip and the "nimbleness" you speak of.

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I've seen the 6 in utility / 150mm petty knives used very effectively. And I'm trying to adopt this style. It might be seen as unorthodox. But I'm convinced this is the direction I want to go in.

https://youtu.be/VpLRw-Fzen4?t=5m55s

I will consider Bunkas as well as the Tojiro DP Gyuto 180mm mentioned in the OP.

Well good luck. Pretty much all the petties I've seen with a taller profile tend to be wa-handled. I think the Tanaka VG-10 is probably the tallest western one I've seen, and it's not exactly the best looker.

I agree with the comments about this being a bit of an odd choice. The fact that you can make something work doesn't mean it's a great choice. To make a petty like this 'work' for board work you end up either cutting everything on the side of the board (so the handle is off the board) or only using the front half to render the clearance issue moot. Neither is very optimal.
I can see the point about nimble & precision work - I like this style of knife for trimming meats and such - but in those cases you're not chopping and mincing veggies. It's more of a slicing action.

unprofessional_chef said:

I should have said non Wa handle. I'm looking for a Western handle with a half bolster.

I was referring to the Shun Classic utility/petty. Either way I'm looking for a thick handle. For example, the Tojiro DP Utility 150mm handle is too thin. It doesn't fill in the fingers enough for comfort. I hope this clears things up.

Click to expand...

OK that clears things up. Yes the Tojiro petty handle is small. So there are petty knives with larger handles that are also taller to provide above average knuckle clearance, but a bunch I can't recommend to you because I noticed you are a lefty. One worth looking into is the Gesshin stainless. Jon has it listed as ambidextrous, though that could still mean the edge is slightly right-handed asymmetric (but 60/40 instead of like 80/20 or 90/10). Jon can let you know.



There's also the Takamura R2 150 mm petty worth considering. It's like a laser scapel so it definitely won't wedge and it's a 50/50 edge, and the core is R2 which gets very sharp and retains a 90% sharpness edge for a damn long time. But it's not particularly tall (I'd say average), and the handles are generally on the smaller side (but it may still be a little bigger than the Tojiro?)

+1 for the Tanaka VG10 petty. Sure it's not the prettiest contender out there and doesn't have a bolster, but the blade is nice and tall for board work, the handle is large for a 150 petty, it's a very good cutting machine and one of the best value options around.

I bought one for my wife and she's loving it. I've found myself using the Tanaka quite often too.
http://www.knivesandstones.com/tanaka-vg10-damascus-petty-150mm-western-handle/

Petty knives are very useful for a variety of tasks. Jon explains it better than I can. Skip to 4m 37s

[video=youtube;piMW7riekmg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piMW7riekmg&t=4m37s[/video]

Very nice presentation, Jon. But, while I know you've probably handled more knives than anyone, it still made me nervous watching you wave your free hand around that close to the knives.

Hattori KF 150 vg10. Pick a handle (they are great). On sale at jck.

https://goo.gl/photos/1AraAgLn6LBc2zWT9

DaveInMesa said:

Very nice presentation, Jon. But, while I know you've probably handled more knives than anyone, it still made me nervous watching you wave your free hand around that close to the knives.

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lol... dont worry... i still get nervous too

You know who's not nervous handling knives precariously? This guy:

https://youtu.be/6XmqPGGOHAc

Jon you need to hire him pronto

what you are looking for, i would forget the western handle requirement and try one of these http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-stainless-kasumi-150mm-wa-petty/

i don't have much experience with pettys because i almost never use them.

am i the only one who is laughing about the OPs nickname?

Out of stock!

panda said:

what you are looking for, i would forget the western handle requirement and try one of these http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-stainless-kasumi-150mm-wa-petty/

i don't have much experience with pettys because i almost never use them.

am i the only one who is laughing about the OPs nickname?

Click to expand...