Advice sought for Kurouchi Petty

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DitmasPork

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Hi. Advice sought. I'm looking to buy myself a birthday present, looking for a carbon 150mm Wa Kurouchi petty that won't break the bank, budget is sub-$150. I currently have two Western 150mm petty knives—a Mac Pro and a carbon Masahiro. My pettys get as much use as my gyutos—they get more of a beating—boning, cutting string and plastic bags, opening boxes, trimming, etc.

I've been looking at:
Moritaka
Gesshin Uraku
Watanabe

Would greatly appreciate any advice, comparing those three from those that have used them. Pros/Cons, f&f, etc.
 
Do you plan to use it for board work as well?
Honestly for a lot of those listed tasks which aren't food-related, you can easily use a cheap pocket knife like Opinel <$20
 
Didn't realize there was a KU petty in the Uraku line...I need to check out the JKI site more closely. I'm also in search of a small ish carbon petty sub $150. Will keep an eye on this thread.
 
Do you plan to use it for board work as well?
Honestly for a lot of those listed tasks which aren't food-related, you can easily use a cheap pocket knife like Opinel <$20

Agreed, my Swiss Army Knife would suffice. Though, when I'm in the kitchen, I usually just have my petty and gyuto out—will go straight from cutting open a bag to trimming proteins, etc. Regarding need/want, I dig wa handles.
 
Do you plan to use it for board work as well?
Honestly for a lot of those listed tasks which aren't food-related, you can easily use a cheap pocket knife like Opinel <$20

Or a $400 Sebanza...
Same way as you can use $40 victorinox as your main gyuto but I bet you don't since you are here ;)
 
Or a $400 Sebanza...
Same way as you can use $40 victorinox as your main gyuto but I bet you don't since you are here ;)

Yes, though I'm specifically seeking advice on a carbon 150mm Korouchi Wa Petty.
 
Have you looked at a Munetoshi petty? Damn fine thing and it looks much better in person than it does in the photos
 
Have you looked at a Munetoshi petty? Damn fine thing and it looks much better in person than it does in the photos

The Munetoshi petty does look good, but a tad too long at 165, and it also has a D-handle, which doesn't work since I'm a lefty.
 
The Munetoshi petty does look good, but a tad too long at 165, and it also has a D-handle, which doesn't work since I'm a lefty.

The D, you can just sand down so it shouldn't be an issue if it's really uncomfortable.

Not sure if you've tried a 165 petty in everyday use and find it too long, but if you're going purely on stats, it's really not as long as you'd think it feels.

Other option I'd personally look into would be Watanabe. I'm sure he'd be able to make you a KU petty. Now that I have my hands on one of his knives, I can honestly say that his stuff is truly ace.
 
The Wat would be my choice as well but I have to say I really like my Moritaka.
 
What's your current petty? Seems like you go through a lot of knives.

I do indeed! I have a Tanaka ginsanko 150mm. But I've used a good bit of them. For pettys I think I prefer thin stuff with pointy tips. If a kochi was in my budget I'd grab one, but I prefer cheaper pettys even though they see a lot of work. I want to replace my Tanaka with either a misono dragon petty or a ginga. Yeah they're fully exposed carbon but monosteel reactivity is much easier to control.
 
I do indeed! I have a Tanaka ginsanko 150mm. But I've used a good bit of them. For pettys I think I prefer thin stuff with pointy tips. If a kochi was in my budget I'd grab one, but I prefer cheaper pettys even though they see a lot of work. I want to replace my Tanaka with either a misono dragon petty or a ginga. Yeah they're fully exposed carbon but monosteel reactivity is much easier to control.

Kochi is out of my petty budget. If I had more $ I'd love get one to go with my 240 Kochi!
 
Have you used much righty D-handle knives? I have 2 that haven't caused me issues (also a lefty)
Also tend to prefer slimmer narrower and pointier profiles for petty knives (I don't tend to use them as board knives) which has ruled out many of the forged san-mai ones
 
As a lefty, I actually like D handles mounted for right handed user. The D on the opposing side give me a good place to wrap my fingers around in a pinch grip
 
D shape doesn't bother me necessarily. But when I made my most recent purchase (munetoshi gyuto) I was more than happy to throw down an extra $50 to get an octagonal burnt chestnut handle upgrade. I'm a lefty btw
 
D shape doesn't bother me necessarily. But when I made my most recent purchase (munetoshi gyuto) I was more than happy to throw down an extra $50 to get an octagonal burnt chestnut handle upgrade. I'm a lefty btw

Very tempting, but by the time I add the upgraded handle, and shipping from Denmark it breaks my budget. The Munetoshi's a nice looking knife—very rustic!
 
Can't you just knock the handle off, flit it around and reinstall? It's basically a stick with a bit of shape. I'd just leave it as long as it's a symetrical bevel i really don't see a difference in left and right handed handles.
 
Can't you just knock the handle off, flit it around and reinstall? It's basically a stick with a bit of shape. I'd just leave it as long as it's a symetrical bevel i really don't see a difference in left and right handed handles.

Yes, I could, however, for a budget carbon petty, I'd rather not have to put any work into it. Knocking off and re-attaching a handle would be a bit of a hassle in my Brooklyn apartment—I don't have a vice, not sure if I even have a hammer, don't have whatever type of glue needed. Also don't want to spend the time watching 'how to' YouTube videos—I can see the whole process taking me a couple of days—time is money. Also, fearful of messing it up, and possibly cracking the buffalo horn ferrule.

At the beginning of the thread I sought info, Pros/Cons on the following sub-$150 Kurouchi 150mm petty knives—these are available with ambidextrous wa-handles:
Moritaka
Gesshin Uraku
Watanabe

If I had the money I'd splurge for a Kochi or Heiji Kurouchi—but want something in a lower price bracket, since it'll get a lot of use/abuse.
 
Friend of mine and a pro chef just got a Moritaka AS 150 petty and can not stop raving about it. He already partially refinished it and the grind was all fine.
 
Yes, I could, however, for a budget carbon petty, I'd rather not have to put any work into it. Knocking off and re-attaching a handle would be a bit of a hassle in my Brooklyn apartment—I don't have a vice, not sure if I even have a hammer, don't have whatever type of glue needed. Also don't want to spend the time watching 'how to' YouTube videos—I can see the whole process taking me a couple of days—time is money. Also, fearful of messing it up, and possibly cracking the buffalo horn ferrule.

At the beginning of the thread I sought info, Pros/Cons on the following sub-$150 Kurouchi 150mm petty knives—these are available with ambidextrous wa-handles:
Moritaka
Gesshin Uraku
Watanabe

If I had the money I'd splurge for a Kochi or Heiji Kurouchi—but want something in a lower price bracket, since it'll get a lot of use/abuse.

Not tried a Uraku
Read enough about Moritaka, not to want one
Can vouch for Watanabe KU as stated before &#128521;
 
@DitmasPork , have you had experience with righty D- handles that just didn't work for you?

Nope, my Wa knives are mostly octagon, only D-handle is a lefty Masamoto KS. When prepping, a righty D wouldn't bother me—but my feeling is why bother getting a righty handle when I can get a lefty or octagon.
 
The one I have my eye on is the Murata. It's listed as "koyanagi" but it's described as ambidextrous handle and blade, blue 1, kurouchi, $109. No firsthand experience with it yet though.
 
The one I have my eye on is the Murata. It's listed as "koyanagi" but it's described as ambidextrous handle and blade, blue 1, kurouchi, $109. No firsthand experience with it yet though.

I've got a funayuki Murata (buho with the wa handle).

Delightful knife. Not used it too much but I can swear it has an S grind as I run my fingers across the width of the blade.
 
The one I have my eye on is the Murata. It's listed as "koyanagi" but it's described as ambidextrous handle and blade, blue 1, kurouchi, $109. No firsthand experience with it yet though.

The only Murata dealers I can find are in Canada, where shipping cost too much; I also see them at that "Cooks Knives to Take Out" site, though no 150 petty knives.

I've already pulled the trigger, and will post my purchase when it's in my hands!!! Thank you all for the replies!!!
 
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