Experience with Misono or Togiharu Carbon's

Hi there,

I am looking into getting a new 9-10"/24 cm. gyutou, preferably carbon steel. Price range $100-200.

I have found these two candidates, the -

Misono Swedish Carbon Steel Gyutou
http://www.korin.com/HMI-SCGY-240?sc=27&category=280077

and the

Togiharu Virgin Carbon Steel Gyutou
http://www.korin.com/HTO-HCGY-240?sc=27&category=363206

My main concern is the ergonomics using pinch grip: In the past I have had similar knifes (straight heel, half bolster) where the back of the heel was very sharp against the back of my middle finger when using a pinch grip (which I always do).

Therefore I am looking for advice/experiences with the above models: Are the heel softened or sharp?

Any alternate knifes I should be looking at?

In your budget range, it's rare to have a smooth edge in the area you are concerned about.

Wet/dry automotive sandpaper and a little effort will smooth out the sharp edge on any knife.

Pensacola Tiger said:

Wet/dry automotive sandpaper and a little effort will smooth out the sharp edge on any knife.

Click to expand...

+1 Branded 3m papers are good and are ~$5 for a variety pack at wally-world.
And if you can learn to sharpen the cutting edge, dealing with the spine / choil should be no problems.

HRC_64 said:

if you can learn to sharpen the cutting edge, dealing with the spine / choil should be no problems.

Click to expand...

Ha ha, good point.

I don't know if I'm being a bit too cheap here. I just think that there's a lot of great carbon blades in that price range, and (besides maybe the Zwilling Kramer carbon) it's not abvious what $100 more would buy me.

Besides, the 10 incher is not used very often in my house...

The Misono has a remarkable Fit&Finish, the Togiharu which I don't know supposedly the harder steel. You can't go wrong with either. Ask for Korin's free initial stone sharpening. It makes your own maintenance much easier. You will get used to the size very quickly. German 10" are heavy, these are relatively light and aren't handle heavy, you won't feel the weight as much.

I just ordered the Misono in 195 so I can give you an impression shortly.

I also have the Zwilling Kramer Carbon in 10" so I can give you a bit of a comparison. The biggest knock on the Zwilling is the rivets are raised on the handle, which I've read is an issue with the line. That said, with my lefty pinch grip, I don't notice it very much. The blade is very nice with a great taper (both towards edge and tip). At 300g it is heavy but nicely balanced (it is better balanced than the 8" version which I sold).