Stainless Petty???

Hey guys-

I’m in the market for a Stainless Petty. I’m open to size, but probably in the 120-150mm range. I will be using it mostly as a utility knife for cutting up misc. food for my kids. Mostly fruits, veggies, and meat w/o bones. Budget is up to $150USD

My default rec for pettys is the Tanaka VG10 damascus 150 petty. For utility use it’s great. Tall -ish at the heel, the blade profile angled to give more knuckle clearance, vintage Tanaka convex grind and the superb Tanaka heat treat. Seriously just about all the petty you need and for such a great price. The handle is a bit blocky, but still ok.

Check it out at Knives and Stones.

I’m on a skiing holiday and that’s the knife I travel with.

The Takamura R2 is great too. More laser and less knuckle clearence, but nothing much cuts better and the F&F is superb.

Ryusen SG2 is quite nice, as is Akifusa.

+1 Takamura, also Ginga. Haven’t used a Tanaka yet though and have only heard good things.

+1 tanaka petty. I like that is tall enough to get your knuckles under it. It doesn't wedge and looks badass. The VG10 takes a descent edge.

Are you looking for a high heel? Because this will dictate your search as many petties are very narrow-bladed almost like parers.

StonedEdge said:

Are you looking for a high heel? Because this will dictate your search as many petties are very narrow-bladed almost like parers.

Click to expand...

Yes, definitely looking for a high heel that can be used like a mini gyuto almost. I only have to cut up a small amount of food when feeding my small kids, and I don’t want to get my gyuto out for something like strawberries when I’m only cutting up a couple

One other thing, I’m a lefty and my wife is a righty, so anything we get needs to be a 50/50 grind! I see a lot of you guys said Tanaka VG10, would you recommend the western handle or the Wa handle? The western is far cheaper

I'm only suggesting this as I'm eyeing them for a similar kind of thing, but what about something like the Masakage Kiri Ko-Bunka?

Is it an absolute requirement that the knife be 100% stainless? As in, no stainless clad carbon core?

sac36555 said:

One other thing, I’m a lefty and my wife is a righty, so anything we get needs to be a 50/50 grind! I see a lot of you guys said Tanaka VG10, would you recommend the western handle or the Wa handle? The western is far cheaper

Click to expand...

They cost about the same if you buy from Metalmaster or K&S. Western handle is more durable. The wa handle is usually made with a plastic ferrule and the ho wood is coarse and soaks up everything in the same room, but can be sanded and treated of course. Other wise they are the same knife. Not 50/50 grind, but will work for both IMO.

One point. If your looking for something with high end F&F look elsewhere, but for utility use the sheer cutting performance (and bang for buck) it's hard to beat.

StonedEdge said:

Is it an absolute requirement that the knife be 100% stainless? As in, no stainless clad carbon core?

Click to expand...

I’m open to semi-Stainless and Stainless cladding as well. It’s not so much a necessity for me, but my wife isn’t the greatest at cleaning and drying the knives right after using them.

sac36555 said:

I’m open to semi-Stainless and Stainless cladding as well. It’s not so much a necessity for me, but my wife isn’t the greatest at cleaning and drying the knives right after using them.

Click to expand...

If that's the case, I think you should go with full stainless. At least for now.

toddnmd said:

If that's the case, I think you should go with full stainless. At least for now.

Click to expand...

I was looking on a couple sites and also came across a Ko Bocho or a tall petty that seem to fit my need as well. Any recommendations?

How about the Itinomonn Stain-Less kasumi petty? It’s stainless enough to get away with some neglect and the performance pretty darn great. Fit and finish is as good as it gets.

While I was on JNS looking at the Itinomann I also came across the Toyama Noborikoi Kasumi 150mm. They seem expensive, but I’m willing to pay for high quality. The questions I have about this knife is, it this SS clad? It doesn’t say I’m the website, but the photo shows a cladding line. Also, is it a 50/50 grind? I’m left handed and my wife is right handed. I don’t mind the D-shaped handle and can just sand it down if needed

The Toyoma is not SS clad.

The Global GS-5 is a cheap and cheerful solution. It's billed as a vegetable or utility knife, but I think of it as a fully stainless 140mm bunka-type-thing. It's perfect for the types of task the OP mentions, and is my wife's favorite knife for prepping lunches. Friends enjoy using it too. Not the most exciting steel on the planet, but it's a great knife for the price. I get my Globals through Sointu, which is the main importer. Their prices seem to be substantially lower than everyone else on just about all the knives.

Ginga petty

btbyrd said:

The Global GS-5 is a cheap and cheerful solution. It's billed as a vegetable or utility knife, but I think of it as a fully stainless 140mm bunka-type-thing. It's perfect for the types of task the OP mentions, and is my wife's favorite knife for prepping lunches. Friends enjoy using it too. Not the most exciting steel on the planet, but it's a great knife for the price. I get my Globals through Sointu, which is the main importer. Their prices seem to be substantially lower than everyone else on just about all the knives.

Click to expand...

Just re-read the OP, and for kids lunches, that global is not a bad idea at all.

The Global GS-2 and GS-3 from Sointu are cheaper and even more cheerful than the GS-5.
More versatile knives IMO.
I got rid of all my Global knives and the GS-3 is the only one I miss...

Bernal is selling a 150mm Tojiro petty in R-2 powdered steel for $108 plus shipping. 31mm height looks very useful...

+ Takamura R2, can´t go wrong with this. It´s usually my choice for smaller veggies at work.

sac36555 said:

One other thing, I’m a lefty and my wife is a righty, so anything we get needs to be a 50/50 grind! I see a lot of you guys said Tanaka VG10, would you recommend the western handle or the Wa handle? The western is far cheaper

Click to expand...

I have similar problem, so would be happy to get the answer too.