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Marko Tsourkan

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What did you guys use to use, and what are you using now? Which knife (if any) has been consistently a good performer and why?

M
 
Devin Thomas mystery steel carbon gyuto. All the things you could want in a work knife...long lasting edge, great profile and thin behind the edge, and patinaed so it doesn't look like much. Chef Niloc has it now and I am waiting to see if he feels the same.
 
Hiramoto AS 240mm gyuto. Great sharpening properties but with enough heft behind the blade to really run it hard in the kitchen. I got a Devin 240mm AEB-L before the price increase but have yet to commit it to a life of hard labor.
 
What did you guys use to use, and what are you using now? Which knife (if any) has been consistently a good performer and why?

M
My favorite for years was and old 9inch carbon Sabatier one of the originals from the late 1870's, Then I switched to a hundred year old Carbon Henckels, Then a 240mm Hiromoto Hc. Now I'm rotating the set Randy made me and a set that Del made me in AEB-L. Hopefully, I can add a Marko set to my list one day.:thumbsup:

The thing that I love about them is there ease of sharpening and ability to attain super insanely sharp edges, even the old vintage ones. I love the triangular profile of the Sabatier and even the older Henckels had a similar triangular profile, not like today's German knives. I can't explain why I love the Hiromoto, I just do. It's still early to tell if I Randy's or Del's will be a great love affair. Right now I am crushing pretty bad though.
 
I have been using a John Jones cleaver (bullet proof) for most of my veggie prep, plus some chicken. And as much as I hate to admit it, my Carter 7.9 sun funyaki, which at the beginnig I did not care for, it right up there for usage.

If I go anywhere near the line I use my Fuji 240 FKH (The carter tip is too fragile.)

I have no doubt that my DT's would perform miraculously, but I am over protective of them so I keep them at home, the San Mai gyuto is my number 1 at home, which still gets used pretty hard at home.

When I get one of yours (AMT) it will get a proper workout in both kitchens.
 
interesting question Marko ;)

I dt itk is a good go to for a work horse recently, I used to use a masamoto western gytuo quite a bit. I also have used my konosuke white 1 as a work horse. I like all of them and some others.
 
Henckels to a Mac, to a Takeda, to a Konosuke HD as my most recent go-to knife... lots of others in between, but these are the stand outs through the years.
 
27cm JCK Carbonext. Was an awesome knife when I got it and still is. I've since switched primarily to cleavers and go between a sugimoto #6 and a Hattori FH. Personally I prefer the profile on the Sugimoto, but the Hattori does take a great edge, holds it and is surprisingly easy to sharpen for VG-10.

Got a new gyuto coming from Aframes soon though, so this may change again :D
 
Devin Thomas mystery steel carbon gyuto. All the things you could want in a work knife...long lasting edge, great profile and thin behind the edge, and patinaed so it doesn't look like much. Chef Niloc has it now and I am waiting to see if he feels the same.
All that's true.
I thought it was just a carbon ITK at first, I commented that it put holes in hoss's statement that his stainless out performs carbon, then he told me it wasn't just a carbon ITK. So the knife passed a blinded test, supper fine totally carbon edge....great knife.

To answer the question of what did I use back in te day:
For the first 10 years of my pro life I used a set of Thiers-Issard's a cheep Chinese cleaver and a yanagi that i still to this day have no idea who made it. I got it at korin in 1990 payed $195.00 for it. So as far as the test of time goes I'd say they held up pretty well.

And I still stand true to my statement that my Burke Suji is the best performing kitchen knife in the world, beats other Burks.

Out of all the cleavers I have had I hate to say it but M.C. Has made the best.
 
Hiromoto AS is cheap and good. Everything is quite decent in that knife.

Misono Swedish is even better, the grind and thickness beats hiro in my opinion. I like it better.
That is why ive made my hiro go on diet.
 
I'm not a pro, but back when I worked at the restaurant, Sabs were the stars, with Fibrox Forschners and no name cleavers getting honorable mention.
As far as a factory knife is concerned, I'd give Misono Swedes my vote, but I never used mine in that setting, so I can't be sure. Toughness ability to get toothy sharp go a long way.
 
Just a sentimental thank you. When I bought my first set out of culinary school (the Thiers-Issard 's) there was Ltd. Ed. Gilles Reynewaeter Diamant/ Flower Set that I really wanted but could not afford, $1000 for the set. I from time to time over the years looked for them to pop up on eBay. Last night after reading this post it prompted me to check out eBay. What do you know, found them. I know these are hardly "the best knives" and will become my first set of draw queens, but it's a sentimental thing.
Thank you
Colin
 
I've been thinking about this, too.

Considering either a Moritaka or Zakuri in AS. Anyone have measurements or comments about those choices? Is AS a good steel choice for this type of workhorse knife?
 
I recently made the switch from a Moritaka 240mm blue #2 to a Konosuke HD 240mm as my main knife and couldn't be happier.
I'd recommend the HD to anyone in a pro environment.Super thin,sharpens up real nice and keeps it's edge even after hours of abuse on a crappy poly board.No patina or discolouration or transfer of odors or flavours and it's virtually stainless(unlike my Moritaka).
 
I recently made the switch from a Moritaka 240mm blue #2 to a Konosuke HD 240mm as my main knife and couldn't be happier.
I'd recommend the HD to anyone in a pro environment.Super thin,sharpens up real nice and keeps it's edge even after hours of abuse on a crappy poly board.No patina or discolouration or transfer of odors or flavours and it's virtually stainless(unlike my Moritaka).

How does HD fare doing a large amount of prep cutting? Wouldn't a thicker knife be a better choice for an all-around knife (I understand these are personal preferences)? I handled HD briefly (didn't cut with it) but in my recollection, it was a very thin and light knife, even for 270mm length. In my mind it was more a task-specific (great cutter, more control etc) knife than an all-around knife.

M
 
Honestly,it blows me away every time I use her.Because she's so I thin I initially though I'd have to baby her,but I was wrong,From hard butternut squash to tuna loin without batting an eye.A very robust knife indeed.
 
I recently bought a 270 Western Konosuke HD and I like it a lot. I have read the Western is a little thicker than the wa and if so I am glad I got the Western, it seems about perfect to me. Not too thick or thin. It sorta reminds me of my Masamoto KS in how well it cuts but I think the edge retention is much much better and of course I don't have to look after it so well. I have been using it and a 210 petty for a while now and it's the perfect combo for me
 
Is it a lefty version?

Am I right (ha!) in thinking a lefty version would have a slightly more convex left face than the right? I tried for ages to take a photo and my phone is incapable. I am not sure to be honest, it could be but Ill try and take a photo tomorrow with a better camera. I am a lefty and I haven't really noticed one way or the other
 
For me I find that carbon/stainless works well. Kind of the best of both worlds.
 
I would've thought I'd heard more tkc clone, carbonext or massamoto ks comments. And though I do love my Kono HD I don't like walking the board with her. I can hear the edge crying out to me. I sharpen her 90/10 though so maybe it's me.
 
Seems like Hiromoto, Konosuke and Sabatier are leading the charge. Interesting.

-AJ
 
"And though I do love my Kono HD I don't like walking the board with her."
Interesting comment.I let my boss use my Kono to chop some herbs the other day(a moment of weakness),and I was cringing the whole time she was using it.I could hear the edge crying out to me as well :D.
With a blade so thin there's a slight learning curve(for me anyway).A lighter touch is called for with this lady...
 
Ichimonji TKC 270mm, with rounded choil and spine. It has perfect balance, thinness, takes a great edge, stays sharp and has a great profile that allows me to use it for slicing instead of switching off to a suji.

Luckily I have enough room to use a 270 as my go to knife.
 
In recent years I've gone from a "10 Forschner Chef to "10 wusthoff Classic, then a "9.5 Mac Pro Chef, then a 240mm Hiromoto AS Gyuto then to what I have used the last 1.5 years, my 240mm Mizuno Tanrejo hontranen Gyuto. It is simply the BEST work horse there is.
 
The Misono Swedish is also very very thin behing the edge and not so much more thick at the spine.
 
"And though I do love my Kono HD I don't like walking the board with her."
Interesting comment.I let my boss use my Kono to chop some herbs the other day(a moment of weakness),and I was cringing the whole time she was using it.I could hear the edge crying out to me as well :D.
With a blade so thin there's a slight learning curve(for me anyway).A lighter touch is called for with this lady...

Yes i find that this will ruin my edge pretty fast as well. Also i have a rougher touch when chopping so i tend to have to touch my HD up more often than id like. Also find the 240 a bit too flexible for certain things like rutabageas and butternut squash. If it was a tad thicker it would be the perfect knife. Currently looking at another option, Heiji, or a custom.
 
I used to use a Susin Inox honyaki, the knife with a king 6k edge would do all the things I wanted it too in a days shift. I sharpened every night but if for some reason I didn't the knife lasted about 3 shifts to my standards. Then I would sharpen again.
 
misono sweedish, i got my gyuto almost 4 years ago, its still my go to knife.
 
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