Comparable to a DT ITK

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mc2442

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With an unknown time table on when a DT ITK western handled knife will become available, I was wondering what other knifes are considered in the same ballpark.

I am not ready to make the leap to carbon, so only looking at stainless.

All suggestions appreciated,

Matt
 
I am really happy with my latest 240mm gyuto, a Miyabi Birchwood 5000 MCD 240mm. I have only had it for about a week, but I am really liking the blade geometry and handle. Need some more testing, hopefully Miyabi did as good of a job with SG2 as they did with VG10 in their Fusion line. So far it seems that way. $299 for the 240mm, no 270 is offered. I will be doing a full writeup soon.

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Check the end of the DT ITK thread in the CKTG subforum on KF. Dave mentions he might be doing a pre order for the next batch of western itks.
 
Not stainless, but somewhat stainless would be any version of the TKC, whether be it from Ichimonji, or Japanesechefsknife (JKC) carbonext. I own the TKC and have used the Devin's ITK. I actually liked the TKC better so I sold the Devin.

What would be awsome is to get either the TKC or the carbonext and get Dave to put a an awsome handle on it.
 
I guess a konosuke hd would also be another worth considering.

+1 Jon@JKI said that he will be bringing in more western-handled Konosuke HD, I think this will be my 270.

I have a 240 western Ichimonji TKC (not Kikuichi) and I can vouch for it's outstanding performance. I also hate to say that it outperforms my western DT ITK especially on onions and tougher vegetables where I've found the ITK has a slight wedging issue. Anybody else find this a bit of a problem?
 
+1 Jon@JKI said that he will be bringing in more western-handled Konosuke HD, I think this will be my 270.

I have a 240 western Ichimonji TKC (not Kikuichi) and I can vouch for it's outstanding performance. I also hate to say that it outperforms my western DT ITK especially on onions and tougher vegetables where I've found the ITK has a slight wedging issue. Anybody else find this a bit of a problem?

That was the exact reason why I sold the ITK. For some reason, my grind was not that good, or the distal taper design was not that good. I think it was more of the grind, because many others thought the blade was very thin at the shoulders. Mine was not, and I was disappointed after waiting for so long. I had to wait for the third batch, even though I was one of the early ones that paid for the second batch because it was oversold. Maybe it was luck of the draw.

Anyway, I had a good point of reference with the TKC. That's why I sold the ITK the next day.
 
I highly recommended the western handled HD—outstanding grind.
 
I am not sure the DT ITK and the HD are in the same ball park. Mine are very different knives, although both are 240 gyutos. The HD is very light, nimble and thin. The ITK is not, I am not bashing the ITK, I like it and it is a good knife with the best FF I have seen on any knife, but I think there lots of options in the same or less price range.

What exactely are you looking for in a knife? Thick, thin, work, home, carbon?
 
Most everything I have read about the DT ITK has been praise, so I love hearing the other side of peoples' experiences.

Home cook, looking for an everyday knife on the thinner side, but not a laser. I have a 270 Tojiro for heavier work. Stainless as I have not made the jump to carbon yet.
 
iirc: Jon added the Yoshihiro @ JKI to fill this "thin-but-not-too-thin-stainless" niche. It is wa handled though.
 
Interesting thread. Not to hijack, but how does the wa-handled ITK compare with wa handled gyutos like Tadatsuna, Suisin?
 
Interesting thread. Not to hijack, but how does the wa-handled ITK compare with wa handled gyutos like Tadatsuna, Suisin?

The two Japanese knives are much thinner. The ITK kind of have a convex grind, at least the one that I had, so the shoulder was a little thicker than I am used to with the Japanese. The ITK felt a lot like a Yoshikane SKD, maybe not as thick up to the spine, but the Yoshikane was a san mai forged.
 
Hmm, I wonder if yours was atypical? From the reviews I was reading on KF I would have thought the ITK was like a laser, or was it infatuation with the latest and greatest?
 
The ITK is definatley not a laser, not to say it is a bad knife... I just think the HD and even the Carbonext out perform it imo. I have been thinking about getting some calipers for some time now, if I get a chance I will buy some this weekend and get some measurements, although I would assume they are somewhere on the KF thread.

Sometimes you wonder if some of the reviews are the result of the hype, sometimes when you wait so long for something that everyone and their dog wants and has nothing but praise for it, you hesitate to say anything to the contrary for fear of reprisal from the group.

For the record, I am not selling mine, I like it, its just not my number 1, and it has in no way disinterested me in saving for a damascas DT.
 
No, it is not a "laser". It won't even begin to fit into a Tadatsuna or Konosuke HD saya. Here are some measurements:

Handle Length 143.00 mm
Handle Height (f/r) 23.55 mm 27.00 mm
Handle Width (f/r) 19.10 mm 23.30 mm
Handle to Tip Length 241.50mm
Heel to Tip Length 229.00mm
Blade Height at Heel 47.90 mm
Width of Spine at Handle 3.15mm
Width of Spine Above heel 2.90mm
Width of Spine at Middle 2.25mm
Width of Spine about 1cm from the tip 0.70mm
Blade Thickness at 1/2 way between the Spine and Edge 1.35mm
Weight 189.0 g
 
I had an ITK from the first batch, but sold it because it was too thick for me(everything else was awesome).

Just like with everything else, it is all preference...I prefer the thinnest knife possible for my suji/gyutos, so I stick to Konosuke and Suisin. However, some people like a bit more substantial knife, so we would have varying views.

This is one of the reasons why just asking the "what knife to buy" question can easily steer people in the wrong direction. Just because a knife gets a lot of praise does not mean it is right for you.
 
Hmm, I wonder if yours was atypical? From the reviews I was reading on KF I would have thought the ITK was like a laser, or was it infatuation with the latest and greatest?

I had communicated with a couple of people about their ITK. Theirs were ground pretty well. Maybe it was mine that was a little thick. Granted, if someone doesn't have a point of reference to go by, the ITK may be fantastic. It is fantastically well fit and finish wise. However, I have gone through a lot of knives, just buying trying and selling what I don't like. I would compare the ITK most closely to the Yoshikane in terms of how the blade felt.

Plus I was doing a comparison between the Ichimonji TKC and the ITK, because I was only going to keep one. I am really impressed with the Ichi TKC. Superb steel, thin but tough. Takes a great edge, relatively easy to sharpen (easer than the AS super steel on the Hiromoto AS, as that is one of the other knives that I use on a regular basis). In the end, I wasn't going to keep the ITK, but would rather spend the money somewhere else (like stealing a 270mm Kijero Doi yanagiba #23 with ebony handle and ebony saya)
 
It won't even begin to fit into a Tadatsuna or Konosuke HD saya.

That's not the case for me. I got the 270 Tad INOX at least a couple years ago along with the saya.

My 270 DT easily fits in the saya, albeit snug, but very easily slips in.
 
I think the point is, since it is a mid tech knife, but done by hand, there may be variations from blade to blade. Mine was definitely thick on the shoulders.
 
I have one of the first 270mm ITK's and I think it compares most favorably to my Suisin Inox Honyaki 270. The blade profile is almost identical. However, the ITK is just a tad thicker. Its by no means fatty though. Compared to something like a Shigefusa, or a Watanabe or a Carter the ITK is a light saber.

The thing alot of people don't get about the DT ITK is you gotta put it to the stones to make it sing. While I wouldn't say the edge that Hoss puts on his knives is as bad as the edge you would get with an Aritsugu Type A. I will say that if you buy an Aritsugu type A and don't properly establish the edges out of the box then you will NEVER see why the Type A is so highly regarded.

After I worked over the edge on my ITK it really began to sing!
 
done by hand, there may be variations from blade to blade.

I think that says it all, pretty much. You want it thinner? Grind it down, you want it thicker? Tough luck!
 
Thank you for the suggestions and discussion all. Unfortunately it just makes me want to get multiple knives now to compare and contrast.

At least there seems to be a decent resale market among the knife nuts.
 
I just tried my 270 DT ITK in my 270 Suisin Honyaki Gyuto Saya that came with the knife and it fit fine. The Suisin is a snug fit with a little friction in the last inch or two shy of pushing it home in the saya and the ITK has only a little more friction. Its snugger--but I wouldn't say its tight in the saya.
 
Thank you for the suggestions and discussion all. Unfortunately it just makes me want to get multiple knives now to compare and contrast.

The forums have limits to their value. They are great places to discover new makers and get ideas, but you have to judge for yourself.

As far as the DT ITK goes, there is too much variation from one batch to the next for you to have a realistic expectation. I would suggest that you get on the list to pre-order, but ask Mark not to ship it until he sends you a picture of the actual knife and its dimensions. You can cancel if it isn't what you want.

I have a western 240mm:
heel to tip - 249mm
edge to spine at heel - 54mm
weight - 217g

It has a nice distal taper and is reasonably thin behind the edge. The profile was a surprise when I got it. I like the edge, but it is too tall near the tip. It looks more like a big santoku than my ideal gyuto.

My first DT ITK was a wa 240. I returned it because the edge was overground at 3-4 cm from the tip. It was bad enough that I cant fix it. My western 240 is also overground, but not nearly as bad. My main reason for getting the ITK was to evaluate Devin's steel to see if i want to order a custom. It takes to long to get another ITK, so I'm going to customize this one by regrinding the profile of the spine and re-shaping the edge a little to even up the overgrind.
 
I haven't seen anything quite like the DTITK. Stainless, hard at 61+ hrc, nice thin tip (similar to my HD and IT) and fairly hefty heel with excellent fit and finish and a stabilized handle... I would go with a Yoshihiro. Jon stocks these. They are pretty nice although the spine and choil are not rounded, if I remember correctly. If you don't mind thin, I'd go with KonHD, my personal favorite at the moment (along with my DTITK).

It is true there is some variation in the DTITK's and the wa version doesn't seem to quite have the same profile as the western. I've seen three 270mm wa DTITK's. Of the three, one had a significant overgrind near the tip which Devin promptly addressed. The first batch was thicker than subsequent batches.
 
Here are some pics of a Carbonext, if you would ever consider one.

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th_IMG_0752.jpg
 
Hmm, I was hoping those would be bigger, my first time posting pics. Any idea how to make them bigger?
 

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