Small gyuto instead of petty?

Was looking at getting a petty. Want to get something cheaper this time. Some sites have pettys only in 120 and 150, but they have gyutos in 180. Good idea or no? Is the shape too different that won't make it as useful? I have no clue here.

That's kind of a tough one to answer. It really depends on the knife, what you consider to be a petty, and what you like to do with a petty.
I view my Carter funy (175ish mm) as a petty, but it really is a scaled down gyuto. If you think a petty is a board knife, then a 180 gyuto might actually be a better option to fill your petty void, as a result of the extra knuckle clearance. If you see a petty as a small slicer, or big parer, then a 180 gyuto likely isn't your best option.

What do you plan to use it for and what size are you leaning towards?

IF you feel that 180mm is suitable for a petty...there are Pettys in the 180mm length. The blade hieght is lower than a gyuto. Tojiro and ginga series form Jon of JKI

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One of the young guys where I work uses a 180 gyuto and to be honest I am not a fan. Depends how much space you have and that, but I'd much rather have a 180 petty than a gyuto in that size. I'd probably go for a santoku in that length at a pinch to be honest if you don't want a petty or gyuto

I wouldn't be concerned with what it is called. If you just like handling small knives for small all-around tasks, I'd get a knife taller at the heel. If you are mainly going to slice and peel with it, shorter heels are nicer. That height at the heel is what you need to be concerned about.

Isn't this exactly the problem that Lefty was trying to solve with the Pettysuki? Small enough for hand work, but with enough clearance for board work. Seems to me he did a great job of it.

ejd53 said:

Isn't this exactly the problem that Lefty was trying to solve with the Pettysuki? Small enough for hand work, but with enough clearance for board work. Seems to me he did a great job of it.

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Yeah, I think so. I've been using a small HHH petty gyuto that does a pretty nice job. I also have a double bevel Carter "honesuki" that fits the same sort of niche.

The stainless clad watanabe blue petty is a genuine "petit gyuto" I'll crack and buy one one day. There's a 180mm in stainless clad kurouchi as well, which is the largest size he makes in this style, iirc

I think you have to look at;

A) slicing and occassional tasks, limited space; petty/ suji
B) light prep work; gyuto/ funi

Neither of these will replace a parer for in hand work. So going small (sub 150) makes no sense.

I am using 180mm gyuto alongside 225mm gyuto practically every day.
Didn't think much of this size until made one for my wife. Since then I have been using it as much as she.

M

Yup, my Pettysuki is my go to, for sure. It's 180 if I remember correctly.........

Lefty said:

Yup, my Pettysuki is my go to, for sure. It's 180 if I remember correctly.........

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It's 187mm of cutting edge, 157mm heel to tip. :whistling:

Hahahahaha. Thanks Eamon!

Im not an expert but I have a 150 & 180 gyuto and I find them very useful, the 180 in particular can do most things a full size gyuto can do. I think where it would fall down would be large scale work, ie chopping 50lbs of onions, im surea 240 or 270 would be easier for that but for the home cook i would prefer a gyuto profile over a petty

I commissioned a petty from HHH (the one TK59 is referring to) and asked him to make it about 180mm long on the edge and about 42mm tall at the heel. I always referred to it as a petty, as did Randy, and when he posted it the first comments were how it was really more of a small chef knife than a petty. And like TK said, I don't really care what you call it, it is the size I wanted and I find it very useful. I don't think it is too tall not to use in the hand either.

welshstar said:

Im not an expert but I have a 150 & 180 gyuto and I find them very useful, the 180 in particular can do most things a full size gyuto can do. I think where it would fall down would be large scale work, ie chopping 50lbs of onions, im surea 240 or 270 would be easier for that but for the home cook i would prefer a gyuto profile over a petty

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Depends on how big your onions (or other items) are. If they are in the range of 1/3 to 1/2 of the length of your blade, you should be using a bigger knife for the task. I don't care if it is 1 onion, or 5lbs of onions, or 50lbs of onions. If the onions are ~4" in diameter, I want a 240+mm knife for the task.

I agree 100% with all of Johnny's post. 180mm x 42mm is a perfect "everyday task" knife. Petty? Gyuto? Meh, I don't think it matters. You say potato, I say pomme-de-terre.
The only time I find myself reaching for a bigger knife is when I NEED a bigger knife (or sometimes when I want to play with a knife I love but haven't used in a while).

I've been using a 180mm Mr. Itou from JKI -- which admittedly lights up my kitchen like a disco ball. But it's a great knife in a great size for a home chef like me. And I can't speak more highly about this particular knife in terms of edge retention and its desire to chop.

I don't think anyone is fixating just on what this type of knives is called. To me the big difference is a a petit gyuto is considerably taller at the heel. Personally I wouldn't want to use a 42mm+ knife in my hand (like a small Carter funy).