240mm vs 270mm wa gyuto?

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Deckhand

Deckhand

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I know this has been debated before any regrets or advice?
Debating 240mm vs 270mm for a custom *wa handled gyuto*with a*funayuki profile.
Not intimidated by knife size did a lot of filet work on big tuna and sharks with forshners. Also, have a boardsmith magnum maple on the way so I will have space. Not interested in filling a nitch in my knife collection. Just want a knife i am really happy with.Just don't know which size I would enjoy and get the most use out of. Seems 240mm is very popular and nimble. One site said 240mm for girls/small people and 270mm for men/tall people. But I think that was a somewhat ridiculous statement. Also, heard pro chefs prefer 270mm. I am 6ft 3in tall currently leaning towards the 270mm.
*I would rather hear from you guys and gals. Any opinions?
 
It really comes down to personal preference. I could give you my preference, even the reasons for it, but it wouldn't apply to you very well.

Why not buy two inexpensive wa-guytos - one 240, one 270 - and see which one you prefer. Then sell them and buy your custom in the size you find suitable. Much better than going on what other people say and finding that your new custom is too long or too short.

Rick

(Edit) Heck, if you pay shipping, I'll lend you a 240 and a 270 for a few weeks so you can try them out.
 
My first "Japanese" knife was a 270mm Carter HG funayuki. The first thing that struck me upon taking it out of its box was how light and nimble it seemed despite its length (significantly longer than what I was used to). I got used to it very quickly and use it all the time, even for small tasks. I can see 270mm being intimidating for some users (my girlfriend refers to it as my "kitchen sword"), but I doubt this would apply to you. I'm sure 240mm is more than sufficient for most home cooks, even though 270mm feels good to me and is fun to have. I didn't stress about the decision too much (270mm vs. 240mm) because I knew I would eventually own one of each, and the sooner you accept that this will be true for you too, the better. ;)
 
Pensacola Tiger said:
It really comes down to personal preference. I could give you my preference, even the reasons for it, but it wouldn't apply to you very well.

Why not buy two inexpensive wa-guytos - one 240, one 270 - and see which one you prefer. Then sell them and buy your custom in the size you find suitable. Much better than going on what other people say and finding that your new custom is too long or too short.

(Edit) Heck, if you pay shipping, I'll lend you a 240 and a 270 for a few weeks so you can try them out.
Click to expand...


Rick,
Sounds like good advice. Thanks for the generous offer. I could PayPal you shipping if you send an invoice. Definitely, I don't need 2-3 weeks. 2-3 days then back to you.
Richard
 
Deckhand said:
I know this has been debated before any regrets or advice?
Debating 240mm vs 270mm for a custom *wa handled gyuto*with a*funayuki profile.
Not intimidated by knife size did a lot of filet work on big tuna and sharks with forshners. Also, have a boardsmith magnum maple on the way so I will have space. Not interested in filling a nitch in my knife collection. Just want a knife i am really happy with.Just don't know which size I would enjoy and get the most use out of. Seems 240mm is very popular and nimble. One site said 240mm for girls/small people and 270mm for men/tall people. But I think that was a somewhat ridiculous statement. Also, heard pro chefs prefer 270mm. I am 6ft 3in tall currently leaning towards the 270mm.
*I would rather hear from you guys and gals. Any opinions?
Click to expand...

I'm 6'6 and 240mm works for me. If you are in a pro environment the 270mm can let you prep things a little bit faster, but there's a reason why 240 is by far the most talked about size here.
 
Andrew H said:
I'm 6'6 and 240mm works for me. If you are in a pro environment the 270mm can let you prep things a little bit faster, but there's a reason why 240 is by far the most talked about size here.
Click to expand...

Thanks that was my first choice on a gut level. Seems it would be more nimble. Would you ideally leave it at 240 or go up or down some on a custom when you have a choice.
i.e. 10mm

Btw sorry to everyone for over thinking this!
 
It really has more to do with the size of the stuff you are cutting than the size of the person, unless you're pretty short. I find short people have to do wierd things ergonomically to get long knives to work sometimes esp if the counters are tall for them. When do you need/want a long knife? Huge chunks of meat, large melons or squash, shredding large amounts of leafy greens, etc. Unless you do a LOT of this kind of stuff, it is really not particularly useful to get anything longer than a 240. If you stick to precut meats, small onions and potatoes, etc, you don't even need anything over a 180 mm.
 
tk59 said:
It really has more to do with the size of the stuff you are cutting than the size of the person, unless you're pretty short. I find short people have to do wierd things ergonomically to get long knives to work sometimes esp if the counters are tall for them. When do you need/want a long knife? Huge chunks of meat, large melons or squash, shredding large amounts of leafy greens, etc. Unless you do a LOT of this kind of stuff, it is really not particularly useful to get anything longer than a 240. If you stick to precut meats, small onions and potatoes, etc, you don't even need anything over a 180 mm.
Click to expand...

Thanks,
Leaning more and more towards the 240 with this advice. I have a 210mm ux10 gyuto now and a ux10 santoku. I don't regret them. Just want something a little longer to add to the set with my custom, but definitely want to use it a lot.
 
I'm just over 5'9" and my favorite gyutos are in the 240 and 250, respectively. I buy large produce just to make sure I have an excuse to use them.:viking:
 
5'7" here and love the 270's. Great taper keeps the knife nimble, larger helps get more done at once. Love them.
 
WildBoar said:
My Fowler has a profile similar to a funi, and is ~255 mm. It is a nice size (my 'regular' profiles are 240s)
Click to expand...
Thanks that's interesting. The profile on mine will be kind of carter funi profile. So that's helpful. Is it wa or western handled.
 
tk59 said:
I'm just over 5'9" and my favorite gyutos are in the 240 and 250, respectively. I buy large produce just to make sure I have an excuse to use them.:viking:
Click to expand...

Thanks for your advice this is helping. Starting to lean toward 250mm from. Comments here.
 
Depending on how much use a knife gets and the technique involved a shorter person with a longer knife is more apt to have wrist problems in the future. That is coming from someone who has no factual data on the subject. So take it for what it's worht.
 
Johnny.B.Good said:
My first "Japanese" knife was a 270mm Carter HG funayuki. The first thing that struck me upon taking it out of its box was how light and nimble it seemed despite its length (significantly longer than what I was used to). I got used to it very quickly and use it all the time, even for small tasks. I can see 270mm being intimidating for some users (my girlfriend refers to it as my "kitchen sword"), but I doubt this would apply to you. I'm sure 240mm is more than sufficient for most home cooks, even though 270mm feels good to me and is fun to have. I didn't stress about the decision too much (270mm vs. 240mm) because I knew I would eventually own one of each, and the sooner you accept that this will be true for you too, the better. ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks
 
Salty dog said:
Depending on how much use a knife gets and the technique involved a shorter person with a longer knife is more apt to have wrist problems in the future. That is coming from someone who has no factual data on the subject. So take it for what it's worht.
Click to expand...
Your data is always factual and respected. I am 6'3
 
For me the intensity of the cutting session determines my knife selection/length. I'm just a home cook, but if I were pro cook, things would be different. I am more likely to use my DT ITK 270 during the fall soup season when a lot of stuff needs chopping. Other than that, what I am cutting decides it. Melons and squash demand 270s for me.

k.
 
I would go with a 270, I like 240 only for line work. Frankly if I had the space all the time I would use 270 exclusively. At first it might seem a bit awkward but in about 30 min you get used to the bigger size. Also funny enough I get less tired since all I have to do is basically move the wrist, the trick is making sure it has a really thing profile to get less resistance to cutting. Anything that wedges I reach for something beefier to do the job.
 
270 ALL THE WAY, actually 255 is my absolute favorite, but hard to get that without sp3ecial req.
 
i think in this instance bigger is better unless you dont like it or dont have the space. you gain both more edge to use and more edge to wear out. i realize you are only considering 240 and 270 and in general its a small difference. there is also always the question of how much of an all arounder do you want this knife to be? longer are obviously gonna handle things a smaller knife cant like one long stroke to piece tuna or prime rib or what have you. on the other hand most people are used to using a smaller knife to peel with or chop onions or for tip work. a larger knife can still do the things of a smaller one but if you dont like to use it to do those things whats the point.
 
mr drinky said:
For me the intensity of the cutting session determines my knife selection/length. I'm just a home cook, but if I were pro cook, things would be different. I am more likely to use my DT ITK 270 during the fall soup season when a lot of stuff needs chopping. Other than that, what I am cutting decides it. Melons and squash demand 270s for me.

k.
Click to expand...

Technically I could use my tojiro itk for melons and squash. Really trying to find the sweet spot for most used 240 and up gyuto. Don't want my custom to be a display piece or gather dust.
 
kalaeb said:
270 ALL THE WAY, actually 255 is my absolute favorite, but hard to get that without sp3ecial req.
Click to expand...
Mine is special request custom. I can pick any size I want. Quite a few have said 250-255. Thanks for your opinion. It helps.
 
Before it gets late I just want to thank everyone for being so helpful. This forum is unbelievable. The amount of great people is astounding.:biggrin:
 
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