So after using my new Yoshihiro 240mm Wa-Gyuto for sometime my newly found addiction has kicked in and I "need" to buy another Gyuto. This one is going to be more for my wife who although loves the Yoshihiro and it's 240mm length wants something in the 210mm length.
What type of knife(s) do you think you want? I'm looking at a Gyuto (had considered a Santoku but a Gyuto seems like a better all purpose knife)
Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing? I'm craving something new haha, it is somewhat replacing my cheapo Henckels International Chef's 210mm and Henckels 4-Star Santoku 170mm? (I believe).
What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics- I personally love my Wa handle but this one will need to be a Westeren Handle. Other then that I'll look at Damascus and regular it doesn't matter.
Edge Quality/Retention- I like the edge quality but I find the knife pulls to the left when cutting through food. I'm guessing this is because of the grind/bevel or the knifes thickness? I thought Jon had said it was a 50/50 bevel edge but to me it looks like a chisel grind, I may be remembering incorrectly. Either way how do I correct the "pulling" issue?
Ease of Use- I love the weight of the Yoshihiro, obviously moving to a Western handle weight is most likely going to go up and shift the balance to the handle with most knives (the ones I've looked at anyways).
Comfort- To me the Wa handle is nice and thick and easy to grip, I would like the same size roughly however smooth i.e. Western not octagonal shape.
What grip do you use? Pinch grip for me, wife sometimes uses Hammer grip.
What kind of cutting motion do you use? Push-cut and Rock.
Where do you store them? Knife Block, or Saya.
Have you ever oiled a handle? Yes.
What kind of cutting board(s) do you use? Wood only.
For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing? Stone.
Have they ever been sharpened? No.
What is your budget? I'm looking at around $100-$200. Yeah I know it's a big range but I'm willing to go the top end of my budget if it means something a little more durable.
What do you cook and how often? Lately (last 3-4 months) because of health issues we cook every meal from scratch with fresh ingredients. Mostly chicken with a mix of fish, meat and some pork.
Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)? Durability on both the handle and blade, if I'm around I'll be washing/drying the knife immediately after each use but other wise it may sit around after being used.
So far these are knives I'm considering, I'm open to suggestions though.
JCK Original "KAGAYAKI" KV-5 210mm $108 (Sale Price?)
http://japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKIVG-10.html
Kanetsugu SAIUN Damascus Gyuto SD-05 200mm ($160)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SaiunDamascusSeries.html#SD-5
Kanetsugu Pro J Gyuto 200mm ($135)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/ProJSeries.html#PJ-04
Does anyone know much about Za-18 steel? I can't find reviews or anything, but it seems like this knife may be a little less stainless then the VG10 others?
Hiromoto Tenmi-Jyuraku Gingami No.3 Series TJ-25g3 ($124)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Page4.html#TJ-25G3
JCK Gekko GE-4 ($124)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SPECIALS.html#Gekko Gyuto
What type of knife(s) do you think you want? I'm looking at a Gyuto (had considered a Santoku but a Gyuto seems like a better all purpose knife)
Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing? I'm craving something new haha, it is somewhat replacing my cheapo Henckels International Chef's 210mm and Henckels 4-Star Santoku 170mm? (I believe).
What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics- I personally love my Wa handle but this one will need to be a Westeren Handle. Other then that I'll look at Damascus and regular it doesn't matter.
Edge Quality/Retention- I like the edge quality but I find the knife pulls to the left when cutting through food. I'm guessing this is because of the grind/bevel or the knifes thickness? I thought Jon had said it was a 50/50 bevel edge but to me it looks like a chisel grind, I may be remembering incorrectly. Either way how do I correct the "pulling" issue?
Ease of Use- I love the weight of the Yoshihiro, obviously moving to a Western handle weight is most likely going to go up and shift the balance to the handle with most knives (the ones I've looked at anyways).
Comfort- To me the Wa handle is nice and thick and easy to grip, I would like the same size roughly however smooth i.e. Western not octagonal shape.
What grip do you use? Pinch grip for me, wife sometimes uses Hammer grip.
What kind of cutting motion do you use? Push-cut and Rock.
Where do you store them? Knife Block, or Saya.
Have you ever oiled a handle? Yes.
What kind of cutting board(s) do you use? Wood only.
For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing? Stone.
Have they ever been sharpened? No.
What is your budget? I'm looking at around $100-$200. Yeah I know it's a big range but I'm willing to go the top end of my budget if it means something a little more durable.
What do you cook and how often? Lately (last 3-4 months) because of health issues we cook every meal from scratch with fresh ingredients. Mostly chicken with a mix of fish, meat and some pork.
Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)? Durability on both the handle and blade, if I'm around I'll be washing/drying the knife immediately after each use but other wise it may sit around after being used.
So far these are knives I'm considering, I'm open to suggestions though.
JCK Original "KAGAYAKI" KV-5 210mm $108 (Sale Price?)
http://japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKIVG-10.html
Kanetsugu SAIUN Damascus Gyuto SD-05 200mm ($160)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SaiunDamascusSeries.html#SD-5
Kanetsugu Pro J Gyuto 200mm ($135)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/ProJSeries.html#PJ-04
Does anyone know much about Za-18 steel? I can't find reviews or anything, but it seems like this knife may be a little less stainless then the VG10 others?
Hiromoto Tenmi-Jyuraku Gingami No.3 Series TJ-25g3 ($124)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Page4.html#TJ-25G3
JCK Gekko GE-4 ($124)
http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SPECIALS.html#Gekko Gyuto