decent gyuto and paring combo?

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JackBrian

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What type of knife(s) do you think you want?
-a nice gyuto(210-240mm?) and paring knife(75-90mm? I'm not too sure on this size)

Why is it being purchased? What, if anything, are you replacing?
-for use in prepping at work and general use at home, mainly vegetables and various herb chopping. Vary rarely going to be used with meat.
-mainly replacing two old, worn down and beat up dexters and partially replacing a wusthof which I will continue to use

What do you like and dislike about these qualities of your knives already?
Aesthetics- not super important to me but would always be a nice bonus, I really like the look of the Miyabi Fusion 8-inch Chef’s Knife or the shun premier
Edge Quality/Retention- pretty important as I have not learned to properly sharpen yet and would probably get them professionally sharpened until I do. The less I need to pay for that, the better
Ease of Use- would be nice but not too high on the list as long as its comfortable to use for extended periods of time
Comfort- also pretty important because at work I use a knife most of the time and it shouldn't be too uncomfortable to use on many, many pounds of potatoes

What grip do you use?
pinch grip probably 95% of the time and hammer the other 5

What kind of cutting motion do you use?
I really have come to like the rocking motion with the curved blade on western knives as well as the push cut.

Where do you store them?
I will be buying a sheath that will fit whichever knife I end up getting. any room for this in the budget at all?

Have you ever oiled a handle?
nope, but willing to learn!

What kind of cutting board(s) do you use?
I will also be buying one of these but currently have a small bamboo board and looking into end grain boards

For edge maintenance, do you use a strop, honing rod, pull through/other, or nothing?
I use an electric pull through sharpener at work for the dexters and the wusthof but will not be using that for these

Have they ever been sharpened?
many many times on the pull through

What is your budget?
400 usd, willing to spend most of the money on the gyuto. Maybe around 70 for the paring and 330 for the gyuto? or even 50 for the paring so I can get a better gyuto because it will be used way more often. But you guys are the experts and I'll leave it up to you

What do you cook and how often?
Don't prep meat at work so bones are no worry, but I do cut a variety of vegetables and fruits ranging from rhubarb to tomatoes.

Special requests(Country of origin/type of wood/etc)?
really just looking forward to getting some nice Japanese knives
 
For $400, you can get a few nice knives and a stone so you can learn to sharpen. Are you cool with carbon knives or would you prefer to stay stainless?
 
For $400, you can get a few nice knives and a stone so you can learn to sharpen. Are you cool with carbon knives or would you prefer to stay stainless?

im fine with carbon, I know they require a little more work, but I do like the patina look
 
Have they ever been sharpened?
many many times on the pull through
definitely end this habit with your new purchase. i like bester stones alot and ive seen many people recommend getting a 1000 or 1200 grit to start off on. or maybe a 1000/6000 king combo stone to learn. gesshin gingas are fantastic knives but you might want to check out yoshihiros knifes at JKI. theyre closer in weight to what youre used to than something like a gesshin ginga. then again if your comfortable with western handles and interested in carbon the suien vc series might be what your looking for. theres a whole lot of options in your price range. Maybe the tkc kikuichi knives? theres actually a nice looking petty/gyuto sale in the buy/sell/trade section at the moment and its well within your budget.
 
Of the vendors here, I think Jon (Japanese Knife Imports) and Korin are the only vendors that offer both knives within your budget.

If you have a chance, give both companies a call. However, I think Jon has a larger variety of knives (western vs. Japanese handled knives, and carbon vs. stainless) that would fall within your stated budget, including stainless (Yoshihiro, Suisin, Gesshin Ginga) and carbon (Kochi, Zakuri, Gesshin Ginga). Jon also carries paring and petty knives.

Additionally, Jon carries some of the best stones I've tried to date. I own the Gesshin 400 and 2000 and they are great stones. Yes, they're, comparatively speaking, more expensive than other stones, but they're excellent.

If you're ever in the LA area, you should try and stop by his store. If you're in NY, you should stop by Korin. There's still no substitute for actually holding a knife you're interested in buying in my opinion.
 
Bernal Cutlery in SF and Japan Woodworker in Oakland both sell great knives. I stop by and look every time in the Bay Area.
 
I would also look into the Gengetsu. It is a fantastic cutter! Also available from JKI, and available in either carbon or semi stainless.
 
Pensacola Tiger is currently selling a Kikuchi guyto/paring combo for $235; great knives at a bargain price; I would but these myself but I have the guyto already
 
ooh that Kikuchi guyto/paring combo is nice...and that would be cool to invest more into nice stones
 
ooh that Kikuchi guyto/paring combo is nice...and that would be cool to invest more into nice stones

If you get it, great snag Jack. Your timing does not get any better than that.
 
Fortunate timing for you Jack, and a great decision (assuming you are the first to have sent Pensacola Tiger/Rick a PM about those two knives).

Now for a good stone or two...
 
Fortunate timing for you Jack, and a great decision (assuming you are the first to have sent Pensacola Tiger/Rick a PM about those two knives).

Now for a good stone or two...
as it turns out, the two knives and the Gesshin 400 and 2000 stones are only about 5 dollars over my budget so it all works out pretty perfectly. I'm well on my way to becoming addicted here ha ha
 
Don't overlook beater 1200 and suehiro rika 5000 at japaneseknifesharpening store. I don't think you need a 400 grit starting off, you could do some real damage with that stone.
 
Yeah, I would pass on the 400 for now and go for a higher grit stone to go with the 2K.
Surely Rick already has the bevels set on those knives.

I really like the Gesshin 4k after the G2K, but it's pretty pricey for a first stone. Worth it, but a tough pill to swallow.
If the price is much more appealing maybe go with the suggestion from Obtuse, that's a solid setup for much less money.

Regardless, you are well on your way my man. Congrats.
 
Don't overlook beater 1200 and suehiro rika 5000 at japaneseknifesharpening store. I don't think you need a 400 grit starting off, you could do some real damage with that stone.

Auto correct... I meant bester 1200.
 
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