Difference between Gesshin Ginga and Uraku

I recently got my Suisin Inox Western petty in and find that handle is a bit small for me. I'm now looking at getting some sort of Gesshin stainless petty. Is there a difference between the Ginga and Uraku stainless lines?

Both are veyr good knives. The Ginga is a thinner, better finished blade, a better cutter and it is easier to get very, very sharp. The Uraku do tend to have bigger handles, though.

I should have mentioned that I was going to try a wa - handle style on this knife instead of a western handle.

On wa handles, I should add that the Ginga is going to be 10+ mm shorter than the equivalent Uraku in terms of useable edge length. Personally, I like beefier petties for all around use and would go with the Uraku although I have a Ginga petty that I use and like.

if i may, the geometry and steels are very different. Gesshin Uraku is a bit thicker (not super thick, but not a laser). They run a tad long for wa-handled knives. The spine and choil are not rounded. The bevel is cut in at about 70/30 or 80/20 for a right handed user. The Gesshin ginga is very thin, runs true to size from handle to tip (not heel to tip). The bevel is so tiny that it doesnt really matter for right or left handed users. Also the spine and choil are rounded and polished. With regard to the steel, the gesshin uraku is about 60hrc, very tough (resists chipping very well), a tad more difficult to sharpen, and has good edge retention. The gesshin ginga is about 61-62hrc, very easy to sharpen, and takes a very good edge. Its not quite as durable as the gesshin uraku, but isnt as chippy as, say, shun's vg10 or sg2 (actually, its petty chip resistant, but the gesshin uraku is REALLY chip resistant). The quality of the handles and sayas is nicer with the gesshin ginga but the gesshin uraku is by no means bad.

Nice to have such a detailed vendor explanation...kudos Jon.

Thanks Jon. Do you know why the Ginga is easier to sharpen even though it's a bit harder? Blade thickness?

Steelcity,

I saw your orig post and just noticed the Tampa part. (steelcity invokes penguins, steelers and ic light)

I'm relatively new to this knife world but have picked up a couple of the toys you are asking about and happy to share the little I know.

Drop me a pm if you would like to try some on.

Regards,

Dave

steelcity said:

Thanks Jon. Do you know why the Ginga is easier to sharpen even though it's a bit harder? Blade thickness?

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I find harder blades tend to be easier to sharpen since they tend to lose the wire edge easier. That said, thinness near the edge is part of it. The rest is just composition and HT.