Konosuke vs Gesshin Ginga

These seem like very similar knives any thoughts on the two? My father just told me he wants to get my mother a really nice knife for Christmas and I was thinking either one of these would work within his price range. Not sure if id go stainless of white 2 yet....

I really like the Ginga line. At one point, they were very similar in profile, grind and steel. I gather the quality control on Konosuke may have dropped a bit. The stainless version on the Ginga is harder and I prefer it over the ~58 hrc on the Konosuke.

Konosuke has a new HH stainless that is now up to RC61 but price has gone up 30% on the Konosuke.

Relatively speaking Konosuke White 240 gyuto is $238 and the HH stainless is also $238 (Saya is another $30).
Gesshin Ginga is $250 for the White or the Stainless but Saya is included. So if you want Saya the Geshin is cheaper shipping not included.

However with the thought of white #2... you should take a look at Sakai Yusuke from ebayer bluewayjapan its really nice for around $200 but does not include a saya. They also have a SS line with a lower hardness of ~58 but I've read that you can ask for it to be heat treated to RC61 for an additional cost of $8??

For your mother,It might be better to go quality stainless over carbon steel.The Gesshin SS wt. Saya about 60 hrt.might be a good choice.

Ginga!

I've never seen or handled a Kono, but on Thurs last week I was at the Sakai Hamono Museum and had a look at a bunch of Ashi Hamono knives (the Ginga maker) and their f&f seemed top notch and on par with Sakai Yusuke, who I also visited. Apparently, SY knives get better feedback in this regard than Konos, so based on this I'd definitely go with the GG.

Ginga or Yusuke SS at 61 hrc

IMO the only reason to buy konosuke would be because their HD steel is pretty impressive. The 2 sakai yusukes and the 1 ginga ive owned have better handles and f&f than the dozen or so konos ive either used or owned. Now that konosuke is cashing in on their popularity with a 30% price increase, there is no real reason to pick them over ginga or yusuke. ofcourse, you can score a used one cheap. like the one ive got in BST :doublethumbsup:

labor of love said:

IMO the only reason to buy konosuke would be because their HD steel is pretty impressive. The 2 sakai yusukes and the 1 ginga ive owned have better handles and f&f than the dozen or so konos ive either used or owned. Now that konosuke is cashing in on their popularity with a 30% price increase, there is no real reason to pick them over ginga or yusuke. ofcourse, you can score a used one cheap. like the one ive got in BST :doublethumbsup:

Click to expand...

Hey, I have been debating all of these knives myself as well as the suisin inox honyaki and tadatsuna. Are you selling your konosuke HD? It was my original choice but with the price increase I'm undecided whether to just go straight to the Suisin or not. What's the price on your konosuke?

masibu said:

Hey, I have been debating all of these knives myself as well as the suisin inox honyaki and tadatsuna. Are you selling your konosuke HD? It was my original choice but with the price increase I'm undecided whether to just go straight to the Suisin or not. What's the price on your konosuke?

Click to expand...

It has already sold...

http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/9038-konosuke-hd-240-gyuto-with-saya

the konos with ebony handles are much nicer than the ho wood handles. but theyre alittle pricey now. still cheaper than suisin inox though.