What would be my top stainless gyuto?

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mark76

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I am looking for my top 210mm gyuto. I have three main criteria for it:

- truly stainless steel
- steel that is able to take a great edge
- ergonomic Western handle

Please let me explain my criteria. The knife should be truly stainless. I will care for it well, but I also know that my girlfriend will leave it wet for a long time sometimes. So I’m also not looking for semi-stainless like Carbonext or Konosuke HD.

Ability to take a great edge is very important to me. I love knife sharpening (have a Wicked Edge, with Shaptons, too) and I want to be able get all of my knives wickedly sharp. The best truly stainless steel I know that takes a great edge is AEB-L (13C26). On another forum I was told that Ginsanko (G3) and S35V also take a great edge, but I have no experience with them. But I’m certainly not looking for VG-10.

I’m not into wa handles, so I want a Western one. I have fairly large hands, so the handles should not be too short or thin. And by ergonomic I mean also not too blocky.

I’m flexible with other possible criteria. Obviously a top gyuto should be fairly thin, but it doesn’t have to be a laser. A slightly convex blade would be nice, but it’s not a necessity. Edge retention is not very important to me, since I love sharpening. Ability to take an edge is much more important. And if it matters: I’m right-handed. I’m a home cook, but an avid one.

The advice I have gotten until now are the Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef and the Artifex (a re-handled one, since the original has a fairly small handle). They both have AEB-L steel. Another knife under consideration is the Hiromoto G3, which has ginsanko steel.

I have also considered knives like the Konosuke HH and the Misono UX-10 which seem to be great knives. But their steel composition is not public and does not seem to be as good for my purposes as AEB-L.

What do you guys think? Should the Takayuki, the Artifex and the Hiromoto be my top 3? Which one would you choose? Or am I overlooking a knife?
 
Check out the Gesshin Ginga from JapaneseKnifeImports...Also the Suisin Inox Honyaki.

The Ginga is probably a better value though.
 
*thinking*

*thinking*

Oh, welcome !
 
+1 to ginga. Sakai yusuke also has great reviews. You can get it from bluewayjapan on ebay; with a few bucks, hardness can be bumped up to 61.

I believe I remember reading somewhere that the konosuke hh is 13c26 (aeb-l equivalent), but at the current price, I'd go for the yusuke or ginga.
 
If could choose one stainless (There is no such thing as "true" stainless. They are all shades of gray.) blade, regardless of price and ultimate edge quality was my priority, AEB-L/13c26 treated with Devin's method would easily be my top choice. After that, I'd choose whatever Tilman had done to SB1. Of the factory made stuff, I wouldn't hesitate on the Gesshin Ginga. If you don't need an ultimate edge or you don't want to sharpen as often, you might go for any number of other stainless options. I would give serious consideration to Gengetsu (quite stainless core and "true" stainless clad) or Suisin Inox Honyaki. I've tried a lot of pm steel options and I do not believe they offer a significant advantage except in some cases and even then, only for professional cooks that need an edge to survive pretty heavy use.
 
Greetings! I know nothing about stainless, but good luck with your search!
 
My favorites so far in the stainless category are tilman's sb1 ( used in a pass around ) and the suisin inox honyaki. The suisin isn't western handled but it does have one of the largest and nicest factory wa handles I've had the pleasure to use. My suisin IH's are definitely my go to knives. I feel like they have a really good balance of all the qualities we look for in a kitchen knife ( edge taking, ease of sharpening, edge longevity, toughness etc ) and are worth consideration.
 
I can't believe no-one has recommended a DTK in AEB-L or a custom in AEB-L.
 
I don't think anyone did the DT ITK because it is generally a wa. That being said, and no budget listed, I would contact Mr. Thomas and ask him to make you a monosteel gyuto in either his pm stainless(best stainless ever) or his AEB-l with a western handle. His westerns have a great shape.
 
Looks like the Blazen has completely fallen out of fashion, but I still like mine. Think it's a good allrounder.

Stefan
 
Aren't a massive number of good stainless Westerns. If you go custom the options are a lot more appealing. Sakai Yusuke would be a good one, if you email Keiichi I guarantee he could get you sorted and it wouldn't be very expensive. I also like Niolox
 
I know you said your not looking for Vg-10, but I think you should strongly consider the Hattori FH gyuto. I got a 240 a few months ago after chasing the "best" knife with the "best" steel for almost a year. Finally I gave up on buying based solely on the steel and picked based on the reputation of the maker. I am not dissapointed. The knife is very well made, with an excellent yo-style handle, is not-quite-laser thin (which is exactly what I wanted), and is a great performer. There's truth to the tales of Hattori's ways with vg-10, it feels incredibly smooth on the stones and takes a very nice edge for me very easily (finished on a 4k shapton & stropping on B.C. Loaded balsa). This feels night and day different from a few students' Shuns that I've sharpened, like its not even the same steel. The spine comes without easing, but 3 minutes, some wet/dry and a little elbow grease fixed that. With everyone else's prices rising recently, it's very fairly priced as well.
I hope I don't sound like a Hattori commercial, but I couldn't be happier with this knife. If nothing else jumps out at you, this certainly fits the bill if you can deal with the Vg-10.
 
what is your budget? if you want top stainless gyuto- I'll choose Devin's AEB-L ITK (if you can find one with western handle.....). my second choice will be Takamura Suminagashi R-2 steel http://knifewear.com/knife-family.asp?family=41 Takamura-san's knife is not very popular in US market; but, very famous in Japan. his gyuto remain one of my best cutter compare to my DT, Shigefusa, Carter, Masamoto KS etc.....
 
i'm biased by recent experience, but I really liked the Togiharu G1 I played with as part of Korin's passaround. If you're looking sub-$200, give it a peek; I believe Korin is in the midst of its winter 15% off sale, too. Mari?
 
The western handle Togiharu Inox(Thin Profile)is a good stainless knife.The thinness is behind the edge making it easy to sharpen & a capable cutter.
 
I agree with Devins ITK and custom.. I like suisin Inox Honyaki and Nenohi Nenox. I sometimes use a Glestain 210 that i bought a while ago and a Kikuichi stainless as well.

In a more custom realm... Butch's and Pierre's CPM154 have been good to me.

I think you just have to start trying some different things, then trade until you find something you really like... But iTK is the way to go (if you can find it, that is!).

Good luck on the search!
 
What do you want to spend, 80 or 800?
 
EdipisReks said:
i'd have a hard time not getting a Gesshin Kagero.
Click to expand...

:plus1:
These feel great in hand. Very natural, very comfortable handle.
They are Really beautiful knives that just aren't done justice on paper/screen.
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for the amount and extent of your answers! This is my first post here (I’ll introduce myself somewhere else) and I really hadn’t expected this!

Some people asked for my budget. It’s not really fixed, but a custom knife is, I am afraid, out of my reach. I’d love a custom DT, but alas… I was thinking $250 max or so. Maybe a bit more for something really special. But less is better in this respect.

If I count the votes :), it’s clear that the Gesshin Ginga and Suisin Inox are the most popular ones here. And also more than one vote for Togiharu, although different knives. Thanks also for the link to the rehandled Ginga in the B/S/T forum. It looks like a great deal, but unfortunately 240 mm is really too large for my purposes.

One of my troubles is that, since I love sharpening, I’d like to know what the steel composition is of the blades. I do know about the importance of heat treat and blade finish, but that way I get at least an idea. I’ve heard rumors that Suisin uses 19C27 for their Inox line, but I am not sure. Does anyone know what steel Gesshin Ginga is made of?

Surprisingly (to me) no-one mentioned the knives that were recommended to me on another forum: the Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef and a rehandled Artifex in AEB-L and the Hiromoto G3 in Ginsanko. What makes you prefer the Gesshin Ginga or Suisin Inox over these knives?

Thanks again!
 
evert67 said:
Hi everyone,

Thanks a lot for the amount and extent of your answers! This is my first post here (I’ll introduce myself somewhere else) and I really hadn’t expected this!

Some people asked for my budget. It’s not really fixed, but a custom knife is, I am afraid, out of my reach. I’d love a custom DT, but alas… I was thinking $250 max or so. Maybe a bit more for something really special. But less is better in this respect.

If I count the votes :), it’s clear that the Gesshin Ginga and Suisin Inox are the most popular ones here. And also more than one vote for Togiharu, although different knives. Thanks also for the link to the rehandled Ginga in the B/S/T forum. It looks like a great deal, but unfortunately 240 mm is really too large for my purposes.

One of my troubles is that, since I love sharpening, I’d like to know what the steel composition is of the blades. I do know about the importance of heat treat and blade finish, but that way I get at least an idea. I’ve heard rumors that Suisin uses 19C27 for their Inox line, but I am not sure. Does anyone know what steel Gesshin Ginga is made of?

Surprisingly (to me) no-one mentioned the knives that were recommended to me on another forum: the Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef and a rehandled Artifex in AEB-L and the Hiromoto G3 in Ginsanko. What makes you prefer the Gesshin Ginga or Suisin Inox over these knives?

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

we use a finely grained swedish stainless steel in our gesshin ginga line
 
wenus2 said:
:plus1:
These feel great in hand. Very natural, very comfortable handle.
They are Really beautiful knives that just aren't done justice on paper/screen.
Click to expand...

+1 The Kagero is a very nice knife. Although I didn't sharpen it, the one I used had a very nice, toothy edge that did not seem to have any edge degradation over the course of several days (home cook use). It has a good geometry, is surprising light, thin but stiff, and agile.
 
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