Best Gyuto, $300-$400(ish)???

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Yep, geometry is the cross-section of the blade, how it goes from spine to edge.
 
Id go Marko 52100 mono steel gyuto if I was the threadstarter. But then again I go for the best, and this is the best buy atm.
 
oivind_dahle said:
Id go Marko 52100 mono steel gyuto if I was the threadstarter. But then again I go for the best, and this is the best buy atm.
Click to expand...

Really, or is this your opinion? What other knives do you have in the $300-500 range that you have compared it to? How long have you had/used the Marco?
 
This is of course my subjective opinion and feedback from others.
Compared to DT ITK and Shigefusa in that price range.

To early to tell for sure, but then again its based on my limited knowledge of kitchenknives :)
52100 is an impressive steel and Marko seems to have his HT under control.

DT however have made a hell of a knife and is one of the best makers out there. However Marko gives a custom for the price of a mass-produced atm, at that is a killer deal.
 
Oh I know you might know why I said it to:

First off:
I like a good handle. What I have experienced on a lot of japanese knives and mass-produced is that the handles don't feel good. Markos meiji is impressive and at par or better than his octagons. Other knives just don't put that much effort into the handle. And for me a great grip is extremely important when it comes to a kitchen knife.

Second:
The steel. 52100 is an animal, takes a great edge and holds it forever. Marko got really good HT, and I know he learned a lot from DT.

Third:
His profile and geometry is very impressive. I know Marko is working on a new grind, but I think he struck gold with this one.

Forth:
Marko is a perfectionist. Its a mental illness that makes him strive to deliver the best of the best

Fifth:
He got a full money back guarantee.

Sixth:
Its a full custom for a price of a mass-produced. Killer deal
 
First off, thanks for all the input and info guys.

Now, after finishing up my first few days at work, I think I need to go a different direction with my new gyuto...

The conditions there are MUCH different from my last job...so, I'm not comfortable bring in and using a $500, delicate edged knife. I need something that can take a little bit of a beating and keep on going! Something with some solid edge retention. A Marko 52100 sounds right up my ally, so I'll shoot him a message to get a little more info about pricing and wait time and whatnot.

I emailed Jon about the Gengetsu and Kochi, but Im really leaning towards the A-type, due to its rep for amazing edge retention at the moment.

Just thought id give you guys a little status update
 
be ready to put in some time on the stones.

i know that dave wont work on these knives because of the amount of time it takes to get them to their maximum potential and really, that is a good thing.

i bought a 240mm wa-gyuto a-type recently from a member who did some work on it. it saved me some time but i still put in around 3 hours of work on this knife to reach what i was aiming for. now that i have gotten it to the point that the bevel is right where i want it, it has since become my go-to knife. i use it more than my konosuke HD and im not ashamed to say it. everything that the people here say about needing to put in work is absolutely true, but once you do, you will have a much higher appreciation for this knife. this is why i say that it is a good thing that dave doesnt work on these anymore.

i would say that if you want to go this route, be ready to enjoy the hard work you have put into it with a great knife that holds a terrific edge and wont break the bank. i love it and wish i would have bought one a long time ago. it isnt the prettiest and doesn't have the bells and whistles, but for a line knife that you want to hold an edge for a long time, there isnt anything better in my opinion.

PM me if you want and ill walk you through what i did to get this thing humming
 
+1. I spent a lot of hours putting a 99:1 hamaguriba on it. I still love my A-type and it isn't just sentimental, either.
 
oivind_dahle said:
Oh I know you might know why I said it to:

First off:
I like a good handle. What I have experienced on a lot of japanese knives and mass-produced is that the handles don't feel good. Markos meiji is impressive and at par or better than his octagons. Other knives just don't put that much effort into the handle. And for me a great grip is extremely important when it comes to a kitchen knife.

Second:
The steel. 52100 is an animal, takes a great edge and holds it forever. Marko got really good HT, and I know he learned a lot from DT.

Third:
His profile and geometry is very impressive. I know Marko is working on a new grind, but I think he struck gold with this one.

Forth:
Marko is a perfectionist. Its a mental illness that makes him strive to deliver the best of the best

Fifth:
He got a full money back guarantee.

Sixth:
Its a full custom for a price of a mass-produced. Killer deal
Click to expand...

Have you received yours yet? Or did you get to try one out already on the pass around? I'm pretty excited for my name to come up on the list but have not had a chance to use one and compare to my other knives.

-Chuck
 
I have been talking with Marko about a 52100 and have decided to go that route, and was already to work out all the specs and whatnot, when new job disaster stuck...things werent what they promised so I walked out.

So, until I land a new job (which should be within the next week or so) a new knife is on hold. And that makes me :(
 
Major bummer. Best of luck with the next step!
 
Sorry to hear things didn't work out for you - best of luck w/ whatever comes next!

I was thinking baout this thread and was just gonna suggest the Blazen...

Anyway, FYI, IMO, the Blazen is an AWESOME knife. I certainly don't have the expereince that a lot of folks around here have with different makers, and this was one of my first J-knife purchases (after much deliberation), but every time I take that knife out, I'm reall, really impressed with it, over and over again. It's got nearly every aspect that we knife nuts (generalizing here) are currently looking for: great distal taper, great convex grind, not too thick at the spine - about 3mm +/-, nicely rounded spine and choil, flat from the heel forward about 1/3 of the blade length, superb fit and finish. It's SG-2 core steel @ about 62 clad w/ stainless. Takes a nice edge and has good rentention, but a bit more difficult to get scary sharp compared to white #2. I've not had any chipping problems at all. It's just gorgeous for a non-custom knife - I'd love to see one pimped out by one of the members here!

Not sure why, but the Blazen doesn't get much press, and I think it deserves more. I can see if someone doesn't like PM steels (I do), or perhaps the western handle (I now prefer wa over yo), or maybe the profile isn't to one's liking, but otherwise, it got it a lot going for it. It's a beautiful workhorse. When it came time for me to sell off a knife to generate some funds for a new one, the Hattori FH went on the chopping block before the Blazen, not a second thought. This is one I plan on hanging on to.
 
Yeah. The Blazen is a very nice knife. I think it doesn't get pub because it's either considered passe, it's clad and an Akifusa is arguably as good but cheaper. Personally, I think the Blazen is a nicer knife.
 
I have a couple of knives in the EE Ryusen Epicurean line--basically Blazen in a party dress. I was just thinking this morning that if they have another big sale I might add the gyuto. If they ever have another sale like they did on Black Friday, it would be in the specified price range. Holds a great edge and is pretty darn easy to sharpen, which surprised the heck out of me. Choil and spine are nicely rounded, really comfortable knife. I wouldn't want to pay full price for it, but it's a really nice series of knives.
 
chuck239 said:
Have you received yours yet? Or did you get to try one out already on the pass around? I'm pretty excited for my name to come up on the list but have not had a chance to use one and compare to my other knives.

-Chuck
Click to expand...

Yes :)
But more important, I gifted it away to a person I value really high. He fell in love with this and I had to give it to him.
I know he is working on a review of it now :)

PS:
If you go for Marko knife, make sure to order a strop as well and a diamond plate :)
 
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