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I'd like to mention also you may want to ditch the bamboo. Not good for your knife's edge. You'll want an end grain cutting board. Take a look at David TheBoardSmith boards.
 
ThEoRy said:
I'd like to mention also you may want to ditch the bamboo. Not good for your knife's edge. You'll want an end grain cutting board. Take a look at David TheBoardSmith boards.
Click to expand...
+1
even the softer kind of poly boards are better than bamboo, imho
 
Meals,

I'm also in Austin -- I have a Tojiro White #2 Wa handle 210mm Gyuto, Shun Classic 210mm & 240mm Gyuto, and Shun Kramer Santuko. Not the finest collection, but just started into this a couple of months ago. My next purchase will be the Gesshin Ginga 210mm White #2 Wa-Gyuto and a Chosera 8000 to complement my Shapton 1000 & 4000.

PM me if you want to stop by and see / handle my very small (for now) collection.
 
Thank you all so much, I am listening with open ears and will end up buying with the advice I have been given.
 
I listened to people from the other site when I first bought knives. I got bad advice because I followed the wrong people. I didn't pay attention to the details, e.g., specific cutting characteristics that I was looking for versus general comments about performance, how sharp a knife can get. All knives can get sharp, even very sharp. But a sharp knife does not equal a great cutting knife.

It's important to listen to advice from the right, knowledgeable people, not just anyone. Listen to people who have used lots of different knives and pay attention to what they write so you know what kind of knives they like, what they look for in a good knife, and what specific cutting characteristics are good about a knife. Because the knife that one person loves may not be something that you'll like.
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agreed. what i meant was in general. usually when people are misinformed or underinformed, they generally make the wrong decisions.
 
Wow, I might as well toss everything I have out haha. What would you recomend from David's site? The lady said I was going to get a new cutting board for Father's dad. I was told bamboo was a slow cutting board, but if its damaging for my new blades its gone!

Right now I have a bamboo board which is large for Veggies/ garlic, med one for meat/fish and one for fruit that's med. What do you guys do? What's your set up for boards?
 
Thank you fellow Austenite, I might take you up on that offer!
 
It is my understanding that bamboo per se is not the real problem, rather the glues that are used to bind the bits together, which end up creating too hard a surface for your edges. A friend bought a "end grain" bamboo board, i.e. one that uses the ends of the stalks cut horizontally rather than stripes of the stalks themselves. Even then, no joy.
Because I'm lazy (and like to use the board itself as a tray to bring the chopped food into the pan) I buy poly boards, just making sure to choose the ones made with a softer resin, as they can be quite different.
 
Deckhand said:
No.

Theory put up some good suggestions. You should call Jon at the store those links go to. They sell everything you need, and he is very helpful over the phone. Except the bread knife which is one of my favorites. Tojiro ITK bread knife. I just bought another one and had it mailed to a friend in Hawaii who is building a custom ukulele for me. I already own one of the bread knives. Hope you at least get a 240mm length on your gyuto. I greatly prefer the wa handle. I have a 270mm Gyuto I use for almost everything.
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For sure going for at least a 240mm, not sure if a 270mm is too much for a first timer. This is what I'm looking at getting one at a time, I like that wa handle, I like the stainless blade, not sure about going the white route.
1. http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com.../gesshin-ginga-240mm-stainless-wa-gyuto.html#
2. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/tojiro/itk-bread-knife-p124765 (when I get this I am totally making a video as a thanks for showing me this!)
3. http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...e/gesshin-ginga-150mm-stainless-wa-petty.html
4. http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...esshin-ginga-270mm-stainless-wa-sujihiki.html
5. I have a $10 metal handle Chinese cleaver I got off Amazon, I think its okay for now... thoughts?

Next, boards? What do you all recommend?

Sharpening tools/ maintenance? Or should I just plan on sending them out since I don't have a clue.

Storage? I live in an Apt, I have this, is it bad? I can't mount a magnet strip on the wall. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13749337

Anything else you want to think I should add to my list?
 
with that set of knives, that will be more than an excellent start.

start off with a 1k and a 4-6k stone. or even a combo j-stone.

board, knives, and stones. looks pretty good to me. maybe consider knife sheaths / edge guards when storing them in a drawer or something.
 
I think you are on the right track, but instead of just buying those knives, I would definitely take the time to speak with Jon (owner of JKI) as he will help to make sure you get what you want/match your needs. I also would recommend a small investment in a couple of stones and a board from the Boardsmith.
Meanwhile, you can check out some of Jon's sharpening videos here; should be enough to help you get started sharpening your own blades--and don't throw away the old knives as they make for good practice sharpening (though the old ones will actually be harder to sharpen and remove burrs than the new knives). If you prefer to have a dvd then this sites owner Dave offers one that many people enjoy as well and you can find it here.
Both Jon and Dave sell a nice assortment of stones as well.
Cheers!
 
Meals said:
For sure going for at least a 240mm, not sure if a 270mm is too much for a first timer. This is what I'm looking at getting one at a time, I like that wa handle, I like the stainless blade, not sure about going the white route.
1. http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com.../gesshin-ginga-240mm-stainless-wa-gyuto.html#
2. http://www.cutleryandmore.com/tojiro/itk-bread-knife-p124765 (when I get this I am totally making a video as a thanks for showing me this!)
3. http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...e/gesshin-ginga-150mm-stainless-wa-petty.html
4. http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...esshin-ginga-270mm-stainless-wa-sujihiki.html
5. I have a $10 metal handle Chinese cleaver I got off Amazon, I think its okay for now... thoughts?

Next, boards? What do you all recommend?

Sharpening tools/ maintenance? Or should I just plan on sending them out since I don't have a clue.

Storage? I live in an Apt, I have this, is it bad? I can't mount a magnet strip on the wall. http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=13749337

Anything else you want to think I should add to my list?
Click to expand...

I use an ultimate edge deluxe knife bag for storage. There are elaborate threads on here for stones. Dave or Jon can give you all the advice you need on sharpening. They are both experts. With their help and some magnum sharpies you should be fine. I understand how you feel about metal choices. My go to knife is a stainless gyuto, but opinions and experiences on this vary person to person. As far as gyuto length I am very happy and not even remotely intimidated by my 270mm. When you are using a laser style gyuto it will be a non issue. Just make sure you get a decent sized cutting board. I have the Boardsmith maple magnum, and I am really happy with it. I noticed your sujihiki is a 270mm. I truly believe you should get a 300mm you will be much happier. Hope this helps.
 
yup excellent knife bag that is, ultimate edge deluxe. i have one myself. =D
 
SICK BAG...love it. I was reading more this morning and looks like a lot of people like the 270mm, what about the petty, 120 or 150?
 
150mm would be the best length for all purpose.

270mm slicers are great all arounder, but yes a 300 would do better for larger sized fare. =D
 
i dont know why the link is ** out but it is "chef knives to go"
 
jared08 said:
i dont know why the link is ** out but it is "chef knives to go"
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NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess why it's ***** out!

Cause it ******* sucks!

And his experts ******* suck too!
 
chinacats said:
NNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess why it's ***** out!

Cause it ******* sucks!

And his experts ******* suck too!
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:haha4:
 
Sooooo, anyways- the OP was looking for a knife not a re-re-dredging of all too recent ancient history methinks...
 
I have the Gesshin Ginga 240mm (mine is white carbon, thou) and love it. The geometry and balance is really excellent, fit and finish are also really impressive. The blade actually measures closer to 230 (measurements on this series includes the tang between the blade and the handle), and it is an excellent size (I'm very comfortable with a 240 or 210, but 270 is too long for me, 180 too short).

I also have the Gesshin Uraku 150mm. Great petty size, similar praise for geometry and balance. But I wish I had got the Ginga version of this knife as the fit and finish of the Ginga line is worth the extra $40. Rounded tang and nicer grind on the steel with a little smoother handle. My wife loves this knife, I mostly stick with the gyuto.

Personally I really love the shape of these knives and the color of the plain blades and ho wood handles. Really pretty in your hand and on display. They are the two on the left in this photo:

130218_0001.jpg
http://mkeeganuhl.com/onestar/130218_0001.jpg

That bread knife was also from Jon at JKI. Its cheap looking but works great and was I think like $40.

ThEoRy said:
Reason I ask is if you are just cutting Maki you don't want a yanagiba. A sujihiki may be more versatile for you. For a beginner sharpening a yanagiba may prove a challenge as well.

You've got about $800 there, I would say to use up to $250 on a gyuto like this:

http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/gyuto/gesshin-kagero-240mm-powdered-steel-gyuto.html
or :
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/gyuto/gesshin-ginga-240mm-stainless-wa-gyuto.html

You can go under $200 on a suji like this:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/sujihiki/suisin-inox-western-270mm-sujihiki.html

or perhaps something a little nicer for a bit more like:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/sujihiki/gesshin-ginga-270mm-stainless-wa-sujihiki.html

about $110-150 on a petty like this one:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/petty-knife/gesshin-uraku-150mm-stainless-wa-petty.html
or:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/petty-knife/gesshin-ginga-150mm-stainless-wa-petty.html

and maybe like $80 on a pairing knife like this:
http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/kitchen-knives-by-type/petty-knife/suisin-inox-western-80mm-paring-knife.html

That leaves a good bit left over for a few stones too.

Alsol how great is that bread knife? Is it, this great?
[video=youtube_share;dvNs4zB6zXg]http://youtu.be/dvNs4zB6zXg[/video]
I love that knife!!
Click to expand...
 
I find the better your knife skills, the more able to handle and be nimble with a longer length gyuto like 240, 270. The shorter knives are a little easier to handle. My sweet spot is 210 as I'm still no pro with my knife skills and am just an avid home cook in a small apartment. Definitely go somewhere where you can handle all the knifes and really test out the way they feel in your hand. It makes all the difference if you get something YOU are comfortable with, instead of what other people like or might recommend.

Meals said:
SICK BAG...love it. I was reading more this morning and looks like a lot of people like the 270mm, what about the petty, 120 or 150?
Click to expand...
 
brainsausage said:
Sooooo, anyways- the OP was looking for a knife not a re-re-dredging of all too recent ancient history methinks...
Click to expand...

Yep, my bad--sorry to OP for going off topic. I blame the alcohol--and the subject.

Cheers!
 
+1 to the Gesshin Ginga 240. I have the White #2 gyuto as well and I love it.

It's got great fit and finish, is light with good balance, has excellent cutting characteristics, is thin but stiff, and provides very good feedback when cutting.
 
chinacats said:
Yep, my bad--sorry to OP for going off topic. I blame the alcohol--and the subject.

Cheers!
Click to expand...


LOL Now worries, I am learning a lot while I sip my night cap lol

I will have to so somewhere to try a 240 vs 270...I am guess it's something that might take a bit to get used to.
 
Thanks for the info keegan, I will have to find a place in Austin to go to.
 
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