Current Top 5 and Top 10 Gyutos

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great thread. I just realized I only have 5 gyutos right now. need to correct that asap.

anyway I bought and sold many others in the last few years so I guess these are essentially my top 5 among the ones I’ve tried.

Gengetsu 240 semistainless (old school version)
Feels super natural in hand, probably because I spent 10+ thinning / refinishing / polishing it lol. Favorite ever profile and grind.

210 Toyama iron-clad
The 210 workhorse par excellence IMO. The fact that it’s now rare makes me appreciate it even more.

180 Gesshin Ginga stainless yo handle
Initially planned to use as a small beater, but I like it more than expected. No fuss, great F&F, Ashi grind is superb. Handles everything I throw at it and feels great in hand.

240 Ashi white #2 yo handle (non-Gesshin)
Bought recently after I fell in love with the 180. Was not disappointed.

12” Sabatier carbon chefs knife (that counts as a gyuto, right?)
The less used knife in this list but it’s just super fun for larger prep and a nice variation from my J knives. Also the best pizza / cake / pie cutter!


let’s talk about regrets - here are some that I regret selling and otherwise would be among my top 10 or top 5:

Marko Tsourkan 180 gyuto in A2 (convex grind)
Marko’s A2 is one of my favorite steels. His convex grind (also the WH) is one of my favorite grinds. Profile and weight on this one were spot on. Why the f*** did I sell this?

Kato 180 and 210 STD
Not much to say. The 180 was super sweet.

Shig 210 kasumi
Loved the board feeling and was super fun to sharpen and polish.


what I’m missing:

180 workhorse (in the thick & heavy sense)
Something like a Dalman or custom Tsourkan with WH grind (now that he’s active again, one can dream).

240 Watoyama
I’ve owned the 210 for years but somehow never tried a 240.

240 Gesshin Hide or Ittetsu
Love the santokuish profile on my 270 Ittetsu (for sale right now because too long).

Shihan 240

Kochi Migaki 240
 
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Choppin said:
great thread. I just realized I only have 5 gyutos right now. need to correct that asap.

anyway I bought and sold many others in the last few years so I guess these are essentially my top 5 among the ones I’ve tried.

Gengetsu 240 semistainless (old school version)
Feels super natural in hand, probably because I spent 10+ thinning / refinishing / polishing it lol. Favorite ever profile and grind.

210 Toyama iron-clad
The 210 workhorse par excellence IMO. The fact that it’s now rare makes me appreciate it even more.

180 Gesshin Ginga stainless yo handle
Initially planned to use as a small beater, but I like it more than expected. No fuss, great F&F, Ashi grind is superb. Handles everything I throw at it and feels great in hand.

240 Ashi white #2 yo handle (non-Gesshin)
Bought recently after I fell in love with the 180. Was not disappointed.

12” Sabatier carbon chefs knife (that counts as a gyuto, right?)
The less used knife in this list but it’s just super fun for larger prep and a nice variation from my J knives. Also the best pizza / cake / pie cutter!


let’s talk about regrets - here are some that I regret selling and otherwise would be among my top 10 or top 5:

Marko Tsourkan 180 gyuto in A2 (convex grind)
Marko’s A2 is one of my favorite steels. His convex grind (also the WH) is one of my favorite grinds. Profile and weight on this one were spot on. Why the f*** did I sell this?

Kato 180 and 210 STD
Not much to say. The 180 was super sweet.

Shig 210 kasumi
Loved the board feeling and was super fun to sharpen and polish.


what I’m missing:

180 workhorse (in the thick & heavy sense)
Something like a Dalman or custom Tsourkan with WH grind (now that he’s active again, one can dream).

240 Watoyama
I’ve owned the 210 for years but somehow never tried a 240.

240 Gesshin Hide or Ittetsu
Love the santokuish profile on my 270 Ittetsu (for sale right now because too long).

Shihan 240

Kochi Migaki 240
Click to expand...
Just jump right to the 270 on the Toyama...
 
dmonterisi said:
yep, i spaced when doing my post, went back and fixed it. sry
Click to expand...
No worries, did get me thinking of what I’d choose for a ‘Top 5 Kitchen Knives.’ Dunno if I’d go with a 5 with versatility in mind; or thematic like my fave 225 gyutos; or 5 from Sanjo; etc.
This might be my ‘Top 5,’ if open to different kitchen knife shapes.
Single-maker suite of 5 Yanick kitchen knives.
3C29AA21-2540-4048-A275-F3CFBCC8AB0D.jpeg
 
DitmasPork said:
No worries, did get me thinking of what I’d choose for a ‘Top 5 Kitchen Knives.’ Dunno if I’d go with a 5 with versatility in mind; or thematic like my fave 225 gyutos; or 5 from Sanjo; etc.
This might be my ‘Top 5,’ if open to different kitchen knife shapes.
Single-maker suite of 5 Yanick kitchen knives.
Click to expand...
outstanding. just getting started on my yanick journey. have a fantastic petty and 2 more knives inbound next week.
 
Poor man's list. I only have 5 gyutos (which I naively thought was already too many). In order of enjoyment...

1. Anryu (Ikeda) 210 aogami 2
2. Matt Sicard 230 52100 mono
3. Shigeki Tanaka 240 Ginsan
4. Yoshimi Kato 180 AS
5. Wakui 210 shirogami 2
 
the eight.jpg


Here are my 8 (without digging into camping gear or other storage) in order of use from top to bottom:
Takada 240 b2 iron clad
Takada 210 b2 suibuko
Kagekiyo 240 b1
Denka 210 AS
Tetsujin MF B2
Yoshikane 210 SKD
Shiki Black Dragon 210 R2 nickel dammy
Wusthof (not true gyuto, I know...) Le Cordon Bleu 8"

If I included most used non gyotos, I'd have to throw in a Takada nakiri in the #2 or #3 spot, a Makaki 150mm petty that feels like a little gyuto, and a couple cleavers (CCK and Matsubara)
 
chefwp said:
View attachment 244083
Here are my 8 (without digging into camping gear or other storage) in order of use from top to bottom:
Takada 240 b2 iron clad
Takada 210 b2 suibuko
Kagekiyo 240 b1
Denka 210 AS
Tetsujin MF AS
Yoshikane 210 SKD
Shiki Black Dragon 210 R2 nickel dammy
Wusthof (not true gyuto, I know...) Le Cordon Bleu 8"

If I included most used non gyotos, I'd have to throw in a Takada nakiri in the #2 or #3 spot, a Makaki 150mm petty that feels like a little gyuto, and a couple cleavers (CCK and Matsubara)
Click to expand...
Nice, love Takada, …No Hamono, No Life.
 
I also have to stretch it a bit to make a top 10 :)

Top 1-5, in no particular order:
Birgersson 180 - the slayer of carrots, it just puts a smile on my face whenever I use it

Top 6-10, somewhat in order of preference:
Hitohira Kikuchiyo x Kyuzo 200 White #2 (I think) Kurouchi
Hatsukokoro Kumokage 210 Blue #2 Kurouchi
Kawachi Kiritsuke 180 White #2 Kasumi - didn't like it at first, but bites better after a sharpening
Birgersson 246 - a bit too long for my taste
jsandvad @ Isasmedjan (profile picture) - two main reasons it made top 10: a) I made it myself b) I only have 6 gyutos.
 
I only have 7 gyuto at the moment so here's a top 5 (in descending alphabetical order):

The Nine soft iron clad Blue #2 213mm
Shihan stainless clad 52100 240mm
Konosuke HD2 210mm
Konosuke Fujiyama FM white #1 210mm
Hitohira Kikuchio Ren white #2 240mm (super thinned)

Honourable rectangle mention is my Takada no Hamono reika blue #2 nakiri from Tsubaya.
 
I found that the trickiest aspect of making a selection was slogging through my personal priorities when it comes to gyutos—performance; valuation; effort to acquire; which is the shiny new thing; classic vs trends/bling; dependability; nostalgia; mood; contrast vs theme; etc.
 
I'll play along. I don't have many more than these but have a few more on the way. Maybe the Wat pushes something out. The western Tsourkan I have listed could swap with one of these as well.

In no specific order,

Markin 240mm 52100 equivalent
Nine 235mm low bevel Blue 2 core
Nine 230mm side stacked wrought Blue 1 core
Nine 210mm Damascus 1.2519 (absolutely insane grind, 240g....)
Nine 170mm side stack wrought Blue 1 core (sharpest thing I own)

208F1DB8-90B0-4E4D-9871-D51E3F9CF43E.jpeg
6BD63857-CD18-4D7B-BE5D-71B371E7E925.jpeg
 
DitmasPork said:
I found that the trickiest aspect of making a selection was slogging through my personal priorities when it comes to gyutos—performance; valuation; effort to acquire; which is the shiny new thing; classic vs trends/bling; dependability; nostalgia; mood; contrast vs theme; etc.
Click to expand...

I struggled with this too. Which priorities won out for your top five and top ten gyutos list?
 
PeterL said:
I struggled with this too. Which priorities won out for your top five and top ten gyutos list?
Click to expand...

My current 'Top 5 Gyutos' and reasons, in descending order from lightest to heaviest:

240 Takada No Hamono, b1
Bantamweight
>>> [off-the-shelf] drop dead gorgeous suiboku finish; sublime, finessed grind; the Y Tanaka b1, easy to sharpen, long edge retention, has good bite; nimble with enough beef to just get to work without feeling delicate. 226 x 49

240 Kikumori x Nakagawa, w1
Featherweight
>>> [off-the-shelf] my most recent purchase; dig the profile; nimble AF, at 187g a nice change from the more workhorse type gyutos I'd been using; love the understated, plain Jane aesthetic of simple ho wood and horn; OOTB edge was meh, but after some thinning/sharpening, comfy like on old pair of jeans; white 1 my fave to sharpen of all the whites/blues. 227 x 50

225 Bryan Raquin
Lightweight
>>> [custom] aesthetically beautiful, rustic AF, full of evidence of that 'handmade-ness,' like discovering a knife in an archeological dig and taking it straight to the kitchen. Wonderful balance; performance; steel; distal; the burnt oak one of the more comfy handles. Mine is a cross between Kitchen Tractor and Regular grind, with a higher shinogi than others I've seen. 225 x 53

240 Tetsujin, b2
Welterweight
>>> [off-the-shelf] This has been a great worker bee for me; super dependable, tasty collab of steel and grind. Love everything about Tetsujin as an all-rounder so much that I got 2 of them—perhaps inspired by Jeff Goldblum's closet of identical sports jackets in 'The Fly.'
230 x 50

225 Yanick Puig
Middleweight
>>> [custom] superbly crafted blade; well balanced with a lefty d-handle; awesome distal; 225 is my sweet spot, ran outta the gates right from the box, hasn't stopped running; cuts with authority; doesn’t need babying, used often as a travel knife; great all rounder. 225 x 53

All 5 are easy to sharpen up when needed. Too lazy to write up numbers 6–10.
 
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enrico l said:
I'll play along. I don't have many more than these but have a few more on the way. Maybe the Wat pushes something out. The western Tsourkan I have listed could swap with one of these as well.

In no specific order,

Markin 240mm 52100 equivalent
Nine 235mm low bevel Blue 2 core
Nine 230mm side stacked wrought Blue 1 core
Nine 210mm Damascus 1.2519 (absolutely insane grind, 240g....)
Nine 170mm side stack wrought Blue 1 core (sharpest thing I own)

View attachment 244101View attachment 244102
Click to expand...
“I don’t have many more than these” then 4 out of 5 are nines. This fills me with jealous rage. 😊 Been trying to snag one for soooo long.
 
First lineup right now, those I reach for first at the moment:

Takeda, 180
Whenever food release is needed, this is the one.

Jean Jose Tritz, 190
This one really has a bite to the edge. Nimble.

Bryan Raquin, 200
Perfect grip, love the balance, nimble

Shigeki Tanaka, R2, 240
Big, but small somehow…

Bryan Raquin, 255
Gyuto, or gyutohiki? I think of it as a gyuto, but in all fairness, it gets slicing jobs aswell. Regardless - one hell of a knife.

2572AB95-D63D-46A8-AFFC-D9E93612B5B4.jpeg




Second team. Well, they’re also up on the knife racks and are also reached for:

Shigeki Tanaka ginsan,180
The cheapest, but oh so good. Love it.

Tanaka from Tsubaya, 210
Sooo thin, really falls through

Yusuke ginsan, 210
Sturdy, gets the job done, always

Bryan Raquin, 215
Low gyuto, reall nimble

Konosuke HD2, 240
Needs no introduction.

F93C4D21-6139-4A86-8764-1ACC22904023.jpeg
 
Grit said:
First lineup right now, those I reach for first at the moment:

Takeda, 180
Whenever food release is needed, this is the one.

Jean Jose Tritz, 190
This one really has a bite to the edge. Nimble.

Bryan Raquin, 200
Perfect grip, love the balance, nimble

Shigeki Tanaka, R2, 240
Big, but small somehow…

Bryan Raquin, 255
Gyuto, or gyutohiki? I think of it as a gyuto, but in all fairness, it gets slicing jobs aswell. Regardless - one hell of a knife.

View attachment 244121



Second team. Well, they’re also up on the knife racks and are also reached for:

Shigeki Tanaka ginsan,180
The cheapest, but oh so good. Love it.

Tanaka from Tsubaya, 210
Sooo thin, really falls through

Yusuke ginsan, 210
Sturdy, gets the job done, always

Bryan Raquin, 215
Low gyuto, reall nimble

Konosuke HD2, 240
Needs no introduction.

View attachment 244119
Click to expand...
The handle on the Tritz is gorgeous!
 
Can't hold a candle to most of knives here for the most part anyway. Esp. since used threads for best 240mm gyuto for culinary students.

Since home cook now more 210mm gyuto. Never used 210 at work. Sold 240 to students.
IMG_20230519_103937212.jpg

Yoshikane SKD 210
Denka 240
Watanabe blue#2 iron clad 210
Gengetsu 210 white steel
IMG_20230519_104607086.jpg

Damascus G3 210 this blade going to one of my nephew's.

Tanaka Nashiji 240 G3 steel

Had to throw in K- Sab one of those do it all no worries mono softer steel carbons 10"
 
Keith Sinclair said:
Can't hold a candle to most of knives here for the most part anyway. Esp. since used threads for best 240mm gyuto for culinary students.

Since home cook now more 210mm gyuto. Never used 210 at work. Sold 240 to students.
View attachment 244143
Yoshikane SKD 210
Denka 240
Watanabe blue#2 iron clad 210
Gengetsu 210 white steel
View attachment 244144
Damascus G3 210 this blade going to one of my nephew's.

Tanaka Nashiji 240 G3 steel

Had to throw in K- Sab one of those do it all no worries mono softer steel carbons 10"
Click to expand...
That Denka looks hit!
 
ashy2classy said:
Mind posting some photos? I'm a huge fan of Kikumori knives.
Click to expand...

Sure! It's part of a custom pair I made through Strata--both Tanaka Blue #1s with so-bokashi finishes. I love this style of finish for its performance, but also its aesthetics. It's a bit more understated that a pure kasumi polish, but is much easier to maintain.

IMG_1712.jpeg


IMG_1711.jpeg


IMG_1710.jpeg
 
Don't consider these gyuto but are on the mag block.

TF Nashiji 180 white steel
Carter 140 white steel
Blue#2 170 Nakiri

The TF Nashiji & Carter bought off BST years ago. My better half likes these small carbon blades. Bought my first Nakiri last year it's a good one thin grind falls through produce.
IMG_20230519_135004870.jpg
 
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