Gyuto under $200 for Newbie

[berko]

fujiwara fkm is easy to sharpen and doesnt chip imo.

 

[Seb]

Fujiwara FKM +1

 

[Benuser]

I'm leaning towards the Fujiwara atm, just to have a guaranteed decent starting edge. I may have to wait until Christmas to get my sharpening stones which also pushes me toward the Fujiwara for a half decent edge OOTB.

Nobody can guarantee a decent OOTB edge. With production knives in general, the factory edge is in the best cases a draft. With the Fujiwaras, the edge is unpredictable. May be usable, may be not.
I would add that factory edges tend to be very weak due to buffering.
So, the first thing one does with a brand new Japanese blade is sharpening it, or having the retailer doing it.

 

[mhlee]

i wouldnt mind checking out a suisin inox western. if i was on the market for stainless western, thats what i would get. they just look good.

I've written this time and time again - the Suisin Inox Western is a superior performing knife to the CarboNext. I compared a CarboNext (regular sharpening) to a borrowed Suisin Inox Western over several days. Cutting performance, comfort, balance, fit and finish are all better with the Suisin.

 

[daveb]

Don't know that there is a better value than Suisin Western for 1st J Knife - esp for home user. They are available from two of the supporting retailers here, both of which will provide initial sharpening.

 

[Timthebeaver]

Don't know that there is a better value than Suisin Western for 1st J Knife - esp for home user. They are available from two of the supporting retailers here, both of which will provide initial sharpening.

I think this is the solution - get a knife with a great edge (i.e. sharpened by a pro) as a reference point. Look at all the advice to buy an Artifex etc. (not on this forum to be fair). The simple fact is newcomers (which we all were once) to J-knives (by definition) are incapable of installing a great edge or (particularly) thinning a knife correctly. Personally, I don't think I could thin an Artifex to a high standard.

 

[mhlee]

I think this is the solution - get a knife with a great edge (i.e. sharpened by a pro) as a reference point. Look at all the advice to buy an Artifex etc. (not on this forum to be fair). The simple fact is newcomers (which we all were once) to J-knives (by definition) are incapable of installing a great edge or (particularly) thinning a knife correctly. Personally, I don't think I could thin an Artifex to a high standard.

I agree that there is no point for a person who is new to non-German knives to buy a knife that needs ANY work out of the box.

Spend a little extra money and buy a knife that is ready to go. Buy an inexpensive edge guard (I like the magnetic ones best for the price) to protect your knife. I would not recommend the plastic edge guards - they scratch your knives and can ruin a fresh, fine edge.

 

[rdpx]

I'm leaning towards the Fujiwara atm, just to have a guaranteed decent starting edge. I may have to wait until Christmas to get my sharpening stones which also pushes me toward the Fujiwara for a half decent edge OOTB.

The OOTB edge on my CN was way sharper than anything I had used before.

I think you are going to probably like any knife that has been recommended here.

 

[smilesenpai]

Is it best to keep away from no name knives? I see some that just say "VG-10 Hammered Damascus Gyuto" from echefknife and appear good bang for the dollar.

So hand made knives are much better. What is a handmade with the same specifications as what sparetire55 asks for?

 

[panda]

Mac pro, and a king 1000.

 

[Kriegs]

suisin

 

[Timthebeaver]

Is it best to keep away from no name knives? I see some that just say "VG-10 Hammered Damascus Gyuto" from echefknife and appear good bang for the dollar.

So hand made knives are much better. What is a handmade with the same specifications as what sparetire55 asks for?

This isn't really "no-name", it's a Yoshihiro. The blade is OEM and offered by many companies.

 

[aser]

I'll vouch for Yoshihiro, not talked about much with all these new lines popping up in the last few years.

I have their blue 2 hongasumi yanagi and a 270mm stainless gyuto. The gyuto has become my main work gyuto, it's far less renown than my other knives but still remain my go to. It sharpens really well for a stainless. I use this way more than my hd or my recently sold ux10.

Not a fan of the Suisin inox steel, found it dulled easily and wasn't very enjoyable to sharpen. This is based on using/sharpening a coworker's knife over a period of a year.

 

[sparetire55]

So Suisin uses the Inox blend of metal in that knife right? Isn't that the same metal composition that is in a Victorinox, just it's forged instead of stamped?

 

[berko]

no. inox is just short for "inoxidable".

 

[mc2442]

I have not personally used Suisin, but have sharpened a couple of the ones I have given as gifts. I think I have given 4 to date, and have all been very well received. Heard a lot of praise, although they were gifts, lol. Sharpens easily and well.

 

[steelcity]

I have a Suisin Inox western that I bought as my first gyuto. It sharpens easily on my 1K/6K combo stone and will get pretty sharp. The handle is comfortable but it's not the most eye catching handle.