Good evening everyone, I am writing to get some advice from you. I would like to buy a deba knife (180-190 mm) double bevel. I am an Italian professional cook and I would like to buy a Takeda hamono, but before proceeding with the purchase I would like to evaluate other knives of the same level. Thank you all
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My personal view is things like debas or butcher knives, I don’t pay big money for them. They were made to be around and break through bones. Personally, the last thing I want is a blue steel with a higher heat treat near bones. I have a $90 tojiro W2 single bevel deba and it’s been one of my best investments. Only chipped once and fixed it in 10min.
I agree with Fishman. An actual single bevel Deba is for going through fish bones, and would likely be not suitable for most hanging butchery since land animals and fowl have much harder bones. The ‘Western deba’ is kind of an odd beast; can’t replace a cleaver and too ungainly for boning. I found that a ‘heavy’ gyuto is more practical in most cases, but still relatively useless for butchering.
That being said, Takeda makes a good knife that with a little work can be a great knife. But I wouldn’t overlook a Moritaka if you like that look. If you can find one, a Tosa is another good choice if you can deal with the ‘wabi sabi’.
That being said, Takeda makes a good knife that with a little work can be a great knife. But I wouldn’t overlook a Moritaka if you like that look. If you can find one, a Tosa is another good choice if you can deal with the ‘wabi sabi’.
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I bought my Takeda blue 1 ryo-deba directly from Takeda at a knife show in nyc back in the early or mid 2000's. I've lost count of the number of lobsters that it has dispatched. in the nearly 20 years of modest use, I'm not a pro chef, it has never chipped and the blade has never deformed. it is invincible. a couple of weeks ago, I had the misfortune of having to break down a frozen whole lamb. just for giggles I took out the Takeda and a mallet. long story short, the Takeda came out unscathed and the lamb barbacoa was delicious...
Wow, the frozen lamb is impressive!
I had confidence in the Takeda but even so I was amazed that it didn't suffer the least bit of damage. and that's with me hammering on the spine with my wood mallet in order for the knife to go through certain parts.
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thank you all for the answers, as always you are very kind. i have never had japanese style knives so i was geared for a double bevel. especially I would like to have a thick and heavy knife. In Italy we don't have many shops that sell knives of this type, so I don't have the opportunity to see it in person and pick it up. I will look for some online shop that sells moritaka, aesthetically I like it a lot. Would you recommend any sharpening stones for this type of knife? I currently have several stones from 400 up to 8000, but some are not well made (my first purchases 
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