Honesuki advice

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OliverNuther

OliverNuther

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As the title suggests, I'm in the market for a honesuki. I've never owned or operated one before so I have no preconceptions as to what I want. Budget is negotiable but it won't get much use so I don't want to go overboard; let's say 300-400'ish. It will probably just be used on chickens.

I'm looking for info on all things honesuki related; vendors, makers, sizes, usage, tips and tricks etc. Any and all comments, suggestions, advice will be gratefully received.

Many thanks.
 
$300USD is a lot of money for Honesuki, especially for one that will see limited use. I myself wouldn't spend that much on such a limited use knife.

That being said, the Tojiro DP I had many years ago worked well but it was pretty basic. I could see getting one a bit nicer than the $60 price point that knife had at the time.

$150USD will get you a really nice stainless Honesuki. I would tend to prefer a Western handle for sanitary reasons. Next I would look for bling as the differences in grind for these knives are generally minor and they are all very similar.
 
A honesuki is relatively high on my list of knives to get. I will be getting the Gesshin Ginga in White 2 for $210.
 
See the two sizes Honesuki in Misono's Swedish Carbon series, and their Garasuki as well. The finely grained carbon steel will get scary sharp, even with a conservative edge and some meat behind the edge. You will use it for any task that involves some risk to thin blades.
 
Benuser said:
See the two sizes Honesuki in Misono's Swedish Carbon series, and their Garasuki as well. The finely grained carbon steel will get scary sharp, even with a conservative edge and some meat behind the edge. You will use it for any task that involves some risk to thin blades.
Click to expand...

That is what I use and I rather like it. I have the 145.
 
I love using a honesuki for breaking down chickens- great knife to have.

One option is a pro series watanabe 150 mm honesuki in blue steel. Shinichi has pictures in one of his professional series lists.
 
Benuser said:
See the two sizes Honesuki in Misono's Swedish Carbon series, and their Garasuki as well. The finely grained carbon steel will get scary sharp, even with a conservative edge and some meat behind the edge. You will use it for any task that involves some risk to thin blades.
Click to expand...

Do you like the factory edge bevel for misono honesuki ootb? Or do you adjust it?
 
I also have a Misono Swedish honesuki... ootb bevel is fine just needs to be properly sharpened. Those things are made for durability not gnarly sharpness l. Overall great knife it breaks down at the least 1 bird a week and does it beautifully
 
Thanks guys, all those options sound good. I haven't got a Gesshin, Misono or a Wat so this might be a good excuse. I tend to prefer Wa handles in gyuto but like DJ said I might go Western this time for sanitary reasons.

Any thoughts on Wa vs Yo or stainless Vs carbon?
 
Labor I’ve used a Mac for a few years without regret but there’s probably more value in that misono though. The thing is it’s good steel that’s not going to chip with a 'oh eff' move. I like the weight of the western to give that sense of power in hand when it’s directed...it goes though and that’s that. As far as sano goes I’m with you, it doesn’t mean anything unless you got a HI that has the authority in an area to have an opinion as to such matters. I wash my hands, my knife and board when needed. That’s my story and I’ll stick to it.
 
labor of love said:
Do you like the factory edge bevel for misono honesuki ootb? Or do you adjust it?
Click to expand...

As always with Misono, overly convexed by factory buffering. A good sharpening to get rid of that weak edge. And the honesuki comes with an extra bevel at the first 4cm from the heel. I don't need it.
 
Martin Yan breaking down a chicken is my favorite culinary trick. It got me interested in cleavers and breaking down chickens, for lack of a better term in the Asian style.

The advantage of a honesuki is the edge. It's sharper and will hold the hold much longer then a western boning knife. Which is a benefit in breaking down large amounts of chicken.

The triangle shape of the honesuki is good for pressing down against the chicken as the leg quarters and breasts are being pulled off. The rear part of the knife lends itself to scraping and pushing meat off the bone.

My honesuki and garasuki have over sized western handles or at least larger then other knives I own at this size. I can maintain my grip when the handle is covered in chicken fat. The larger handle provides leverage in scraping meat off the bone and pressing against the carcass as the leg quarters and breasts are pulled off.

As far as I know there hasn't been a comparison between the different honesukis. Misono is often recommended its a good knife at a reasonable price. I bought Hattori because because I heard a lot about the line and wanted to try it. Plus I liked the looks of the knife.

From what little info there is a 70/30 grind is traditional. A few makers have 50/50 grinds. My garasuki has a very pronounced bevel on the front, similar to a single bevel. The back flat against the stone for the sharpest edge or the back can be raised for a stronger edge.

A honesuki would serve a person well who is wanting to learn to break down chicken using the Asian method or is going to debone larger amounts of leg quarters. It is worth the effort to learn the Asian method. Once you know it, Jacque Peppin's method for deboning a whole chicken is a lot easier. There are plenty of dishes that can be made with deboned chicken quarters.

A garasuki is more about production. It feels like a knife made to work all day breaking down chickens. I put the tip of the garasuki down, pull back and the knife cuts effortlessly through the skin and meat. It's overkill for a home cook, its probably overkill for a pro cook, unless they work in a restaurant dedicated to chicken.

Jay
 
For me, the Western handle and welded bolster provides a better crevice free handle area that is easier to keep clean. In practice, I also found it to be a secure grip when my hands were slick with chicken fat.

Sure, a Japanese handle can be kept clean and should be secure it use too but, cleaning the tang area is not my favorite thing to do around chicken.
 
Has anyone seen or used a Kanehide Bessaku Honesuki 150mm?

This one looks promising at a very modest price point. However, I don't see much written about this knife.
 
labor of love said:
I’m lost. Sanitary reasons to prefer western handle? Why?
Click to expand...

I might have been guilty of over generalising and I don't want to start any fights. Instead of Western perhaps I should have said micarta or the like because plastic seems more hygenic than wooden handles when it comes to chicken.

I know. I know. Left hand dirty, right hand clean. But I'm a bit OCD when it comes to chicken.
 
Thank you jaybett, very comprehensive. I infer Hattori is your choice? Another maker I haven't tried but would like to.

I'm a righty so a 70/30 edge is ok with me but I'm only an average sharpener so I might have to scratch the Misono. I don't think I'm good enough to reprofile it OOTB.
 
My understanding is that a 100/0 or 90/10 is the traditional grind.

My Yoshikane (Maxim) is 100/0 in V2. Like.
 
OliverNuther said:
I might have been guilty of over generalising and I don't want to start any fights. Instead of Western perhaps I should have said micarta or the like because plastic seems more hygenic than wooden handles when it comes to chicken.

I know. I know. Left hand dirty, right hand clean. But I'm a bit OCD when it comes to chicken.
Click to expand...

Cross-contamination can be a concern. Sealed surfaces, whether a tang, bolster or, handle scale are all good things. I never had any concern with my Tojiro DP many years ago and its sealed pacawood handle scale. Fit and finish was a bit rough but, soapy water always seemed to get it clean easy enough to ease my fears of lingering ickies causing problems in the future.
 
OliverNuther said:
As the title suggests, I'm in the market for a honesuki. I've never owned or operated one before so I have no preconceptions as to what I want. Budget is negotiable but it won't get much use so I don't want to go overboard; let's say 300-400'ish. It will probably just be used on chickens.

I'm looking for info on all things honesuki related; vendors, makers, sizes, usage, tips and tricks etc. Any and all comments, suggestions, advice will be gratefully received.

Many thanks.
Click to expand...

I'm very happy with my Misono carbon honesuki, I've got the left-handed version bought from JCK—came with a perfect fitting wooden saya. I can also recommend Masahiro, from which I have their lefty carbon hankotsu, brought from Knife Merchant—no saya. My feeing is to not spend a lot on a honesuke, since they get battered quite a bit.

The Kanehide Bessaku Honesuki—which I've not tried—seem a steal its price point.

K49xfAN.jpg

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My Misono carbon at work.
 
OliverNuther said:
Thank you jaybett, very comprehensive. I infer Hattori is your choice? Another maker I haven't tried but would like to.

I'm a righty so a 70/30 edge is ok with me but I'm only an average sharpener so I might have to scratch the Misono. I don't think I'm good enough to reprofile it OOTB.
Click to expand...
Get it with Korin and ask for the free initial stone sharpening.
 
I've been thinking a Honesuki might be the next purchase, so all this info is great, thanks!

WRT food safety and handles, I can see an argument for integral bolster at least, if not a full Western handle when working with chicken. Some wa handles, especially those with exposed machi or gaps that aren't completely filled in the bolster, have areas that aren't easy to clean thoroughly. I try not to be overly paranoid about this stuff, but my wife and I are getting to an age where our immune systems aren't what they were when we were younger. So I'm a little more careful than I used to be.

One knife I've been looking at is this Gesshin Ginga 150mm in White 2, with a western handle:

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...products/gesshin-ginga-150mm-white-2-honesuki

For wa handles with integral bolsters, Shun makes a couple of honesukis in their Blue and Dual Core lines. Handles are pakkawood so basically plastic. But then it's Shun with all the pros and cons that come with that line. The Blue one is tempting though.
 
It seems that there are several 'versions' of sub $100 semi-stainless (probably all SLD) honesuki knives. I have the one from Hiromoto and it works great. I was not aware of the Kanehide. There is also the Rinkaku from JKI.

I can imagine that in a pro environment a some sort of sealed handle (like Tojiro, etc.) makes sense - honesuki is a small knife, so the stuff that is being cut will get all over it pretty fast. I like the idea of a nice micarta handle - I may try that with my Hiromoto in the future.
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I'm probably leaning towards a Misono at this stage. Does anyone have any thoughts on Swedish carbon vs the UX10? Also I can't seem to find any info on the edge profile.

Edit. Just found it, 70/30.
 
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