In the market for some high end knives! Need your thoughts!

[franzb69]

that's gonna be one of a wow of a gyuto for $600 =D

 

[ChiliPepper]

Coming from a home cook: the holy standard set made of gyuto-petty-suji-bread knife and a good combo stone will never disappoint and will go a long way. You should be able to buy all that with your budget easily. And I agree with cclin to keep your old knives for practicing on the stones.
If you feel the need or simply the curiosity to try out "specialized" knives like usuba, nakiri, chinese cleaver well, why not?

 

[ChiliPepper]

Oh and btw I agree that, out of the bunch, the gyuto should be probably the knife to invest more on but I can't see why it should be more than 400$ unless the nature of the gift from your family says otherwise and you're willing to buy a "heirloom" sort of knife, in which case there are excellent customs around but that could easily absorb all your budget for just that one knife.

 

[etbenton]

Great suggestions by all. One additional question I have on the gyuto. I am new to this style of knife so I'm sure this is something I need to be educated on, but it seems like there is not nearly as much connecting the blade to the handle when compared to western style knives. Some of them look like they were just stuck in the handle and if something happened to it, the blade could come out. Again, I know I am new to this, but just a thought that I had. Is there any chance of that happening?

Here is an example. It just looks so thin where it connects compared to western knives.

 

[franzb69]

don't worry about the handle coming off. it literally takes a hammer and a piece of wood to take the knife out of the handle. unless it was wrongly installed.

 

[Mingooch]

I have almost all wa handles and have never had one come off.

 

[etbenton]

Good to know. I assumed that was the case, just wanted to make sure this did not happen from time to time.

 

[ThEoRy]

That's never happened to me before. The main difference between wa and yo is weight. Wa handled knives are lighter.

 

[ChiliPepper]

If it is any help, roughly the same technique of mounting a blade on a handle has been applied to katana swords for centuries and those were not used to delicately cut thin slices of raw fish...

 

[bieniek]

Wasnt there a pin in the katanas handle?
Just like pin in the handle of

 

[SpikeC]

When I use mine to change tires I have no problems.

 

[Benuser]

Thanks, Spike!