Wakui vs. All: Performance
Obviously, there are a lot of knives that can separate as well or better than the thicker convex/wide bevels we have here, but within this category we get to look at how well a knife that compromises some food separation (or not) can cut and give us some improved characteristics in return; then see if, within the different balance each achieves, we should call them great or not so great.
To me, there are at least one out of two performance characteristics someone is bound to seek with buying such knives: some measure of power (for lack of a better word to convey, in no particular order nor strict necessity, a combination of things like toughness/sturdiness, heft/forward heaviness, authority/presence, etc.); some enhanced food release. The outline of what we call a Workhorse is easily discernible here, but not necessarily interchangeable – and in my case, not especially sought after. There’s also a notion of comfort with thicker spines, but then again I don’t think it’s necessary to go Sanjo thick for that: focus there would be more of an inclination for extra meaty spines, which to me is sort of included within the notion of power.
With such concerns of food separation vs. food release vs. power vs. workhorse use, I’ll go over all knives quickly:
Mazaki Nakiri: whereas it could exhibit some wedging, it had nice food separation and nice food release overall, especially when its natural momentum was put to use. I’ve not hold of much knives containing such reserves of power, and where it’s difficult to envision shorter knives as workhorse, this one was sure one beast of a Nakiri. The equilibrium between separation and release was fair at worse, downright great when letting its weight forward do the cut. Tip was brilliant for a Nakiri.
Yoshikane Santoku/Gyuto: we’d rather need to look at a group of knives of the laser kind to compare, for that’s how Yoshi cuts: amazingly effortlessly. It sure is a very good choice for someone hunting for laser operation with a thick spine for extra comfort. However, it’s pretty much where it stops in this comparison: the Yoshikane doesn’t sacrifice much of any performance in food separation, but food release is laser-poor, and there’s not much weight or power to them, while making them into a workhorse is the most ridicule proposition – especially with Gyutos so short at heel, but mainly because they’re crazy thin BTE and prone to chips/deformation. Both Santoku and Gyuto have a dead flat spot that is bound to please some, but not everyone; the Santoku’s was less of a hindrance overall in this regard to me. Both were pretty splendid with tip work and quite nimble.
Toyama Gyuto: this one is a pretty awesome performance overall. In food separation, it holds up some even to Yoshikane while having a much better notion of food release. It does also provide well with powerful feeling operations, but a focus with thinness BTE perhaps does not make it a prime Workhorse candidate - although it is much more otherwise geared towards it than any Yoshikane, it still felt a bit brittle to me. Splendid tip work also. Would easily recommend it to anyone looking into a powerhouse prioritizing food separation and release more than sheer toughness. You could sort of look at it as a Yoshikane on steroids – a very good proposition, that.
Hinode Gyuto: I thought the wedging I experienced was acceptable for better food release… but it so happens that OOTB, this one had a real problem with sticky-sucky beveling/blasted finish – to the point that even stuff hitting the Shinogi in full would tend to contour to it and keep on nagging at me. For smaller stuff, food separation was excellent, but often stickier than ever. In the end, more momentum than I cared for was the only thing to minimize these effects, or a session of bulk cutting where food would push food up and out in the end, and where using more momentum was a natural thing. At that it was mighty good, and if a workhorse doesn’t need to be especially tall to please you, it can take a powerful stance. Very thin BTE yet tough in my use, it sure didn’t lack of anything much to hit the top.
Mazaki Gyuto: treating it differentially to the Nakiri since Maz new profiles also come with thinner grinds. I expect an old Gyuto of his would much more fall into what I said about the Nakiri than about this one here. If Yoshikane is the outlier “Sanjo laser” of this comparison, then Maz Gyuto “New Profile” (Migaki – I think KUs are thicker/heavier in average) is more the middle of the road thing, and still a bit of an outlier. Maz has good separation, average release, but better than Yoshikane. Many KKFers reported exactly to the contrary with theirs (poorer separation, good release), which is logical where most also said it needed thinning: a thicker BTE might enhance release - mine was pretty thin OOTB. Sturdy knife in my use, but deceivingly light for thickness: for sheer power or workhorse use I’d definitely look elsewhere.
Wakui Gyuto: strikes all the cords and then some: good separation, consistently great release, heavy and powerful, can do workhorse. Still all along this review we get to see that it’s not the best of any performance characteristic: as I hinted at earlier, its superiority is with cumulating better than average performance combining all without making much of any compromise to be so good – except that it sure is no laser, obviously.
I’ve actually to get out of Japan entirely to find the Wakui a deadly rival – of itself. However, if separation is a priority, and looking into some powerhouse of a knife still, Toyama truthfully is the only Sanjo equal to it, the tradeoff pretty obvious where its great food separation (and related outstanding general behavior) comes at the price of the Wakui’s resilience in abuse (and related outstanding general behavior) – and vice versa.
Now, out of Sanjo at least, we have:
Kawamura/Y. Tanaka Gyuto: probably the archetypal Workhorse, and quite a powerfully gifted knife in that regard. There was some real bit of wedging to it, but pretty good release also, and a fine tip with excellent abilities. Used with its natural momentum it’s an unstoppable bulk cutter that can still manage more refined cutting with ease and gusto. My main gripe was just it being too much of a knife to fit my use well - selling it a first step into admitting 240mm Gyutos were not for me in general use, for it’s been my favorite one ever. Much nimbler in operations than bulk and heft could ever suggest, and I think it’s as worthy a contender to the Wakui than the Toyama, each with different aspects to make them shine.
Then completely out Japan (but the maker partially trained there) we get to THE knife that in my experience no other can beat to be as special and thrilling and as close to perfect (with work):
Shi.Han Choil shot - Nowadays
Shi.Han Gyuto (Old Stock) – even where what follows are OOTB considerations, my enthusiasm with the Shi.Han is ridiculously disproportioned to any other, so taming it as best as I can here we are: food separation was nice, counting with the unavoidable deal of wedging (and lots of carrots cracking etc.), and especially tip work was eons better than a first appraisal of the whole blade would have one believe, but none of it was optimal with thickness BTE out of the box for sure. Food release however was fantastic, and where any listed or unlisted “power” characteristics or workhorse use are concerned, I’ve already said my bit earlier: “only knife to ever flog horses out of ‘workhorse’ yadda yadda yadda”. It’s not only a matter of heft, but also one of toughness of the steel: Sheehan’s 52100 HT is a top class act.
Shi.Han Profile - Nowadays
Ittetsu Nakiri 180mm: and a look at the finish with these, making up for their absence in pics next post
Then for both Ittetsu: somewhat good separation, nowhere as good as the Hinode COULD be but less wedging overall. Release is somewhat average – again Hinode could do as much. These Ittetsu are not without some sense of power, more than Yoshikane for sure, but from there to workhorse is a huge leap to take… Fatter spine at heel does yield them the minimum higher comfort and higher weight than a lot of J-knives, so within this comparison their odds aren’t so bad; still, overall and within a wide enough sample of knives, they’re better defined by middle of the road behavior.
Ittetsu Gyuto 180mm – in action
So our top contenders for performance are the Wakui, Toyama, Kawamura, old profile Mazaki and Shi.Han, with each owning up to mostly positive attributes fitting our category. Outside of such concerns, obviously Yoshikane are excellent performers also. New profile Mazaki, Hinode, Ittetsu, they’re all good knives, but no top performers of any category in my book.
Again, YMMV.
with the weight vs. spine thickness he had listed: he actually sent me a picture with a post-it marked with weight on all twelve boxes, which I found amazing of him, but then again he’s the best.
