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H

_HH_

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Wellington, NZ
Hey guys,
I have been reading and re-reading the site to try and get some idea about which knife to get for my first ‘proper’ knife.

I have already completed a knife questionnaire here:

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/help-recommend-a-gyuto-or-santoku.40623/

After a really useful discussion about gyuto vs santoku I realised that the reason I was looking at santoku in the first place was because I wanted a 180mm blade, so a shorter gyuto would also work. As my wife will also be using it, I would like it to be stainless.

I have narrowed it down to the Tanaka ginsan 180mm gyuto and the Yu Kurosake Shizuku R2 180mm santoku. I can get both of them for pretty much the same price after shipping to NZ is factored in and I wondered whether you guys had any advice as to which you would recommend?
Do you think the R2 will be too chippy?

Thanks for your help!
Henry
 
I have never used the R2 by this maker. I had a petty from Kamo and a gyuto from Takamura both in R2. I never felt it to be chippy at all. The petty was a favorite taken by a step daughter. I gave the laser 210 Takamura to my cousin because I did not care for the western handle. Both had seen plenty of use. Both were good steels. The Kamo was great. It was easy to sharpen like a carbon with excellent retention. The Takamura was quite good though it felt a bit harder.

I have had a few knives in ginsan. The gyuto's from Sakai Takayuki I have in ginsan are very nice. I had 2 210's from Tanaka I bought to give to my sisters. They were inexpensive around 125$ (US). I sharpened them both and found the steel to be horrible. It seemed I could never raise a burr and they felt gummy on the stones. These were frustrating to sharpen equaling the difficult experience I had with Shun's VG10. I am sure it was something I was doing wrong; but at the same time I was getting great edges of the Kamo R2 petty and a semi stainless Heiji (not to mention the carbons which were fine).

I know others have had good luck with Tanaka ginsan so take this with a grain of salt.
 
Also the Mazaki 180mm petty, that one is just outstanding in grind and profile — I’d call it my favorite 180mm knife and the most versatile. I’ve used a few R2 knives and not found them to be either chippy nor hard to sharpen but I’d probably go with the Tanaka gyuto out of those two, though.
 
Thanks guys - this is really useful.
Good to know that you didn’t find the R2 to be chippy Midsummer, that certainly makes me feel better about taking the R2 option.

I’ve just checked out the Misono esoo, it looks lovely! I think for a shared knife I’d rather stick to stainless for now though.

I appreciate your thoughts GorillaGrunt, I think I might struggle with board clearance using a petty as my main knife though. Can I ask why you prefer the Tanaka out of the two? Is it due to the gyuto shape or something to do with the steel/grind?
 
I will let GorillaGrunt answer for himself. I can tell you that Tanaka knives have maintained an outstanding reputation here at KKF. His blades have some substance. They are thin behind the edge and are ground for good food separation. They are priced well. They do have some belly curve which suits some cutting styles well.
 
180cm, thats pretty long.
I don't think even maguro sakimaru goes as long as 180cm.
 
Thanks very much for everyone’s advice - I’ve placed an order for the Tanaka gyuto and will excitedly await its arrival.

On reflection I realised I didn’t really like the appearance of the Shizuku, and much prefered the nashiji finish of the gyuto from Tanaka. As both steels seem to be good and the Tanaka is a well-liked blade I felt that was a good one to start with... I’ve seen how this knife business can escalate!!

Thanks again,
Henry
 
Midsummer said:
I will let GorillaGrunt answer for himself. I can tell you that Tanaka knives have maintained an outstanding reputation here at KKF. His blades have some substance. They are thin behind the edge and are ground for good food separation. They are priced well. They do have some belly curve which suits some cutting styles well.
Click to expand...

OP, I think you picked a good one. I’d pick a gyuto over a santoku for versatility; my Mazaki is at work so I can’t measure it right now, but it’s tall for a petty like the Munetoshi but pointier. I only have the one Tanaka, Blue 2 nashiji 270mm, and I love it - now that I’m mostly using smaller knives the Tanaka is the one 270mm I’m holding onto. Tanaka’s grind has a reputation for cutting at the level of much more expensive knives. Kurosaki’s knives also have a good reputation, and I would like to try blades by both Yu and Makoto one day, but Tanaka really stands out at his price point.
 
At 180 cm you are aproaching realm of polearms, I would personally recommend poleaxe because of versatility, wide range of techniques and unrivaled destruction power :D
 
Tanaka Nashiji and Kurosaki Shizuku are both great knives. The Tanaka is probably the pick for a beginner. Great choice. Enjoy.
 
Foltest said:
At 180 cm you are aproaching realm of polearms, I would personally recommend poleaxe because of versatility, wide range of techniques and unrivaled destruction power :D
Click to expand...
Yeah but a Halberd is always better fully upgraded.
 
I have a Tanaka ginsan gyuto. It’s a really nice cutter and the steel is very easy to sharpen. I use Shapton pro stores on it. Compared to my other knives, which are all carbon, the steel is softer -described as gummy by some. However I’ve had no issues with burr removal. The only other stainless knife I have is a petty, a Gesshin ginko from Jon at jki. I prefer the ginko,s steel but not sure what it is. Might want to look at these but not sure if a 180 is available. However, the Tanaka cost about 120 usd, and for that it’s a bargain. I think I got mine at aframes.
 
Balls... just realised why everyone was talking about ridiculously-sized blades!! Sorry everyone!

Is there a way I can change the title of the thread to a more diminutive size?!
 
_HH_ said:
Is there a way I can change the title of the thread to a more diminutive size?!
Click to expand...
I wouldn't do that because it would spoil it for future readers :)

Besides, 180 cm really is a little on the short side anyway ;)
 
Just wanted to let you guys know my knife arrived and I love it!

It’s by far the sharpest knife I have ever used and very easy to sharpen on my cerax 1000 & rika 5000 stones.

Thanks for all the guidance.
 
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Yes that’s probably a good idea!

Unfortunately I have no idea how to upload an image. I can’t seem to add the URL from flickr so here’s a link:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/150990632@N02/shares/z7skX9

The knife arrived with a dull edge, but was easy to bring up to shaving-sharpness in a matter of minutes.

The spine and choil were not eased in any way, but again this was easy to do and now both are eased and feel very comfortable.

I really like the octagonal rosewood handle. I haven’t seen any others with this, so wonder whether it is something japanny do themselves? After a bit of time spent on some 600-1200-3000 grit sandpaper and finished with a blend of beeswax and mineral oil and it looks and feels beautiful.

All in it was about $180 USD including shipping. It took a while to get here, approximately little weeks, but hey I live on the other side of the world! It was well-packaged and the ordering process was very straightforward.

Im happy to answer any questions if anyone wants to know more.
 
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