Advices for buying gyuto from Japan

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black_cat1

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Hi,

This is the 1st time I post in this forum. Currently, I have a friend who is working in Japan and he agree to ship me a gyuto to UK. I have narrowed down 2 choices on Rakuten website but I want to hear more from everyone about other option before I decide.

LOCATION
What country are you in? Cardiff, United Kingdom



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)? Gyuto

Are you right or left handed? Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle? Both

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)? 240 mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no) No

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife? 100£



KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment? Home

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.) Slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry

What knife, if any, are you replacing? N/A

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.) Hammer grip

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.) Slice, Chop

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)

Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)? lighter knife

Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)? Slicing motion, better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?



KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.) Yes

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.) Yes

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.) Yes

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.) Yes

SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

My favorite brands are Misono and Masamoto. I appreciate if you can limit your advice to knives in Japan only.

I have found so far 2 choices:
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/subaru/cn5024/
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/newworldnet/item/misono-no513/

Thanks for all your helps,
Quan
 
richard said:
Union Commerce and other shops in Kappabashi district of Tokyo has lots of selection, and the prices there are quite good.

http://travel.cnn.com/tokyo/shop/cutting-edge-519820
Click to expand...

Sweet, thank you. I didn't know about that before

RobinW said:
Subaru (the shop you picked out the masamoto on) has shipped packages directly to me in Sweden without any issues. just as a thought
Click to expand...
Yeah, but the global site of Subaru already run out of stock, otherwise I would love to buy from them.
 
I just saw here that you like Misono, and definitely many of the shops in Kappabashi carry them, as I bought one there back in 2006 (from the Union Commerce store actually). The big thing is that the prices there are quite a bit below retail, i.e. saying buying a knife from a Japanese department store. With your limited budget, instead of getting a Misono Moly 240 mm gyuto, I'm pretty confident that you should be able the Misono 440 or possibly even a UX10. Just be sure to get it fully sharpened before using it if you can. While it comes with a nicely polished edge and it seems sharp, it's definitely not sharpened to its full potential.
 
richard said:
I just saw here that you like Misono, and definitely many of the shops in Kappabashi carry them, as I bought one there back in 2006 (from the Union Commerce store actually). The big thing is that the prices there are quite a bit below retail, i.e. saying buying a knife from a Japanese department store. With your limited budget, instead of getting a Misono Moly 240 mm gyuto, I'm pretty confident that you should be able the Misono 440 or possibly even a UX10. Just be sure to get it fully sharpened before using it if you can. While it comes with a nicely polished edge and it seems sharp, it's definitely not sharpened to its full potential.
Click to expand...

Is the difference is prices that much between retail store and department store? I saw one UX10 240 in here:
http://global.rakuten.com/en/store/newworldnet/item/misono-no721/

Are you talking about the Union Commerce store?

Actually I am thinking about buying a saya for the new gyuto too and Masamoto has their own saya for sale too. Anyone know if Misono has their own saya?
 
I mean Union Commerce and the other shops there in Kappabashi are usually a good bit cheaper than rest of Tokyo, maybe by 25-30% is my rough guess?. It's basically their restaurant supply district. Finding a saya for a Misono should be possible...at least I see them on Ebay. Sometimes it doesn't need to be made specifically for that knife, but some sayas may fit a range of knives.
 
richard said:
I mean Union Commerce and the other shops there in Kappabashi are usually a good bit cheaper than rest of Tokyo, maybe by 25-30% is my rough guess?. It's basically their restaurant supply district. Finding a saya for a Misono should be possible...at least I see them on Ebay. Sometimes it doesn't need to be made specifically for that knife, but some sayas may fit a range of knives.
Click to expand...
I'm not very sure cause some friends of mine bought saya separately and told me that it didn't fit the knives entirely. Masamoto has their own saya produced which can be found on Rakuten.
 
It can be hit and miss. If it's friction-fit, it definitely has to be more exact. If you were in US, I could point you to a couple places to get a saya that would fit the Misono, but in this case you can also ask your friend to find a saya at the Tokyo Kappabashi shops and try it for correct fitting before buying.
 
richard said:
It can be hit and miss. If it's friction-fit, it definitely has to be more exact. If you were in US, I could point you to a couple places to get a saya that would fit the Misono, but in this case you can also ask your friend to find a saya at the Tokyo Kappabashi shops and try it for correct fitting before buying.
Click to expand...

Yeah, anyway if I can get a Masamoto HC then buying saya will be easier. However, I doubt that the Misono UX10 might be cheaper cause my other friend told me that Masamoto is a hot deal for sushi chefs in Ginza and their prices are not so budget-friendly.
 
black_cat1 said:
Yeah, anyway if I can get a Masamoto HC then buying saya will be easier. However, I doubt that the Misono UX10 might be cheaper cause my other friend told me that Masamoto is a hot deal for sushi chefs in Ginza and their prices are not so budget-friendly.
Click to expand...
I could be wrong, but I don't think the price difference will be that much. If you already know you like Misono, why not get that one? Both are good knives, but personally I prefer Misono over Masamoto as well, and it won't be that hard to get a saya for a Misono. Alternatively you can get one of these magnetic blade guards (designed by company in UK BTW). The thing I really like about them is that I can use it to transport my knife somewhere, and even if I can't fully clean my knife off, I can transport it back and then clean both. You can't do that with a saya and more conventional blade guards.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B002P8VQ1W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Ah yes, I do know about the magnetic blade guards, the reason I choose saya because it looks cooler than the blade guard :). And yes as you've said, cleaning is the weakness of owning a saya. Have found the blade guard here with cheaper price but the quality is unknown.

http://www.japaneseknifecompany.com...tic-blade-guard-santokugyutonakiriup-to-240mm

I will wait until my friend checks the price and reports back to me, then I will decide which knife I would buy. Both Misono UX10 and Masamoto HC are good knives and I would be bias if I say which one is superior so I will leave the decision to my budget :)
 
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