Best blend of beauty and performance in a Gyuto ?

[esoo]

"beauty and performance" ...

Is that a Unicomp model-M?

I missed seeing this earlier - yup it's a Unicomp. One for home and one for work. Buckling spring for the win - no other mechanical is even close. 40 year old design that no-one have ever topped.

 

[A.Malcolm.ations]

I really can’t speak for performance (yet) but the 9ine and halcyon forge are my favorite looking knives. I currently wield a tsubaya blue 1 240 ku (started as ku) gyuto forged by Y Tanaka. It’s beautiful in my eyes in so many ways and I can’t wait to get a few more stones to really bring out some kasumi from the iron cladding. As for performance... it’s definitely amazing. I currently finish it on a red aoto and it just falls through most things I put beneath it. I mean... if you want pure beauty look at the choil...

 

[Kippington]

This bothers me so much...

 

[Gregmega]

Anybody interested in a passaround?

Looks like Aura knives is turning up the heat!

 

[Gregmega]

I wanna know where @marc4pt0 is on this one

 

[ian]

I really can’t speak for performance (yet) but the 9ine and halcyon forge are my favorite looking knives. I currently wield a tsubaya blue 1 240 ku (started as ku) gyuto forged by Y Tanaka. It’s beautiful in my eyes in so many ways and I can’t wait to get a few more stones to really bring out some kasumi from the iron cladding. As for performance... it’s definitely amazing. I currently finish it on a red aoto and it just falls through most things I put beneath it. I mean... if you want pure beauty look at the choil...View attachment 79733View attachment 79737View attachment 79738

ok, now that's super nice. probably my favorite of the thread.

 

[A.Malcolm.ations]

ok, now that's super nice. probably my favorite of the thread.

@marc4pt0 wore it in for me really nicely. Thanks for the kind words.

 

[roughrider]

Those are some beauties.

 

[M1k3]

This bothers me so much...

Do you think he thought "planned obsolescence" as a design feature? I'm still curious if the serrations on top are sharp or not.

 

[daddy yo yo]

Tastes and preferences can change over time. What were my favorite knives back in the day aren’t my favorite knives today. And my favorite knives of today possibly won’t be my favorite knives in the years to come.

Today‘s choice (fltr: Kamon, Emert, Morihei 240 + 210, Xerxes) reflects a bit of my knife journey. As many others I started with Japanese knives and have recently moved to Western makers.

An all-time favorite of mine is my legendary DT ITK. DT rocks!

 

[Keith Sinclair]

One thing is certain taste in knives vary quite a bit. Like the rough KU finish on the Kochi. Burnt Chestnut handles with polished black horn. Good grinds are beautiful.

 

[DitmasPork]

Best blend of beauty and performance with my gyutos are my 240 Jiro and 225 Raquin. My aesthetic preference leans towards the rustic. Both the Jiro and Raquin have been dependable kitchen tools, whether cooking for 2 or 20—my two fave gyutos to date.

 

[ian]

Tastes and preferences can change over time. What were my favorite knives back in the day aren’t my favorite knives today. And my favorite knives of today possibly won’t be my favorite knives in the years to come.

Today‘s choice (fltr: Kamon, Emert, Morihei 240 + 210, Xerxes) reflects a bit of my knife journey. As many others I started with Japanese knives and have recently moved to Western makers.

An all-time favorite of mine is my legendary DT ITK. DT rocks!

If I was to lust over something with a western handle, it'd probably be that xerxes.

One thing is certain taste in knives vary quite a bit. Like the rough KU finish on the Kochi. Burnt Chestnut handles with polished black horn. Good grinds are beautiful.

Kochi KU is fantastic. Loved the look of that knife.

This bothers me so much...

I was assuming it was made like that so you could set the knife edge-down on the countertop and have it balance there, for easy pickup when you need it. Then when you're done, you hang the knife on a hook from one of the many holes. Maybe I'm wrong and the holes are for ricing potatoes, though.

 

[Midsummer]

This bothers me so much...

I was assuming it was made like that so you could set the knife edge-down on the countertop and have it balance there, for easy pickup when you need it. Then when you're done, you hang the knife on a hook from one of the many holes. Maybe I'm wrong and the holes are for ricing potatoes, though.

Speaking of holes, imagine portioning ripe blocks of cheese and then having to clean all of those holes one by one.

 

[ian]

Seriously. Even just drying it must be a pain.

 

[milkbaby]

This bothers me so much...

Do you think he thought "planned obsolescence" as a design feature? I'm still curious if the serrations on top are sharp or not.

Y'all need to read his website if you ain't visited it before. It's made of martensitic supersteel: 440C(!) guaranteed to last FOREVER...

Actually there is some cool stuff and info on his website if you can dig through it to find the pearls...

 

[inferno]

I know that when you get down to it a Gyuto is a kitchen tool, but I am sucker for good looking knives. Please don’t call out poor performers , just list your great looking blades that are also great cutters. So far for me three of my favorites are my Kurosaki Fujin AS, Yoshikane Black Damascus, and Halcyon Forge wrought iron clad gyutos. What are yours (pics appreciated) ? View attachment 79543View attachment 79544View attachment 79545

for me i dont see any real practicality of carbon steel, nor cladding. in my house they rust just by being on my rack. and i think that property alone makes them all low performance. or low reliability. or simply disappointing.

so for me its gotta be either high rust resistance such as 3v type / hss / different high alloyed tool grades for me even to consider it high performance at all. or simply real stainless. and the cladding can't be easily rusting either.

and now its really not that much left that lives up to this criteria. monos are too plain to be interesting. unless mirror finished i guess.

i think the kurosaki r2 line is very pretty and performs well. and also yoshikanes d2. for plain janes i like the hattori forums vg10 (these are the honey badgers of knives).

 

[inferno]

also "damascus" blades you can't usually even clean with a sponge or the black/pattern comes off. so these are drawer queens by definition. for show only imo.

 

[Midsummer]

also "damascus" blades you can't usually even clean with a sponge or the black/pattern comes off. so these are drawer queens by definition. for show only imo.

This place has a wealth of knowledge

 

[inferno]

had a yellow spot on one of my vortex damascus r2 blades. tried rubbing it off with my fingers first. nothing happened. then tried solvents, nothing happened. tried to rub it off with a sponge, the contrast disappeared. so now i guess i have a polished spot damasacus special.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

Admit that full on carbons for just home use need more care because not used as much. They work great cutting all day just let them patina.

These days there are some great stainless clad rustic looking gyuto. Just the carbon core edge takes a patina that's my home knives of choice. Just can't get away from carbon steel.

 

[Boondocker]

My old Mizuno blue steel was beautiful

 

[panda]

This bothers me so much...

COVID knife

 

[ian]

My old Mizuno blue steel was beautiful

****, why did you have to bring that up. now i'm all depressed.

 

[AFKitchenknivesguy]

I don't have it anymore, but this hit both marks. Yeah, that's an original.

ETA Custom Bob Kramer 10" chef

 

[valgard]

If I imagine the Halcyon Forge in the OP with a simpler handle, e.g. burnt chestnut or ho, that would look real nice to me.

Hard to imagine a simpler handle than a single piece of wood... And that's not even a burl or anything, just some regular ironwood.

 

[valgard]

But seriously, one of my faves for both looks and performance is a Tsukasa Hinoura kitaeji gyuto. A bit of heft with a beefy spine, but the thing just cuts like crazy. The bevel is polished by Hinoura-san by hand on stones resulting in a really beautiful look. I love the contrast between the kurochi and the polished blade road.

Pictured with another favorite looker and performer that has really great classy lines/profile, a Devin Thomas gyuto.

Knife envy turned to 11 with that Hinoura

 

[ian]

Hard to imagine a simpler handle than a single piece of wood... And that's not even a burl or anything, just some regular ironwood.

Maybe simple was the wrong word. Too much pattern and swirl in the wood for me. I want a more uniform looking unstabilized wood. (I don't know if that handle is stabilized or not, but it's too shiny for me.)

 

[valgard]

Maybe simple was the wrong word. Too much pattern and swirl in the wood for me. I want a more uniform looking unstabilized wood. (I don't know if that handle is stabilized or not, but it's too shiny for me.)

Not stabilized, but I understand what you say now

 

[valgard]

I think most of the Knives I have kept are simultaneously lookers and either good or great performers, but both accounts have a strong correlation to personal taste. Especially the beautiful part.

Any of my Halcyonforge score very very high on both departments tho

Especially high score from the above is the far right knife for me.

Other knives I find extra beautiful and are very good performers are Raquin mini cleaver, Yanick veggie cleaver, 270 yo kitaeji Shig gyuto, and Gesshin Ittetsu Honyaki.