Damascus clad 210 gyuto recommendation under $400.00

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Matt Jacobs

Matt Jacobs

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I dont own anything with Damascus cladding at the moment and I am looking for any recommendations.
210 Gyuto
mainly push cutter
Stainless or Carbon fine
probably would have to be wa handle at this price point
want to stay under $400.00 on this one
currently at the top of my list is a Yoshimi Kata R2, the only thing holding me back is I prefer a taller heal.
 
Shiro Kamo Syousin Suminagashi. Or the KnS Shinto Kurokumo, which is the same knife with a nicer fit and finish. A fairly tall blade. Middleweight grind with a pretty good trade-off between thinness and food release.

Be aware that Damascus cladding can get in the way of maintaining the knife's thinness behind the edge. I think that some of the Y. Kato damascus knives are wide bevels, which may be easier to maintain without messing up the blade finish.
 
Matt Jacobs said:
I dont own anything with Damascus cladding at the moment and I am looking for any recommendations.
210 Gyuto
mainly push cutter
Stainless or Carbon fine
probably would have to be wa handle at this price point
want to stay under $400.00 on this one
currently at the top of my list is a Yoshimi Kata R2, the only thing holding me back is I prefer a taller heal.
Click to expand...
You aren't 100% condemned to weaboo handles.

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=92162https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=83563
 
Hitohira GR is really tall/long for a 210, but you need to do some work on the choil IMO. way under budget though. super super super thin

there's some sick look Ryusens in budget, same with Makoto Kurosaki. VG-10 though.
 
Qapla' said:
You aren't 100% condemned to weaboo handles.

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=92162https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=83563
Click to expand...

1. you spelled it wrong
2.
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I guess I should say I prefer a wa handle or true western. I don't like the pinned bolsters. Those Shinto look cool but no stock. I had a Kamo before but they don't spend much time on the choil or spine so this looks really nice
 
AT5760 said:
Unfortunately, I don’t have any personal experience with them - I just think they look cool. I think @Michi has one?
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I have the rainbow Damascus in a 180 mm bunka and a 165 mm nakiri, both blue #2 core and ironwood handle. I don't have any gyuto from Saji.

If my knives are anything to go by, expect something quite hefty and solid that sharpens very easily and gets razor sharp. Also holds its edge for quite a while. I like using mine, especially the bunka. It's a great knife for all sorts of smallish jobs where I wouldn't use a gyuoto, and a petty is just a bit too light and thin.

If you like really light knives or lasers, you probably won't be impressed by these ones though.
 
I have a 210 Yoshi it’s very light supper thin all the way around. It is also R2 very easy to sharpen and holds an edge for a good long time and has a nice fit and finish. It does have it’s down side, a little sticky, it has some flex because it is so thin, not a very tall heal. It works great for salads and salsa cutting potatoes and such in a home environment. For a little more I would probably get a Yoshikane black Damascus that are a little bit more hearty all the way around.
 
The Yoshikane Black Damascus is $440 at epic edge after the 5% discount for KKF members. A little over the budget but worth considering. I love my 240 although it’s not the tallest knife out there.
 
Hz_zzzzzz said:
The Yoshikane Black Damascus is $440 at epic edge after the 5% discount for KKF members. A little over the budget but worth considering. I love my 240 although it’s not the tallest knife out there.
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This would be my recommendation too. I've tried quite a few $300-600 range gyuto and my 240 mm yoshikane black damascus is by far my favorite.
 
Matt Jacobs said:
I dont own anything with Damascus cladding at the moment and I am looking for any recommendations.
210 Gyuto
mainly push cutter
Stainless or Carbon fine
probably would have to be wa handle at this price point
want to stay under $400.00 on this one
currently at the top of my list is a Yoshimi Kata R2, the only thing holding me back is I prefer a taller heal.
Click to expand...

Ultimately, what's your preference for knives—carbon or stainless?

Personally, I've never been attracted to Damascus, since it's more an aesthetic preference to me, having no impact on performance.

However, if I were a dammy guy, I'd probably jump on this pre-sale offer at Bernal, comes with saya too!

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...u-210mm-gyuto-aogami-1?variant=39764113588376
 
DitmasPork said:
Ultimately, what's your preference for knives—carbon or stainless?

Personally, I've never been attracted to Damascus, since it's more an aesthetic preference to me, having no impact on performance.

However, if I were a dammy guy, I'd probably jump on this pre-sale offer at Bernal, comes with saya too!

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...u-210mm-gyuto-aogami-1?variant=39764113588376
Click to expand...

When I got into knives a couple of years ago it was all Japanese. For whatever reason I currently only own American/Canadian made knives and just felt like I wanted a japanese knife back on my rack. I really dont have a steel preference per se. In the price range I am trying to stay under (wife) I think Blue or R2 would be my best bet. I am not stuck on only Damascus but I didnt want to throw a really open ended "best knife under 400" post out there so I was trying to narrow it down. There are some really good examples on here and I appreciate the suggestions. I may still go with something else like a hammered Yoshikane but I love that people are giving me things I havent thought of.
 
Matt Jacobs said:
When I got into knives a couple of years ago it was all Japanese. For whatever reason I currently only own American/Canadian made knives and just felt like I wanted a japanese knife back on my rack. I really dont have a steel preference per se. In the price range I am trying to stay under (wife) I think Blue or R2 would be my best bet. I am not stuck on only Damascus but I didnt want to throw a really open ended "best knife under 400" post out there so I was trying to narrow it down. There are some really good examples on here and I appreciate the suggestions. I may still go with something else like a hammered Yoshikane but I love that people are giving me things I havent thought of.
Click to expand...

"Best" doesn't exist for anyone other than you—so much based on personal preferences. I've gotten rid of knives that people here rave about, but I just didn't connect to them.

Lots of carbons and stainless to choose from; laser/mid/workhorse; tall vs short heights; profiles galore; rustic vs slick vs bling; etc.

I've only owned two dammys, a Yoshikane deba and KeMaDi—both looked really cool.

The Yoshikane hammered is gorgeous—not my cup of tea, too flat of a profile for my tastes.

What did you think of the Bernal offering?
 
The Masakage Shimo knives are nice, but the Maskage Kumo are really nice, too, if you can find one. The etched Damascus is really beautiful, and it is a bit sticky at first, but after you use it a bit, it just flies through ingredients. I have both, and both are really nice lines, but I actually think the Kumo is a bit more fun to use.
 
DitmasPork said:
Ultimately, what's your preference for knives—carbon or stainless?

Personally, I've never been attracted to Damascus, since it's more an aesthetic preference to me, having no impact on performance.

However, if I were a dammy guy, I'd probably jump on this pre-sale offer at Bernal, comes with saya too!

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...u-210mm-gyuto-aogami-1?variant=39764113588376
Click to expand...

This is a great recommendation and I’d bite at this fwiw - there are few here who would much have to criticise about Y Tanaka blades and those Kikumori’s are likely to be fine performers. They seem to be variations of the long-praised Choyos, only without the offputtingly shiny finish and with more generous heel heights. I’ve been tracking these new ranges for a few months on here now and would have been severely tempted by those discounts had I not bought a Yohei and another Tanaka recently

Please buy and tempt me further with pictures and reviews.
 
For your requirements, another vote for Yoshikane SLD. With a little looking you may find one on BST within your price range. They are not far out of your range new.
 
How about a 210mm Shigeki Tanaka in damascus. He makes both a aogami #2 and a stainless r2 steel gyuto that is more pricy but still below your price range of $400.
 
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