Gengetsu

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foody518 said:
To be honest from digging up threads on Gengetsu (before the restock), I'd gotten the impression that it was going to be a bit heftier and thicker than mine is. Maybe my understanding of middleweight is heavy compared to others'. It's perplexing me because it seems to have similar spine specs and look & feel of the grind compared to a couple of others I have, yet it seems to just slip through foods a little bit more effortlessly. And the tip is just silly.
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I am feeling the same. It is very nimble and fairly light but still stiff. It is similar to an Itinomonn in hand but performs a might bit better. Better flat area and the tip is so nice and thin. I haven't touch it up yet. I used it a full day at work and I think it could handle a few more days before needing a trip on a fine stone. The SSS core took a matte grey with a touch of blue patina kind of like Itinomonn SSS.

Still need to try it out on a number of other items but all in all it is a nice knife.
 
daveb said:
I've both.

To me the Tanaka is a very good cutter, though not as thin at tip nor as good with food release as the Gengetsu. But it's also half the coin. The Gengetsu is a better knife by almost any measure including sharpening. And it just feels right.

I do some prep work in a busy kitchen where a knife laid down may become a knife used. A little chaotic. There I use the Tanaka. I won't cry if it's knocked off a table.
It's a workhorse in the sense that it will do anything that's thrown at it and can take a little abuse. And at the end of the day I can buy another with a few clicks.
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Where does this magical place of "can buy another Tanaka ginsan nashiji with a few clicks" locate? :D
The new stock James got seem to have an upgraded much thinner grind then the older versions. There's just one 240 left at K&S and who know when more are available again?

From all the commotion surrounding the Gengetsu it seems to be a real pure bred performance gyuto and a very sound choice. :thumbsup:
 
Ugg. Mine just arrived. At work. I can't unwrap it because it could be considered a weapon and I have to take it on mass transit.

Sooooo tempted...but nopenopenope!
 
TheCaptain said:
Ugg. Mine just arrived. At work. I can't unwrap it because it could be considered a weapon and I have to take it on mass transit.

Sooooo tempted...but nopenopenope!
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I should start delivering to the office too... My local USPS seems like it has been delivering to everywhere BUT my door...
 
skewed said:
I am feeling the same. It is very nimble and fairly light but still stiff. It is similar to an Itinomonn in hand but performs a might bit better. Better flat area and the tip is so nice and thin. I haven't touch it up yet. I used it a full day at work and I think it could handle a few more days before needing a trip on a fine stone. The SSS core took a matte grey with a touch of blue patina kind of like Itinomonn SSS.

Still need to try it out on a number of other items but all in all it is a nice knife.
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Here's a link to my old gengetsu, it was a 270mm though.
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/17374-Gengetsu-gyuto-FS?highlight=Gengetsu
 
I received my 240mm semi-stainless a couple of days ago. 'Tis a thing of beauty and cuts like a dream. I have so far only tried it on carrots, which are a good test of wedging. It just glides through them, leaving glassy smooth surfaces in its wake. Wow! :doublethumbsup:
 
I've had my eye on a 210 Wakui for a while now but find myself tempted by the Gengetsu. Can anyone offer an comparison or opinion? Thanks in advance
 
Oddly enough, I was just comparing my 240 versions of those two knives today. First off, I absolutely love the Wakui. Secondly, it was a very short session only with ginger, green onions, an apple, and a yellow onion. Also, I was only observing for three things: food retention on the blade, slicing, and light chopping. In all three, the Gengetsu, imo, was a bit better. Chopping the green onion was the most noticable difference. I'd also mention that, while the tip area of the Wakui is no slouch, I was super impressed by that of the Gengetsu when working on the yellow onion. It was out of this world cool.

I also was thinking about which I would purchase if I could only have one, given the price difference. In the end, I felt I liked the Gengetsu enough that I'd still go for it despite spending a bit more. Keep in mind this is just my two cents, I still love the Wakui, and I'm not as skilled a user as most on this board, but that's what I'd do.
 
KeithA said:
Oddly enough, I was just comparing my 240 versions of those two knives today. First off, I absolutely love the Wakui. Secondly, it was a very short session only with ginger, green onions, an apple, and a yellow onion. Also, I was only observing for three things: food retention on the blade, slicing, and light chopping. In all three, the Gengetsu, imo, was a bit better. Chopping the green onion was the most noticable difference. I'd also mention that, while the tip area of the Wakui is no slouch, I was super impressed by that of the Gengetsu when working on the yellow onion. It was out of this world cool.

I also was thinking about which I would purchase if I could only have one, given the price difference. In the end, I felt I liked the Gengetsu enough that I'd still go for it despite spending a bit more. Keep in mind this is just my two cents, I still love the Wakui, and I'm not as skilled a user as most on this board, but that's what I'd do.
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Which Wakui, Kasumi/hairline or KU, SS clad or iron clad?
Which Gengetsu, SSS or W2?
 
Here's where my "new to Japanese knives" self-catagory surfaces. I know what a KU finish is as that's what my Watanabe has. It is not that. I'm a bit nebulous on what a Kasumi finish is. I read it described as "misty" As best I can, I have the stainless clad w2 as sold by Bernals, definitely not a KU finish.
 
KeithA said:
Here's where my "new to Japanese knives" self-catagory surfaces. I know what a KU finish is as that's what my Watanabe has. I'm a bit nebulous on what a Kasumi finish is. As best I can, I have the stainless clad w2 finish as sold by Bernals.
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Yep, that's the Wakui kasumi. :thumbsup:
Also someplaces call the Wakui kasumi as hairline.

If I remember correctly, like you said:
kasumi=misty

Gengetsu, Itinomonn StainLess and that Wakui all have kasumi finishes.

Thanks for the Wakui and Gengetsu comparison. Interesting read! :cool2:
 
Well, thank you for educating me, Java. That's cool to know. All I can say is that, when I got the Wakui, I kept on looking at the blade and thinking how beautiful the finish was. Guess I'm a kasumi man.
 
If the tip works better on the Gengetsu is it noticeably thinner than on the Wakui?
 
With my eyes, I can't see a difference. I just went to the kitchen though as we have a moldy on the outside red onion, so I cut it in half as you do when dicing an onion. I took both my misty :bliss: finished knives and did, to my perception, notice a slight difference in scoring the top of the onion. The gengetsu seemed to offer a bit less resistance in the process. Both do an excellent job though. And, remember, these are just my impressions. Somebody else might get different results. Just for fun, I went out and tested five other gyutos on that same onion (now it is harder and less telling because the scoring is all over the tops of both halves). But, there are some real significant differences. One knife, which I refuse to mention, did significantly worse. It was real hard to tell though as the onion was like a battlefield in the Civil War by this time. Oh, the horror, the horror.

I think the tip areas of both the Gengetsu and Wakui are very good.
 
JaVa - You may want to consider some other parts of these knives - specifically the handle and re-activity of the stainless steel cladding. I have a Wakui sujihiki (2+ years old now) and I bought it for the blade as the handle was cheaply made/finished - I knew this when I bought it ... I already had a Mickey handle for it so that was taken care of right away ... I believe they have since upgraded their handles so I don't know if this is currently any issue but the Gengetsu handles are great IMO - burnt chestnut with horn ferrule (F&F are excellent) ... Second - my Wakui suji has only been used for proteins but there is definitely some reactivity in the Wakui cladding than the JKI Gengetsu's (I have a White #2 - 210 mm gyuto for several years now along with the new 240's, one SS and one white). None of my Gengetsu's show any sign of reactivity (i.e. greying or streaking on the cladding) so I believe the level of "stainless" is a bit better on the Gengetsu - I know there is a thread on this issue with the Wakui's somewhere (Note: This is a cosmetic issue too me but just figured I would point it out for you to re-search yourself). Also for all I know Wakui has changed the cladding to a more robust stainless ... Good luck with what ever you choose - just don't wait too long on the JKI Gengetsu's if that is the direction you go ... ask me how I know ... :O
 
fatboylim said:
Does anyone with a Tanaka Ginsan Nashiji able to make a comparison with the Gengetsu semi-stainless? I prefer heavier workhorse knives.
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I also have both, they're my first two japanese knives. My gengetsu is a lot flatter profile than my tanaka. If you rock the gengetsu on the board it comes to a solid stop, while you can dance around with the tanaka a bit more. I found the tanaka a bit better to rock chop with because of this, but the gengetsu is a way better push cutter.

I'm less worried about the tanaka when I use it, feels a bit more sturdy which could be the ginsan steel. With the gengetsu I definitely feel like I need to pay attention to what I'm doing a bit more as it's so thin behind the edge.

I love both of them. That being said I'll echo dave's assessment that the Gengetsu just feels right...it's probably the one I'll be reaching for the majority of the time.
 
I couldn't resist and finally decided to order a white #2 240mm gyuto. I can't wait to get it.
 
Can anyone compare the Gengetsu to Koishi gyuto's? Thinking of taking advantage of the Masakage sale going on at Knifewear but have a hunch they might be redundant knives
 
trvn said:
... they might be redundant knives
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LOL- I think most people would think my entire modest collection of 10-15 gyutos are redundant. Egads, I think I should sell a few.
 
trvn said:
Can anyone compare the Gengetsu to Koishi gyuto's? Thinking of taking advantage of the Masakage sale going on at Knifewear but have a hunch they might be redundant knives
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very very different knives.
 
trvn said:
Can anyone compare the Gengetsu to Koishi gyuto's? Thinking of taking advantage of the Masakage sale going on at Knifewear but have a hunch they might be redundant knives
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My opinion only here(for whatever reason it seems necessary to say that these days) I didn't like the continuous curve the masakage koishi profile has. The grind was fine, but if you want big bevel+crazy thin behind the edge but with some beef near the spine there's other stuff I prefer. Gengetsu=prob lighter overall, but with better flat spots in the profile(if that's your thing, it certainly is mine) 240mm is thinner than I imagined but still a slow taper from spine to maybe 12mm before the edge where it gets really thin. Gengetsu handles are amazing though, even compared to masakage koishi which are above average also.
 
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