Gyuto Blade Height

[Chef34]

I've posted a thread asking about some advice for buying a new gyuto (Knife Collection Upgrade Recommendations). I've said I want a fairly tall gyuto, mostly because I've been disappointed by a previous buy where the gyuto was only 43mm tall. However, do you think the height of the blade is much of a factor in choosing a gyuto, and how quickly does the blade reduce in height after regular use and sharpening? It would be great to have some advice.

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

Can’t tell you about sharpening but my guess is very little if you mostly do touch ups in high grit. Aggressive sharpening i bet probably a mm or 2? Lots of factors though…. I bet other folks here could tell you with some more scientific evidence from their own testing.


IMO a good height is at least 50 for a gyuto but i prefer 55 ish. 60 can be a bit tall but lots of people like the 60mm height.

Under 50 and I feel like you are going towards suji or gyuto suji hybrid depending on profile. 43 is…. Quite short. My. 180 petty is 45 and it feels like my knuckles can touch the board and I don’t have big hands

 

[Pie]

There was a thread on this not long ago - the conclusion was that you’d almost never “use up” a knife with regular home use / sharpening.

I don’t worry about this anymore.. but I do prefer 60+mm heights for big produce and overall utility. Note that I can really only retain the true original geometry for about 2-3mm loss of height, but at my pace of sharpening, it doesn’t matter.

 

[iimi]

If you have enough knives, which you will eventually, you don't have to worry about height that much. So, don't start buying knives worrying about the height, especially going from 43mm, which is halfway to a suji. Even a 49-51mm gyuto will feel great.

 

[sumis]

for use, a tall (+52mm) gyuto is certainly not any kind of advantage for my personal use or style of cutting.
if 48mm deosn't give you enough knuckle clearance you're probably a mutant.

i do buy knives for life though, so i want some margin for a couple of decades of use, thinning, getting rid of chips etc.

.

 

[Dave]

The most important aspect about the height of a blade isn’t the loss of material through sharpening. Not even knuckle clearance if we’re talking about a 48mm+ blade.

What matters about this, to me at least, how comfortable they are to use. I’ve found that I prefer 52-54mm heights as they’re just more comfortable to use than 55+ or 51-. Might be the angle at which my elbow is bent during use? Not sure but that seems to be the goldilocks height for me. I’m inclined to believe that the height of your cutting surface is a big factor here as well.

 

[kdizzog6]

I prefer a taller height at least 48mm for a 210mm 50mm for a 240mm, and 58 for a 270mm, with that being said, geometry is more important factor than anything for me when choosing a gyuto. With trial and error I learned that a knife with a tall heel needs to maintain the height throughout the belly. I cant stand using knives that are very triangle-ish. Very high in the heel but super short to the tip. I prefer a flatter profile, where the handle is more flat when cutting instead of having to hold the knife at a higher angle like the MK1 for example, not my style or preference when using. This is for sharpening too, much easier for me to use and sharpen.

 

[Barmoley]

The most important aspect about the height of a blade isn’t the loss of material through sharpening. Not even knuckle clearance if we’re talking about a 48mm+ blade.

What matters about this, to me at least, how comfortable they are to use. I’ve found that I prefer 52-54mm heights as they’re just more comfortable to use than 55+ or 51-. Might be the angle at which my elbow is bent during use? Not sure but that seems to be the goldilocks height for me. I’m inclined to believe that the height of your cutting surface is a big factor here as well.

It’s the height between your elbow and the cutting surface. The height of the knife raises the elbow. Since we are talking about millimeters small adjustments make a difference. For example shoes vs no shoes can make a difference in what is comfortable. Or knife having a handle that is angled up compared to the edge or even the height of the board as well.

 

[iimi]

The most important aspect about the height of a blade isn’t the loss of material through sharpening. Not even knuckle clearance if we’re talking about a 48mm+ blade.

What matters about this, to me at least, how comfortable they are to use. I’ve found that I prefer 52-54mm heights as they’re just more comfortable to use than 55+ or 51-. Might be the angle at which my elbow is bent during use? Not sure but that seems to be the goldilocks height for me. I’m inclined to believe that the height of your cutting surface is a big factor here as well.

I think the angle of the blade matters as well, if the blade is really triangular your hand will be higher off the board than a nakiri of the same height.

 

[Naftoor]

As others have said, if you’re doing touch ups with an appropriately fine stone you really aren’t removing enough metal to worry about knife life. Like it’s often not enough to stain your fingertip.

It’s up to your preferences. A lot of folks here seem to prefer shorter knives. I’m partial to tall ones, not because I’m freakishly tall but because I like how they look, it gives the maker more real estate to turn the crazy thick spines I enjoy into good cutters, and I have big hands so shorter blade just end up with me punching boards. The biomechanics of having to crank my arm to compensate for a 60mm+ blade don’t bother me since I’m just a home cook. I use a knife for maybe 3-5 hours a week. I spend more time ogling them so they’d better look good

 

[M1k3]

Here's some measurements I took regarding wearing the knife down/reducing heel height.

Here's some measurements I took of my knives. I do work in restaurants, so I sharpen more than a home cook.

Munetoshi 270mm:

54mm 07-2022

52mm 06-2024



HSC Z-wear:

50mm 11-2021

49mm 06-2024


HSC 52100:

52mm 08-2020

47mm 06-2024 (this one saw a few lobster shells early on )

 

[Dan-]

Knuckles scraping the board? How do you hold your knife?

 

[dehory]

Here's some measurements I took regarding wearing the knife down/reducing heel height.

My experience with long-term wear is similar. My Masamoto HC 240 was 52mm in 2011 and ended up at 48mm after 10 years. About 5 years used in restaurants and sharpening with a 1k Korin Mizuyama 3-4 times a week, and 5 years in a home kitchen with sharpening every few months. It seems like even with average steel, heavy use, and frequent sharpening, you're probably only looking at losing ~1mm every year.

 

[esoo]

I've posted this before: chef Morimoto who daily sharpens his knives. The oldest is supposedly three years old

 

[Just a DK]

I've posted this before: chef Morimoto who daily sharpens his knives. The oldest is supposedly three years old

He sharpens the handles too?

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

My experience with long-term wear is similar. My Masamoto HC 240 was 52mm in 2011 and ended up at 48mm after 10 years. About 5 years used in restaurants and sharpening with a 1k Korin Mizuyama 3-4 times a week, and 5 years in a home kitchen with sharpening every few months. It seems like even with average steel, heavy use, and frequent sharpening, you're probably only looking at losing ~1mm every year.

Wow! Cool statistics. Definitely less than I first estimated!!

 

[esoo]

He sharpens the handles too?

From what I recall of the story, he rubs the handles down with salt wearing them down to keep the balance the same.

 

[Gongoozler]

My personal preference is a height of at least 50mm, preferably closer to 55mm. But it's just that, a personal preference.

 

[JASinIL2006]

I find the gyutos I am most comfortable using are 50 +/- 3 mm.

 

[bsfsu]

I've been thinking about work height (bench height + board height) in relationship to blade height.

In my experience I found a standard kitchen bench of 900mm is still too low (I'm 183cm) and I would raise the height of my board to around 920mm. At this height a normal chefs knife around 47-49 is great.

If I didn't raise the board my 53ish gyuto was a bit better because I had to reach down further.

At home my work height is around 930mm and I don't like using tall knives as it feels like I have to bend my wrist.....the Dr said I shouldn't do that.

 

[esoo]

Blade height requirement has a lot to do with grip type as well as handle install (which can alter the effective height of the blade depending upon grip).

Then you get @stringer who has shown you can use a short suji in a pinch on a board, and it really all comes down to technique.

 

[Jovidah]

Gyuto height is all personal preference, so asking others about their preference isn't very informative for your own 'ideal' knife. That being said I think most of us eventually arrive at some kind of narrow bandwidth of preferred height, the problem is they vary widely.

 

[ethompson]

The maximum good height for a triangular knife is H = 0.135*L + 21.8 where L is the true edge length

 

[fortheloveofmoar]

Lmao

 

[tostadas]

I think it also depends on how much you need to compensate for. Apparently for me, that is quite a bit.

 

[Naftoor]

Knuckles scraping the board? How do you hold your knife?

Fujiwara FKM 210mm. Haven’t lost much height from sharpening, spec sheets put it at 43mm. Usable, but not super comfortable

 

[aporigine]

From what I recall of the story, he rubs the handles down with salt wearing them down to keep the balance the same.

that’s a salty old Ho

 

[daveb]

240x48 is correct height for gyuto. Anything else is incorrect. The 50+ are just a fad driven by Takeda.

 

[parbaked]

I think it also depends on how much you need to compensate for. Apparently for me, that is quite a bit.

All those upgrades you seem to need to do so it "feels better when using" is another sure sign of compensating...just saying.

 

[tostadas]

All those upgrades you seem to need to do so it "feels better when using" is another sure sign of compensating...just saying.

Haha you might be on to something there...