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jnbrown

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I have a set of Shun knives. Not sure but I think they are VG10.
They are good knifes and sharpen well but seem to chip.
Looking to add a new and different knife.
Steels I am considering are Ginsan, SG2, HAP40.
I have the following questions:

1. It seems 210mm Gyutos in the $150 to $250 are mostly sold out. Is there a time of year when they are back in stock?
I did find these two knifes ion stock: Tsunehisa Ginsan Nashiji Oak Gyuto 210mm for $145.
Kurosaki Senko SG2 Gyuto 210mm $249.95


2. I have been improving my sharpening skills. But concerned about how hard it will be to sharpen HAP40.
I have the following stones:

Chosera 600
Kohetsu 2000
Arashiyama 6000
Leather strop

I feel like SG2 is a good choice being that it will hold an an edge and is not hard to sharpen.
Although HAP40 holds an edge longer I actually don't mind sharpening as I enjoy the process and improving my skill.

Thanks for any advise.
 
In the middle of those 2 price points are miyabi mizo, made for zwilling in japan. They have micarta handles and are very chrome-looking and shiny in stainless cladding. I like the sg2, shrieks readily, and can take abuse as a counterparts knife. It's mass produced (compared to many knives here), and so fast aFlitz has polished out and surface scratches. Its heavier, at 213, with a lot of that in the Hamden. From factory at at 10-15° edge, so we'll had a good base for your freehand sharpening.
As you can tell, i like mine and use it all the time.
 
It looks like Carbon has a couple tsunehisas in stock:

https://carbonknifeco.com/search?q=ginsan+210&options[prefix]=last
I think a lot of shops are still recovering from the holidays and waiting for manufacturers to restock them.

I owned a Tsunehisa 210 in Ginsan and still have a nakiri from them in the steel. I really like Ginsan and find it sharpens up very nicely with no stubborn burrs. Tsunehisa is a brand name that, along with other brand names, is made by an OEM. They're good knives. I've played with a Shun a little but it was some time ago but if memory serves, the Tsunehisa will be slightly thinner but it's still a little bit more of a thicker knife. Not bad by any stretch but not as slicey at the edge as many of us come to like. Still a very solid option and one I often recommend here and to folks I know.

I had a Kurosaki in SG2 and actually didn't jive with it. I think Kurosaki is one of those names that is so ubiquitous on vendor videos, chats, etc. that a lot of us go to them early in our Japanese knife journey. Very thin and slicey but I personally found the spine just a touch thin for my liking actually didn't end up liking the shiny finish (purely personal). Good knives for sure, but I don't regret moving mine along.

SG2 in a thin knife isn't terrible to sharpen but based on limited experience, I'd probably edge it out with Ginsan for overall kitchen use.

But then again, me being me, I'm going to advocate for carbon steel so... 😁

This questionnaire can help people help you:

https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/new-knife-questionnaire.63548/
 
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Thanks for the responses.
I did see that Miyabi knife and it is blingy looking and very similar to my Shun knives.
It is certainly a possibility but I was hoping for something more Artisan made in a smaller shop.
I am not sure that is possible under $250. Shigeki Tanaka was one that seemed to fit but they are not available right now.

Carbon steel - Why do people like these when it rusts and you have to wipe it down after every use?
 
jnbrown said:
Thanks for the responses.
I did see that Miyabi knife and it is blingy looking and very similar to my Shun knives.
It is certainly a possibility but I was hoping for something more Artisan made in a smaller shop.
I am not sure that is possible under $250. Shigeki Tanaka was one that seemed to fit but they are not available right now.

Carbon steel - Why do people like these when it rusts and you have to wipe it down after every use?
Click to expand...

Generally speaking, carbon steel is not nearly as finicky as many videos and such make it out to be. I started out adamant about nothing but stainless and now my daily use knives are dominated by iron clad carbon blades. Carbon steels are just so nice to sharpen and the simple ones like shirogami and aogami really are excellent for kitchen cutlery. But even the more complex ones are very good.

A stainless clad-carbon core knife is really not a big deal to care for. Even an iron clad one is generally no big deal. Carbon and especially iron clad, really come into their own for blade thinning maintenance. So much nicer to work with than stainless.

It's a deeper discussion for sure and I'm not necessarily raining on stainless. Just saying I think there's way too much over-hype about how challenging carbon knives are and that causes folks to shy away from them and perhaps miss out on some great stuff.
 
Ginsan is a lovely steel, I prefer it to SG2 from a sharpening standpoint and don't find edge retention to be all that different in home usage. SG2 isn't bad by any means but I can get ginsan sharper, much more easily.

I've had a few different makers and Shigeki Tanaka does a wonderful ginsan. I'm continously surprised at how long it holds a crisp bite compared to a Yoshimi Kato ginsan sharpened the same way.

I'd encourage you to look at Yu Kurosaki's brother, Makoto, instead. Makoto is a professional sharpener and his grinds reflect that. He does a few SG2 lines that are in the lasery category. His Ryusei line is in VG7 steel that feels fairly similar to ginsan but I think it's a little tougher. The Ryusei line is a also a bit more substantial in grind, till kinda light-midweight/heavy-laser but feels more confident on the board and will hold up to abuse a bit better.
 
I find it’s actually quite difficult to find hand-forged stainless steel in this price range, and most will be roll forged - which doesn’t affect performance at all, but does seem to detract from the artisanal vibe you seem to be looking for. The only exceptions that I’m aware of include Gihei’s HAP40, Hitohira Kikuchiyo (Nakagawa) x Ren Ginsan, and Shigeki Tanaka Ginsan - though I’m certain others could name a few more.

If you’re willing to try a 240, K&S have a shigeki Tanaka Ginsan in stock.

https://knivesandstones.us/products/tanaka-ginsan-nashiji-gyuto-teak-handle?variant=43076236083447
I believe CKTG has 210 gihei hap in stock as well.

Kikuchiyo ren is slightly above your price range but youd be hard pressed to find better craftsmanship from an amazing smith at a lower price.

https://carbonknifeco.com/products/...b19c81250437cd47a2f30330f0ed03551c4efdaf3409e
I’d also consider AUS10 or AEBL!
That said if you were open to trying a non-stainless option, you’d have more to choose from.
 
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