Hello. I cooked in restaurants for ten years but now cook only at home. I was a forum member at an older location in the early 2010s and have rekindled my interest.
My current lineup includes:
270 Tadatsuna ginsan gyuto
240 Zakuri blue 1 gyuto (has seen better days, needs thinning, but love the steel)
210 Shiki stainless damascus (my wife asked for something shiny)
300 budget carbon suji, not sure on maker but happy with it
~180 Takeda blue 1 deba
#1 style large Chinese carbon cleaver, don't remember the maker but bought for like $18 from some store that shipped from California back in the day
210 Tanaka blue (?) yanagi, budget line with loose plastic ferrule
Misono carbon hankotsu
Tojiro DP honesuki
~5" Sabatier thin slicer/utility
ITK/CKTG bread knife
A few paring knives (Dojo, Case, Misono moly)
Some memorable knives that I no longer have:
270 Devin Thomas suji (beautifully made, but I didn't care for the flexibility and traded it for the Tad)
210 Gesshin ginga gyuto (stolen at work, wonderful knife)
240 Tanaka (not sure which) ginsan gyuto (fantastic cutter, shoddy handle, think I sold it to a coworker who meant to rehandle it)
270 Takeda AS gyuto and 180 bunka bocho (gave the gyuto to a dear friend, sold the bunka)
180 kamagata usuba (quickly realized I have neither the patience nor discipline to learn that style of cutting)
Sharpening setup: Atoma diamond plate, Bester 500, Beston 1200, Can't remember brand name but a 3-5k synthetic stone maybe Suehira, corks and felt blocks for deburring, then the old Hand American 3x11 magnetic strop, black ceramic honing rod
Anyway, I'm not exactly new to the kitchen knife world, but as I've been catching up I don't feel like I have the perfect knife for me for daily use. On to the questionnaire:
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
An all-purpose knife with a tip, 165-210mm.
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese - I find octagonal handles very comfortable, don't love the lightest rounded ho wood handles
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
165-210mm, probably right around 180
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$300 including shipping
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Vegetable prep, boneless meat cutting - doesn't need to do everything, but for the basics I want great cutting performance
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Functionally, the Shiki 210 gyuto, though it's not going anywhere
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch grip, will occasionally catch myself with the ol' finger point
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Push cutting, slicing - don't need a rocker, flatter profile probably best
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
I am looking for a combination of a steel that is a pleasure to sharpen (I have a couple of blue #1 that I love, have never sharpened white steel, can't remember the AS well enough to say) with a great grind. The one you reach for that just feels like an amazing cutter.
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
I am very open regarding the look of the knife. I do enjoy a hand forged look such as kurouchi but by no means need to limit the selection based on this.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
I don't want the handle to be annoyingly cheap feeling - no plastic ferrule, don't love the ho wood handles - but would rather pay for a better grind/steel than a premium/custom handle. I don't expect this is a big issue in this price range.
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
Ease of sharpening, overall cutting performance
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
As long as it's not particularly bad, this is not a major concern. I am getting back into more regular sharpening and don't mind touching it up.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
End-grain wood mostly, sometimes a plastic board
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes, always room to improve
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
I'm pretty well equipped, not interested in getting natural stones at this time
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
A few candidates so far:
Kochi 180 kiritsuke-shaped santoku Kochi 180mm Kurouchi Kiritsuke-Shaped Santoku or 210 gyuto (the santoku seems kind of aggressively upswept in the pic?)
Tanaka blue 2 210 gyuto Tanaka Blue 2 Gyuto 210mm Migaki Finish
Masakage 170 santokus: https://www.**************.com/makosa17.html or https://www.**************.com/yukisantoku.html
Munetoshi 210 gyuto Munetoshi Kurouchi Gyuto 210mm (seems like maybe I wouldn't care for the handle?)
I'm very open to suggestion and am not opposed to buying used. I am not in any particular hurry and do not mind waiting months if it's for the right one. Any guidance would be appreciated, thank you!
My current lineup includes:
270 Tadatsuna ginsan gyuto
240 Zakuri blue 1 gyuto (has seen better days, needs thinning, but love the steel)
210 Shiki stainless damascus (my wife asked for something shiny)
300 budget carbon suji, not sure on maker but happy with it
~180 Takeda blue 1 deba
#1 style large Chinese carbon cleaver, don't remember the maker but bought for like $18 from some store that shipped from California back in the day
210 Tanaka blue (?) yanagi, budget line with loose plastic ferrule
Misono carbon hankotsu
Tojiro DP honesuki
~5" Sabatier thin slicer/utility
ITK/CKTG bread knife
A few paring knives (Dojo, Case, Misono moly)
Some memorable knives that I no longer have:
270 Devin Thomas suji (beautifully made, but I didn't care for the flexibility and traded it for the Tad)
210 Gesshin ginga gyuto (stolen at work, wonderful knife)
240 Tanaka (not sure which) ginsan gyuto (fantastic cutter, shoddy handle, think I sold it to a coworker who meant to rehandle it)
270 Takeda AS gyuto and 180 bunka bocho (gave the gyuto to a dear friend, sold the bunka)
180 kamagata usuba (quickly realized I have neither the patience nor discipline to learn that style of cutting)
Sharpening setup: Atoma diamond plate, Bester 500, Beston 1200, Can't remember brand name but a 3-5k synthetic stone maybe Suehira, corks and felt blocks for deburring, then the old Hand American 3x11 magnetic strop, black ceramic honing rod
Anyway, I'm not exactly new to the kitchen knife world, but as I've been catching up I don't feel like I have the perfect knife for me for daily use. On to the questionnaire:
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
An all-purpose knife with a tip, 165-210mm.
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese - I find octagonal handles very comfortable, don't love the lightest rounded ho wood handles
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
165-210mm, probably right around 180
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$300 including shipping
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Vegetable prep, boneless meat cutting - doesn't need to do everything, but for the basics I want great cutting performance
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Functionally, the Shiki 210 gyuto, though it's not going anywhere
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch grip, will occasionally catch myself with the ol' finger point
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
Push cutting, slicing - don't need a rocker, flatter profile probably best
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
I am looking for a combination of a steel that is a pleasure to sharpen (I have a couple of blue #1 that I love, have never sharpened white steel, can't remember the AS well enough to say) with a great grind. The one you reach for that just feels like an amazing cutter.
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
I am very open regarding the look of the knife. I do enjoy a hand forged look such as kurouchi but by no means need to limit the selection based on this.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
I don't want the handle to be annoyingly cheap feeling - no plastic ferrule, don't love the ho wood handles - but would rather pay for a better grind/steel than a premium/custom handle. I don't expect this is a big issue in this price range.
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
Ease of sharpening, overall cutting performance
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
As long as it's not particularly bad, this is not a major concern. I am getting back into more regular sharpening and don't mind touching it up.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
End-grain wood mostly, sometimes a plastic board
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes, always room to improve
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
I'm pretty well equipped, not interested in getting natural stones at this time
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
A few candidates so far:
Kochi 180 kiritsuke-shaped santoku Kochi 180mm Kurouchi Kiritsuke-Shaped Santoku or 210 gyuto (the santoku seems kind of aggressively upswept in the pic?)
Tanaka blue 2 210 gyuto Tanaka Blue 2 Gyuto 210mm Migaki Finish
Masakage 170 santokus: https://www.**************.com/makosa17.html or https://www.**************.com/yukisantoku.html
Munetoshi 210 gyuto Munetoshi Kurouchi Gyuto 210mm (seems like maybe I wouldn't care for the handle?)
I'm very open to suggestion and am not opposed to buying used. I am not in any particular hurry and do not mind waiting months if it's for the right one. Any guidance would be appreciated, thank you!
. I think about the last few things I remember from back then was Dave Martell just starting to make his own knives, JKI just getting started (I think the Zakuri I have was from the first batch), CKTG and Koki starting to run some forum-specific models...
