Help me find a great utility knife

Miura knives
Kitchen Knife Forums

Help Support Kitchen Knife Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
P

Penan

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 10, 2021
Messages
59
Reaction score
37
Location
Stockholm, Sweden
LOCATION
What country are you in?
Sweden


KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Utility knife

Are you right or left handed?
Right handed

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese handle

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
130-150mm I think, but I'm open for suggestions

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
400 euro


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
At 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.)
Cutting fruits, trimming meat and other small tasks that doesn't demand a bigger knife

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
None, I own a 210mm Gyuto, a 180mm Santoku and a 160mm Nakiri and want to add a utility knife as well as a 240mm Gyuto

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
The pinch grip

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

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 want something small and nimble

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)?
Doesn't matter

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Light knife

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)?
It should be a great knife to use

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
I prefer good edge retention if possible


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Yes

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
I have everything I need for now


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
I generally prefer carbon knives but I also don't want to worry about the knife rusting if I don't clean it right away if I let it sit on the cutting board between slicing fruits
 
Makoto Kurosaki Sakura SG2 135mm? You don't require stainless, but it otherwise seems to fit the bill. Very light and nimble, retains its edge well.
 
@Penan - will this new knife be the smallest knife you have? Or do you have some little paring knives and things that you didn't mention?
 
If you use it for in hand tasks I'd go with 120 petty if you use it more on the cutting board 150 works better.

Petty for me is the one knife I personally want to be stainless and have a western handle for ease of maintenance. At least ss clad. And it's a knife that I usually want to be affordable as I use it the least. Also there are so many great options for fair prices. I'd save the extra cash for the gyuto where it really counts. The Takamura petty is sensational for the price and fits your wish list.
https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knife...2/allkniv2015-04-21-15-11-23-1966-1967-detailLight, nimble, won't rust and great edge retention.

If you must have a wa handle, the Kaeru offers great performance for any price and the SLD will have decent edge retention.
https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru-kasumi-stainless-petty-150mm/
If you have to have a carbon petty, this Shiro Kamo is thin and has a well made grind. Good heat treat too.
https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knife...3-08-22-12-33-182013-08-22-12-33-18-86-detail
Other worthy carbon contenders from CC are the Yoshikane petty and the Munetoshi petty.
 
I love a good petty knife and I think the one we use the most is a Tsukasa Hinoura KU W1 135mm. It’s a seriously good cutter, mine is hammered but I think you can still find the plain KU.

For your budget, you may want a good 135 and a cheap 90-120mm. Both come in handle.

I recommend that Hinoura, but there are lots of really nice 135s with bling. Some of the SG2 Damascus can look awesome, slice like crazy and keep an edge a long time.

If you want to try a little bigger, also consider a 150 Honesuki or ko-bunka as alternatives to a petties.

For a cheap 120, Tojiro, Tsunehisa, Hatsukokoro or a house brand like JKC or CKTG will be a great upgrade without a high expense.
 
wombat said:
Makoto Kurosaki Sakura SG2 135mm? You don't require stainless, but it otherwise seems to fit the bill. Very light and nimble, retains its edge well.
Click to expand...
I can see some benefits with stainless for my usage of a utility knife, the one you recommended looks very interesting, thank you.
 
JaVa said:
If you use it for in hand tasks I'd go with 120 petty if you use it more on the cutting board 150 works better.

Petty for me is the one knife I personally want to be stainless and have a western handle for ease of maintenance. At least ss clad. And it's a knife that I usually want to be affordable as I use it the least. Also there are so many great options for fair prices. I'd save the extra cash for the gyuto where it really counts. The Takamura petty is sensational for the price and fits your wish list.
https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knife...2/allkniv2015-04-21-15-11-23-1966-1967-detailLight, nimble, won't rust and great edge retention.

If you must have a wa handle, the Kaeru offers great performance for any price and the SLD will have decent edge retention.
https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru-kasumi-stainless-petty-150mm/
If you have to have a carbon petty, this Shiro Kamo is thin and has a well made grind. Good heat treat too.
https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knife...3-08-22-12-33-182013-08-22-12-33-18-86-detail
Other worthy carbon contenders from CC are the Yoshikane petty and the Munetoshi petty.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for your thoughts, I've also been thinking if it's maybe better with a stainless petty. Some great suggestions as well, I have a cleancut store nearby and will go there to look at your suggestions :)
 
JoBone said:
I love a good petty knife and I think the one we use the most is a Tsukasa Hinoura KU W1 135mm. It’s a seriously good cutter, mine is hammered but I think you can still find the plain KU.

For your budget, you may want a good 135 and a cheap 90-120mm. Both come in handle.

I recommend that Hinoura, but there are lots of really nice 135s with bling. Some of the SG2 Damascus can look awesome, slice like crazy and keep an edge a long time.

If you want to try a little bigger, also consider a 150 Honesuki or ko-bunka as alternatives to a petties.

For a cheap 120, Tojiro, Tsunehisa, Hatsukokoro or a house brand like JKC or CKTG will be a great upgrade without a high expense.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions, I will have a look at them :)
 
Penan said:
I think 180mm is a tad to long for what I'm looking for. What's the difference between a petty and a slicer?
Click to expand...
Both are narrow blades. The longer ones — up to 270 or even 300mm — are called slicers, the short ones — 150mm and shorter — are called petties. Both names are used for a 180mm, which is a very convenient length IMO. Short blades have a smaller contact area with the board — heel, tip and upswing being the same. This results in fast dulling and frequent sharpening.
 
Benuser said:
Both are narrow blades. The longer ones — up to 270 or even 300mm — are called slicers, the short ones — 150mm and shorter — are called petties. Both names are used for a 180mm, which is a very convenient length IMO. Short blades have a smaller contact area with the board — heel, tip and upswing being the same. This results in fast dulling and frequent sharpening.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the explanation, I haven't thought of the fast dulling part. I might have to swing by a cleancut store and feel some different knives and lengths in my hand before I decide which knife to buy, I will have a look at the 180mm knives as well :)
 
Penan said:
What's the difference between a petty and a slicer?
Click to expand...
Benuser gave a very good explanation with examples, which gives you the correct idea and will help you to choose the best knife. However, it can also be good to know that when you read descriptions of knives, the writers are often a bit sloppy with their choice of words. You may see the words "slicer", "sujihiki", "petty", and sometimes "utility". They are all the same general type of knife, "petty"/"utility" being shorter and used for many purposes, "slicer"/"sujihiki" being longer and mainly used for slicing large items that are not very hard or tough. For the medium length knives - not obviously a long slicer and not obviously a short petty either - the names used are inconsistent, and you should look at the actual length of the knife to really see if it's what you're looking for.
 
Penan said:
Thank you for the explanation, I haven't thought of the fast dulling part. I might have to swing by a cleancut store and feel some different knives and lengths in my hand before I decide which knife to buy, I will have a look at the 180mm knives as well :)
Click to expand...
My pleasure. As for trying knives, I'm a bit sceptical. It often says more about what you're used to than about the knife you're actually handling. With most knives it takes a bit of time to get used to them, as size, weight and balance are never exactly the same as with those you're used to. One day you very easily adapt your grip and technique to different knives, even unconsciously, but there's some learning curve.
 
I have a Yu Kurosaki Raijin petty (Cobalt Special steel - it's a somewhat high end PM stainless) and it's basically perfection for me for a petty.

Kurosaki Raijin Petty - Cleancut

It is quite light (69g) and thin, fit and finish are perfect.

It and a Kurosaki bunka (in SG2) that I have are the only two knives in my rotation, including knives costing significantly more than they do, that came with flawless edges and which refuse to get dull enough that I need to sharpen them. Granted, for a petty at my house, that's not surprising, as it's almost never touched the board. The bunka, however, gets used just as a bunka would, and after at least a dozen long prep sessions and all kinds of cutting, it's only had a maintenance stropping once, and even that was because I was doing it to all the knives on the mag strip - it didn't need it.

I would say that a western handle might make more sense on a petty than a wa, as someone mentioned above. Mileage may vary.
 
I like western handled pettys because in most cases the western handles are made from resin impregnated wood. Which is very durable and water resistant. They can even take a few rides in the dishwasher if such an accident should happen. Possibly aided by someone living in the same house maybe, as they tend to gravitate towards a petty knife for some reason.

The wa handles are usually raw wood which is much less wear and tear resistant. You can aid the durability by treating the handle with suitable oils or waxes, but it won't be nearly as durable as the composite wood on a western handle. Also the oils will slowly dissolve with acidic ingredients and with any cleaning products. One single trip in the dishwasher can completely ruin it.

And there is so many nice western handled pettys around so it's not like I have settle for an inferior product because of it.

Though absolutely nothing wrong with a wa petty either. If you find one that's whispering sweet things in your ear, then that's probably the only right choice to go with.
 
Last edited:
DavidPF said:
Benuser gave a very good explanation with examples, which gives you the correct idea and will help you to choose the best knife. However, it can also be good to know that when you read descriptions of knives, the writers are often a bit sloppy with their choice of words. You may see the words "slicer", "sujihiki", "petty", and sometimes "utility". They are all the same general type of knife, "petty"/"utility" being shorter and used for many purposes, "slicer"/"sujihiki" being longer and mainly used for slicing large items that are not very hard or tough. For the medium length knives - not obviously a long slicer and not obviously a short petty either - the names used are inconsistent, and you should look at the actual length of the knife to really see if it's what you're looking for.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the explanation, great information :)
 
Benuser said:
My pleasure. As for trying knives, I'm a bit sceptical. It often says more about what you're used to than about the knife you're actually handling. With most knives it takes a bit of time to get used to them, as size, weight and balance are never exactly the same as with those you're used to. One day you very easily adapt your grip and technique to different knives, even unconsciously, but there's some learning curve.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I haven't thought of that either but it makes sense and I will keep that in mind. Thank you!
 
big_adventure said:
I have a Yu Kurosaki Raijin petty (Cobalt Special steel - it's a somewhat high end PM stainless) and it's basically perfection for me for a petty.

Kurosaki Raijin Petty - Cleancut

It is quite light (69g) and thin, fit and finish are perfect.

It and a Kurosaki bunka (in SG2) that I have are the only two knives in my rotation, including knives costing significantly more than they do, that came with flawless edges and which refuse to get dull enough that I need to sharpen them. Granted, for a petty at my house, that's not surprising, as it's almost never touched the board. The bunka, however, gets used just as a bunka would, and after at least a dozen long prep sessions and all kinds of cutting, it's only had a maintenance stropping once, and even that was because I was doing it to all the knives on the mag strip - it didn't need it.

I would say that a western handle might make more sense on a petty than a wa, as someone mentioned above. Mileage may vary.
Click to expand...
The Kurosaki Raijn looks very interesting, I guess you have the 120mm variant you linked. Would you recommend the 120mm or the 150mm if I don't have a bunka?

What is the use of a bunka knife, for which tasks do you reach for the bunka?
 
JaVa said:
I like western handled pettys because in most cases the western handles are made from resin impregnated wood. Which is very durable and water resistant. They can even take a few rides in the dishwasher if such an accident should happen. Possibly aided by someone living in the same house maybe, as they tend to gravitate towards a petty knife for some reason.

The wa handles are usually raw wood which is much less wear and tear resistant. You can aid the durability by treating the handle with suitable oils or waxes, but it won't be nearly as durable as the composite wood on a western handle. Also the oils will slowly dissolve with acidic ingredients and with any cleaning products. One single trip in the dishwasher can completely ruin it.

And there is so many nice western handled pettys around so it's not like I have settle for an inferior product because of it.

Though absolutely nothing wrong with a wa petty either. If you find one that's whispering sweet things in your ear, then that's probably the only right choice to go with.
Click to expand...
Very valid points, I will for sure look at pettys with western handles as well as wa handles and see which one whispers sweet things in my ear 😂
 
Penan said:
The Kurosaki Raijn looks very interesting, I guess you have the 120mm variant you linked. Would you recommend the 120mm or the 150mm if I don't have a bunka?

What is the use of a bunka knife, for which tasks do you reach for the bunka?
Click to expand...

Yeah, I have the 120 petty. I generally use it only for off-board work - turning broccoli or cauliflour into florets, putting really fine precise scores into things, etc.

I use the bunka as the laser-iest of lasers. The one I have is crazy light, thin and sharp. It's brilliant for brunoise garlic and shallots, halving or quartering cherry tomatoes, extremely thin slices. I don't need it and I almost never reach for it automatically - I have spent much of the last 30 years just using one chef's knife or gyuto at a time almost exclusively. I grabbed this one on a whim and I'm happy to have it there. I really like the balance and the precision is great, so I sometimes kind of make myself use it. It's also fully stainless, and the handle, despite being a wa, is hardwood and immaculately well treated so it won't absorb water, so it's one I'm more likely to pass to my girlfriend or one of my kids to prep something, compared to the more reactive gear. I have no faith in them wiping down and drying carbon knives, and there is no way I'm letting any of them use the only other fully stainless knives I have in rotation (yanagiba and a k-tip gyuto which is for papa only).

As far as what you could use it for... anything you'd use a gyuto or a santoku for, it's very capable of dealing with. It's 48mm wide at the heel so there's plenty of knuckle room even for me. It's extremely thin behind the edge so it cuts smoothly and easily. You wouldn't use it as a prep workhorse - you'd want something longer - but it would be perfect for prep for a couple or a small family. It's even just small enough that things that verge on uncomfortable with a gyuto are possible - trimming broccoli, as an example.
 
big_adventure said:
Yeah, I have the 120 petty. I generally use it only for off-board work - turning broccoli or cauliflour into florets, putting really fine precise scores into things, etc.

I use the bunka as the laser-iest of lasers. The one I have is crazy light, thin and sharp. It's brilliant for brunoise garlic and shallots, halving or quartering cherry tomatoes, extremely thin slices. I don't need it and I almost never reach for it automatically - I have spent much of the last 30 years just using one chef's knife or gyuto at a time almost exclusively. I grabbed this one on a whim and I'm happy to have it there. I really like the balance and the precision is great, so I sometimes kind of make myself use it. It's also fully stainless, and the handle, despite being a wa, is hardwood and immaculately well treated so it won't absorb water, so it's one I'm more likely to pass to my girlfriend or one of my kids to prep something, compared to the more reactive gear. I have no faith in them wiping down and drying carbon knives, and there is no way I'm letting any of them use the only other fully stainless knives I have in rotation (yanagiba and a k-tip gyuto which is for papa only).

As far as what you could use it for... anything you'd use a gyuto or a santoku for, it's very capable of dealing with. It's 48mm wide at the heel so there's plenty of knuckle room even for me. It's extremely thin behind the edge so it cuts smoothly and easily. You wouldn't use it as a prep workhorse - you'd want something longer - but it would be perfect for prep for a couple or a small family. It's even just small enough that things that verge on uncomfortable with a gyuto are possible - trimming broccoli, as an example.
Click to expand...
I understand the usage now, thank you.

I have bought a 210mm vg10 western handle kai shun gyuto for my wife to use so I understand what you mean by having ss western handle knifes for the rest of the family 😂
 
Penan said:
I understand the usage now, thank you.

I have bought a 210mm vg10 western handle kai shun gyuto for my wife to use so I understand what you mean by having ss western handle knifes for the rest of the family 😂
Click to expand...

It's important :cool:

Someone living in a small apartment with only tiny cutting boards and no bench/counter space would probably/maybe be better served with a bunka than a longer knife. Maybe? Nobody is right, nobody is wrong.
 
big_adventure said:
It's important :cool:

Someone living in a small apartment with only tiny cutting boards and no bench/counter space would probably/maybe be better served with a bunka than a longer knife. Maybe? Nobody is right, nobody is wrong.
Click to expand...

I don't have a lot of kitchen counter space and use a 12"x18" cutting board and primarily cook for two these. I frequently reach for a bunka for full meal prep.

Just know OP, that like all things, not all bunkas are created the same. I have two, and aside from relative size and general design, they are quite different.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top