Home Use Suji - Preferred Length?

[HumbleHomeCook]

For occasional home use slicing, do you have a preferred length?

I'm thinking 240 would probably be alright but also feeling like for a slicer, longer has some advantages. I found a 300mm that I like but I think that might be more than I need and I wonder if the blade at that length and thinness would be frustrating to sharpen (flex).

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

 

[Logan A.]

I think that a Sujihiki is best in the 270 or 300mm range. I have a 240 gyuto so anything of that length seems redundant in my opinion. I do know that a lot of people like 210 sujihiki, but from what I understand those end up functioning as more of an all purpose knife rather than a dedicated slicer.
I’ve never felt that sharpening a longer blade was that much more difficult. Just more time consuming.

 

[nyc]

270mm is the sweet spot IMO. Especially if the kitchen environment allows it. 240mm if you don’t have the space.

 

[esoo]

I have a 270 Kaeru. Whenever I decide to use it, I almost always feel like I want something longer.

 

[GorillaGrunt]

270 especially because some 240s are under nominal edge length and that’s just too short for a slicer. You could look into a 240 that runs big or a Sakai 270 for something with an actual edge measurement of 250-260

 

[pgugger]

I dont have that much experience with sujihikis but I think 270 is good all around at home and 300 can be nice if you have the space. I can see the use of shorter ones but mostly seems redundant with my gyutos.

 

[Barmoley]

I have a ~270 and it is OK, but I often feel that I want it to be longer. I've had a 250-255 and a 285 and I think 285 is a very good length. Unless you have a specific space limitation or specific use, shorter suji can often be substituted with a gyuto. I used to want a 240 or so, but after I had a 250+ I realized that it was just too short for most uses for me.

 

[Lars]

My Masamoto KS 240mm gets used quite a lot, but I often wish it was 300mm and had less flex. If I lived in the US and had the money I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a Martell 300mm suji..

 

[silylanjie]

I personally like using a Sujihiki in 270mm

 

[Benuser]

I would go for the 270mm. The length allows cutting a roast without sawing. For a home user it can be a useful complement if he lacks other large knives and can use it occasionally for say cabbage or a large bread.

 

[Midsummer]

Weight, I prefer heavy, makes more of a difference to me. The 240 suji has much less drag than most gyuto’s. I have 270’s and 240’s and weight is the most important factor. I have some mid to heavy 270’s; but at home it is easier to reach for the heavy 240.
YMMV…

 

[esoo]

I would go for the 270mm. The length allows cutting a roast without sawing. For a home user it can be a useful complement if he lacks other large knives and can use it occasionally for say cabbage or a large bread.

Apparently your roasts are smaller than mine. I always end up sawing with the 270.

 

[daveb]

Did someone say suji?

I'll skip the virtues of the 180 and 210 suji/pettys and go to the matter at hand.

In my home block I have both a 240 and 270 suji. I find that for home use, I use the 240 more often but would not give up the 270.

I also carry a 270 - 285 suji in my work kit. The only time I've wanted (and used) a 300 was cutting wedding cakes - lots of wedding cakes. Two, 285s, one a Wat and my favorite HSC and a Marko 270 rotate duties.

Don't need no stinkin 300.

 

[btbyrd]

A stiffer, heavier 300 for big roasts. A thinner, flexier 270 for fish. Gyutos for everything else.

 

[MowgFace]

I only have 240s, and very seldom feel the need for something larger. But the feeling does arise entertaining, when a big roast comes along. Only then does a 270-300 start to sound very appealing to me.

 

[Benuser]

If you want to try a size without spending a lot of money: with most makers the price increases a lot with the size. Not so with the basic Fujiwara Kanefusa FKH carbons, with a Western handle. Right-handers only. The steel hasn't the most refined grain, so it offers some extra bite. Compared to the Misono Swedish in the same size I found it quite stiff. Not so much a factor of thickness, but above all of the steel and its Heat Treatment.
That being said, feeling uncomfortable when sharpening somewhat flexible blades hasn't to remain a problem. Unless you're using a lot of pressure from the handle you get used to it.
Have a look:
https://japanesechefsknife.com/products/fujiwara-kanefusa-fkh-series-sujihiki?variant=28900360323

 

[coxhaus]

Can you use one of these as a ham or brisket slicer? Then longer is better. I can't tell if they are too wide.

 

[daveb]

Brisket and suji. Yes.

 

[coxhaus]

Brisket and suji. Yes.View attachment 157255View attachment 157256

It looks a little short to me. If you saw on it, it will work. I personally think brisket should be cut thin myself or at least thinner than the picture. The brisket looks nice. I just have never seen brisket cut wider than 1/4 inch.

The knife also looks a little wide for ham.

 

[daveb]

Why did you ask the question if you know the answer?

These puppies were falling apart and had a good layer of bark. Not going to slice any thinner and have cohesive product. No sawing required - just draw cuts. Think what you will of ham.

 

[Barmoley]

Clearly you can cut anything with any knife. I've mentioned ithis before, but my grandma who was an amazing cook only used a paring knife for everything. It is not the tool it's the person using it.

 

[Barmoley]

I’ve noticed something else on @daveb picture that I’ve seen before, watching other pro chefs, I hold the suji the way I hold a gyuto in a deep pinch grip where my middle finger is right against the choil. This way I am effectively shortening my knife. If I modify my grip the 270 I have will feel significantly longer. Definitely something to try.

 

[ragz]

Sawing action isnt bad, even desirable in many cases. I wouldn't be overly concerned with it... There is a pretty small list of items that really demand a single clean cut; typically they are softer and fragile, or are prone to getting undesirable sawing marks (which really only matters for presentation purposes in a restaurant). As long as the blade can reach the other side of the item without your hand going into the food I'd say long enough. For home, which I'd imagine would be mainly turkey and maybe some roasts, a 240 will do just fine.

 

[btbyrd]

When is sawing desirable? Why doesn’t presentation matter at home? Why bother with a suji at all if you don’t care about saw marks or presentation?

 

[Midsummer]

When is sawing desirable? Why doesn’t presentation matter at home? Why bother with a suji at all if you don’t care about saw marks or presentation?

I am sure there are many answers to your questions. Maybe even some you would find reasonable?

But, I can say that the shorter height of a suji (or yani) presents less resistance (drag, friction) moving through a deep cut. This can be a significant factor in my home kitchen where I will slice cold cuts. I have a deli slicer, but set up (heavy), storage, and cleaning make its use for the small amounts I cut a pain.

I am grateful to have these slicers in my kitchen.

 

[daddy yo yo]

my grandma who was an amazing cook only used a paring knife for everything.

Did we have the same grandma?

 

[henkle]

I asked a similar question in another thread and the advice I got was to get a 240 gyuto first and see if the length works for you. Because I have a small HK kitchen I opted for a 240mm suji. While it cuts well, in retrospect, I wish I had heeded the advice of the elders and gotten a 270 suji instead. Somehow the 240 seems redundant now.

 

[deanb]

My favorite is a Kagayaki Carbonext 300. Great knife.

 

[ragz]

When is sawing desirable? Why doesn’t presentation matter at home? Why bother with a suji at all if you don’t care about saw marks or presentation?

Sawing is desirable if a product doesn't readily show cut marks, such as red beef, and portioning evenly is more important. Any weight applied in the downward stroke will cause the item your cutting to squish and making the portion uneven. For larger items, even a giant knife will not have enough runway to only use the weight of the knife to cut the item in its entirety. Sometimes the product will be too tough to use the weight of the knife.

I don't know is you're being deliberately obtuse.... I never said presentation doesn't matter at home. Minor saw marks is super nit-picky, get a nice platter and centerpiece if presentation really is your concern, and circle back to the slicing. If OP really wants to carve the prime rib in a single stroke-- that's going to need a huge knife.

 

[btbyrd]

I'm only kind of being deliberately obtuse. It's just that I can slice a rib roast with a single pull cut (without squishing it) with my 300s. That was one of the main reasons I got them, and it's one of the reasons I'm in the "270-300 sujis are better than 240s, even at home" camp. If you're going to get a suji, go big... unless you have a really tiny kitchen or never slice anything that large or you also want to use the suji as a line knife. I've seen lots of pros use a 240 suji as a line knife, and that's not a bad move at all. But for pure slicing, bigger is better and a 240 just isn't big enough for my intents and purposes.

If I don't mind sawing back and forth on something (like slicing a cold roast into sandwich slices) I have an inexpensive 12" granton Victorinox slicer that does a great job.