knife rec (240mm gyuto as gift)

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sansho

sansho

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Location
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LOCATION
USA

KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in?
Gyuto

Are you right or left handed?
Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
probably wa handle, but not strict requirement

What length?
~240mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
yes, at least semi-stainless. thinking sanmai with semi core and stainless cladding.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$500


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.)
everything except abusive tasks like squash or frozen meat

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

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


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

this is a surprise gift for a friend for a special occasion in his life. i need to buy it soon.

he doesn't have any high end knives, but he has some hand sharpening experience.

unfortunately, i can't ask him questions (e.g. about how he likes to cut) without arousing suspicion. so basically, i'll buy him a knife that i'd like myself. that will have to do. lol

i'm thinking:
  • 240mm gyuto
  • stainless-clad semi-stainless core (something nice like SKD12) seems like a winning combination to me. stainless or semi-stainless monosteel is also possible i guess.
  • decent flat spot
  • midweight knife. not a workhorse beast, but not a laser, and not too fragile. if compromising, i'd think i'd rather go a little thinner than thicker.
i love my jki gengetsu (240mm, semi-stainless core, 2017 so i guess the newer version). i'd buy him another one of those if i could, so i'm looking for something kind of similar.

my first thought was a yoshikane skd. i hesitate because i have a hunch that the edge is more fragile than my gengetsu. slightly more fragile could be ok, but i don't want to get him something that needs a lot of babying. what do you think?
K&S australian site has some in stock (hatsukokoro version). do you know another shop that has them in stock?

also, do you have suggestions for other knives? and places that actually have them in stock? thanks.
 
Something you might want to consider for someone that might not necessarily be a "knife person" is the length. I consider a 240 to be a decent size for everyday use, but since showing one of my midweight 240s to a friend, he always refers to it as "that huge knife". Yoshikane tends to run long too, so it might be uncomfortable to someone not used to that length.
 
Yoshi is great and not excessively fragile, but if your friend is like most people and rock chops, he might struggle with the combination of a flat profile and thin edge geometry.

If your friend is up for dealing with stainless clad carbon I'd suggest Wakui (just back in stock at KnS US). For thin but sturdy and stainless, maybe an Ashi Ginga in AEBL if you can find one in stock somewhere?
 
Ashi ginga is perform like laser, but I like it a lot.
 
For SG2/R2, how is your friend with sharpening?

Throwing in SG2/R2 adds a lot of names. I like Raicho No Ren which is in budget, has excellent finish and is a laser and easy to use depending on what your friend does with knives.
 
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