Kochi, Nihei SLD or Yoshikane Amekiri 240mm... your thoughts please:)

[jlm46]

I'm choosing between these 3 gyutos...
https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...240mm-kurouchi-stainless-clad-carbon-wa-gyutohttps://carbonknifeco.com/collections/gyuto-chef-knife/products/nihei-sld-nashiji-gyuto-240mmhttps://knivesandstones.us/products...e-2-gyuto-240mm-stainless-clad-nashiji-finish
Im leaning towards the Nihei but the Kochi just recently became available from JKI so now I'm not sure.
The Nihei is supposed to be the same knife offered by Konosuke, they call it Konosuke Sumiiro or the Konosuke Fukushima
My other knives include Gengetsu SS, Hinoura w2 and a Mazaki ku240 arriving in a week.

Your feedback and thoughts are much appreciated

 

[valgard]

I think there's no wrong answer with either of those three. My bet is that the Nihei will likely be the thinner, more laser-ish of the three.
I haven't paid much attention to that particular Yoshikane line but they only make good or excellent knives so...

 

[daveb]

My Amekiri is a close 2nd to my old style Gengetsu. Like it a lot. Can't speak to the Kochi or Nihie.

 

[jlm46]

My Amekiri is a close 2nd to my old style Gengetsu. Like it a lot. Can't speak to the Kochi or Nihie.

Kindly enlighten me on the old style Gengetsu... I got my 240 September of last year so Im sure its not the old style...

 

[JBroida]

no... he's talking about things 5-6 years ago or older

 

[daveb]

The "older" ones have a little more heft, a couple other nuanced differences that may or may not be preferred. It is my favorite off the shelf knife.

 

[Elliot]

I have a Nihei and a Kochi and consider Yoshikane about as it good as it gets, so you absolutely can’t go wrong.

The Nihei is not stainless clad, but a stainless (semi, technically I think) steel, so that may be a factor for you.

Nihei will be the thinnest of the bunch and likely have a slightly lower heel than Kochi.

I believe that Kochi is White 2, so same steel as the Yoshi. One difference would be that the Kochi is likely to feel a little more “handmade,” in that its made by a smaller outfit. I don’t think that discounts the Yoshi, but merely something to consider.

Jon can totally refute anything I said, as he knows much more than I ever will.

 

[jlm46]

I have a Nihei and a Kochi and consider Yoshikane about as it good as it gets, so you absolutely can’t go wrong.

The Nihei is not stainless clad, but a stainless (semi, technically I think) steel, so that may be a factor for you.

Nihei will be the thinnest of the bunch and likely have a slightly lower heel than Kochi.

I believe that Kochi is White 2, so same steel as the Yoshi. One difference would be that the Kochi is likely to feel a little more “handmade,” in that its made by a smaller outfit. I don’t think that discounts the Yoshi, but merely something to consider.

Jon can totally refute anything I said, as he knows much more than I ever will.

So from the among the three choices the Nihei would be the best cutter...

Ive really narrowed my choices between the Kochi and the Nihei... leaning towards the Nihwi now since I have a Mazaki coming and that should cover the Kochi as they are closer in weight at above 220 grams.

The semi stainless is a non issue as Im accustomed to wiping down frequently...

 

[Elliot]

So from the among the three choices the Nihei would be the best cutter...

Ive really narrowed my choices between the Kochi and the Nihei... leaning towards the Nihwi now since I have a Mazaki coming and that should cover the Kochi as they are closer in weight at above 220 grams.

The semi stainless is a non issue as Im accustomed to wiping down frequently...

Don't know if I would go as far as to say best cutter, as the Kochi will be nice and thin behind the edge. I just imagine it will weigh a bit more (not by a ton or anything, I would not call it a workhorse) and be less of a laser.

You really can't go wrong at this point and are also talking about my favorite two knife shops in the world.

 

[jlm46]

Don't know if I would go as far as to say best cutter, as the Kochi will be nice and thin behind the edge. I just imagine it will weigh a bit more (not by a ton or anything, I would not call it a workhorse) and be less of a laser.

You really can't go wrong at this point and are also talking about my favorite two knife shops in the world.

Totally agree as to being favorite knife shops...

 

[Nemo]

It might help if you tell us what you are looking for in a knife. Wouldn't it be good if we had a questionnaire about this That you could easily cut and paste into this thread?

FWIW, my Amekiri begins as a moderately thin knife at the heel and tapers to a thinner knife futher down the blade. It is one of my thinner knives, but is not a laser.

Gengetsu (new style) is an excellent all round middlewight. Excellent food release vs thinness tradeoff.

 

[tincent]

Did you ever pull the trigger? Found this thread while trying to decide between a Gengetsu, Nihei and Yoshikane.

 

[jlm46]

Did you ever pull the trigger? Found this thread while trying to decide between a Gengetsu, Nihei and Yoshikane.

Yes I got the Nihei... it should be here in 1 weeks time. I have a Gengetsu SS right now and its my best cutter from my lot although I do wish it had higher heel. Gengetsu, Nihei and Yoshikane are all Sanjo knives so they should perform relatively close to each other.

 

[chiffonodd]

FWIW I have a gengetsu 240 in w#2 and also just ordered a Yoshi amekiri 240 in SKD. Both are midweights with killer tapers and a nice flat, pointy profile. The gengetsu is on the lighter side of midweight (~155g), the yoshi is getting close to the heavier side of midweight (~195g). The yoshi is taller, longer, and has a more aggressive taper in both directions.

When I get the yoshi in hand, I'll be able to do a bit of a write up/review and probably a comparison with the gengetsu. My prediction is that one is not going to prove itself "superior" to the other and it's just going to come down to personal preference.

I used to own a stainless clad Kochi 240. Similar concept in terms of being a midweight with a very pronounced taper. But different grind philosophy entirely. The kochi has a much more obvious "wide bevel" grind in my experience, whereas the yoshi and gengetsu are convex.

 

[ian]

Gengetsu, Nihei and Yoshikane are all Sanjo knives so they should perform relatively close to each other.

Hmm. Gengetsu and some Yoshi are indeed very similar. Haven’t tried Nihei.

But 90% of knives people talk about here are from Sanjo, and they’re all over the place in terms of steel, weight, grind, etc.

 

[daveb]

Any discussion of Gengetsu and Amekiri should also include the Kashima Yoshi from Cleancut. These three are much more similar than different. All a little less heft than the "older" Gengetsu. All very nice knives.

Gotta try a Nihei.

 

[M1k3]

Any discussion of Gengetsu and Amekiri should also include the Kashima Yoshi from Cleancut. These three are much more similar than different. All a little less heft than the "older" Gengetsu. All very nice knives.

Gotta try a Nihei.

I keep forgetting about the Kashima. Great knife.