Line knife that's not one of the $200+ lasers

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heirkb

heirkb

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Hey y'all--

Been a long time since I've posted here, but I recently got back in the kitchen and need help with picking up a knife for working on the line (all the tasks you might expect--slicing proteins, cutting smaller veg, opening bags, etc.).

I remember all the old 210mm suji/petty standbys, but I'm looking for something that's a bit cheaper than all those lasers. Here's what I'm after to be more specific:

--stainless
--195-220mm
--suji/petty or narrow gyuto
--$150 or under

What's out there other than the the Tojiro DP that fits all that?

Thanks in advance!
 
Thanks, man! I just stumbled on that knife after posting this thread. Doesn't seem to be much written about it online, but at that price, I may just give it a try.
 
I had the tojiro 210mm petty. Totally decent knife for the price. I think that hitohiro would probably be easier to thin and sharpen as the steel seems to be pretty soft. But Tojiro DP steel doesn’t suck. Tojiro cladding is a nightmare to thin though.
I bet the DP is a bit more robust, maybe taller blade.
 
If you can work with the height, JKI's 210mm wa gyuto is a nice, no-frills, short knife for 120ish.

I've come to favor a 180 gyuto for catering events, A Suisin Western Inox from Korin is a good step up from Tojiro.
 
Pardon my ignorance, but I've been curious why line knives are preferred to be narrow (sort of a cross between gyuto and suji)? Is there a performance advantage to this shorter height?
 
I've been enjoying my Kaeru 210 gyuto from jns the last few months. I did a little thinning and polishing and it's a great knife to have during service.
I hoping someday maxin expands that line and adds some other sizes in the sujihiki
 
Humble opinion but x37 to x43mm TALL is probably the limit I'd recommend for classic line knife
(although certain knives will always defy expectations...)
 
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KCMande said:
I've been enjoying my Kaeru 210 gyuto from jns the last few months. I did a little thinning and polishing and it's a great knife to have during service.
I hoping someday maxin expands that line and adds some other sizes in the sujihiki
Click to expand...

Mazaki's 180 petty geometry would be another knife to look at (x37mm)
but its not semi/stainless which is a buzzkil

Kaeru or a Masahi 180 petty would l ikely be sub $200, and semi/stainless
but I don't think the maker offers them ..just 150s
 
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CiderBear said:
Pardon my ignorance, but I've been curious why line knives are preferred to be narrow (sort of a cross between gyuto and suji)? Is there a performance advantage to this shorter height?
Click to expand...

Not that I know anything about being on the line, but I imagine the point is that there’s a lot of slicing of proteins, etc..., and not so much bulk prep (eg dicing up onions and carrots) since the latter has already been done. Slicing knives are usually not tall, since you don’t want a lot of friction when you go through the product, and you don’t need to keep your knuckles off the board. However, you also don’t have a lot of space, so you want a single knife that’s not too long, and can do a lot of different tasks (not exclusively slicing but the occasional board work). This points you to a taller petty/suji or a gyuto that’s not too tall. Please anyone correct this if it’s wrong.
 
A knife that isn’t tall doesn’t get knocked around by plates as much either. It fits in narrower places.

I think the 210 Kaeru Gyuto from JNS makes for a great line knife. Durable, stainless and not that tall. It’s a hit on the line in my kitchen.
 
+1 for Kaeru. A lot of bang for the buck. The new ones are nice, too, since there isn't a fake shinogi.
There's a 180mm Akifusa gyuto (SRS15) on BST now for $120. Powder steel/stainless could be a good call.
 
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my vote also goes for misono moly its got a sweet profie, stick with cheap until you can afford a nicer one for the line. for example i use a hiromoto honyaki as my beater. kaeru is a better knife than the misono moly if you feel like you can shell for it, but it's not very good for slicing duties because of the grind.
 
Hiragatake SLD, 180 or 210. I’ve got a Zakuri 210 petty that I thought would be great for this but that is almost too narrow and needle-like, might be totally someone’s bag though.
 
What about Yoshikane SKD or trying to find the Itinomonn 210 StainlLess that Maksim used to have (240 is 49/50 tall, so 210 could be just what you are looking for). Also Moritaka 210 should have the dimension you are after, but would not be stainless.
 
Mute-on said:
http://www.knivesandstones.com/tanaka-blue-2-nashiji-gyuhiki-line-knife-225mm-stainless-clad/
Click to expand...
x39mm
Tanaka-Blue-2-Nashiji-Stainless-Clad-Gyuhiki-225mm-e__17026.1559002932.jpg
 
daveb said:
Damn, I didn't need to see that...... Oh well, another 200 to the AU economy as soon as I get my allowance :cool:
Click to expand...

Sorry Dave. Only spotted it yesterday ... we could do with all the international investment we can get to drive up the p!$$weak $AUD.
 
Also - not a big recommendation for enthusiasts, but for someone cooking professsionally who needs a durable and high performing tool (think Snap-on as opposed to Garrett Wade) the MAC Pro 8.25” dimpled chef knife MTH-80 fits the criteria. Benefits a lot from an hour or two of thinning, and the geometry is easy for a beginner to do so.

But man, that gyuhiki is so hectic that if I can’t justify buying it for myself I’ll find someone else to buy it for.
 
Xenif said:
WHAT!? Theres a Tanaka Gyutohiki !? Is this new ?
Click to expand...

No. That is dumb. James should know to to go and butcher Japanese terminology by smashing words together.

There are two possibilities.

1) it was intentionally made made as either a thin gyuto or a wide Sujibiki.

2) the knife was originally a gyuto but had a fault (chipped edge, over ground incorrectly, corner chipped off) so it was reprofiled down to this.


I’m guessing number 2 by the picture. You can see it was over ground onto the neck. Either a mistake by an apprentice or a re-profiling job.
 
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