Looking for a new general use knife.

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Hagerboy

Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2020
Messages
11
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1
Location
Ontario, Canada
LOCATION
Canada

KNIFE TYPE
Gyutou

Are you right or left handed?
Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese?
I'd like to try Japanese but either is fine.

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
240mm is best but 210mm is acceptable.

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Preferred but not necessary

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$200 CAD ~ 150 USD but willing to go at most $100 above for something that would blow one at that price point out of the water


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.)?
This will be a secondary knife for less demanding jobs like chopping, slicing, dicing, various boneless meats and vegetables.

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
I have a Henckels 260mm chef knife from the 80s I'd like to supplement with this knife.

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use?
Pinch and finger point, though nothing habitual


What cutting motions do you primarily use?
This will be a large change from what I usually use so cutting style is unimportant

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'd like something a little sharper than the knife I usually use so I can both improve my cutting and speed up the time it takes since I often have to use more force or cut multiple times with my current knife.

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)?
Do not care.

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

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)?
I think I'd like it to have good food release since that was part of the problem I was talking about.

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
I'm a newbie when it comes to sharpening, all I own is a honing rod. So maybe a semi decent edge retention (weeks to months)


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

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

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Though I would like to learn how to sharpen properly.

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
If it's not going to break the bank, sure!


It's not as important but if you can find a site that's Canadian that'd be great. USD conversion and shipping is quite expensive.

I was looking at this knife as kind of a baseline but have no idea if better ones exist.

https://knifewear.com/products/haruyuki-kokuto-gyuto-240mm?variant=30206791254064
 
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If ur going knifewear haruyuki line I'd spring a little more cash for the yokuma/kuma srs15 which is also on sale. My understanding is these need slight thinning to really sing but it should blow you away regardless if you've never used a jknife. Theres a ton of info buried in the forums regarding akifusa/haruyuki/kagero
 
If ur going knifewear haruyuki line I'd spring a little more cash for the yokuma/kuma srs15 which is also on sale. My understanding is these need slight thinning to really sing but it should blow you away regardless if you've never used a jknife. Theres a ton of info buried in the forums regarding akifusa/haruyuki/kagero

Thanks for the advice. The Kuma does look quite nice, but at that price point I don't really wanna compromise on size. 240mm is ideal and it's sold out at the moment.
 
Had a chance to use Gesshin Uraku 240 (to my knowledge Jon did some work on the grind) and I was very impressed by the performance. Way above its price.
 
Had a chance to use Gesshin Uraku 240 (to my knowledge Jon did some work on the grind) and I was very impressed by the performance. Way above its price.

I see it's currently out of stock. Do you know anything about restock times? I'm hoping to get something for the end of the month. Really sucks that all the shops at the price point I like are all American :/

Have you guys ever heard of these knives? It's really hard to find affordable carbon steel knives in Canada and this is one of the only ones.
https://www.aiandomknives.com/colle...umei-nos-blue-2-yanagiba-240mm-ho-wood-handle

This one is a carbon clad knife but I can't really find anything about it. https://sharpknifeshop.com/collections/gyuto/products/tosaichi-shadow-gyuto-240-mm
 
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I’m not positive, someone else will chime in, but I believe there are often duties/fees Canadian members complain about when buying from the us.
The Canadian prices may not be so high.
 
I’m not positive, someone else will chime in, but I believe there are often duties/fees Canadian members complain about when buying from the us.
The Canadian prices may not be so high.
It's something like $30 to ship a small package in either direction.
 
Have you guys ever heard of these knives? It's really hard to find affordable carbon steel knives in Canada and this is one of the only ones.
https://www.aiandomknives.com/colle...umei-nos-blue-2-yanagiba-240mm-ho-wood-handle

A yanagiba is definitely not a general-use knife eh.

If you want a carbon-steel Japanese-made knife that's suited for general-use, sold in Canada, and is within your general price range, how about this one?
https://www.paulsfinest.com/Sakai-T...-s-Knife-Gyutou-240mm-9_5.html?category_id=92
Another possibility eh:
https://www.paulsfinest.com/Misono-...ife-Gyutou-9_5-inch-240mm.html?category_id=26
 
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How about the Kaeru SS kasumi? Fits the bill pretty well IMO.
 
A yanagiba is definitely not a general-use knife eh.

If you want a carbon-steel Japanese-made knife that's suited for general-use, sold in Canada, and is within your general price range, how about this one?
https://www.paulsfinest.com/Sakai-T...-s-Knife-Gyutou-240mm-9_5.html?category_id=92
Another possibility eh:
https://www.paulsfinest.com/Misono-...ife-Gyutou-9_5-inch-240mm.html?category_id=26


Whoops, didn't even notice that one wasn't a gyuto, sorry. Is there a large different between full carbon and stainless clad? The second knife is from a shop 20 minutes away from me so if anything goes wrong it's a little easier to reach out imo. The only reason I was looking for carbon was because I read it's better for sharpening practise.
 
Whoops, didn't even notice that one wasn't a gyuto, sorry. Is there a large different between full carbon and stainless clad? The second knife is from a shop 20 minutes away from me so if anything goes wrong it's a little easier to reach out imo. The only reason I was looking for carbon was because I read it's better for sharpening practise.

They're all different. Your original choice of knife that you pointed to (the Haruyuki Kokuto Ginsan) is made of a fine-grained stainless-steel that should also be easy enough to sharpen, though arguably not quite as much as the top-level carbon-steels.

I can't say anything about who or where to reach out to or what's in whose area. I will now bow out of this thread and leave such discussion to the forum's Canucks.
 
Whoops, didn't even notice that one wasn't a gyuto, sorry. Is there a large different between full carbon and stainless clad? The second knife is from a shop 20 minutes away from me so if anything goes wrong it's a little easier to reach out imo. The only reason I was looking for carbon was because I read it's better for sharpening practise.
To me, stainless clad is the sweet spot between an easy to sharpen edge and an easy to live with knife, especially for a beginner. Others may believe that all stainless is easier to live with (it is) or all carbon offers more feedback. I have some all carbon gyutos and some stainless clad. I use and like them interchangeably.

A wakui stainless clad gyuto is a nice knife. Not sure about the budget. I see them at epicurean edge although other vendors have them. EE offers forum members a 10 pc discount
 
I see it's currently out of stock. Do you know anything about restock times? I'm hoping to get something for the end of the month. Really sucks that all the shops at the price point I like are all American :/

Have you guys ever heard of these knives? It's really hard to find affordable carbon steel knives in Canada and this is one of the only ones.
https://www.aiandomknives.com/colle...umei-nos-blue-2-yanagiba-240mm-ho-wood-handle

This one is a carbon clad knife but I can't really find anything about it. https://sharpknifeshop.com/collections/gyuto/products/tosaichi-shadow-gyuto-240-mm

I've dealt with Ai and Om a number of times and they've been top notch in my experience. Reach out to them and have a chat with them.
 
To me, stainless clad is the sweet spot between an easy to sharpen edge and an easy to live with knife, especially for a beginner. Others may believe that all stainless is easier to live with (it is) or all carbon offers more feedback. I have some all carbon gyutos and some stainless clad. I use and like them interchangeably.

A wakui stainless clad gyuto is a nice knife. Not sure about the budget. I see them at epicurean edge although other vendors have them. EE offers forum members a 10 pc discount

Ok, so it sounds like stainless clad is a pretty safe beginner choice. I looked at the site and didn't see and wakui knives, and the other ones were $200 USD which ends up coming to around $300 with conversion and taxes, etc... The one from sharpknife seems solid.

Thank you all for your help! Now I just gotta figure out how to go about learning to sharpen the damn things...
 
Ok, so it sounds like stainless clad is a pretty safe beginner choice. I looked at the site and didn't see and wakui knives, and the other ones were $200 USD which ends up coming to around $300 with conversion and taxes, etc... The one from sharpknife seems solid.

Thank you all for your help! Now I just gotta figure out how to go about learning to sharpen the damn things...
https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=95729&bc=no
 

Oh, I thought you meant line, not craftsman. Sorry about that. Still, It's gonna be about $300 CAD with all the conversions and shipping. I've pretty much decided on one of these two. I think the biggest difference is the metal. Is there a large difference between stainless clad and stainless steel?

https://sharpknifeshop.com/collections/gyuto/products/ittetsu-kurouchi-gyuto-210-mm
Clad

https://knifewear.com/products/masakage-yuki-gyuto-210mm?variant=22812198076464
Stainless
 
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What's wrong with this one that you listed. Blue Super - stainless clad. Looks like an awesome Gyuto.
https://sharpknifeshop.com/collections/gyuto/products/tosaichi-shadow-gyuto-240-mm

Nothing wrong at all. I was planning on that one but wasn't sure if there was something superior about either stainless or stainless clad. That one is from a shop literally a stone's throw away so it's perfect. Now I just need to find a sharpening stone at a decent price with a shipping time under a month... I have one but it's super low grit and probably 100+ years old haha
 
From the description and pictures, this is looks like like a great knife, maybe even a bit laser. The Aogami Super is less reactive that other high carbon steels and has better edge retention. It might not feel as good on the stones as Shirogami but it is a fantastic Hitachi steel. Clad in stainless means the clad portion won't rust which is nice but not crucial. Of course you would take care of the knife even if clad in iron which rust more easily. If it is available at a nearby shop and in your budget, I think it is a top option. As for stones, what is your budget? Aogami Super would benefit from a Naniwa Chosera or Shapton Glass 4-6k or other similar stones. Geshin, Bester etc...
 
You might consider a Canadian made knife-

https://northarmknives.com/product/alder-8-inch-chefs-knife/?c=d115e58d09e2&v=4326ce96e26c

I have been pleased with mine.
20190723_171438.jpg
 
From the description and pictures, this is looks like like a great knife, maybe even a bit laser. The Aogami Super is less reactive that other high carbon steels and has better edge retention. It might not feel as good on the stones as Shirogami but it is a fantastic Hitachi steel. Clad in stainless means the clad portion won't rust which is nice but not crucial. Of course you would take care of the knife even if clad in iron which rust more easily. If it is available at a nearby shop and in your budget, I think it is a top option. As for stones, what is your budget? Aogami Super would benefit from a Naniwa Chosera or Shapton Glass 4-6k or other similar stones. Geshin, Bester etc...

I think I've decided to go with one of the two from my last set of links. The ittetsu kiroichi. It's not aogami, but Shiro no.1, which I would assume is quite similar. I wouldn't like to spend more than like $80 for a whetstone(s) but the problem right now is supply. The store there has one type in stock. The $45 1000 grit is gone and only the $126 remains. The semi decent ones from Amazon are gone, and knifewear charges shipping :/
 
I used the previous version AS tosaichi gyuto from sharp and I loved it. Lightweight laser with great retention and good fit and finish with great value. Always have decent sales and I'm sure they can help you with a stone
 
Oh, I thought you meant line, not craftsman. Sorry about that. Still, It's gonna be about $300 CAD with all the conversions and shipping. I've pretty much decided on one of these two. I think the biggest difference is the metal. Is there a large difference between stainless clad and stainless steel?

https://sharpknifeshop.com/collections/gyuto/products/ittetsu-kurouchi-gyuto-210-mm
Clad

https://knifewear.com/products/masakage-yuki-gyuto-210mm?variant=22812198076464
Stainless

Just to check: you know the ittetsu is iron clad, right? Meaning the cladding will also rust. I wasn’t sure from your responses above. Personally, I never plan to buy another stainless or stainless clad gyuto in my life, but it’s good to know what you’re getting.
 
Just to check: you know the ittetsu is iron clad, right? Meaning the cladding will also rust. I wasn’t sure from your responses above. Personally, I never plan to buy another stainless or stainless clad gyuto in my life, but it’s good to know what you’re getting.

Yep, I understand that it rusts. I would have gone full carbon if more readily available at my price point but this one ticks most all my boxes and the owner is close. If you guys care at all I can give a little update later on with how it's been working out for me since I don't see much about it on this site.
 
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Aogami Super and Shirogami are very different. Shirogami is more reactive, gets marginally sharper and is easier to sharpen, but does not hold its edge nearly as well.

You won't need a 1000 stone for some time. A 4-6k would keep the edge going for a long time
 
Aogami Super and Shirogami are very different. Shirogami is more reactive, gets marginally sharper and is easier to sharpen, but does not hold its edge nearly as well.

You won't need a 1000 stone for some time. A 4-6k would keep the edge going for a long time
True, but for a full sharpening — as the first one out of the box — I certainly would start well below 1k with Aogami Super. Must have to do with the tungsten carbides. Leads to a much better edge stability. I start at 400.
For touching up a few strokes on a 3-4k will do. If that doesn't immediately work I don't insist but take a 2k.
 

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