Looking for a Sujihiki

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I am going to expand my tiny (three knives) but growing collection with a sujihiki. Here is my questionnaire:


Please refer to the Kitchen Knife Knowledge subforum and the Kitchen Knife Glossary thread (LINK) for general information, including the knife types and other terminology used in this questionnaire.




LOCATION
What country are you in? USA



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chefs knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)? Sujihiki

Are you right or left handed? Right handed

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle? Japanese

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)? 240mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no) No

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife? $400 more or less.



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.) Slicing protein

What knife, if any, are you replacing? Set of old supermarket stainless knives

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.) Pinch grip

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.) With the sujihiki, slicing and filleting

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.) Slicing roast and ham, filleting fish, carving poultry

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)? No damascus or hammered finish

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

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)?

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?



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

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.) My sharpening is still limited to various beater knives, which are much improved for it. I will not touch one of my Japanese to a stone until it needs it and my skills have improved to the point of confidence in what result to expect

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.) I am learning as fast as I can

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.) Yes



SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

Here is one that is pretty much what I'm looking for: Masamoto KS Honkasumi Gyokuhaku-ko Buffalo Tsuba Japanese Chef's Slicer (Sujihiki) 240mm KS4324 for $329.
https://www.hocho-knife.com/masamoto-honkasumi-gyokuhaku-ko-buffalo-tsuba-slicer-sujihiki-240mm/
 
I own a Masamoto KS Yanagiba (not suji). I can surely recommend it. My favourite suji is from Heiji, both semistainless and carbon are pretty solid.
 
Thank you guys for your responses. I will check those out. Loam: What is a heiji? Is it a Gesshin heiji? I have also started pondering whether I would prefer a Yanagiba.
Gesshin is the house brand of Japanese Knife Imports, they work with craftsmen and usually provides a better fit&finish than regular version, sometimes also better heat treatment and unique offerings. Nakaya Heiji is the company that makes them, they also sell them via other vendors and directly
http://www.nakayaheiji.co.jp/concept12.html.
 
If you are doing anything other than slicing raw fish, you want a suji, not a yanagiba.

If you get a yanagiba, you will need to lean single bevel sharpening. Not super difficult to learn and it is a skill somewhat applicable to convex wide bevel ryoba sharpening BUT it is a different way of sharpening and a new skill to learn.
 
If you are doing anything other than slicing raw fish, you want a suji, not a yanagiba.

If you get a yanagiba, you will need to lean single bevel sharpening. Not super difficult to learn and it is a skill somewhat applicable to convex wide bevel ryoba sharpening BUT it is a different way of sharpening and a new skill to learn.
I agree that a sujihiki is the way to go, but for a slightly different reason. I would actually relish learning single bevel sharpening, but I am not the only one who will be using the knife as my wife also uses them. I don't want to pile something more about Japanese knives on her when it is all so new to her; hell, they're new to me too, but I chose to learn about them whereas she did not choose to learn about them but simply went down the rabbit hole because I did. So it is certainly going to be a sujihiki.
 
I agree that a sujihiki is the way to go, but for a slightly different reason. I would actually relish learning single bevel sharpening, but I am not the only one who will be using the knife as my wife also uses them. I don't want to pile something more about Japanese knives on her when it is all so new to her; hell, they're new to me too, but I chose to learn about them whereas she did not choose to learn about them but simply went down the rabbit hole because I did. So it is certainly going to be a sujihiki.

The solution is to get yourself a sujihiki and then a single bevel honesuki. :p

I love my sujihiki and wish I would've gotten one sooner. I actually went the less expensive route as it is isn't a frequent driver and I'm quite pleased. No worries about scratches, I can play with edge thinning without caring, performs excellently, etc.

I may get something fancier but that will only be a "just cuz" not really a performance requirement.
 
The solution is to get yourself a sujihiki and then a single bevel honesuki. :p

I love my sujihiki and wish I would've gotten one sooner. I actually went the less expensive route as it is isn't a frequent driver and I'm quite pleased. No worries about scratches, I can play with edge thinning without caring, performs excellently, etc.

I may get something fancier but that will only be a "just cuz" not really a performance requirement.
You might have hit upon the solution. I haven[t given any thought to a honesuki, but I will now. I would like to have at least one single bevel knife, the most appealing of which, to me, is the usuba. But I see no need whatsoever to limit myself to only one single bevel.
 
You might have hit upon the solution. I haven[t given any thought to a honesuki, but I will now. I would like to have at least one single bevel knife, the most appealing of which, to me, is the usuba. But I see no need whatsoever to limit myself to only one single bevel.

I rarely buy chicken parts any more but instead buy whole chickens and break them down. I'm to the point now where I can get to the four primals in about two to three minutes and that includes tipping the wings, removing the tenderloins, etc. From the time I cut open the bag, to placing the bagged parts in the freezer, to wiping everything down will be about fifteen minutes. A little longer if I want to do some additional cutting.

But for me, that's time well spent and heck, the savings allow you to step up to the nicer and much better chickens.

I really enjoy using my honesuki for it. Mine isn't a true single bevel but they are for sure out there. @BillHanna might have one. Anyway, for me, it's very much a user knife and not just a novelty I try to justify. :)
 
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I rarely buy chicken parts any more but instead buy whole chickens and break them down. I'm to the point now where I can get to the four primals in about two to three minutes and that includes tipping the wings, removing the tenderloins, etc. From the time I cut open the bag, to placing the bagged parts in the freezer, to wiping everything down will be about fifteen minutes. A little longer if I want to do some additional cutting.

But for me, that's time well spent and heck, the savings allow you to step up to the nicer and much better chickens.

I really enjoy using my honesuki for it. Mine isn't a true single bevel but they are for sure out there. @BillHanna might have one. Anyway, for me, it's very much a user knife and not just a novelty I try to justify. :)
From your descriptions of the honesuki, I fear that I have now discovered another knife that I must have. I will get one along with a sujihiki next month. I can't get them any sooner because it is still Mother's Day Month which means that all shopping this month is for her, Father's Day Month is next month. We do the same for the months of our birthdays; it just makes the entire month fun for both of us giving and receiving things we want.
 
I love Masahiro VC for this. It's a carbon monosteel with a Western handle, almost a single bevel but not quite. There's a small microbevel on the ura side. It's not expensive and performs great. I also love their suji, maybe even more so, given the quality and price.
 
I love Masahiro VC for this. It's a carbon monosteel with a Western handle, almost a single bevel but not quite. There's a small microbevel on the ura side. It's not expensive and performs great. I also love their suji, maybe even more so, given the quality and price.
Thanks for the reply. I looked and the blades that looked appealing all had western handles, and that's a deal breaker.
 
Isn’t the KS lineup overpriced for what you are getting?

An honest question. Their 2017ish price hike is quite something when it comes to japanese knives/products
 
What kind of grind would you want when slicing raw meat very thinly (without necessarily chilling it) to avoid pulling the meat or avoiding stiction ? Asking for a friend.
 
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