Looking for my first gyuto and paring knives. New guy here...

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NattyBoh74

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Hey guys, so my wife and I are looking for out first two knives. I will add more knives as I need to, but as its been said before, these two can get us by and honestly its what we're using now for the most part... On to the details.

Being that these are unique, I want to buy them for looks as well as function. And since we're only going to have a few, Id like them to be conversation pieces too


Budget: ~500 for both knives
Handles: Octagonal ( prefer the look of horn ferrules but not a must )
Gyuto - 210-240mm in length ( thoughts on the size for my first one? )
Paring- 75-90mm in length ( this is our workhorse, I know I know, I cook totally unconventional )
Finishes- I went all over the place with these but settles on nashiji and migaki ( prefer a handmade knife versus machine made )
Steel- SS clad
Grip- Pinch
Sharpening - I dont do it myself and MAY give it a try...
Foods prepared- Gyuto will be for larger protein/veggies. The paring will see smaller items, we dont mess with much seeded stuff or nuts/de-boning meats. BUT we would use them for splitting a rack of ribs maybe or stuff like that. Will they chip if they hit a bone, not HARD but while cutting?

Right now with a bunch of back and forth, I think I want to give one of these a whirl.

https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/...o-240mm-stainless-clad?variant=31720993489033https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/...to-210mm-migaki-finish?variant=34425912033432
Im stuck on the size for sure, in terms of the Gyuto... I seems its a split 50/50 on 210 or 240mm. But Ehh thought Id ask you guys anyway.

For the paring, Im looking at these three. Not many options in the shorter end of the spectrum

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=95735https://knifewear.com/products/masakage-koishi-as-petty-75mm?variant=5676594692https://www.toshoknifearts.com/collections/paring-petty/products/aaa-137m-24-aa80
I dont know if the extra "brittleness" if you will, is worth it for edge retention on the Blue #2 or AS ( on the paring ) over the White#2s after edge? Any other thoughts, please post up!
 
NattyBoh74 said:
Im stuck on the size for sure, in terms of the Gyuto... I seems its a split 50/50 on 210 or 240mm.
Click to expand...
I actually thought about this for a long time, and used a 210 mm German knife for years before joining this forum. You just need to try a 240mm Japanese knife, any of them, and see how that feels in hand. You can also try a 10-inch classic Western Chef's knife and remember that most Japanese knives will feel lighter, and what you thought was too long would not actually feel awkward because of this. If you're really stuck, 210mm is an easy default choice but it's hard to go wrong either way. For me, I quickly found that I prefer 240mm.

Regarding the Tanaka knives you picked, I thought those are an easy in-the-middle knife to start with and got one myself.
 
Its probably an unpopular opinion on this forum but if i had to pick a 210 or 240 for home use id 100% go with the 210mm. 240s are great for a pro environment where im going to be cutting a 100lbs of produce in a day but i highly doubt you'll be doing that at home. In a home environment where you wont have as much space and wont be doing as much bulk knife work having a shorter knife will be more convenient. For the petty id highly recommend going just slightly bigger if possible a 120-150mm petty will probably do as much as a shorter one and then some especially for home use
 
aszma said:
Its probably an unpopular opinion on this forum but if i had to pick a 210 or 240 for home use id 100% go with the 210mm. 240s are great for a pro environment...
Click to expand...
If you look closely, it's not, even if 240s get much more attention.
 
Hard to argue with Tanaka or Wakui, as both seem to be perennial budget favorites. I have a Tanaka Ginsanko which is hands down my best value knife. Haven't tried Wakui, but it's been on my list of something I'd like to try someday based on a lot of good reviews. I believe some retailers' versions are thinner/lighter than others.
I don't get a paring knife as a workhorse, but that's your call. Though the conventional wisdom is that a paring knife starts short at the heel, and will need more frequent sharpening than a longer knife that will keep at least a section sharp for a while, so you might want to save some money and go with the cheapest option of the above.
For edge retention, generally AS > Blue > White. Since you don't sharpen (yet), good edge retention will be appreciated. But since you're going to learn to sharpen soon (right?) you could go for white because it's easier to sharpen.
Since you like such a short knife for a workhorse, I'd hope a 210 would generally be long enough. And then you could decide what you like/dislike about it and find a 240 that you like even better, giving you his and hers gyutos at some point.
How long of a chef's knife do you currently use?
You can do this for less than $500, leaving some budget for a stone or two so you can really enjoy this investment in good knives.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend limiting to only nashiji or migaki finishes, as it might open up some more options.
Good luck and enjoy choosing.
 
Thanks! Yeah there sooooo many options out there it's crazy! I get the paring knife issue lol, I know . We don't cook correctly, I guess when you grow up you get bad habits etc. We both prefer the smaller knife for hand work, and honestly overall cutting. I tried talking my wife into a bigger petty around 100-120mm but....
 
I am sounding like JNS salesman - but they have a huge sale 40% off, Y Tanaka for sale and others, including Toyama. But the blue Hirataka petty 150mm and 90mm are both available Former is Euro100 and latter 82. You could get a 240 Toyama stainless clad blue and one of these two pretty much be on budget.

hard to beat these knives and harder still to find them in stock

I missed a Shig Kitaeji, and Kiyoshi Kato in stock today at JNS - was on work call but his new stock is coming in, so I will still have a chance again to buy a unicorn.
 
NattyBoh74 said:
Hey guys, so my wife and I are looking for out first two knives. I will add more knives as I need to, but as its been said before, these two can get us by and honestly its what we're using now for the most part... On to the details.

Being that these are unique, I want to buy them for looks as well as function. And since we're only going to have a few, Id like them to be conversation pieces too


Budget: ~500 for both knives
Handles: Octagonal ( prefer the look of horn ferrules but not a must )
Gyuto - 210-240mm in length ( thoughts on the size for my first one? )
Paring- 75-90mm in length ( this is our workhorse, I know I know, I cook totally unconventional )
Finishes- I went all over the place with these but settles on nashiji and migaki ( prefer a handmade knife versus machine made )
Steel- SS clad
Grip- Pinch
Sharpening - I dont do it myself and MAY give it a try...
Foods prepared- Gyuto will be for larger protein/veggies. The paring will see smaller items, we dont mess with much seeded stuff or nuts/de-boning meats. BUT we would use them for splitting a rack of ribs maybe or stuff like that. Will they chip if they hit a bone, not HARD but while cutting?

Right now with a bunch of back and forth, I think I want to give one of these a whirl.

https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/...o-240mm-stainless-clad?variant=31720993489033https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/...to-210mm-migaki-finish?variant=34425912033432
Im stuck on the size for sure, in terms of the Gyuto... I seems its a split 50/50 on 210 or 240mm. But Ehh thought Id ask you guys anyway.

For the paring, Im looking at these three. Not many options in the shorter end of the spectrum

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=95735https://knifewear.com/products/masakage-koishi-as-petty-75mm?variant=5676594692https://www.toshoknifearts.com/collections/paring-petty/products/aaa-137m-24-aa80
I dont know if the extra "brittleness" if you will, is worth it for edge retention on the Blue #2 or AS ( on the paring ) over the White#2s after edge? Any other thoughts, please post up!
Click to expand...

One final point - your budget is high enough to afford a “halo” knife - TF, Watanabe, Toyama, Hitohira Togashi, etc. and/or a forum hyped maker like Mazaki.

much depends on your budget allocation. I would consider “splashing” on the Gyuto and getting a superstar. For petty I would consider a value purchase where the steel and blade is amazing but not fit and finish.
 
Yeah thanks. I'm down for whatever recommendations you see fit
RockyBasel said:
One final point - your budget is high enough to afford a “halo” knife - TF, Watanabe, Toyama, Hitohira Togashi, etc. and/or a forum hyped maker like Mazaki.

much depends on your budget allocation. I would consider “splashing” on the Gyuto and getting a superstar. For petty I would consider a value purchase where the steel and blade is amazing but not fit and finish.
Click to expand...
 
I have the Tanaka Blue 2 Nashiji from KnS, but in 180. A little rustic in finish, needed to keep on top of edge maintenance. Upgraded ebony handle, which in retrospect moved the balance too far back, shouldn't be such an issue with a longer blade. Was my first knife purchase, subsequently moved on to something longer (225) but no regrets on purchase. Not the sexiest knife for the money though.

What I do prefer (and is a keeper) is the Tanaka Ginsan paring knife, which gets constant use and abuse, but holds up well and is low maintenance. Out of stock at KnS but worth asking if more are due in. I ordered the 120mm and it ran quite short at under 110mm - anything less would feel too small to be useful. I'm not a paring knife peeler though, much prefer a Lancashire peeler for veg.

One to look at may be a Mutsumi Hinoura, I recently went for an AS Santoku, and the fit, finish and performance are significantly ahead of the Tanaka. 210 Gyutos in white#2 seem to run the similar price as the Tanaka if you look around (maybe no octagonal handle though.) Iron clad, but the Kurouchi Nashiji finish is so bulletproof it's just not an issue.
 
NattyBoh74 said:
Yeah thanks. I'm down for whatever recommendations you see fit
Click to expand...

Option 1: I would get the Toyama 240 mm Gyuto from JNS and a hirataka 95 mm or 150 petty - expensive option - you are at 500 or 525 budget or a Kaeru Stainless Petty 150 mm for 90 if not Hirataka

Option 2:
Yoshikane from Cleancut for 300 and the same two pettys

Option 3 - mazaki or Hinoura Guuto plus munetoshi petty 165 mm for 120
 
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