Matthew Knox
Member
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Gyuto & Santoku/Nakiri
Are you right or left handed?
Right(spouse is lefty)
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)?
gyuto-210-240mm Santoku/Nakiri-165-185mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Chef-$300 & Santoku/Nakiri-$300
Or $600 in total with both of them(but happy to spend less just don’t want to sacrifice quality or aesthetics)
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.)
Prep work. Slicing & chopping vegetables and meat(nothing too solid like acorn squash or anything that has bones-I have a German beater knife for that grunt work)
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Not replacing
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch typically-but I’ve been working with sub par sharpness
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.)
Chop(I do love a good rocking chop), slicing(trying to do more slicing than chop going forward), pull/push
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.)
•good edge retention
•minimal stickage
•not a “chippy” knife-I know it depends on my style/expertise of my cutting skills, but some knifes are prone/known for chipping(shun)
•double beveled preferred-spouse is a lefty
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)?
(•love darker blades/finishes...reactive carbon{blue super, Aogami, shirogami,etc}, hurouchi finish, nashiji finish, Damascus clad or tsuchime-or a combination or any other darker toned/finish knife that’s stainless, semi, or carbon-just not ceramic)
(•lighter blades with good balance)
(•wooden handles-preferably not 3 rivets)
(•possibly each knife having a different grind to tackle different different tasks)
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)?
•little to no wedging-gotta Wüsthof classic for that
•would love to have it at working level right out of the box but can do some work if need be
•great food release
•I’m going to have them professionally sharpened in the beginning(taking lessons now to make sure I don’t mess up my new Japanese knives)
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Good edge retention but am willing to do the upkeep if that means a better overall knife
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Wood cutting board but will buy whatever I need to
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Am in the midst of being able to
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
See above
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Just to help(maybe), I figured I’d list some of the knives I’ve kind of looked at...
•Wakui Guyuto white 2 stainless
•Tanaka blue 2 Damascus
•Shinko seilan ku aogami super
•Sukenari ginsanko
•Tanaka ginsan nashiji
•Tanaka blue 2 kurouchi
•Curosaki knives
•Syousin chiku KU
•Sentan kaigann blue 2
•Shinko kurokumo R2 Damascus
•Miyabi-Black & Birchwood lines
•Kikuichi-Warikomi&warikomi swedish(Tsushime)
•Mcusta Zanmai-33 layer Damascus, kuronami
•karaku Aogami
•shibata kotetsu sg2
•Takeda Aogami super
•Takeda Aogami stainless
•Sakai Takayuki doi blue steel homies
•tojiro hand-forged Aogami
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Gyuto & Santoku/Nakiri
Are you right or left handed?
Right(spouse is lefty)
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)?
gyuto-210-240mm Santoku/Nakiri-165-185mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Chef-$300 & Santoku/Nakiri-$300
Or $600 in total with both of them(but happy to spend less just don’t want to sacrifice quality or aesthetics)
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.)
Prep work. Slicing & chopping vegetables and meat(nothing too solid like acorn squash or anything that has bones-I have a German beater knife for that grunt work)
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Not replacing
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch typically-but I’ve been working with sub par sharpness
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.)
Chop(I do love a good rocking chop), slicing(trying to do more slicing than chop going forward), pull/push
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.)
•good edge retention
•minimal stickage
•not a “chippy” knife-I know it depends on my style/expertise of my cutting skills, but some knifes are prone/known for chipping(shun)
•double beveled preferred-spouse is a lefty
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)?
(•love darker blades/finishes...reactive carbon{blue super, Aogami, shirogami,etc}, hurouchi finish, nashiji finish, Damascus clad or tsuchime-or a combination or any other darker toned/finish knife that’s stainless, semi, or carbon-just not ceramic)
(•lighter blades with good balance)
(•wooden handles-preferably not 3 rivets)
(•possibly each knife having a different grind to tackle different different tasks)
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)?
•little to no wedging-gotta Wüsthof classic for that
•would love to have it at working level right out of the box but can do some work if need be
•great food release
•I’m going to have them professionally sharpened in the beginning(taking lessons now to make sure I don’t mess up my new Japanese knives)
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Good edge retention but am willing to do the upkeep if that means a better overall knife
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
Wood cutting board but will buy whatever I need to
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Am in the midst of being able to
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
See above
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Just to help(maybe), I figured I’d list some of the knives I’ve kind of looked at...
•Wakui Guyuto white 2 stainless
•Tanaka blue 2 Damascus
•Shinko seilan ku aogami super
•Sukenari ginsanko
•Tanaka ginsan nashiji
•Tanaka blue 2 kurouchi
•Curosaki knives
•Syousin chiku KU
•Sentan kaigann blue 2
•Shinko kurokumo R2 Damascus
•Miyabi-Black & Birchwood lines
•Kikuichi-Warikomi&warikomi swedish(Tsushime)
•Mcusta Zanmai-33 layer Damascus, kuronami
•karaku Aogami
•shibata kotetsu sg2
•Takeda Aogami super
•Takeda Aogami stainless
•Sakai Takayuki doi blue steel homies
•tojiro hand-forged Aogami