Need help choosing a 210 stainless/semi-stainless gyuto

[StephenYu]

Hi guys, I need help on choosing a 210 stainless/semi-stainless gyuto. Thanks for the help!

LOCATION
What country are you in?
US


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
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
leaning towards wa-handle but western will be fine too
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Yes, stainless/semi-stainless
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$400


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.)
Everything
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Kurosaki AS 210mm
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Pinch
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.)
Push, rock, draw, chop
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 realize I want a good quality stainless knife instead of a carbon one
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)?
better f&f, damascus pattern is prefered but not necessary
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Maybe a month or two


KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
wood
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
yes
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
already owned a set of shapton pro series 1k and 6k


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
Currently on my list:
Masashi SLD Damascus Kiritsuke 210mm (I choose the Kirisuke instead of gyuto because I like the shape better)
Tanaka R2 210mm Gyuto Wa-handle
Sakai Takayuki Ginsanko (G3) Damascus Gyuto 210mm

 

[Nemo]

Are you after something thin or sturdy?

The Akifusa (Gesshin Kagero is similar I understand) are pretty thin. Not quite laser. SRS-15 PM stainless.
The Ryusen Blazens are a little sturdier but great cutters with beautiful balance. There are differing opinions as to whether these are very similar knives to the Takamura pros. SG2/R2 PM stainless.
The Shiro Kamo Syousin Suminagashi is sturdy but quite thin behind the edge. Quite a tall blade, good food release. My current go-to gyuto. SG2/R2 PM stainless.
The Yoshikane SKD (I haven't used SLD) is a great workhorse good food release and thin enough behind the edge. SKD-12 semi-stainless tool steel. Effectively stainless in my kitchen.

I like all of these knives. The first 2 are Migaki I think (plain semi-mirror finish), The Shiro Kamo is a muted damascus cladding. The Yoshikane that I have is a very pleasant hammered finish stainless cladding but other finishes are available I think. Let me know if you want any further info about any of them.

I've also been eyeing the STs and Tanaka R2s (which are laser-like), and have heard great things about them.

 

[daveb]

My favorite 210 is a Yoshikane. I have it in SKD, like it a lot. Had a K-shaped 240 in SLD, beautiful dammy, very nice knife, the K shape just wouldn't grow on me.

EE has them, has some similar, has hammer finished SKD and they're having a sale.

 

[Nemo]

Yep, my 240 Yoshi was my go-to until I got the Shiro Kamo. Now I'm feeling guilty about having not used her, so I'm going to have to pull her out of the block tonight.:doublethumbsup:

Nice to sharpen, good edge retention, almost stainless, beautiful hammered finish, great flat profile (which I essentially copied for a custom Tristone Niolox I have ordered), get food release.

 

[StephenYu]

Are you after something thin or sturdy?

I am pretty happy with my Kurosaki AS but I want sth a bit thinner than that.
Since you compare Ryusen Blazens with Takamura and you desribed them as sturdier, but I thought the Takamura is a super thin knive, or is it not?

 

[StephenYu]

Seems that the Yoshikane is pretty good choice too...

 

[Matus]

Yoshikane SKD is indeed a good choice, but they do run their steel hard which on one hand gives incredible edge retention, but makes the steal easier to chip than others.

You should also have a look at Itinomonn SemiStainless. Very nimble knife and excellent value.

 

[Nemo]

I am pretty happy with my Kurosaki AS but I want sth a bit thinner than that.
Since you compare Ryusen Blazens with Takamura and you desribed them as sturdier, but I thought the Takamura is a super thin knive, or is it not?

Never used a Takamura so I'm really just reporting what I've read about debates around whether thy are possibly very similar or almost identical knives.

The Blazen is very thin behind the edge, with reasonable food release. It's a great cutter. I gave it away and I miss it. I still get to see it for sharpening every few months.

To me it felt sturdier than my Akifusa but on reflection this is because the Akifusa is a 210 vs a 240. Comparring the specs for the Akifusa 240 vs Blazen 240, they are very similar (weight, blade height, spine thickness).

So I suspect that I inadvertantly mislead you by comparing different sized knives. Apologies.

The Akifusa 210 has a much thinner handle than the Blazen 240. Not sure how 240 compares to 240 in this regard.

 

[kevpenbanc]

I have a 240 Masashi SLD damascus that I like a lot. Good cutter, good edge retention, easy to sharpen.
I also have a 210 Takamura Hana (R2), pretty much the best all round knife I have, fantastic cutter, takes a stinky edge and holds it for a long time. Good looker too.

 

[JaVa]

The Takamura is very thin and usually the go to choice in similar situations to yours. For a good reason too. If you are looking for knife that has a thin blade overall, it's pretty hard to beat.

If you want a high performance knife that's very thin behind the edge, but is not ultra thin, the Itinomonn StainLess Kasumi is a very good option. The well made distal taper and super thin edge ad to the laser type performance even if it's not a laser. Great food release too.

...BUT the one that's really blowing me away is the Tanaka ginsan Migaki from K&S. It's just the perfect overall thickness/super thin behind the edge combo for me that's balancing between being a laser or a light middleweight. It's become my favourite knife. Unfortunately nobody knows when James gets his next batch. So it's kind of pointless recommendation.

With your budget, you could for now get the Takamura or the Itinomonn now. Either will probably suit you, but I've got a suspicion the Takamura is closer to your preferences. (Personally I like the Itinomonn more.)
...and then go camp out at the K&S until the new batch of Tanakas arrive. :lol2:

 

[laxdad]

I thought the Takamura is a super thin knive, or is it not?

The confusion is that there are multiple lines of Takamura knives. The red handled line are the very thin ones. The black handled knives are more stout. There are also damascus versions and the Hana line with a hybrid Wa handle.

 

[StephenYu]

Seems the Itinomonn is excellent for the price....the only thing is that I like octagonal handle better than d-shape

Since the Takamura is such a thin blade, will it make it a weak knife? Like easy to chip?

 

[StephenYu]

The confusion is that there are multiple lines of Takamura knives. The red handled line are the very thin ones. The black handled knives are more stout. There are also damascus versions and the Hana line with a hybrid Wa handle.

Got it, so the Takamura Pro is actually more stout than Takamura Migaki, thanks for the clarification.
So how about Hana and the damascus western handle? Are they as thin as the migaki?

 

[richard]

The Hana and Damascus Western handle should be closer to the Takamura Pro. I wouldn't describe them as stout or workhorses, but they are still thin but aren't as super thin as the Takamura R2. From the choil, they can deceive and look thicker like all-around knives or even workhorses if you don't look closely, but they get thin going forward with the distal taper and overall are quite thin behind the edge.

 

[fatboylim]

$400 gives you many good options. Perhaps one area to narrow down is the need to sharpen 1-2 months and how patient a sharpener you are. R2 sounds ideal for edge retention but expect to put in 50% more sharpening each time. If you don't mind sharpening more often and easier, then other stainless options are better than R2.

 

[fatboylim]

In summary:
If you like sharpening but not too often, go R2.
If you like to sharpen quickly and more often go SKD or other stainless.