Need help picking my first J knife.

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Garit

Active Member
Joined
May 4, 2020
Messages
28
Reaction score
3
Location
NC
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)?

I would like a gyuto to replace my Western chef knife, gonna use it for just about everything I can.

Are you right or left handed?
Right

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

I think I could go for either, I use the pinch grip

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210-240mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
I work in a professional kitchen so which do you think would be better?

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$300 max i wouldn't mind going a little lower so I could buy some better stones


KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

professional

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.)
anything but dealing with bones most likely

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

my 8 in Western chef knife

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.)
chopping, slicing

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'm switching from western so I just want an overall upgrade

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)?

whatever will work best in a professional kitchen

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

good balance and a comfortable pinch grip my hands are a little smaller than most, I wear a large glove

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)?

id rather not have food discoloration, I can sharpen it if need be, I'd rather my knife not wedge, like a semi lazer? I don't want it super thin tho. I would also like an easy sharpen.

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

I would prefer to only sharpen my knife every other week but I don't know how realistic that is working in a professional kitchen

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

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.)

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


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

I am interested in all types of steel but I just want whats best for my work environment, I was interested in stainless cladding but from what I've read i don't know if it really has that much of an advantage. The handle on my current knife is basically a hybrid of western and wa, but I can go either way i feel like
 
How about a Takeda? Stretches the budget a little bit, but that's what we're here for ;)

Relatively thin, AS steel with good heat treatment, comes in either stainless or iron cladding, good food seperation, scandi grind.
 
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How about a Takeda? Stretches the budget a little bit, but that's what we're here for ;)

Relatively thin, AS steel with good heat treatment, comes in either stainless or iron cladding, good food seperation, scandi grind.
What's a scandi grind?
 
Do you cut lots of acidic stuff? Will this be more for a larger prep area or a smaller line type?
We have a large prep area and yes I cut all sorts of fruits and vegetables plus proteins
 
I'd go with 240mm in length. If you haven't used that long before, it'll feel a bit off at first. But when you get comfortable and are able to cut 2-4x the amount at a time, it'll click.

Tanaka Ginsan from KnS would be a good middle of the road stainless option. Which is unfortunately out of stock...

There's also Gesshin Stainless, Uraka and En lines from JKI.

These options would leave money left over to put towards a stone. Like Shapton, Suehiro, King, Gesshin, etc. in the 1-2k grit range.
 
I'd go with 240mm in length. If you haven't used that long before, it'll feel a bit off at first. But when you get comfortable and are able to cut 2-4x the amount at a time, it'll click.

Tanaka Ginsan from KnS would be a good middle of the road stainless option. Which is unfortunately out of stock...

There's also Gesshin Stainless, Uraka and En lines from JKI.

These options would leave money left over to put towards a stone. Like Shapton, Suehiro, King, Gesshin, etc. in the 1-2k grit range.
I will check those out, ive been looking at the tanaka but I have never seen it not sold out, are they ever in supply?
 
I'd go with 240mm in length. If you haven't used that long before, it'll feel a bit off at first. But when you get comfortable and are able to cut 2-4x the amount at a time, it'll click.
Agree with this. I hadn't used a 240 when @benhendy sent his @Kippington down to me for a few weeks to try it out, but as Mike says, you will probably get used to it pretty quickly. I did, and I didn't chop a HEAP of stuff with it.
 
Reactivity isn't much of an issue if you don't mind patina, tbh. I can really only recall a vintage and some cheap iron-cladding ever giving me a problem on food. Goodwill and Chinatown buys.

$300 is a pretty sweet spot and you'll likely get different recommendations from every person. Mine are in order:

https://knivesandstones.us/collections/mazaki/products/mazaki-white-2-gyuto-240mm-kasumi
https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=95729
This one is stainless clad.

Second this, the wakui is an excellent value for the price. Very thin, but nice balance. Mine from EE has a balance point a little over an inch in front of the heel.
 
Reactivity isn't much of an issue if you don't mind patina, tbh. I can really only recall a vintage and some cheap iron-cladding ever giving me a problem on food. Goodwill and Chinatown buys.

$300 is a pretty sweet spot and you'll likely get different recommendations from every person. Mine are in order:

https://knivesandstones.us/collections/mazaki/products/mazaki-white-2-gyuto-240mm-kasumi
https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=95729
This one is stainless clad.
Migaki was one i had my eye on, along with the harukaze AO on chef knifes 2 go
 
Thinner knives are a lot lighter than what you might be used to. When I 1st got my gengetsu it felt weird being so light. I havent really noticed food discoloration with carbon knives except for that time I tried to mince 6 tubs of shallots. I think its doable using carbon in a pro kitchen once you get the hang of caring for it. I tend to be way more diligent with carbons at work than home. Instead of doing a full sharpening as needed I tend to touch up my knives every few days to a week. Saves time and always sharp. Its hard to go back once you get used to sharpness.
 
Easy question... you close in, extend your arm, grab the handle (wrapping your fingers around usually works well), and bring your arm back again. :D

Just don't grab the blade... :p
 
Thinner knives are a lot lighter than what you might be used to. When I 1st got my gengetsu it felt weird being so light. I havent really noticed food discoloration with carbon knives except for that time I tried to mince 6 tubs of shallots. I think its doable using carbon in a pro kitchen once you get the hang of caring for it. I tend to be way more diligent with carbons at work than home. Instead of doing a full sharpening as needed I tend to touch up my knives every few days to a week. Saves time and always sharp. Its hard to go back once you get used to sharpness.
Simplifies things so much to get out 1 stone versus 2-3+.
 
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kawamura (yoshimune) knives are great prices, they tend to be tall, confident and have the sanjo city characteristics. Kawamura San is getting up there in age, so you have a lot of experience behind those knives.

Another out of Sanjo to look at is Mutsumi Hinoura, some of his iron clad KUs recently hit the shelves. Once those Hinouras are gone, it will probably be 2-3 years before the next batch of them.
 
You might take a look at this one:
https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=93727
I have the JKI version and use it as my daily prep knife. I would call it a light middleweight. It is a powdered steel so edge retention is outstanding and it is stainless. The fit and finish is very nice with the choil and spine eased for your comfort. The cladding is soft so it will scratch , but it is a work knife anyway. Very low maintenance!

Also, I can heartily recommend this one:

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=91652
It is very thin behind the edge and performs well against most product. Very nice geometry and good steel, pretty stainless also good edge retention. It feels a bit more fragile than the Akifusa. Not that I have had any chipping problem. It is a very fun knife to use, and it looks sweet.
 
Yoshikane SKD, or Gengetsu semi stainless if you can find a used one in your budget. Gengetsu was my first “real” handmade Japanese knife and I kept it for a couple years and 75 knife purchases or so, lasted until I started regularly buying knives a tier more expensive and using sujihiki more so moving towards taller gyuto. I still miss my Yoshikane and really ought to get around to buying another one.
 
You might take a look at this one:
https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=93727
I have the JKI version and use it as my daily prep knife. I would call it a light middleweight. It is a powdered steel so edge retention is outstanding and it is stainless. The fit and finish is very nice with the choil and spine eased for your comfort. The cladding is soft so it will scratch , but it is a work knife anyway. Very low maintenance!

Also, I can heartily recommend this one:

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=91652
It is very thin behind the edge and performs well against most product. Very nice geometry and good steel, pretty stainless also good edge retention. It feels a bit more fragile than the Akifusa. Not that I have had any chipping problem. It is a very fun knife to use, and it looks sweet.
That akifusa looks awesome id just have to bring myself to spend 300, I think I'm also considering the yoshimitsu blue #2 on ck2g
 
Yoshikane SKD, or Gengetsu semi stainless if you can find a used one in your budget. Gengetsu was my first “real” handmade Japanese knife and I kept it for a couple years and 75 knife purchases or so, lasted until I started regularly buying knives a tier more expensive and using sujihiki more so moving towards taller gyuto. I still miss my Yoshikane and really ought to get around to buying another one.
Definitely a pretty knife, I just think I'm wading near the 200 dollar range so I can get some stones, know anything about the yoshimitsu blue #2?
 

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