New knife help? Questionnaire

[BenzieCook]

Hello all- I used the New Knife Questionnaire

I’m in the USA

I’m looking that a Gyuto

I’m right handed

I’m interested in a Western handle, and the handle shape is important

I’m probably looking at a length of 210-240mm

I do not require a stainless knife.

My maximum budget is $750

I primarily intend to use this knife at home, slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats.

I use a wood cutting board

I have a KOWS, and would buy a strop or stones

I’m interested in a flashier looking Damascus and would be particular about the handle.

Thanks a lot for any ideas

 

[Qapla']

I'm surprised no one has answered this yet. I wonder if any of the makers on the forum (@HSC /// Knives? @Illyria?) can point him to a maker who can offer him something suitable?

OP, you might also check the BST on this forum.

 

[Jovidah]

I think it simply got overlooked. There's also not a whole lot to go on in regards to preference.
What do you own already, and what do you like / dislike about it? Preferences in grinds, weights, blade height, balance, etc.

 

[Delat]

Might be few responses because not too many here are interested in flashy damascus plus Western handle - that’s a bit of a small intersection on a venn diagram.

I happen to like flashy damascus although I don’t really care about wa vs yo handles, but I’ll share a few photos of knives in OP’s price range from makers that do damascus + western handles. Also check out Nordquist Designs - he does some very nice looking Western handles and seems like he’s been doing some damascus lately.

This is a custom Henry Hyde lazy twist high-carbon damascus, very thin concave grind, semi-Western handle.

This Newham is close to 1k so possibly out of OP’s price range, and not a true damascus. But damn, Newham makes some awesome Western handles and he often offers knives down in the $750 price range. This one is stainless-clad, copper shim, vtoku2 core (I think). Mine’s midweight cutting feel but other Newham owners have said their’s run closer to lasers in feel. He’s got some damascus that’ll be available at the DCI blade show. In fact that’s probably a good place to see a lot of damascus and filter by handle.

Britton Steele - steeleworks on Instagram. This is a custom using Baker Forge copper damascus. Britton just re-opened his books for custom work. Mine has a wa handle but Britton does beautiful Western handles. I forget exactly how much I paid but should be in OP’s price range (Western handle does add cost though). This gyuto is pretty killer - very thin BTE but with good weight.

 

[HSC /// Knives]

Perhaps check with a dealer’s stock?

 

[More_Gyutos]

Shigeki Tanaka SG2/R2(might not find in your price range) or Nigara Hamono.

S. Tanaka
https://www.hocho-knife.com/shigeki-tanaka-33-layered-sg2-damascus-ironwood-chef-knife-gyuto-210mm/
Nigara:
https://knifewear.com/products/nigara-sg2-damascus-western-gyuto-240mm
https://bernalcutlery.com/products/...damascus-stabilized-maple-burl-western-handle

 

[Nemo]

Can you tell us what the specific handle shape you want is?

Knives and Stones has a S Tanaka SG2 Damascus with a micarta Western handle. A lot cheaper than his ironwood series. Don't know if the handle shape suits you or not. There is a similarly handled VG10 damascus Tanaka.

Also look at knives from Takeshi Saji.

Hatukokoro Hayabusa has some knives in Western handled damascus.

JCK seems to have a few western handled damascus lines but most of the handles seem to have a pretty basic shape.

Otherwise, for a Western handled Damascus blade, you are probably looking at dropping substantially more coin on a custom.


Also, I will give you my damascus rant:

Damascus looks pretty.

But.

When you sharpen a blade, you remove metal and the edge gradually moves into thicker and thicker parts of the blade. The knife becomes thicker and thicker behind the edge. This causes performance to drop off.

This is managed by thinning the blade. After thinning, the blade face (including any pretty finishes) will be scratched up. For many blades, this can be fixed by simply refinishing the blade with a short sandpaper progression. With damascus blades, you will also need to re-etch the blade in a strong acid (ferric chloride is commonly used). This is a nuisance and tends to discourage thinning of damascus blades, so they are often not kept at peak performance.

Having said all that, you will have difficulty thinning with a guided sharpening system anyway, so this may not be very relevant to you.