Petty recommendation for my wife

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As time goes on, my wife is seeing the value of having some nice knives. Last week she caught herself dicing WAY more vegetables than she needed for a marinara, out of sheer pleasure, with a very inexpensive stainless nakiri (Shibamasa), which I bought for her when the long boxes started arriving regularly for me. And she is wowed by my new Munetoshi petty.

So I’d like to get her a petty.

I’m considering these for different reasons:
-I like Matsubara
-I’m curious about Ginsan or HAP40
-Yahiko, Gihei and En look pretty nice, but I don’t know them. Do you?
-I like Knifejapan


https://www.**************.com/mahape15.html


https://www.**************.com/preorpe15.html

https://www.**************.com/gibl2pe15.html



I’m open to other suggestions, but prefer no VG10.
Thanks!

LOCATION
US

KNIFE TYPE
Petty

Are you right or left handed?
Right

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Prefer wa, not a dealbreaker

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
135-150

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Yes, or at least clad

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$140


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.)
-Fruit, smaller vegetable tasks, boneless meats

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
-None

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
-NA

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.)
Rock, push, and in-hand for this knife. Actually, she and I both let the ingredient and current knife sharpness dictate the motion.

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.)
-New knife

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)?
-No damascus or other flash please

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
-I can touch up corners and edges, I do not want to re-profile a knife. Balance is everything. Rustic is okay.

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)?
-See previous question please. Also, I find harder knives easier to sharpen, hence an avoidance of softer stainless, though they might keep cutting when dull. She and I are both a little spoiled by hard sharp knives.

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
-I use medium to finer grits fairly often, thus avoiding a full progression unless damaged.


KNIFE MAINTENANCE

Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
-Endgrain cherry or hinoki

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.)
-I do, often!
 
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Heckel7302

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What about the TF Mab petty from here? Nice knife.


New from TF they are $190 plus shipping. Listed for sale a little above your budget, but he's taking offers, so who knows.
 
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Did she use it on the board?
Asking because the munetoshi feels more like a little chef knife with a heel of about 40mm iirc.
95% of pettys will feel very different at 30mm or even less height.
Matsubaras are indeed wider at the heel. At the time i was also looking at a shiro kamo.
Do you have a 180mm gyuto that you could let her try?
 
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I’m assuming she’s going to use it on the board, like a mini gyuto?

I (and my respective other) really like the Gesshin Ginga 180 stainless yo-gyuto. It’s 40mm tall at the heel, so it can perform some petty tasks while still tall enough for board use.

There’s also the wa handle version that runs a bit shorter (170). You can get both from BlueWay on eBay in case JKI doesn’t have them in stock.
 
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Did she use it on the board?
Asking because the munetoshi feels more like a little chef knife with a heel of about 40mm iirc.
95% of pettys will feel very different at 30mm or even less height.
Matsubaras are indeed wider at the heel. At the time i was also looking at a shiro kamo.
Do you have a 180mm gyuto that you could let her try?
The Munetoshi petty is just under 32mm at the heel; and though most Matsubaras are indeed tall, the HAP40 petty is listed at 30.5. Those heights seem about perfect. Thank you.
 
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I end up using a lot of tall petty/short gyuto sized knives around the kitchen and I'd second that there's a big difference between the "normal" petty height of ~30mm and the ones that run ~40+mm. I like them both, the 30mm height ones are great for utility and butchery with a little bit of board work. The 40mm ones function almost the inverse, mostly board work for smaller produce/tasks with a little bit of utility or butchery tasks. If she uses it as more or less a daily driver, I'd be looking for a taller one.
 
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I end up using a lot of tall petty/short gyuto sized knives around the kitchen and I'd second that there's a big difference between the "normal" petty height of ~30mm and the ones that run ~40+mm. I like them both, the 30mm height ones are great for utility and butchery with a little bit of board work. The 40mm ones function almost the inverse, mostly board work for smaller produce/tasks with a little bit of utility or butchery tasks. If she uses it as more or less a daily driver, I'd be looking for a taller one.
Thanks for your insights into blade heights for a small knife. While I generally look for taller knives, I should have mentioned that for this, ideal would be 30mm ish height.
 
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You mentioned gihei and hap40. Gihei does a great job on hap40. One of my favorite steels. Easy for me to sharpen and the edge holds up for a month or two of daily use. If their profiles and thin blades work, and you find a vendor with a good handle I highly recommend them if you can sharpen them.
 
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My wife uses a S. Tanaka ginsan quite a bit and likes it, as do I on the occasion I reach for a petty. At about 35mm at heel it's just tall enough for board work IMO while also working fine for utility jobs. Not sure if anyone stocks them currently.
 

tostadas

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I like the hatsukokoro ginsan line quite a bit for the price. I have the 210mm version. The knife feels like similar grind to what you would find in a Takamura. Profile is good, very thin throughout, and the maple handle is comfortable (but ugly in my opinion). Spine and choil are not rounded, but it's not that hard to do if the edges bother you.

 
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My wife uses a S. Tanaka ginsan quite a bit and likes it, as do I on the occasion I reach for a petty. At about 35mm at heel it's just tall enough for board work IMO while also working fine for utility jobs. Not sure if anyone stocks them currently.
Thanks - that looks like one worth waiting for, depending on $$. I don’t see any out there now.
 

Heckel7302

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Thanks - that looks like one worth waiting for, depending on $$. I don’t see any out there now.
Here's one. Price is in CAD. USD would be about $185+shipping. Definitely a little over priced, but if you don't want to wait, there it is.


Maybe also consider Tsunehisa?


 
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I like the hatsukokoro ginsan line quite a bit for the price. I have the 210mm version. The knife feels like similar grind to what you would find in a Takamura. Profile is good, very thin throughout, and the maple handle is comfortable (but ugly in my opinion). Spine and choil are not rounded, but it's not that hard to do if the edges bother you.

Thank you. I hadn't considered Hatsukokoru (nor Tsunehisa), but the price is certainly attractive. The handle, I agree, is not.
 
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Here's one. Price is in CAD. USD would be about $185+shipping. Definitely a little over priced, but if you don't want to wait, there it is.


Maybe also consider Tsunehisa?


Thanks!
 
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Here's one. Price is in CAD. USD would be about $185+shipping. Definitely a little over priced, but if you don't want to wait, there it is.


Maybe also consider Tsunehisa?


Definitely a little steep, I paid $100 for mine and think $125 would still be a good deal. But if you're pushing two bills I imagine one of the up and coming craftsmen around here might do one to your specs in AEB-L for around the same price and with a little more... panache? Just a thought.
 

Heckel7302

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Definitely a little steep, I paid $100 for mine and think $125 would still be a good deal. But if you're pushing two bills I imagine one of the up and coming craftsmen around here might do one to your specs in AEB-L for around the same price and with a little more... panache? Just a thought.
I would almost never recommend conteaux nagano because their prices are outrageous on just about everything, but if it's the only one available, sometimes you gotta pay the tax.
 
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Thanks, all, for the discussion and suggestions. I found this beauty, a stainless-clad B2 Matsubara 150, not too tall. It’s from Sugi cutlery, with one of Joe’s custom handles. I’m eager to get it!
8DD3458F-C77F-4BB3-94CB-A2139DFB5EC1.jpeg
 
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