Rambling thoughts on gyuto profiles

[Jason183]

The one in the middle is my current favorite profile, it’s suitable for most cutting motion, push/slice/rock chop.

 

[applepieforbreakfast]

How would you describe the cutting action compared to the one on the left? This thread really got me thinking about the whole profile of a knife on like 10 different levels.

Gihei is more suited to push cutting, having a flat spot that's at least half the blade.
Doi is nice for guillotine and glide, being basically all curve, albeit gentle.

 

[baggyjorts]

This is by far one of the most interesting posts ever in the knife community. Anyway, I wanted to ask you if there is such a thing as a santokuish gyuto like the takedas, with the masamoto KS style of emoto? I always have liked the masamoto KS profile a lot but I do find the 270 is harder to wield when it comes to precision cutting than other knives, after reading your post it makes me think that the closer the edge can get while holding the knife in the most natural position (that would be without having to lift your elbow higher in order to get the point closer to the board) the better the knife performs in terms of control.

At least in terms of profile, gesshin ittetsu is an interesting one that's a bit santoku-ish

 

[memorael]

The one in the middle is my current favorite profile, it’s suitable for most cutting motion, push/slice/rock chop. View attachment 141603View attachment 141664View attachment 141604View attachment 141605

Funny enough, this profile reminds me a lot of the knife I used to torture at work. This could be just me but it looks like what happened here is this knife is the one you sharpen the most? I remember having an INOX suisin honyaki and I sharpened that knife everyday, until it cut like I wanted it to. The funny thing is I remember it having a weird shape, after seeing this pic I can without a doubt in mind tell you my knife looked exactly like this. What's cool about this profile, other than looking horrible, is it is really versatile, the tip is easy to maneuver when you need to cut things like garlic or shallots, it push cuts really nice, it chope no problem cause the profile turns pretty flatish, IDK... it just works. LOVE THIS POST.

 

[Jason183]

Funny enough, this profile reminds me a lot of the knife I used to torture at work. This could be just me but it looks like what happened here is this knife is the one you sharpen the most? I remember having an INOX suisin honyaki and I sharpened that knife everyday, until it cut like I wanted it to. The funny thing is I remember it having a weird shape, after seeing this pic I can without a doubt in mind tell you my knife looked exactly like this. What's cool about this profile, other than looking horrible, is it is really versatile, the tip is easy to maneuver when you need to cut things like garlic or shallots, it push cuts really nice, it chope no problem cause the profile turns pretty flatish, IDK... it just works. LOVE THIS POST.

The knife just looks liked that when I bought it new last year, haven’t changed anything to the profile. I was looking for KS style profile with extra heel height, although it’s not as pointy as the KS but after using it the first day, I knew this is a keeper, it just fits my cutting style perfectly, liked you said, really versatile.

 

[Jeff]

I love this type of thread. These topics really bring about the best discussions.
Good point about spine recurve, Robin. I’ve been using a Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef lately and, although I don’t know the mechanics behind it, the slight spine recurve does seem ro make a difference.

Tip height relative to the rest of the knife:

When discussing western chefs knives people often refer to 3 categories of tip heights.

1. HIGH TIP - Is generally equated with the classic German chefs knife.

2. MID TIP - Generally likened to the French style chefs knife (classic Sabatier tip)

3. LOW TIP - Asian style chefs knife (gyuto)

My question is discerning the belly or “roll” in a chef’s knife. D any Asian chefs knives (gyuto) have any belly to facilitate rock chopping etc.?

 

[stringer]

Tip height relative to the rest of the knife:

When discussing western chefs knives people often refer to 3 categories of tip heights.

1. HIGH TIP - Is generally equated with the classic German chefs knife.

2. MID TIP - Generally likened to the French style chefs knife (classic Sabatier tip)

3. LOW TIP - Asian style chefs knife (gyuto)

My question is discerning the belly or “roll” in a chef’s knife. D any Asian chefs knives (gyuto) have any belly to facilitate rock chopping etc.?

You can rock chop with about anything with practice. Gyutos, nakiri, sujis, Chinese cleavers. Just gotta be careful of the tip. Upswept mid tip is best but not by any means necessary.

 

[memorael]

The knife just looks liked that when I bought it new last year, haven’t changed anything to the profile. I was looking for KS style profile with extra heel height, although it’s not as pointy as the KS but after using it the first day, I knew this is a keeper, it just fits my cutting style perfectly, liked you said, really versatile.

Wow, so this maker has the profile really down.

 

[Jason183]

Wow, so this maker has the profile really down.

Carter does making all different kinds of profiles

 

[Kippington]

The one in the middle is my current favorite profile, it’s suitable for most cutting motion, push/slice/rock chop. View attachment 141603View attachment 141664View attachment 141604View attachment 141605

Wow, so this maker has the profile really down.

It's quite similar to the knife I mentioned in post #66, which was one of the main reasons I started this rambling thread. It taught me a lot.

 

[spaceconvoy]

It's quite similar to the knife I mentioned in post #66, which was one of the main reasons I started this rambling thread. It taught me a lot.

That's very nice, I imagine it took some time to get to that point. Here's my Sukenari 270 that I reprofiled over the course of a few days. I didn't have a particular profile I was aiming for, just knew I wanted to reduce the belly and make the tip flatter.

 

[memorael]

It's quite similar to the knife I mentioned in post #66, which was one of the main reasons I started this rambling thread. It taught me a lot.

Maybe its just the perspective but it seems like the top knife has the point pointing down while the bottom one has a tip that is higher... I hope that makes sense. Anyway? how does one perform versus the other? I would imagine they perform similar but have you noticed any peculiar differences? like maybe a diminute ease when cutting garlic or something? Wrist's don't get as tired? IDK...

 

[Kippington]

Maybe its just the perspective but it seems like the top knife has the point pointing down while the bottom one has a tip that is higher... I hope that makes sense. Anyway? how does one perform versus the other? I would imagine they perform similar but have you noticed any peculiar differences? like maybe a diminute ease when cutting garlic or something? Wrist's don't get as tired? IDK...

I only own the Sukenari, so I can't compare them directly. The other one belongs to Jason.

That's very nice, I imagine it took some time to get to that point. Here's my Sukenari 270 that I reprofiled over the course of a few days. I didn't have a particular profile I was aiming for, just knew I wanted to reduce the belly and make the tip flatter.
View attachment 142183

So what did you think of your work? Did it turn out like you expected?

 

[spaceconvoy]

So what did you think of your work? Did it turn out like you expected?

I'm pretty happy with it, especially the tip. IMO that flatish spot at the tip is the best feature of classic French/KS style profiles. I've said this in many other posts but I just don't get how people can stand the current trend of curvy tips (see: all the new hot Nakagawa-forged brands and every Sanjo maker except Mazaki). So much unnecessary elbow movement just to avoid accordion cuts.

If I had infinite time and energy I'd reduce the belly more, but as I'm sure you're aware it quickly becomes exponentially more work. I'll probably keep trying to knock of a few microns every sharpening session until it eventually looks more like yours. Also, I was worried the tip's spine profile would look odd, but I like the way it turned out like an elongated santoku. I probably removed the most material from this area just for aesthetics.