Searching for a Gyuto to replace my Shun

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blonde1boarder

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Oct 12, 2023
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Hi all,

I'm looking to replace my Shun knife. In all honestly I'm sure whatever knife I land on will be well outside of my skill level. This is a fun purchase so I can get some extra enjoyment from a dinner prep session at home.

Thanks for the help!

LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA

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)?
Wa-Gyuto

Are you right or left handed?
Right

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

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
210mm ideally, could go for 240mm

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
Stainless clad is preferred with a carbon or semi-stainless core. I don't think I could handle a fully reactive knife.

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
$350

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.)
Slice/chop/mince vegetables, cut up raw and cooked boneless meats

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
Shun 8" Classic Chef Knife. Also have a Shun Santoku, a Global Petty and some Wustof paring knives.

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, slice, rock

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.)
Fun Factor, Comfort, Better aesthetics, Edge Retention (White Steel is intriguing for its ease of sharpening but intimidating in terms of how long the edge will last)

KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board?
Edge grain wood

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes. I've used waterstones in the past but felt like I had variable success. Purchased a Hapstone with diamond stones for more repeatable results though I'm questioning my stones (Electroplated diamond) at this point.

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives?

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


SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS

I'm currently eyeing Yoshikane Gyutos with Tsuchime finish in either the SKD or W#2 core. There is a Burrfection version on B/S/T right now that I'm very seriously considering. May not be the best knife for me but they have caught my eye and seem to get great reviews in general.
 
I came from a Shun as well a few years back. If you want an eye-opening experience then definitely Yoshikane in SKD if you’re looking for low-reactivity core with stainless cladding. In that general class (laser or near-laser performance in stainless, semi-stainless, or stainless-clad under $350) I also liked Yu Kurosaki Aogami Super core with stainless cladding, Myojin in SG2, and Shibata Koutetsu in SG2.

Out of the ones listed above, my top two picks would be the Yoshikane and Myojin, personally.
 
seeing a lot of yoshikane recommendations lately, my goodness. Honestly if you are going for a good carbon knife and if you think the 240 is too much knife, I'll toss in the Komorebi too. Taller than the Yoshi and cuts beautifully. Rock choppin w/ a Yoshi was not too fun for me, the flat spot is a bit big.

Especially coming from a Shun the flat spot might stump you a little.
 
Yeah I don't think Yoshi is a bad knife but it's not suitable for everything and everyone. There's also plenty of simpler and 'safer' options. Like... you could probably end almost all '1st good knife questionaires' to full satisfaction by simply answering 'Just get a 240 ginga' to all. ;)
But it's somehow not sexy enough to recommend.
 
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I agree that a Yoshikane may not suit your needs that well right now. Nice slicey knives but the edges are very thin and very flat.

I don't know what angle your Hapstone can drop down to but regardless, the major shortcoming to clamp systems, especially for thin-edged (talking all Japanese knives here not just Yoshikane - it's thin among the thin) longer blades is the front curve. A fixed system will start straightening that curve out before long. You have to adjust your angle for the tipped belly. There's no getting around that fact.

I used a fixed system for years but fully abandoned it once I got serious about Japanese cutlery. I really encourage you to reengage bench stone sharpening. We can help.
 
If you need to break poultry bones with the edge, that is pretty far outside of what most gyutos can handle. It is exactly the qualities that make gyutos an improvement (harder steel, thinner behind the edge) that would make them a poor choice for this task. By all means, get a gyuto. But I'd skip using it for breaking bones.
 
Please do yourself a favor and stay away from 240's... it's all well and good to those brainwashed (ok, trained lol) with that length, but it's completely unnecessary for anyone without French influenced culinary training. A 210 is more than is needed in a home setting.

And yeah, Yoshikane SKD is great stuff. I'd definitely prefer it over W#2. If you want a "one and done" Gyuto, get a stainless clad Watanabe, or pay more direct to the maker and get a Toyama. Your Hapstone will work just fine on those.
 
Look towards Wakui instead of Yoshikane. More curve to the edge, better suited towards rock chopping.

Speaking of Yoshikane, the smith for Wakui trained at Yoshikane. There's similarities between them (and differences).

P.S. White steel doesn't have amazing edge retention. I do find it good enough for a pro environment though. Take that as you will.
 
Shinko kurokumo R2 is a nice one, good profile and looks nice as well. Tip gets quite thin, I find it's one of the best for horizontal cuts in an onion
 
Thanks for all the suggestions. I decided to commit to a 210mm tsuchime finish W#2 Yoshikane from the BST forum. Sounds like rock chopping will not be a great option with this knife which is fine. This is going to be a learning experience so I'm excited about it.

We will see where I go with the sharpening. I will probably spend some time in the sharpening section to see if I can get back to the stones. Sounds like the W#2 should be significantly easier than the VG-Max I was working with so maybe that will help build the confidence to move away from the fixed angle system.
 
Carbon steel will be a completely different experience, sharpening wise. There are some stainless/stain resistant that are very good but I am unsure if your prior experience holds weight
 
DoYoon Kim said:
seeing a lot of yoshikane recommendations lately, my goodness. Honestly if you are going for a good carbon knife and if you think the 240 is too much knife, I'll toss in the Komorebi too. Taller than the Yoshi and cuts beautifully. Rock choppin w/ a Yoshi was not too fun for me, the flat spot is a bit big.

Especially coming from a Shun the flat spot might stump you a little.
Click to expand...
I would add the Yorokobi line if looking for less reactivity. It's fairly affordable from homebutcher with the discount codes as opposed to $500 ish elsewhere.

A definite +1 on the Wakui comments if OP decides to add another gyuto.

@blonde1boarder I hope you enjoy the Yoshikane! Welcome to the rabbit hole!
 
A couple of the top intro knives have been:
This is great, you can abuse it some. To get free shipping you normally need to combine with something else tho.
Kaeru Kasumi Stainless Gyuto 210mm
When in stock this is also a favorite.
Gesshin Stainless 210mm Wa-Gyuto

I think both have 240 options....personally 210-240 are perfectly ok if you use pinch grip. Other than small knives I don't know why you would use another grip.
 
bradmacmt said:
Please do yourself a favor and stay away from 240's... it's all well and good to those brainwashed (ok, trained lol) with that length, but it's completely unnecessary for anyone without French influenced culinary training. A 210 is more than is needed in a home setting.
Click to expand...
A bit late since OP already bought, but this is just silly. Majority of people using 240's here are home users... it really takes only very short time to adjust, and for a lot of ingredients I find them way more comfortable and efficient than a 210 even in a home setting. Heck there's plenty of things where even a 270 makes complete sense at home. For some knives that run short (like most of the Sakai stuff) a 240 starts to make even more sense over the 210. In the end it's all about personal preference, but no one needs professional training to use a 240.
 
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I'm also a bit late to the party.

I assume the Shun is VG10? This will probably have pereey good edge retention assuming it has been properly deburred (which is no easy feat).

This questionnaire seems tailored to select Tanaka Nashiji. Nice bit or curve from rock chopping. Stainless clad Blue2 and Ginsan versions are both easy to sharpen and have decent edge retention (but overall less than a well deburred VG10). The KnS versions have very good handles and well rounded spine and choil for added comfort.

Also second the Shiro Kamo R2 damascus (Syousin-suminagashi or Shinko Kurokumo). It's a tall blade with a decent curve. The damascus cladding is pretty demure, espexially on the basic version. Be aware that down the track, damascus claddings will discourage thinning because you will need to spend much more effort to refinish the blade. The R2 is not that difficult to sharpen for a high alloy steel (but nothing like as easy as Blue2 or even Ginsank) and will have longer edge retention than VG10.

The Kurokumo has rounded spine and choil and a nicer handle.

FWIW, I am exclusively home use and almost never use my 210s. I am happy to use both 240 and 270.
 
Jovidah said:
A bit late since OP already bought, but this is just silly. Majority of people using 240's here are home users... it really takes only very short time to adjust, and for a lot of ingredients I find them way more comfortable and efficient than a 210 even in a home setting. Heck there's plenty of things where even a 270 makes complete sense at home. For some knives that run short (like most of the Sakai stuff) a 240 starts to make even more sense over the 210. In the end it's all about personal preference, but no one needs professional training to use a 240.
Click to expand...
I'm quite comfortable with a 240mm, and quite confident it's entirely unnecessary except for the culinary peer pressure found here... group think at its finest.
 
bradmacmt said:
I'm quite comfortable with a 240mm, and quite confident it's entirely unnecessary except for the culinary peer pressure found here... group think at its finest.
Click to expand...
I think you would do well to discover more about why people have the preferences they do. You might find, to your surprise, that your preconception was far too narrow.
 
bradmacmt said:
I'm quite comfortable with a 240mm, and quite confident it's entirely unnecessary except for the culinary peer pressure found here... group think at its finest.
Click to expand...
No need to feel peer pressure. What works for you works for you.

I'm just saying what works for me (as a home cook) isn't a shorter gyuto. Reason being that my pinch grip takes up the first 50mm or so forward of the heel, so my 270mm only has an effective 220ish mm of blade length. I guess I could hold it further back (a sort of semi pinch, I geuss) but this grip gives me better control in 6 planes of motion (3 planes of rotation and 3 planes of translation).

I guess that the OP should be aware of the range of points of view.
 
I’ve gone the other direction and mostly use 180-200mm gyutos these days. I’m usually only cutting a few ingredients and cooking for two, so a small blade is perfect for my needs. My one lone 240mm hasn’t been touched all year, sadly.

Maybe it’s weird, but another big reason why I hesitate to grab the big boys is cleanup. When I’m rinsing the blade point-down in the sink, longer knives tend to thunk point-first into the side and give me a heart attack.
 
Second the Tanaka nashiji 210mm Gensan G3 steel. Haven't looked at prices lately K&S. G3 one of my favorite stainless not so popular as super steel market. Easy to sharpen & can take very sharp edge. Thicker at spine but thin behind the edge were it counts. Like nashiji over Damascus any day.
 
Yoshikane skd if you like to rock chop isn't as suited for it. I hardly ever rock chop the low heel & flat profile makes a nimble blade for cutting fast forward push cuts or chopping. It is one of my most used home knives.
 
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