The Honesuki

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I suppose it'd be nice to have one the proper tool, since I break-down chooks fairly often. A honesuki is robust enough for cooked crusty meat, right? Thinking of getting one to also portion smaller pork belly (crackling side down)... What do you guys reckon?

Actually, I've a double bevel honesuki on pre-order, but still no ETA. Would a single bevel be better for the job above?
 
I did it, y'all talked me into it. Shame on you all for being enablers. I pulled the trigger on a Masakane from Bernal. I'll be saving so much cash breaking down whole birds over buying parts, that I may have to get a vault. Well, maybe not the vault part, but I did buy my latest "last one, I promise."
 
I waffled on this one - then impulse bought the first reasonably priced and relatively basic honesuki I found. I haven’t broken down a whole bird yet, but once in a while have to debone large amounts of chicken thighs. Even just performing a fraction of what it’s capable of, I love it. It’s a heck of a lot easier to use this vs a santoku, and tuning the tip up on a jnat every use is half the fun (I hit lots of bone). I’m still searching for the one I wanted originally, but might get sucked into a single bevel one some day.
 
Folks, what will be the best SS honesuki (or less reactive) ? Whole chicken but i separating meat from bones (wings etc). Now im using petty knife but the tip is not good for that.
 
rstcso said:
Sakai Takayuki Tokujyo Supreme (White 2 steel) Japanese Chef's Wa-Honesuki 150mm with Japanese Yew Handle

I found many negative online reviews from where I ordered, but since it was the only place found with the Yew handle, decided to take a chance. Shortly after ordering, I received the email saying "sorry, out of stock" and expected "next week". Several "next week"s later, it finally shipped. Since my expectations were low, I wasn't disappointed. :rolleyes:
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This thread motivated me to finally sign up after reading here for years. And, this knife you posted is calling for me to buy one, but I have a couple questions if you don't mind. First, do you like the knife since you've had it for a while? Second, how hard is it to keep it rust free? I have a few single bevel knives, but I've been buying Ginsan from Yoshihiro. I probably should have bought a honesuki instead of the Yanagi I bought a few years ago, but here I am. By far, my favorite is the kenmuki I bought simply because it was the least expensive ginsan that Yoshihiro sold. Love every about that knife.

Anyone that has anything to add, I'm open to learning more.
 
J_Wisdom said:
This thread motivated me to finally sign up after reading here for years. And, this knife you posted is calling for me to buy one, but I have a couple questions if you don't mind. First, do you like the knife since you've had it for a while? Second, how hard is it to keep it rust free? I have a few single bevel knives, but I've been buying Ginsan from Yoshihiro. I probably should have bought a honesuki instead of the Yanagi I bought a few years ago, but here I am. By far, my favorite is the kenmuki I bought simply because it was the least expensive ginsan that Yoshihiro sold. Love every about that knife.

Anyone that has anything to add, I'm open to learning more.
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A honesuki is a highly specialized knife. There are a couple cheaper ones (Kasumi) that are double beveled that you could use (and I've seen professionals use) as a general purpose knife. Especially if you have little hands or prefer tiny knives. But to me, a true single beveled honesuki is a highly specialized single use type of knife. I buy knives like that when I need them and then if the need goes away I get rid of them. I had a honesuki in the past when I was butchering lots of chickens and turkeys at a steakhouse. That was several jobs ago so it's long gone. If I find myself butchering lots of raw chickens again then I'll pick up another one.

It shouldn't be hard to keep the most reactive butcher knife rust free. Animal fat and protein is good for patina and "oiling" the blade naturally. Just wash afterwards with hot soapy water. Dry thoroughly. That's it. You aren't going to get a whole lot of extra performance out of paying more for a honesuki. Any of the prominent mid range brands would be fine. But this is one of those things where if it's calling to you, then get one and try it out. But for me, it doesn't really do the job any better or worse than literally any other knife in my drawer/kit. You can butcher a chicken with an exacto knife if you know what you're doing. And after you've butchered a couple tons of chickens the novelty of owning one wears off.
 
Part of this is my wife said "I assume you're going to get a new knife for Christmas", and I was cutting up a chicken at that time. I realize this is a want more than a need, and it's strictly home use. There is a heritage breed chicken I've been buying at Whole Foods that I've been breaking down. Used to just cook it whole, but I came up with a process that the wife likes, and happy wife, happy life.
 
J_Wisdom said:
This thread motivated me to finally sign up after reading here for years. And, this knife you posted is calling for me to buy one, but I have a couple questions if you don't mind. First, do you like the knife since you've had it for a while? Second, how hard is it to keep it rust free? I have a few single bevel knives, but I've been buying Ginsan from Yoshihiro. I probably should have bought a honesuki instead of the Yanagi I bought a few years ago, but here I am. By far, my favorite is the kenmuki I bought simply because it was the least expensive ginsan that Yoshihiro sold. Love every about that knife.

Anyone that has anything to add, I'm open to learning more.
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My Masakane is in SK steel and is not stainless but as @stringer said, with poultry it isn't too big of a deal.

You should look at the Kanehide stainless options as well. Not ginsan but by all accounts their stainless offerings are well received.
 
I'm not tied to ginsan, but I kind of stumbled into it and read some good things about it here several years ago. A year ago I bought an usuba in from Yoshihiro, but it has a lot of low spots that are kind of severe to me. Maybe I'm critical, but I think I'm done with Yoshihiro, although I've made a lot of progress on the usuba. Funny thing, is Chris Cosentino got me going on a honesuki numerous years ago, and I almost bought one. Got turned off of Shun after a poorly made example of an usuba I bought on a great sale, but not happy with it. I dropped it within a week and spent a ton of time fixing it. It's pretty sharp but I never use it. I guess I like collecting kitchen knives.
 
J_Wisdom said:
First, do you like the knife since you've had it for a while? Second, how hard is it to keep it rust free?
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Although not used often, it stays at the forefront of my knife rack. This is a knife I'd miss if it wasn't there.

I carefully wash and completely dry my knives, but since this has less frequent usage, I also give it a light spritz of tsubaki oil and wipe off any excess before it goes back on the rack after each use.

I'm very happy with this knife, but I probably went overboard after buying my first honesuki. Everything about the first one's description said "Don't buy this knife. It doesn't know its real purpose and you never will either". Now I only use it for hard cheeses, and if I'm being completely honest, it's not even good at that. I'd sell or even give it away, but why knowingly make someone else's life miserable?
 
rstcso said:
Although not used often, it stays at the forefront of my knife rack. This is a knife I'd miss if it wasn't there.

I carefully wash and completely dry my knives, but since this has less frequent usage, I also give it a light spritz of tsubaki oil and wipe off any excess before it goes back on the rack after each use.

I'm very happy with this knife, but I probably went overboard after buying my first honesuki. Everything about the first one's description said "Don't buy this knife. It doesn't know its real purpose and you never will either". Now I only use it for hard cheeses, and if I'm being completely honest, it's not even good at that. I'd sell or even give it away, but why knowingly make someone else's life miserable?
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My honesuki also is at the top of the pile. It’s a luxury item no doubt, but enjoyable to use as I don’t have much in the way of pettys, and my other knives are too long for efficient chicken work. Now a single bevel honesuki.. is a luxury to be had in the future.
 
Pie said:
...as I don’t have much in the way of pettys.
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I have a petty the same length as the honesuki, but the extra height and shape of the honesuki allows use of the heel when removing the breasts, which you (or more correctly, I) couldn't do with the petty.
 
Sounds like taking care of it is easily accomplished with a little effort. I completely dry my knives before putting away, so that's not really a problem. When I first got my kenmuki, it was a little weird getting used to the single bevel, but I love it and the usuba. I had thought my next knife would be a deba, but I think I have more use for the honesuki. My other thought is getting more/replacing stones, but that would be another thread. I appreciate everyone's help, and I'm glad I finally signed up.
 
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There's a lot of very affordable options to dip your toes into honesukis; they might not be as pretty, but might potentially more practical. And for a knife that doesn't see a ton of use it's a lot more economical, and a good mid-way stop to scratch the itch..
Even a double-bevel honesuki is still kinda mediocre at anything that isn't deboning. Yes you can use it as a cheese knife, and yes you can use it as an improvised petty, but it's far from ideal. I like having one, and they're fun knives, but no one truly needs one; makes more sense to spend the big bucks on knives you actually use daily.
 
Jovidah said:
There's a lot of very affordable options to dip your toes into honesukis; they might not be as pretty, but might potentially more practical. And for a knife that doesn't see a ton of use it's a lot more economical, and a good mid-way stop to scratch the itch..
Even a double-bevel honesuki is still kinda mediocre at anything that isn't deboning. Yes you can use it as a cheese knife, and yes you can use it as an improvised petty, but it's far from ideal. I like having one, and they're fun knives, but no one truly needs one; makes more sense to spend the big bucks on knives you actually use daily.
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More or less my take as well. I lean to bang-for-your buck knives anyway but this is one model that I think it really makes sense. Not saying there's anything wrong with a really nice one, but I do think it makes sense to try a more economical one to start.

I love mine and dote on it often here on the forum but as I said in my original post, I don't think it does anything any better than any other knife I've used for the task and the end results are surely the same, it's just a knife I really like and enjoy. Maybe it's the uniqueness or the nostalgia or whatever, but it makes me happy. :)
 
Not the same as a honesuki, but the Munetoshi butcher is a really fun knife. I always feel like I'm wielding a fancy Japanese prison shank when I pull it out.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
You're right. I forgot that they have the Bessaku and the TK (stainless) options.
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The TK is also semi-stainless. It's a little more shiny and stainless than the bessaku but will develop some patina and is prone to rust spots if you leave it wet. They also have some stuff available in PS60 which is much more bombproof stainless. I think it's similar to AEBL
 
These are TK. The petty is about 4-5 years old and the gyuto 2-3. Lots of use
PXL_20211110_002759977.jpg
 
stringer said:
These are TK. The petty is about 4-5 years old and the gyuto 2-3. Lots of useView attachment 151214
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It's always interesting to see the wide range of even technical definitions of stainless. Some sources will say anything with 10+% Cr, others 11 or even 14.

My "stainless" clad nakiri develops a light but obvious patina on the cladding.
 
HumbleHomeCook said:
It's always interesting to see the wide range of even technical definitions of stainless. Some sources will say anything with 10+% Cr, others 11 or even 14.

My "stainless" clad nakiri develops a light but obvious patina on the cladding.
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It also matters how much of the chromium is available to prevent oxidation. If it's mostly in carbide then it won't have as much anticorrosive effect
 
Yep, it’s not about how much chromium, but rather how much free chromium. Compare zdp-189 vs magnacut, 20% vs 10.7% and magnacut is much more corrosion resistant.
 
I've been wanting to take a deeper dive into yakatori for a long time. I bought a ceramic Konro grill literally 2 years ago that sits new/unused, since I'm cooking for two and never bothered to go thru the paces of starting a binchotan fire for just my wife and I. I kinda wanted to save it for gatherings with more people, which obviously hasn't happened in the past 2 years. I know I could use lump or even Kingsford, but that seems treasonous for the inaugural cook :)

Fast forward to last night, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a nice Ashi hamono honesuki that's a lefty. I ordered an indoor electric grill and plan on diving in pretty frequently, since it'll be easier to use. I'd been eyeing the Ashi there at Bernal Cutlery for a while.

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...hamono-150mm-honesuki-kaku-left-handed-shirog
And this guy has a great yakitori channel! I've seen the Eater one posted previously, but if anyone has any other good sources, please share.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Yakitoriguy
 
I
Chips said:
Fast forward to last night, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a nice Ashi hamono honesuki that's a lefty. I ordered an indoor electric grill and plan on diving in pretty frequently, since it'll be easier to use. I'd been eyeing the Ashi there at Bernal Cutlery for a while.

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...hamono-150mm-honesuki-kaku-left-handed-shiroghttps://www.youtube.com/c/Yakitoriguy
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I've got the same one, I like it allot, there aren't many choices for lefties.
 
Chips said:
I've been wanting to take a deeper dive into yakatori for a long time. I bought a ceramic Konro grill literally 2 years ago that sits new/unused, since I'm cooking for two and never bothered to go thru the paces of starting a binchotan fire for just my wife and I. I kinda wanted to save it for gatherings with more people, which obviously hasn't happened in the past 2 years. I know I could use lump or even Kingsford, but that seems treasonous for the inaugural cook :)

Fast forward to last night, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on a nice Ashi hamono honesuki that's a lefty. I ordered an indoor electric grill and plan on diving in pretty frequently, since it'll be easier to use. I'd been eyeing the Ashi there at Bernal Cutlery for a while.

https://bernalcutlery.com/collectio...hamono-150mm-honesuki-kaku-left-handed-shirog
And this guy has a great yakitori channel! I've seen the Eater one posted previously, but if anyone has any other good sources, please share.

https://www.youtube.com/c/Yakitoriguy
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Sweet! Let us know how you like it. :)
 
One thing I keyed on is that rstcso stated Honcho-knife had a lot of bad reviews. I searched and there are a bunch, so I emailed them asking if the "Sakai Takayuki Tokujyo Supreme" was in stock. I received a reply at 11.45 PM Eastern time stating it wasn't in stock, but could be restocked when ordered. Also, the saya is separate and is basically $50. I went through the header of the email, and it seems this company is operated out of Japan. The Honcho-Knife site is hosted in Kansas, but registered in Japan. Also, the email came from import.jpn.com, which is registered and hosted out of Japan. All that is fine, but they pretend like they are in Miami instead of stating how it really works. They also pretend the knives are on sale, but it doesn't really seem so, or they are always on sale. One of my best eBay purchases was soy sauce from Japan, but it was very clear. I think Honcho should be more up front, so I'm turned off of them.

So, I'm thinking further and looking at less expensive honesuki knives. There have been a lot of good suggestions, so there are several choices in different price points. Maybe that Ashi Hamono could ring the bell. My other thought is getting more sharpening stones, and I have a few in mind.

I am very glad I finally signed up here, and you guys are great!
 
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