Thoughts on 180mm Gyutos

It’s her mug. She has kind of taken ownership of the knife too.

Holy Smokes that was a fast knife ID!!! Thank you. I see another with the same handle configuration. Nice to have something to stalk again.

 

I feel like a 180 gyuto is a fantastic choice. My work kit most of the time includes a 240mm gyuto, a 180mm gyuto, and a 150mm petty. It allows for a versatile profile for every size task. It may seem redundant to have so many similar profiles, but when you have to do a repetitive task it makes a difference. Also 180mm is ideal for home cooking

 

I think a 180mm gyuto is a fantastic tool to have in your knife kit. I almost never actually need anything more than my 180 FKH (but it is fun to have other knives). Though I do keep it along side my KS which is considerably larger. I think they are a wonderful one-two punch.

 

i have a 180 kurosaki gyuto that i bought for my wife, to try to wean her off of using a 150 petty for everything. i have to say, it didn't work. there is very little that a 180 gyuto can do that a 150 petty can't (other than scoop product off the board), yet plenty of product that has me reaching for something bigger. i'll admit that 240 is more knife than many home cooks need, so maybe the sweet spot is 210? that's probably what i'll be looking for next.

 

I think you're right that there is plenty of overlap in usage, between the knives in question depending on your cutting style. 150 Petty -> 180 Gyuto ->210 Gyuto. Your specific knife/handle style the true edge length can be pretty damn close as well. My Tanaka Yo-Ginsanko 180 is actually 190, and my Ginga 210 is more like 204.

In regards to a 180 specifically, for me, there is nothing that immediately draws me to a 180 over a 210. With most of my knives being 240 Gyutos (surprise, surprise i know) whenever a smaller knife is needed i just pick whatever knife sounds good at the time.

Mowgs

 

Just started trying out a 180 gyuto last night, first time for me using a gyuto of this length. So far digging it, but will know more in a few days after putting it through a bunch of meals.

 

Oops you're right--it's even shorter than 180. Cute lil' guy. Handy.

 

Now ya'll made me want to buy a 180mm gyuto. I borrowed @daveb's Watanabe for a test run and I liked it for what it was. I thought it might have been too santoku-like without a pointy tip, so if I were to get want I think I would want something with a pointier tip.

 

I feel like everyone secretly loves their 180 but tell people they love their 240 to defend their manhood.
I found it hard to find the right profile and tip that I like in that length. I ended up with a Maz 180 petty, like shape and tip but as someone mentioned before the heel height is not for everyone. I also strongly considered a Takamura gyuto in that size.

 

The Misono Swedish carbon 180mm gyuto is also a sweet little knife for not a lot of coin...

 

I am fond of my Comet 18cm if I'm not cutting cabbage or other big ingredients.

 

Like this conversation. Does anyone else feel like height determines the use? I like a very tall, but short knife for mincing shallots, garlic etc. I have an old Yoshikane petty that's only 150ish, but 44mm tall. By contrast, for slicing small tomatoes, I have a less than 30mm tall Tanaka.

 

I think you are on to something. Too tall at this length and you lose some of the nimbleness of the knife. Too short and you lack clearance.

 

That's my wife's favorite knife. Nice little knife, for sure.

 

My cooking is very limited and slow, but yeah I like taller blades when cutting small or thin stuff that can climb like green onion, garlic, &c.; and I like narrower blades when I want the knife to make minimal contact.

I think that preference doesn't happen in a vacuum though; height and thickness also translate to weight and flexibility, and those can sometimes be more important factors.

 

I love my Harner shorty gyuto (180ish) more than I thought I could love a knife of that length. It's quite tall at the heel, kinda Krameresque in profile. Just feels right in my hand--like the western handle a lot. This was purchased when (way back) Lefty organized a batch. I had Butch make me a longer knife, but it just didn't have the same feel. I'm a fan of the XHP steel he uses.

 

For me 180mm is a very nice size for home use but it has to be tall. That's part of the reason why I skipped the Gyuto and went for a small Chinese cleaver, roughly 180mm in length.
Nevertheless I am currently looking for a 180ish gyuto to alternate with the cleaver because I find it to be very practical in a home kitchen

 

I also like 180mm Gyutos, but only if they have a very light handle i.e. stick tang.

 

What are a couple of examples?

 

I used to be firmly in the 240 camp, most of my knives are that length—but lately I'm a convert to 225–210. I'll bring out the 240 or 270 if confronted with a mountain of something to cut down, but my 225 is now the primary length for me.

Will be using the 180 a lot more this weekend.

 

I think 225mm is my new sweet spot too. I love my Kochi 225mm V2 so much - it feels a lot more smaller than my 240mm Hinoura - yet it still feels like a "real" knife. I wish it was a more standard offering (I haven't tried a 210mm though - I briefly owned a TF 210mm nashiji that I absolutely hated).

I'm about to order a custom 225mm from the smith whose big knife I've been PMing you about, Xenif

 

“If I could only have one knife”. Seriously, I could probably do everything I need to do with this knife. It’s a Takeda 180mm AS Sasanoha. Classic Takeda, it will rock, chop and slice to an amazing degree. Amazingly stiff for its thickness and blisteringly sharp with ease. Very nice in confined spaces. Great food release. A little shy in the knuckle clearance department ... 46mm but fine at the edge of a small board. One of my favourites in my non-rotating block and first into my small roll when I cook at friends homes.

 

Nice knife. Unfortunately, there are always good comments on older Takeda's but new ones seem to be all over the map. I have always liked that they are a bit taller. 46mm for a 180mm knife seems about perfect to me.

 

Thats about where I am.

 

Shorter knives can be very good when designed as a shorter knife from the get go. Many of the shorter knives are just scaled down versions of longer knives and in that case they don't work as well. The profile of a shorter knife needs to be different for it to work well as the main knife. It needs to be taller and flatter, then it can substitute a longer knife pretty well. For myself 225-230 that is flatter and taller can easily substitute a longer knife and would probably be my preference. The custom 180 I have is also excellent, but it is 45mm tall, so pretty tall for it's length.

Do most who like shorter knives use them with the same grip as longer knives?

 

Reasons for my shift is that much of the large scale cooking I do is for family feasts when visiting Hawaii, where mom has tiny cutting boards; also 225 affords me enough blade length for how I cook.

 

I use a 2 finger pinch grip with my longer/taller 210+ gyutos and a 1 finger grip with shorter gyutos/petties for a little more control when less force is needed

 

Pinch grip for all but slicing then index finger on top for slicing thinner cuts ... up to 2”. Tennis racket style for greater than 2”. One of the nice things about my Takeda is that it tracks nicely when slicing ... carving? ... thicker cuts. Me thinks that’s to do with excellent food release and a very sharp edge. One of the nicest things about the Takeda is the ease with which it’s edge can be touched up. I carry an old Arkansas pocket stone in my roll and can tune the edge if needed in seconds. I prefer that to a steel.

 

That sounds like a santoku!

[QUOTE="Do most who like shorter knives use them with the same grip as longer knives?[/QUOTE]

With shorter knives, I use a modified pinch where my thumb is on the ferrule or bolster instead of on the emoto or blade. This gives a bit more knuckle clearance and allows me to use the entire length of the blade. I find on longer, blade heavier wa-handle knives, I pinch the blade and don't use the heel portion of the edge much at all.