Thoughts on 180mm Gyutos

[HumbleHomeCook]

I have a 165mm Suncraft Senzo bunka that I love using. Light and nimble and can actually handle a lot of the tasks I perform. Space is a bit of a premium in my kitchen so really long knives are not appealing. I do have a 210 gyuto and will no doubt add more but for now, I ordered a Tadafusa Nashiji 180mm gyuto from Epic Edge this weekend and very much looking forward to it arriving and seeing how we get along.

 

[DavidPF]

A 180 gyuto mostly wouldn't appeal to me - too low generally at the heel

It seems odd to me that gyutos would be proportionally less tall when they're not as long. If I bought a 330 mm gyuto (of course I never would, because I wouldn't really be able to use it anyway...) but if I did, I wouldn't be hoping for it to be 90 mm at the heel or something.

 

[Duukt]

It seems odd to me that gyutos would be proportionally less tall when they're not as long. If I bought a 330 mm gyuto (of course I never would, because I wouldn't really be able to use it anyway...) but if I did, I wouldn't be hoping for it to be 90 mm at the heel or something.

Seems like a lot of gyutos seem to scale up or down based on the length because they try to keep the profile the same. If they kept the height the same or didn't scale it by the same height to length ratio, the knife would look and feel different or would lose the flat spot. The ZKramer's being a good example where they keep the height the same and the flat spot gets shorter on the 8" and disappears on the 6" model.

 

[DavidPF]

The ZKramer's being a good example where they keep the height the same and the flat spot gets shorter on the 8" and disappears on the 6" model.

I get what you're saying... I'd think it would make sense (for knives with a real flat spot) to have it flat for approximately a certain percent of the overall length - bigger knife, bigger flat spot. I guess this would mean it looked out of proportion in other ways, but at least it would be usable for its purpose.

Those tiny cars (Smart and so on) don't have a four-inch diameter steering wheel, and you don't have to be under three feet tall to drive one. The human-sized parts have to stay human-sized, within reason. I think the same general idea applies to knuckle clearance on gyutos - otherwise the knife stops suiting its main purpose.

 

[Corradobrit1]

My new 195 is effectively about 185, once the finger is in the notch. Its only 2mm shorter than my 210 which is 51mm, so some makers can still maintain height as the edge length reduces. This should be a fun knife in the new campervan.

 

[MarcelNL]

makes sense, I recently wondered about length in relation to grip style and concluded that grip must have an effect, and nobody wants to bang his knuckles on the board so there likely is a threshold for minimum workable height

 

[DavidPF]

It might benefit some knife makers to design semi-workable gyutos at 120 mm and 360 mm - never actually make them, because nobody would buy them - and then work those features towards the middle, instead of designing only at their preferred size and then progressively mangling it to make other sizes.

 

[Barmoley]

makes sense, I recently wondered about length in relation to grip style and concluded that grip must have an effect, and nobody wants to bang his knuckles on the board so there likely is a threshold for minimum workable height

Grip definitely makes a difference and most people can adjust to varied heights and lengths. @JBroida has a video somewhere on how to use a relatively short at the heel knife without banging your knuckles on the board as long as the knife is long enough. Any knife can be used, might not be as efficient, but not impossible.

 

[user 16756]

I get what you're saying... I'd think it would make sense (for knives with a real flat spot) to have it flat for approximately a certain percent of the overall length - bigger knife, bigger flat spot. I guess this would mean it looked out of proportion in other ways, but at least it would be usable for its purpose.

Those tiny cars (Smart and so on) don't have a four-inch diameter steering wheel, and you don't have to be under three feet tall to drive one. The human-sized parts have to stay human-sized, within reason. I think the same general idea applies to knuckle clearance on gyutos - otherwise the knife stops suiting its main purpose.

Ive been in a porsche boxster with a person who won an NCAA championship... for basketball. they fit no problem. absolutely tiny car.

anyway I dont have a ton to add I think 180 is a fantastic size. Ive been really enjoying smaller knives lately after years of a pretty strong bias against them. as long as it's >45 or so mm I can manage.

 

[DavidPF]

It doesn't have to be ultra-tall, it doesn't have to be any kind of ideal, it just has to be enough to "qualify" for being generally usable on a board. (I would probably add "by a lot of people, not just for the tiniest fingers in the world".)

 

[why-am-i-bleeding]

I knew this one looked familiar... not that I've ever seen it in person--I wish!
It's a Machida Itsushi.
Out of Stock ATM:
Machida Itsushi Santoku Gyuto 183mm Multiplex Layer Bohler K990 [out of stock]

Epic

 

[LawChef]

While not the obvious choice for bulk prep i love my 180mm knives.

Light,nimble and great for more detailed work. Also fun to use and ideal for changing things up.

View attachment 65750

Hi Rob - all gorgeous kives. what are they? Especially the smaller one on the far right. Thx

 

[rob]

Hi Rob - all gorgeous kives. what are they? Especially the smaller one on the far right. Thx

Thank you.
From L-R DP custom knives, Jelle Hazenburg, Mert Tansu, Jelle Hazenburg. Here a couple of other photos.