Tsunehisa G3 Ginsan Gyuto 210mm

[BazookaJoe]

While many on KKF are chasing their unicorns and the higher end and pricier knives, I've been dabbling in finding the lower priced hidden gems. I've had a very positive experience with these Hiragatake SLD's:

Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives

Epicurean Edge: Japanese and European professional chefs knives

The 180mm was supposed to go to our vacation condo for when I occasionally make a meal, but I liked it so much I'm keeping it home. It fits well between the 165mm and my 240mm Kurosaki R2 gyuto. After reading many forum posts about Ginsan steel, I went in search for a 210 gyuto and found this:

Tsunehisa G3 Ginsan Gyuto 210mm

Came in the mail today and so far I'm liking it. Wicked sharp out of the box, the only thing fit and finish wise was the spine was a little bumpy, not uncomfortable but not smooth. 5 minutes on the belt sander it was smoothed and rounded. Not bad for $140. It's relatively thin at 2mm at the spine so it's no WH. A choil shot will be posted tomorrow once the sun comes up. First use will be this weekend, looking forward to it. BTW does anyone know if this knife is the same, looks almost identical and I almost bought it until I found the Tsunehisa for less.

Hitohira Futana S3 Nashiji Gyuto 210mm Sakura Handle

 

[labor of love]

You’re speaking my language. I certainly could use another budget gyuto or 2.
I believe them to be the same knife.

 

[esoo]

I think the Haruyuki Kokuto line at Knifewear is also the same knife.

 

[BazookaJoe]

 

[JoBone]

Tsunehisa works with a few different medium size factories and they seem to excel at getting knives made with nice materials at a lower cost. When purchasing there is the option to get them OEM and if you get enough, the Kanji may change. The Ginsan 3 and AS lines are produced out of Tosa.

The concept is similar to Tojiro where a combination of manual and automated processes are used. When visiting Tojiro, I thought the factory model would be fully automated and was pleasantly surprised at the amount of work that is manual.

They will be good quality for the price, but not as good as a hand forge blade using more traditional methods.

 

[syinx]

I've had experience with these Tosa knives in both Haruyuki and Hitohira form. The AS Kurouchi is nice, but the Ginsan really really stands out. It's nice on the stones, sharpens well, and feels really nimble. Really can't beat that knife at the price point that Tsunehisa offers it at.

Me and a few friends are also particularly enamoured with Ginsan steel, so the bias might stand

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Mild revival here but am really interested in this knife.

Any reason I couldn't lightly sand and stain the handle (already oiled, etc.)?

 

[Einco]

Not sure if this helps, but I think the handle on our 240 soaked up a healthy amount of oil when it was brand new.

 

[DavidPF]

Many kinds of stain won't work on oiled wood, since they need to soak in, the same way the oil already went. The types of stain advertised to work over oil are usually ones that look like paint.

However, if you already know a good looking stain that really does work through oil, then I don't see why you shouldn't use it.

 

[Up_dog128]

I picked up one of these (Ginsan 210 gyuto) for $110 from the site that shall not be mentioned, under the brand harukaze. The handle was not oiled, and I got it dirty by using it before putting a proper finish on it. So I sanded the surface a bit and then did yakisugi (I burnt it). But if you get it with the Tsunehisa branding the handle may be different. Performs better than some knives I have at 2-3 times the price

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I picked up one of these (Ginsan 210 gyuto) for $110 from the site that shall not be mentioned, under the brand harukaze. The handle was not oiled, and I got it dirty by using it before putting a proper finish on it. So I sanded the surface a bit and then did yakisugi (I burnt it). But if you get it with the Tsunehisa branding the handle may be different. Performs better than some knives I have at 2-3 times the price

I ended up with that same site's Tsunehisa nakiri. The handle was stained but not oiled. I washed it in hot water and the handle immediately turned pale and fuzzy. I gave it some mineral oil and it readily drank it.

Agree on the performance.

 

[QCDawg]

I have a killer 90mm AS wa petty from Carbon. It was perfectly done. Great little knife

 

[Matt Jacobs]

I have a Harakuze AS Marado Nakiri which I believe is also a Tsunehisa and I am blown away for $125.00 bucks. I did a quick thining and it outperforms multiple $300+ knives that I own.

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

I have a Harakuze AS Marado Nakiri which I believe is also a Tsunehisa and I am blown away for $125.00 bucks. I did a quick thining and it outperforms multiple $300+ knives that I own.

I don't have any $300 knives to compare it to, but compared to what I do have, my nakiri works very well. The OOTB edge was pretty good but I did some minimal stropping and BAM that thing is slicing like a dream. I normally don't wait too long on a new knife to do my own sharpening but I'm curious to see how this one performs and lasts.

No egregious F&F issues with mine either. Spine and choil are relieved just enough to not be uncomfortable and there's a little gap at the ferrule but you have to want to find it. The very corner of the heel needs a little touch up to blend the edge but again, for sub-$150USD this is a lot of knife. Very pleased.

 

[McMan]

for sub-$150USD this is a lot of knife. Very pleased.

Agreed. Helluva good value. I grabbed one off the bay for a good price and am impressed--reminds me a little of Kaeru in that it can take a beating. Good middle-ground grind. Makes me want to try more knives with Gin3. (On mine, the spine/choil could use a little more rounding--minor complaint though.)
This is the one I'm talking about:
https://carbonknifeco.com/products/...i-kiritsuke-240mm?_pos=7&_sid=ea7e9df7c&_ss=r

 

[HumbleHomeCook]

Agreed. Helluva good value. I grabbed one off the bay for a good price and am impressed--reminds me a little of Kaeru in that it can take a beating. Good middle-ground grind. Makes me want to try more knives with Gin3. (On mine, the spine/choil could use a little more rounding--minor complaint though.)
This is the one I'm talking about:
https://carbonknifeco.com/products/...i-kiritsuke-240mm?_pos=7&_sid=ea7e9df7c&_ss=r

This is the one I picked up from CKTG:

 

[BazookaJoe]

Glad to see so many people enjoying these knives. I think it would open the door to so many cooks to see the performance you can get for not that much more than your typical Western style knives.