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Jayelwin

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Hello from New Jersey!

So I've been researching what knife is going to be my first foray into "real" knives. I'm going to be using it to cook food for my family, but I also just got a set of whetstones and discovered how much fun it is to sharpen knives (and shred up newspaper once you get them really sharp! FYI my wife doesn't; think the newspaper shredding part is as cool as I do however). My only decent knife currently is the 7 5/8" Cutco knife my neighbor's kid somehow convinced me to buy (not a bad knife).

So I think I really want a 210 mm gyuto and I can budget $200. Aesthetically I really like the engraved kanji and I'm thinking western handle. This knife has risen to the top of my possibles and I was wondering what people thought of the Takamura Migaki R2 Gyuto 210mm as a first foray. I know it's thin but it's never going to see any bones. It's also in budget.

Thanks guys!

-Josh
 
Welcome. I'm in NJ as well. I own the Takamura R2 210 and like it a lot. If you find yourself in NYC you might wanna check out MTC kitchen, where you can handle the Takamura as well as many other nice knives.
 
I think I’m going to get it then. It really aesthetically is what I’m looking for.

I would like to get my 17 year old daughter a smaller knife as well. Maybe for <$80 or so. Just tonight she made an omelette and I witnessed her cutting shallots with a steak knife! She has really taken to cooking. She is a very tiny person however.
 
The takamura is an amazing knife but is very hard and thin. How do you usually cut with your knives?
 
I was thinking of adding a smaller petty to the mix. She cuts the small stuff. Gyuto/petty could be all I need for a while. Might be hard to not buy knives though once you get a few.
 
Jayelwin said:
I was thinking of adding a smaller petty to the mix. She cuts the small stuff. Gyuto/petty could be all I need for a while. Might be hard to not buy knives though once you get a few.
Click to expand...

Welcome aboard!

A 135mm or a 150mm petty would be a good add. I get a lot of use out of a 150mm. Plus, upside is that petties are relatively cheap. Did you have a preference for carbon or stainless? Western handle or wa?
 
For the petty I’d prefer stainless clad at least. So many different core steels. So much to learn also.

I prefer western handles but that's because I've never used a wa handle. The petty could be an opportunity to try out a japanese style handle.
150mm for the petty is probably perfect. It'll get her to stop using steak knives for food prep.
 
Welcome. I made the same transition a couple of months ago. Be careful. It’s very easy to be sucked into this world and begin thinking about nothing else. You can’t really talk about it because no one you know will let you drone on about shirogami versus blue super for too long, but that’s what’ll be going through your head when your friend tells you that he’s having marital problems and he has to see a couple’s counselor twice per week.

You’ve got to face a few questions up front and size is one. I learned early on that your preference in western knives may not translate into Japanese. J knives are lighter than western knives, usually aren’t as high, and in general are lighter and more nimble than their western counterparts.

I was decidedly an eight inch man in Wusthof so I figured my Japanese size would be 210mm.made a certain amount of sense but it was not to be. The 210 is so light and insubstantial—at least the one I got—that I feel like I have nothing in my hands. Or perhaps I’ve got a toy that Barbie could use to decapitate Ken. My 240, which is in the mail, will hopefully be a better fit. So try to find a store that carries both and see what feels better in your hand.

Your next decision is carbon or stainless. You’ve already got the stones and enjoy using them so why not try carbon? It’s got more soul, as many knife people say and, compared to stainless, carbon is a joy to sharpen. It’ll give you an excuse for all that shredded newspaper. You weren’t having fun, you were engaged in a serious quest for a sharp knife. “I’ve got to test, honey,” you can always say.

Get a knife with stainless cladding, or stainless steel surrounding the carbon steel, and most of the carbon-related maintenance issues will disappear. The only carbon showing is less than a centimeter just above the edge. A patina will form on that part of the knife inside a month and your maintenance worries disappear.

There are plenty of 240mm stainless-clad carbon knives in this world and people more knowledgeable than myself can recommend some. Aesthetically, you seem to like the straightforward finish on the Takamura that’s easy enough to find. Also on the aesthetic front, you may want to rethink the western handle. You want a purebred, not a mongrel that calls its home somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

When I was in your shoes, I prepared for my first purchase like Bill Bellichik prepares for a game. I finally wound up with this-

https://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=95729

Which slides in just below the $200 mark. Wakui gets a lot of love around here for punching above its weight, and I’ve come to love it in my brief time with it. Built beautifully, cuts beautifully, cool kanji. Japanese, not western, handle, but I think it looks great. But I bought a 210 and, ultimately, we weren’t made to be together. If you decide that you want to stick with a 210, I could be persuaded to part with it, provided I love the 240, which is due any day now.

I’m sure you’ll do well. It may seem like we’ve narrowed the playing field but there is no shortage of knives that meet this criteria. Good luck!
 
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