tostadas
Hobbyist / Craftsman
Do you prefer a lightweight or chonk? What weight knife do you find yourself gravitating toward the most?
To avoid shoes and shooos thrown at me, I know I will piss someone off by not taking a stand but...
Weight isn't a category... it's a component of the knife, as much as geometry, profile, handle - preferences of one for such will vary, but to a point weight should befit the knife.
I find myself comfortable with the Mazaki Nakiri (217g) and Diplôme Santoku/Gyuto (204/199g), but not so much with the Victorinox 10" Chef (196g).
Takayuki Kengata (154g) was a comfortable weight to me, still the closest I own to my Victo Santoku (100g) which I like, but then the Kurosaki Fujin AS (136g) felt a bit too light and lean for my taste - sold since.
In the end, I think the only bracket I never disliked any of my very limited experience is 150-170g but I'm not looking for a knife by weight.
I want to be as certain about anything in my life as you seem about 337g knives.337 grams.
260-280g wide bevel for me. Ideal weight for that "falling through food" feeling, while having enough thiness at the edge to be stupidly sharp
Are you sure?337 grams.
Thats why I select western handle knives nowadays, to bring the balance back a little so its not so blade heavy.Like the idea!
Weight correlated to feeling... I guess you would prefer at worst a neutral balance, at best an enough forward balance vs length to maximize the feeling?
Balance to me is a lot more important than weight. A lot of the weight can come from the handle and in most cases it doesn't really help, unless the blade is really beefy. Mizuno KS clone was perfectly balanced for me and around 199 grams if I remember correctly, Raquin I have is around that weight too and very nice. Then there is a Marko that is 246 or so and also balanced great for me and HSCIII that is 233 and very good and many others. Just trying to say that within a pretty wide range knives can work well as long as the balance is where you like it.
Up to a point, and notwithstanding that I like your dedication to the subject and your knives, I agree with this just like to @lemeneid post, and any other here as they mostly come from more experienced user than me. But to another point, I'm not sure...
Using my own experience I would disagree with balance being a striking point more than weight, although I have said that I find them to be very closely and importantly related. I love my Moritaka at 166g, 240mm, and +40mm balance. I don't like so much my Victo at 196g, 250mm, and +40mm balance. I have two factors here, not just one, that relates the knives together, exact same balance, and almost same length.
Leading me to think, but I don't know much about the knives you own, that there must be something similar in them that goes right for you with this balance. I'd be tempted to say they perhaps are of a similar length, but more importantly, of a similar profile?
EDIT: comes to mind the obvious also, all these knives you mentioned are on the heavier side of things. Very different weights altogether which sent me off when reading, but still, in a 200g+ bracket your tending towards a heavy knife. Sure it's balance more than weight? A blend of both?
Not trying to counter you. Just expanding the discussion, if you will.
It is not entirely correct to think of balance as a precise distance from the handle. Depending on the length of the neck, it's shape, shape of the choil area and even angle of the handle vs the edge you will find that your hand even using the same grip is positioned slightly different. Absolute balance point vs position of your hand in a particular grip is what seems to make the knife more or less well balanced. Take YF with a finger cutout as an extreme case it allows one to grab the knife further on the blade changing the relative balance point bad the grip. All in my opinion ofcourse and others I am sure think otherwise.
All in my opinion ofcourse and others I am sure think otherwise.
Yeah, I know it’s crazy, but it IS the ideal weight. It works well for all knives: gyutos, cleavers, pettys, sujis - it doesn’t matter. 337 grams is the answer.Are you sure?
You must love your 337g 10cm paring knife!!!Yeah, I know it’s crazy, but it IS the ideal weight. It works well for all knives: gyutos, cleavers, pettys, sujis - it doesn’t matter. 337 grams is the answer.
The balance is incredible.You must love your 337g 10cm paring knife!!!
You can send the 337gr to me for a tryout337 grams.
Of course!You can send the 337gr to me for a tryout
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