Which first japanese knives should I buy?

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Thank you everyone for your suggestions! I'm considering everything.
 
People seem to agree with you, so I think I will if I still prefer them after I looked at everyone's suggestions :)
Thank you very much everyone
 
People seem to agree with you, so I think I will if I still prefer them after I looked at everyone's suggestions :)
Thank you very much everyone

@Neutri , if you use the "reply" button, it will include the post of the person you are responding to, which makes it much easier to follow the conversation. The reply button is in the lower right hand corner of each post. (see image below)

reply2.png





Also, I understand wanting to try a carbon steel blade, even if many of the newer varieties of stainless steel hold edges that are just as good. Sometimes, it's just fun to try something to see if you like it!
 
@Neutri , if you use the "reply" button, it will include the post of the person you are responding to, which makes it much easier to follow the conversation. The reply button is in the lower right hand corner of each post. (see image below)

View attachment 207891




Also, I understand wanting to try a carbon steel blade, even if many of the newer varieties of stainless steel hold edges that are just as good. Sometimes, it's just fun to try something to see if you like it!
I tried but it says (or at least used to say) that I need some moderator's approval

Oh it worked this time
 
You will get lots of (different) opinions on this one but one thing always remains:
Keeping that knife sharp is more important than the knife itself.
It is quite practical/cheap and very rewarding if you can do it yourself.
(one combination stone 1000/6000, 1000/3000, 1000/4000 or similar will go a very long way)

I started with a Tojiro DP 210mm gyuto. At the time ~40$; quite a capable stainless steel and more than most "beginners" and home cooks need.
I still use a Kanetsune 180mm gyuto which I can recommend (non stainless, SK4 steel) if you want to keep costs down.
Japanese chef knife gyuto KANEMATSU Carbon nihonko
More expensive but without customs charges:
Kanetsune Minamoto Kanemasa

Another important aspect (besides keeping a knife sharp) is which knife you actually like/can comfortably work with.
You chose a Kiritsuke. These are more flat than a gyuto; maybe similarly flat as a santoku.
I wouldn´t really invest too much if you are still unsure about what you really want; so stay below your budget.
As mentioned before, a lot of cheaper knives will perform excellent enough when kept sharp.

There´s plenty of distributors in europe where you can have a look and avoid customs charges and high shipping costs:
Cleancut, Meestersliper, Karasu knives, Tetogi, japan-messer-shop etc.
You can also find amazing deals here in the forum but mostly from sellers outside of the EU (customs charges, shipping $$$)
and mostly higher end knives (>200$).

Just some examples:
Ittetsu Shirogami Kiritsuke 21 cm
Hitohira Futana SB Kuro Nashiji Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm Cherry Wood Handle
TsunehisaKiritsuke
MuneishiKiritsuke
 
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You will get lots of (different) opinions on this one but one thing always remains:
Keeping that knife sharp is more important than the knife itself.
It is quite practical/cheap and very rewarding if you can do it yourself.
(one combination stone 1000/6000, 1000/3000, 1000/4000 or similar will go a very long way)

I started with a Tojiro DP 210mm gyuto. At the time ~40$; quite a capable stainless steel and more than most "beginners" and home cooks need.
I still use a Kanetsune 180mm gyuto which I can recommend (non stainless, SK4 steel) if you want to keep costs down.
Japanese chef knife gyuto KANEMATSU Carbon nihonko
More expensive but without customs charges:
Kanetsune Minamoto Kanemasa

Another important aspect (besides keeping a knife sharp) is which knife you actually like/can comfortably work with.
You chose a Kiritsuke. These are more flat than a gyuto; maybe similarly flat as a santoku.
I wouldn´t really invest too much if you are still unsure about what you really want; so stay below your budget.
As mentioned before, a lot of cheaper knives will perform excellent enough when kept sharp.

There´s plenty of distributors in europe where you can have a look and avoid customs charges and high shipping costs:
Cleancut, Meestersliper, Karasu knives, Tetogi, japan-messer-shop etc.
You can also find amazing deals here in the forum but mostly from sellers outside of the EU (customs charges, shipping $$$)
and mostly higher end knives (>200$).

Just some examples:
Ittetsu Shirogami Kiritsuke 21 cm
Hitohira Futana SB Kuro Nashiji Kiritsuke Gyuto 210mm Cherry Wood Handle
TsunehisaKiritsuke
MuneishiKiritsuke
Thank you!
I already have a 1000 and a 6000 stone. Will buy a coarser stone soon
Thanks for the advice! :) I think I will indeed stay under budget for my first knife, and buy another later once I've tried a carbon knife and know better what I want :)
 
Oh, and to be fair and mention one of the best distributors for japanese knives in the EU:
Munetoshi series from JNS
Very good series for the money as it seems but right at the edge of your budget.
They are more like "workhorse" or sorta mid-weight knives. Not very thin and light if that´s what you prefer.
If you spend it all and get the 210mm gyuto and 165mm petty you might not need any other knife for the rest of your life.

If you prefer thinner I´d look at Shiro Kamo´s knives.
They are said to be very good value:
Shiro Kamo Gyuto
 
If the petty is for the wife I'd lean to getting a stainless one. For three reasons:
-She might not share your desire to care for a knife
-Most people here experienced that non-knife-obsessed spouses tend to ignore the required urgency for cleanup from carbon knives
-Petties are often used for things like fruits where carbon IMO isn't ideal anyway.

I agree with jaydee that the most important thing is maintenance (both sharpening AND thinning). Invest enough time and you can make even modest entry level knives 'sing'.
I also second his recommendation about shopping at Meesterslijpers, Cleancut, etc; they'll have a fairly good range of good choices within your budget, and at least you know how much you'll end up paying in advance (customs lottery can go either way). The biggest problem is that it's not trivial to match specific recommendations to rather broad unspecific preferences. ;)
 
If the petty is for the wife I'd lean to getting a stainless one. For three reasons:
-She might not share your desire to care for a knife
-Most people here experienced that non-knife-obsessed spouses tend to ignore the required urgency for cleanup from carbon knives
-Petties are often used for things like fruits where carbon IMO isn't ideal anyway.

I agree with jaydee that the most important thing is maintenance (both sharpening AND thinning). Invest enough time and you can make even modest entry level knives 'sing'.
I also second his recommendation about shopping at Meesterslijpers, Cleancut, etc; they'll have a fairly good range of good choices within your budget, and at least you know how much you'll end up paying in advance (customs lottery can go either way). The biggest problem is that it's not trivial to match specific recommendations to rather broad unspecific preferences. ;)

Yeah we talked about it and she says she won't mind, but we'll see. Worst case scenario, another knife for me ^^

I have to learn how to thin a knife and practice sharpening then! Thank you very much for your help :)
 
Do you have any good tutorials or video for that btw?
 
Do you have any good tutorials or video for that btw?

Just say no to Burrfection.

On You Tube, look to Japanese Knife Imports, @Sharp Knife Shop, Big Brown Bear, and Naoto from Knifewear. There's others for sure but these are good starting points.

Start by focusing on sharpening, thinning can come later.
 
Yes that's what i could gather from the forum aha

Thanks for the recommendations! I've been watching JKI's playlist :)

You won't get better advice than Jon's videos. Videos from different folks might show different angles, talk to something specific you're wondering about, provide some slight alternatives in approach but all the good ones will share the same common core.
 
You won't get better advice than Jon's videos. Videos from different folks might show different angles, talk to something specific you're wondering about, provide some slight alternatives in approach but all the good ones will share the same common core.
Thanks a lot :)
 
I pretty much second the suggestions above...there's plenty of good videos and a few bad ones. That's also why I also recommend to stay away from Burrfection; his videos are a mix of good and bad advice but if you're new you won't know which is which...
I also quite liked some of the (older) Murray Carter tutorials if you can find them.
 
Thanks a lot everyone. I've been watching both JKI and Knife Planet for now :)
 
Yes I did aha :) Thank you :) Yes I am, can't wait to buy some others at some point
 
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