Yanagiba length 300 or 330mm

[Cookingguy1717]

Hello

What length would u guys recommend for a yanagiba? Would i regret not getting the extra 30mm if i get the 300mm?
Theres a bigger selection of 300mm yanagibas available ive noticed, and its a bit cheaper. And won't the 330mm be bigger in both with and height?
But i do feel badass with the 330mm

Thanks for the help guys, i don't find this choice easy.

 

[daveb]

Better question is 270 or 300. I like 300 myself but have read countless stories and recommendations about the 270 being "enough" and even having more utility. If I buy another it will try the 270.

 

[Cookingguy1717]

Hmm i see. What do u mean with utility? My only use for the yanagiba would cutting raw fish fillets. Im going to get a 300mm sujihiki aswell

 

[daveb]

Easier to work with, more nimble. At home there's not always enough real estate to move a 300 readily.

BTW, definitely 270 on the suji.

 

[Ochazuke]

And arm space is an issue too. If you're doing a draw cut from heel to tip and starting your cut without stretching your arm out, even 300mm is a lot of distance to cover. I only use 300mm when bulk processing and even then the added weight and length has its pluses and minuses. If you can't slice your filets using a 270mm, then you need to practice your sharpening. 300mm is overkill for most size filets if you're only doing a couple and 330 is overcompensating for something...

 

[Cookingguy1717]

I see, that's contradicting to what ive read on some other posts here discussion yanagiba length. Ive read a lot of posts people saying they wish their 300mm was longer, without knowing which posts i should listen too.

Are u guys giving advice weighting home kitchen use? And do u guys know what's normally used in the sushi industry, for instance in japan?

 

[McMan]

Some people like 300. Some people like 270.
At a certain point, this becomes a discussion of the carpenter more than the tools...
The difference between a 300 and a 270 is (likely) less than the width of your pinky and ring fingers.

Here's a wrinkle: Keep in mind that if the yanagiba you buy has a machi (which most do), it will be measured from the machi to the tip as opposed to actual edge length. So, a 270 becomes a ~255 and a 300 becomes a ~285. In which case, a 300 (~285 edge) actually splits the difference between a 270 and a 300 in terms of edge length.

 

[Ochazuke]

I see, that's contradicting to what ive read on some other posts here discussion yanagiba length. Ive read a lot of posts people saying they wish their 300mm was longer, without knowing which posts i should listen too.

Are u guys giving advice weighting home kitchen use? And do u guys know what's normally used in the sushi industry, for instance in japan?

I was mostly trained by my father, who started cooking in Osaka when he was 14. I started learning from him when I was 9 and been doing the whole sushi/izakaya thing for decades now. I also studied with a guy who came from the Tsukiji outer markets and recently spent a day with a Michelin starred sushi chef.

But in the end, you should just get what you want. Even if you listen to us here and get what we suggest, you’ll just regret not getting what you wanted to begin with.

 

[Ochazuke]

Also bear in mind that Japanese kitchens in cities tend to be ridiculously smaller than western kitchens. Like 1/16 the size of most western kitchens I see. They have fewer customer seats too, but my point is that there’s not much room to have a giant knife.

 

[Cookingguy1717]

I was mostly trained by my father, who started cooking in Osaka when he was 14. I started learning from him when I was 9 and been doing the whole sushi/izakaya thing for decades now. I also studied with a guy who came from the Tsukiji outer markets and recently spent a day with a Michelin starred sushi chef.

But in the end, you should just get what you want. Even if you listen to us here and get what we suggest, you’ll just regret not getting what you wanted to begin with.

Did u make any observations on how many mm was normal?

Also is there a benefit in buying longer, in terms of usage and if it chips. Or will one just end up with a shorter and thicker knife.

 

[Ochazuke]

270mm is pretty standard. The added length can aid in making beautiful slices of sashimi and neta, but it only helps if you have the basics down well.

If you’re learning from somebody who knows what their doing, you’ll have to learn the various basic cuts. Things like scoring squid and the like are easier in the beginning with a smaller knife. More weight and length can make pretty cuts easily, but only if you can control it. Learning fine control is much easier with a 270 than a 300.

I don’t think you should base your knife size on how easily you can repair it...

 

[Qapla']

Where do takohiki's fit in here, given their lighter weight?

 

[Ochazuke]

Where do takohiki's fit in here, given their lighter weight?

I’ll be real: aside from occasionally picking up a friend’s to see what it was like, I haven’t really used them. Better off asking somebody who has used them professionally.