I am looking to buy a nice ~300 mm yanagiba as a wedding gift for someone who is a serious home cook and appreciates classy, quality cutlery. He does not own one now, so there is no point of reference, but I think he would like something that is not only functional but also beautiful and hand-crafted (so maybe not a mass production Masamoto with ho wood). I suspect he might actually be better off with a sujihiki, but he has directly told me on multiple occasions he wants a yanagiba, so I feel like I should just go with it. I'm open to suggestions on either, though. He prepares a lot of seafood that he catches himself, and I think he wants to get more serious about sushi. The budget is ~$500. Does not have to be in stock now, but there should be a reasonable expectation that it will be in the next 3-6 months.
I am curious to hear a variety of suggestions, but here are some I looked at and thought might be contenders:
Togashi W#1
Gesshin Hide
Doi B#2 (CKTG)
Aonikou B#2
Tesshu Damascus
Various Hitohira lines
Honyaki or Shigefusa Kitaeji would be awesome, of course, but probably way over budget.
Thanks for your help! Here is the completed knife questionnaire:
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Yanagiba (or sujihiki, if you convince me to go against his stated interest)
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
300 mm - mostly because I hear that is a good all-around size and he has plenty of counter space for it.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Let's say $500, with some flexibility, and of course, I don't need to spend that much if there is a better choice for less.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Sushi, presumably, but I do wonder if he intends to use if for other slicing tasks
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
None
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Unknown, but assume good technique
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
NA
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
See intro above.
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
Aesthetics are important but I think the main goal is to avoid something that appears mass production. Classic octagonal handle, but with something a little nicer than ho wood, ideally.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
NA
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Not of great importance
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
No
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
Are you interested in
purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
No
I am curious to hear a variety of suggestions, but here are some I looked at and thought might be contenders:
Togashi W#1
Gesshin Hide
Doi B#2 (CKTG)
Aonikou B#2
Tesshu Damascus
Various Hitohira lines
Honyaki or Shigefusa Kitaeji would be awesome, of course, but probably way over budget.
Thanks for your help! Here is the completed knife questionnaire:
LOCATION
What country are you in?
USA
KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?
Yanagiba (or sujihiki, if you convince me to go against his stated interest)
Are you right or left handed?
Right
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
Japanese
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
300 mm - mostly because I hear that is a good all-around size and he has plenty of counter space for it.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
No
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
Let's say $500, with some flexibility, and of course, I don't need to spend that much if there is a better choice for less.
KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?
Home
What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)
Sushi, presumably, but I do wonder if he intends to use if for other slicing tasks
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
None
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
Unknown, but assume good technique
What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)
NA
What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)
See intro above.
Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?
Aesthetics are important but I think the main goal is to avoid something that appears mass production. Classic octagonal handle, but with something a little nicer than ho wood, ideally.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?
NA
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
Not of great importance
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
No
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
Yes
Are you interested in
purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
No
