CharlieFoxtrot
Member
LOCATION: USA, East Coast
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)?
-Wa-Gyuto
Are you right or left handed?
-Right Handed
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
-Octagonal Wa
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
-210 to 240, maximum heel height 49mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
-Stainless or Semi-stainless core preferred
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
-Looking up to $300
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.)
- I want to murder vegetables, and I want to do it with breath-taking ease. I want onions to forget that they were ever whole; I want them to think that they sliced and diced themselves of their own free will.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
-Not replacing any, looking instead to complement my 9.5" Carbon-Steel Wusthof. That knife is very near and dear to me, but it's well past time that it had a tag-team partner.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
-Pinch
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.)
-My current knife has me trained in a more European fashion heavily prejudiced towards rocking, and walking. I'd like round that out with versatile Japanese blade that is gifted at slicing, and push cutting.
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.)
-Starting from above, my Wusthof has a lot of belly. If that's "day", I'm looking for "night". I want a brutally sharp edge, with a good flat that can push-cut for days.
This is it:
I'm looking for a knife that's less reactive than my current carbon-steel. That's not to say that stainless is required; I'm still going to take care of the knife regardless, but I'd like a knife where the reactivity is greatly reduced such that I feel like I can actually concentrate on cooking, and can comfortably walk away for thirty seconds without needing to exercise a routine.
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)?
-At first glance I'm always skeptical of decorative finishes, Damascus above all. I'm always fearful that the Damascus is there as gimmickry to help sell an average blade. I'm always concerned first and foremost with the quality of the steel and the grind. However, if decoration is used to accent a knife that is already exceptional, the results can be stunning and I wouldn't refuse a beautiful Damascus pattern, tsuchime, or kurouchi finish on principle alone. In fact, the more the better, so long as the decoration is there to accent and not disguise the nature of the blade.
What actually leaves me weak is a beautiful hamon pattern, because to me that's a much truer sign of the maker's attention to the steel. I'm thinking about a semi-stainless core that will develop patina and character, with either a stainless cladding or well-done kurouchi or tsuchime to aid in protection and/or food-release. If decorative finish is included, please let it have a purpose above and beyond sales gimmickry. I want taste.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
-Light to medium-light weight. Comfortable for pinch-grip. Rounded spine and choils are preferred but not required; I am an enthusiast not a professional chef, so I will not be chopping for 8 hours a day.
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)?
-Outstanding versatility with push-cutting, slicing and chopping of onions in particular. Good balance between lack of wedging and food-release.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
-I'm flexible.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
-Yes, wood
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
-Yes
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
-Yes, always
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)?
-Wa-Gyuto
Are you right or left handed?
-Right Handed
Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?
-Octagonal Wa
What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
-210 to 240, maximum heel height 49mm
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)
-Stainless or Semi-stainless core preferred
What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
-Looking up to $300
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.)
- I want to murder vegetables, and I want to do it with breath-taking ease. I want onions to forget that they were ever whole; I want them to think that they sliced and diced themselves of their own free will.
What knife, if any, are you replacing?
-Not replacing any, looking instead to complement my 9.5" Carbon-Steel Wusthof. That knife is very near and dear to me, but it's well past time that it had a tag-team partner.
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
-Pinch
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.)
-My current knife has me trained in a more European fashion heavily prejudiced towards rocking, and walking. I'd like round that out with versatile Japanese blade that is gifted at slicing, and push cutting.
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.)
-Starting from above, my Wusthof has a lot of belly. If that's "day", I'm looking for "night". I want a brutally sharp edge, with a good flat that can push-cut for days.
This is it:
I'm looking for a knife that's less reactive than my current carbon-steel. That's not to say that stainless is required; I'm still going to take care of the knife regardless, but I'd like a knife where the reactivity is greatly reduced such that I feel like I can actually concentrate on cooking, and can comfortably walk away for thirty seconds without needing to exercise a routine.
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)?
-At first glance I'm always skeptical of decorative finishes, Damascus above all. I'm always fearful that the Damascus is there as gimmickry to help sell an average blade. I'm always concerned first and foremost with the quality of the steel and the grind. However, if decoration is used to accent a knife that is already exceptional, the results can be stunning and I wouldn't refuse a beautiful Damascus pattern, tsuchime, or kurouchi finish on principle alone. In fact, the more the better, so long as the decoration is there to accent and not disguise the nature of the blade.
What actually leaves me weak is a beautiful hamon pattern, because to me that's a much truer sign of the maker's attention to the steel. I'm thinking about a semi-stainless core that will develop patina and character, with either a stainless cladding or well-done kurouchi or tsuchime to aid in protection and/or food-release. If decorative finish is included, please let it have a purpose above and beyond sales gimmickry. I want taste.
Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?
-Light to medium-light weight. Comfortable for pinch-grip. Rounded spine and choils are preferred but not required; I am an enthusiast not a professional chef, so I will not be chopping for 8 hours a day.
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)?
-Outstanding versatility with push-cutting, slicing and chopping of onions in particular. Good balance between lack of wedging and food-release.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
-I'm flexible.
KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)
-Yes, wood
Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
-Yes
If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)
Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)
-Yes, always
