Yo-Deba vs Gyuto

[Helios.Z3R0]

So I have been doing a lot of research. No, really. I have got bookmarks for days. I have probably poured over a hundred hours into researching knives. I see a lot of repeating terminology, such as VG-10 and blue steel, Damascus, hammered finish, and I see brands such as Mac, Global, and Shun frequently. I am still sorting through a lot of the information I have acquired, and know two things for certain.

A Deba is a fish knife.

A Gyuto is a sort of chefs knife.

Where does Yo-Deba come into play, and how does it differ from a Gyuto? I have seen posts from individuals (not necessarily here) who use a Yo-Deba as a chefs knife and their workhorse. If this is the case, why would I consider getting a Gyuto if the Yo-Deba is built to be more sturdy?

 

[refcast]

Yo-makes the deba double beveled. So now we have a thick double beveled knife.

A yo-gyuto has a western handle. A yo-deba usually has a western handle. They differ in spine thickness, thickness behind the edge, and purpose. The yo-deba is thicker everywhere and much heavier.

The yo-deba is for bone and regular deba tasks like filleting, for those that like thicker knives instead of a fillet knife.

The gyuto is for more non-bone chef knife stuff.

Gyuto roughly means "beef knife". It's just a chefs knife in Japanese style and performance preferences. You use it if you like thinner knives. Yo-deba are usually more expensive than equivalent gyuto.

Yo- means Western style. Wa- means Japanese style.

 

[Boynutman]

Sturdiness is not a goal in itself.
A deba is designed for one specific purpose where it excels if you know how to use it (I don’t): breaking down fish.
However it is not optimized for multi purpose use: cutting meat, cutting soft veggies, hard veggies, onions, brunoising, etc. Deba will be too thick and heavy. May look cool in the beginning but will quickly become annoying.
Multipurpose use is exactly what a gyuto is designed for. Thinner, lighter, thin tip for precision work, much more practical.
So at first glance both knives may look similar but they are actually quite different.

Hope this helps.

 

[Nemo]

Yep, deba is a fish filleting knife.

If you want a robust chef's knife, these are available but you can also sharpen any knife more conservatively (higher angle or a microbevel) to make the edge less fragile.

Are you looking for knife buying advice? If so, start a new thread by cut and pasting, then filling out the questionnaire:
https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/index.php?threads/12791/

 

[HRC_64]

generally speaking, a western deba is a more expensive gyuto...and lacks enough real benefit to justify the cost.
better off buying a second normal gyuto (perhaps one light, one heavy) and using a normal "beater" knife (read: cheap victorinox, etc)...a real yo-deba is too thick to generally be really useful (6mm+)

you can get away with using a shorter, thinnrt typr double-bevel deba as a type of funayuki, however, This and much more versatile should you come across one (<4mm)...a superior knife to a santoku...with pretty much the same compact footprint (180mm) ...ryo-deba probably a bit more height (4-5mm taller)

tldr: buy a funayuki if you want a gyuto variation, buy a western-style beater if you want a longer, 240 type size

 

[KenHash]

Yo-makes the deba double beveled. So now we have a thick double beveled knife.

A yo-gyuto has a western handle.
Yo- means Western style. Wa- means Japanese style.

There is no term as "Yo-Gyuto". The reason is that in Japan a Gyuto is automatically considered western handled. Another name for it is Yo-Boucho (western cooking knife)- as opposed to Wa-Boucho (Traditional Japanese cooking knife).
Since Gyutos are all western handled, those that have Japanese handles are simply called Wa-Gyuto.
The Gyuto is the Japanese version of a European chef's knife, I believe French, that entered Japan in the mid to second half 1800s when Japan rapidly "westernized".​

 

[refcast]

Thanks for the correction to terminology.

 

[GorillaGrunt]

The yo-deba I’ve handled (just a couple) have been essentially very heavy gyuto in profile, but quite asymmetrically ground. So I don’t know that I’d use it for a gyuto or for butchery either. Personally, and YMMV, I tend to use smaller thick knives for working around bone, e.g. honesuki, sabaki, a butakiri and an ikasaki from Tosa.

That said, they certainly make big deba in traditional and double bevel types, and lots of people do lots of stuff that I don’t ::shrug:: And a western deba in a smaller size like 165mm might be quite useful indeed.

 

[StonedEdge]

use a gyuto. forget the yo deba unless you wanna crack lobsters or split birds. no reason to use a yo deba as a chef knife. u crazy

 

[StonedEdge]

generally speaking, a western deba is a more expensive gyuto...and lacks enough real benefit to justify the cost.

nonsense. truth is yo deba are just thick ass chef knives. price has zero bearing on what it is.

 

[TB_London]

seem to remember Theory having a vid of jointing chickens at pace with a yo deba

It’s one of those knives that few people need but those that do seem to relish

 

[HRC_64]

nonsense. truth is yo deba are just thick ass chef knives. price has zero bearing on what it is.

I'll call BS on this...try pricing out a western deba... in the same line its usually 50 to 100% more expensive than the gyuto

Ashi western deba is $4-500 vs $250
Masamoto, HC western deba is $300 vs $200

...etc

For the same quality level you can buy a second gyuto for cheaper or one in a higher price bracket
and its 99% better to have a pair of gyutos than a single gyuto and a western deba.

Eg, an 240mm ashi $250 and a 240mm Toyama $400 is a better combination functionally than an ashi 240 (lazer) and an ashi 240 ryo-deba for most people...etc

etc...

 

[esoo]

seem to remember Theory having a vid of jointing chickens at pace with a yo deba

It’s one of those knives that few people need but those that do seem to relish

I've wanted a Deba just to do something similar, but my Misono Swedish Gyuto is handling the job so just can't justify (especially as a home cook who breaks down maybe a chicken a month)

 

[StonedEdge]

I'll call BS on this...

Plus épais qu'ça impossible! XD lolol