is a "PETTY" Knife a good first Japanese knife choice ?

H

HARDBALL

Joined
May 6, 2001
Messages
923
Hi all,

I'm a long time BF member. I recently developed an interest in QUALITY Kitchen Knives. I own several decent "Western" style Chef knives such as a 12" Victorinox Chef, an 8" Victroinox, and a few other better (Thrift Shop/Flea Market/Antique Shop) finds such as vintage "Old Hickory Carbon", CUTCO, Lamsonsharp knives, etc. A recent Thrift Shop find that I especially like is a (surprisingly well made in China of high quality German Steel) four inch (4") Chef Knife which has a full Tang and Wood handles. I can't recall the Chef's (Italian) name (appears on knife-starts with the letter "B") at this time but......there is just "something" I'm loving about this VERY sharp lil' knife. I think what I really like about this knife is it's rather handy size which brings me to my point.....I am interested in buying a decent quality Japanese Kitchen knife. Most all the threads I've read recommend going with the likes of a 210mm Gyuto. The thing is.....I'm only doing "Home" prep/cooking and truthfully, I don't think I need too long a knife besides, as mentioned above, I already own several other Chef knives. The main purpose of this NEW knife would be to cut/chop : Onions, Bell Peppers, Zucchini Squash, Mushrooms, Garlic, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Carrots, etc. I sometimes use a Chef knife to cut/split a whole Chicken. That being said, would a.....five inch (5") Japanese PETTY knife serve this purpose as opposed (as good/better)than a larger/longer Gyuto ? Please note, I also have limited counter space for food prep. I would very much appreciate your thoughts on this subject. I also welcome you're Knife BRAND suggestions/recommendations. Thanks so much.

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
depends how you hold it i suppose. I use a pinch grip so i effectively lose ~1.5" of useable blade. a 5" petty isn't' going to give me enough blade length. a 5" petty is only like 130mm. if you want something solely veggie duty I'd say your best bet would be something like 180mm nakiri, or maybe a 160mm if you really want something small. I cant say I'd recommend a gyuto under 210mm. i just stepped up from 210 to 240 and i love it, but at home the space is tight.


I'll admit my knife set and skill set are kind of limited but i pretty much use my 240 gyuto for most stuff (including veggies), my 210 is more of a work horse type knife, or my paring knife for everything. the only intermediate knife I use is my boning knife but it doesn't get a lot of time in the hand.


Chef knives to go has a lot of good makers. how much are you looking to spend?
 
Hi SHH,

Thanks for responding to my thread. While I am comfortable handling a Kitchen knife, I have a lot to learn as my skill set is also limited. Regarding how much I'll spend....good question. I'm pretty much a "budget" kind of guy. I also try to find the "most'est for the least'est". This is why I need to make the RIGHT first choice/purchase.

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
I think a petty could be good for those uses. I personally think a 6" petty is much more useful than a 5" one, especially for the tasks you list. You also might look into a funayuki in the 6" range.
I don't like to use a pinch-grip for a petty, because there isn't enough room for it. I typically use the grip that the guy uses in this video starting at 3:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MT7PRopK08 . It's good for chopping and slicing.

- Chris
 
Hi Chris,

Wow! Incredible video! Thanks for posting that link. Chris, I suspect you are correct. I'm still interested in a "small'ish" knife and perhaps something 6" to 7" would be more useful. Oooh....dear God....I (per your suggestion) Googled a Funayuki.
Now I won't sleep after having seen a TAKEDA AOGAMI SUPER (160MM) Funayuki. Beautiful! Thanks for the excellent info Chris. I've got a LOT of research to do.

Regards,
HARDBALL aka Tom
 
Everyone is different, I have an assortment of kitchen knives yet my GF always gravitates toward the small petty/pairing knives.

I prefer long slicers for everything. (270 mm)
 
Hi HwangJino,

Yes indeed, everyone is different. On the whole, I tend to like more "compact/handy" size tools be it Knives, Axes, Firearms, etc. rather than full size, even though I a big guy and have XXL size hands. One thing I have discovered is that HANDLE size/comfort is much much more important to me than Knife blade lenght being too long or too short (within reason).

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
Another choice could be a nakiri. It is a very classic japanese knife that there isn't a counterpart for in the west. They are commonly in the 6" range, so they fit your "small" criteria, and they are widely available.

- Chris
 
5in would be perfect. You don't want it too short or when slicing potatoes length wise, your point is being pulled back inside the flesh part.. if that makes any sense :D

I used to only use an 8in.. now I find it's too heavy and carpal tunnel says no. So 6in was about perfect. 5in will work.. cheers!
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for all the suggestions. Burl....perhaps if I didn't already own several longer Chef knives (8", 12" etc.) a 240mm (9") Gyuoto might be a good choice. However, I am most interested in something a lot smaller/handier at this time such as a good 5" to 6.5" knife. If I were to only own ONE larg'ish knife, it would more than likely be around the 8" range. Hes....I'll check out the Nakiri, thanks. Sloth.....yea....I too have Carpel Tunnel issues as well. Good points. Thanks.

Regards,
HARDBALL
 
I prefer. 6" petty for most cutting board tasks with fruit and veggies. It works better than a 5" for me, more of the time. I also have a 7" Gyoto and an 8" carbon 4 Elephants Sabatier (from the 70s). I rarely use the larger Sabatier, since I am more likely to use a slicer for really big stuff.
I would get a 6" Petty or a 7" Gyoto. You still need a good paring knife for really small work.
 
Please be aware a petty only has a small contact area with the board, will therefore dull fast and get sharpened frequently, and will finally wear out much quicker than any other knife. Don't pay too much for it.
A santoku has a relatively long edge. A 190mm one will in general offer a longer edge than a 210mm gyuto, where a lot of the blade's length is lost in the belly towards the tip.
 
Seesteel said:
Click to expand...
That looks like a nice knife! This thread, however, is almost 5 years old, so I think OP has probably moved on. ;)

That said, if the above review is yours, or even if you own the same knife and have some comments about it, it would be cool to see you start a new thread about it in the Kitchen Cutlery subforum!
 
HI.
Been using knives for a few yrs. Hunting and kitchen.
Start out midway. steel and build wise and you WON'T be unhappy.

I had/have Wusthof for over 50 yrs. The best in German steel and build.
10 yrs ago I started using Japanese.
After LOTS of forums and reading. TOJIRO... Seems to be the mfg to go to. for both commercial and home. "in the value for money. ability to cut. and quality wise".
If you get financial later in life. Fine. buy same $1/2000 blades and show off.
But they'll not be all that much better. performance wise "in the average hands".

ME. I've got an 8in Wusthof for all table sized cutting.
with a 11 in Heavy straight blade from meatworks suppliers, for Pumpkin etc.
A Tojiro 6in PETTY (3 layers VG-10 steel.
6 1\2 in Santoku. same mfg/steel.
and a lovely little Massimoto 4in toy. (70th B'Day present to myself yrs ago).
These Tojiro, are as good. Cutting and edge holding as most others, regardless of price.A cheap price with decent build quality.
Wife uses Petty 90% of time. .
I use Santoku 70% Petty 30%.
Wusthof. Nowadays,Shrug. Just there for nostalgia.
The proper Jap's ARE...that good.

Seriously. The difference in price between Chinese and selected Jap's ain't that much.
with advantage that Japanese ARE what they say.
Chinese. Mostly. are poor quality/heat treated steel,
Stamped Damascus Sh-t.
There are several good dealers around.
Outside US (Australia)I use mainly Hocho knives.
US freight is frightening to here.
Usually more than actual costs of the item shipping. +10% tax.

If you buy a 5-6in (Tojiro or otherwise) Petty. with a 170 Santoku.
you'll never need another knife.
Some recommend a "bread knife" (I have but never use).
The $20 Butchers blade makes cutting Pumpkins, Cabbage etc, safer.
and a LOT easier. The bread too.
 
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