Japanese Sushi-Sashimi- Knife: Any good ones for around $50.00 0r less?

[MTHall720]

This is way out of my field of expertise. Anyone know of a good, traditional looking Japanese knife that would be around 5-6 inches and work well for fairly fine slicing of vegetables and fish for around $50.00 or even a little less?
Thanks everyone.

 

[MTHall720]

So far I have found only a few bug hard to tell

 

[Javelin]

If i remember correctly, the Tojiro and Fujiwara brands were the ones most recommended for someone new to japanese knives. You might have to go to about 70$ (the price of the fujiwara) to get a quality japanese knife though.

 

[Trail Edge]

Heres an Al Mar one for about $70.
http://www.knifeworks.com/almarchefsknife534blade.aspx
I went with the Al Mar Ultra-Chef line myself. I saw kershaw has a cheaper line, but hard telling if the quality is any good

 

[MTHall720]

Thanks I am really new to this kind of knife. This is good info.

 

[olpappy]

Do you really want a traditional Japanese style knife like a deba, usuba or yanagi which are thick and single beveled, or are you thinking of something like a forged finish santoku which is thin and double beveled. If the latter, do a web search for Tadafusa they have reasonably priced Japanese kitchen knives in a wide variety of styles.

 

[MTHall720]

Right now I am thinking about traditional but haven't completely decided yet.

 

[olpappy]

Traditional single bevel knives can be used for a wide variety of tasks, but they take some getting used to because they behave differently than western knives, because of the asymmetry they will curve if you try to make a straight down cut. You can compensate for this by changing your technique. Typical tasks would be processing fish, fileting, slicing sashimi.

If you want a knife that behaves the way you are used to handling, a santoku would be an option.