Need help, Santoku or Chef's knife?

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kgriggs8

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Okay, I have a set of Wustof Trident kitchen knives. I have a 8" chef's knife in the set that gets most of the use but I find it is a little too large and bulky for some tasks. I want something a little lighter and smaller but that can still be used on a cutting board to chop like the chef's knife.

I am thinkabout about something like a 6-6 1/2" chef's knife or maybe a Santoku. Price is not an issue. I want a really nice knife that I can use most of the time for most of the stuff I cut. I want a high quality personal kitchen knife that will be my go to knife unless I need something else specifically. It doesn't need to be SS. It doesn't need to dish washer safe but I am not a fan of wood handles for some reason on kitchen knives.

So, where to start? I don't want to spend $200 if I can get somthing I want for $100 so best buys are a good thing. I have never owned a real Santoku. I have a cheap one but that is not a real one. It is stamped steel and junk. I am not sure I even like the tip on the Santoku so if there is a Santoku with more point, that would be more like what I want. I need a tip, I have seen the Santoku vary in shape so I want one that is more pointy and less stumpy.
 
Santoku is a certain shape .Fairly blunt compared to a european chef's knife .I have a Shun knife , www.agrussell.com , that's a 6" slicer that sees lots of use .But that doesn't have the broad blade of a chef's . Doesn't Wustoff make a 6" chef's ? If not, one of the european makers does.
 
Take a look at a Gyuto. A Gyuto is a Japanese Chefs knife and sounds like what you want. You can find an assortment of them here http://www.japanwoodworker.com/dept.asp?dept_id=13167 . They come in various sizes from 5" up to 9" and don't be afraid of an inexpensive model one of my favorite knives is a $25 Santoku (from Japan) that I picked up in an asian supermarket near my house. BTW that site also has a wide assortment of Santokus and other Japanese cooking knives. Just look on the left side of the screen. Good luck
 
My Wuathof Santoku is my most used kitchen knife . I have also used Global and Shun "toku's , Global has a couple of small ones that are very "happy" work knives .Bottom line , I usually return to the Wusthoff .

Chris
 
A Japenese-style chef's knife (aka gyuto or gyutou) would be my choice. They tend to be lighter in weight than German-style chef's knives and yet chop and slice easier. My experience with a Shun Elite has been very positive and KnifeOutlet's mind has been blown by a gyuto from Yoshikane (they can be found and purchased at www.japanwoodworker.com ). Others, such as our very own The Chef, have recommended Tojiro's version with Swedish steel (as well as Forschner's Fibrox Chef's Knife, but I'd recommend thinning out its stock edge if you choose it to get a taste of Japanese-style cutlery).
 
Japanwoodworker's best affordable stuff is their carbon rustic stuff - check out the Tosa line and the Hirotomo line. I bought my girlfriend the $50 hirotomo santoku - 6 1/2", and it's one of the goddamn best knives I've ever touched. Stunning - light, balanced, sharper than anything.

I used to be a Henckels man, and I've touched Shuns - they're alright. But they're nothing, to me, like the stuff that you can get from:

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/products.html

This is a very cool dude, who ships direct form Japan for $7, no matter how large your order. His prices are, in general, cheaper than places you can get in America. For budget, check out Tojiro, for $50 for a 8.5" gyuto. For a knife that you could spend the rest of your life with, check out Misono UX10, Masamoto VG and HC, Hattori, Hiromoto AS and Blazen. (I've been buying up gyutos at a terrifying pace). Misono: neutral, very balanced. Masamoto - more belly (shaped more like a western knife), super light and thin, cuts like a razor. Hattori: untried, a favorite of many of the japanese knife geeks. Blazen: heavier and mightier than the others. Hiromoto AS: seriously hard steel clad in stainless.

My favorite is the Masamoto.

Shuns I find to be sort of adapted to Western tastes - they're heavier than all of the above blades, though lighter than Henckels/Wusthof.

I find a 8 1/2" chef's knife far more useful than a santoku. A santoku is basically the bastard child of a chef's knife and a traditional Japanese vegetable knife (a nikiri or usuba, sort of a teeny, tiny cleaver.) I do most of my food prep with an 8 1/2" chef's knife and a nikiri - the santoku is sort of a compromise for me and always a little awkward. But, on the other hand, santokus are the traditional Japanese housewife knife, and I'm a big, tall guy. My girlfriend and other small ladies in our social circle really *love* that santoku I bought for her.

You'll have a hard time trying to find a 6 1/2" chef's knife, though they're around. It's really not that useful as size, I find, especially with the narrow Japanese profile. Go for 8 1/2". Really. Remember, also, that an 8 1/2" Japanese gyuto is alarmingly light - significantly lighter than a 6 1/2" German knife. And easier to hanle.
 
Hey Kevin,

All this jive about the Gyuto is good stuff I have been using a 330mm (12in) for about three years and love Tojiro's stuff. For the money it is the best around, easy.

But for bang for the dollar its going to be the "Chinese Vegetable Cleaver" it truly is the asian chef knife. The sheepsfoot blade of the santoku was popularized by Rachel Ray after she scored a deal with Furi to import her own line of knives. They are not bad in practical use but lag behind the cleaver in chopping, scraping and general kitchen work.

You can get a good one made from hi carbon steel at most asian markets for under 20.00.
 
Has anyone ever tried this knife ? It looks amazing on the side shown, probably less so on the other side, has a smaller (6") cousin threadstarter was asking about and seems unbeliveably cheap.

Is there something wrong with this knife ? It appears to be chisel ground which would explain lower price but nevertheless, isn't sub-$20 very cheap ? :confused:
 
That semkhor.com part of your link made me a little uneasy. Maybe they host JWW? Here's the link directly from JWW's site.
 
I like my Wustof Chefs Knife and a Santuko. I like the Santuko so much I bought another and rotate them. I can cut and chop faster with the Santuko.

MPE
 
thombrogan said:
That semkhor.com part of your link made me a little uneasy. Maybe they host JWW? Here's the link directly from JWW's site.
Click to expand...

Yes, it's the same website. I visited the link provided earlier on in this thread and somehow ended with that semkhor.com URL, even though it was the same thing.

Anyway ... opinions of that sub-$20 series of knives anyone ? :)
 
That's an unknown quantity on the knife geek boards - the Tosa knives (which is only a few dollars more at JWW) get praised everywhere.

Thas' all I know.
 
Img320.jpg


About $150.

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/UX10Series.html

macmsk65.jpg


About $80.

http://www.knifeoutlet.com/shop/10Expand.asp?ProductCode=MACMSK65

The Mac has a thinner blade than a Shun & is less expensive. The Misono has great fit & finish with nickel silver bolsters, better handle, & a layered blade.
 
For my money I would go with the Santoku. In the hands of a less than experienced user you will have an easier time with the Santoku and find your self using it in more ways. Most professional chefs use a 10" chefs knife.
I would look at the Shun 6.5" santoku with a "scalloped blade." The Shuns have D shaped handles- they come in left or right handled versions- and do not twist in wet hands. They are super sharp, have a thin blade, are very nice looking and Kershaw stands behind them if you ever have a problem with them. Just remember, these knives are for cutting not heavy chopping. The blades are easy to maintain with the regular use of a knife steel and Kershaw will sharpen them for free as needed.
 
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