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- Jan 4, 1999
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The gyuto or "cow sword" was developed initially in japan as a knife for beef butchery. As Western cooking gained in popularity in Japan the gyuto was adopted by the Japanese as their version of our chef knife, even to the point of equipping them with full tangs and riveted scales in the manner of our chef knives.
The gyuto has some characteristics which make it different from our chef knives. In the first place, the gyuto blade profile provides an efficient food chopping tool. With less belly than their Western counterparts, this profile is efficient and requires less hand motion to get the job done.
And the gyuto is made with blades that are harder and thinner than Western chef knives. As result they are lighter, producing less fatigue in use, and are easier for the makers to balance properly. The harder steel allows for sharper edges and better edge retention. So the cow sword of Japan has turned out to be a high performance piece of kitchen cutlery to be sure which is gaining in popularity quite rapidly in the U.S. and Europe.
Several weeks ago, I decided I wanted to have an American gyuto made here with American steel. I posted my requirements in the custom knife forum at bladeforums.com. Matt Cook, a custom knifemaker from Portland, Oregon accepted the challenge of making an American gyuto and I sent him a Japanese gyuto so that he could experience it first hand.
Specifically, I asked for a blade profile with the efficiency of the gyuto and defined that for him. I asked for a knife that was properly balanced for the normal grip that is taught in culinary schools. I asked for a thin, hard blade. We worked out the details and Matt went to work.
The American Gyuto arrived a couple of weeks ago and I've had a good chance to test it. This is my review of the product.
Model Custom gyuto made by Matt Cook
Blade length 9 5/8"
Overall length 14 5/8
Weight 6 1/2 oz.
Construction blocked and ground full tang, riveted scales
Blade S30V stainless hardened to around RC 58-59
Handle Resin impregnated laminated burlwood scales on a full tang
The first thing that struck me when I removed the knife from its packaging was its amazingly light weight. This was a 240mm gyuto with the weight of a 210mm. The blade thickness of the knife is quite close to the sample Kikuichi gyuto I sent to the maker. But the knife has no bolster, unlike the typical Japanese gyuto, and Matt tells me that the S30V alloy is somewhat lighter than many other high performance alloys. The result is a race car of a chef knife. It is extremely maneuverable and never produced any fatigue for me in use. Using a long bladed chef knife of that light weight has been a bit of an epiphany for me and, after I got used to it, I really began to appreciate it. Most of us like gyutos partly because they are light. This one is even lighter.
The lack of a bolster would lead one to conclude that the knife is somewhat blade-heavy and it is. The balance point is about 1 inch forward of ideal. But in a knife this light it really isn't much of an issue. I found the knife comfortable to use from the very beginning. We have all used blocked chef knives that are very blade-heavy and they are somewhat uncomfortable to use. But put a light thin blade in place and it becomes only slightly blade heavy and not uncomfortable at all.
I've read numerous comments about S30V. I can tell you that it is a terrific stainless steel for kitchen use. I used the knife for a week straight and it needed only a quick steeling to put it back to good performance. Then I recut the bevels to my standard 15 degrees on the Edgepro and finished honing the bevels by hand with the Shapton waterstones up to 8000 grit. The knife now performed even better and has managed to maintain that edge with no difficuly over the past week. S30V can hold an acute bevel angle and it can hold an edge very well.
It is natural to compare S30V to VG-10 which is used commonly in Japanese gyutos. I have a Masamoto gyuto made from solid VG-10 and I spent some time comparing it to the American Gyuto. The Masamoto has a slightly harder heat treatment than Cook's knife but, in my opinion, doesn't hold an edge any better. I think they are comparable in this respect. Also I found grinding the S30V to be comparable to the VG-10 in my Masamoto. I will say that the the final edge on the American Gyuto is very slightly toothier. The edges polish up nicely, just like the VG-10 but the edge just has a tiny bit more grittiness. I assume this is related to the grain of the alloy. One other point is corrosion resistance. If you have ever used a VG-10 bladed knife in the kitchen you know that it develops a slightly gray patina after some use. The American Gyuto showed no signs at all of any corrosion. Otherwise, I wouldn't know one from the other unless somebody told me.
The knife itself is attractive. The stabilized burl scales are very nice and resist moisture effectively in the kitchen in the same way the stabilized ebony does on the Japanese products.
I was somewhat disappointed in the fit and finish of the knife. The blade was nearly polished but left with horizontal scratches. There were also some imperfections along the top of the tang and in the area just forward of the scales. I think the finish could have been improved.
The slight blade-heaviness could also have been improved by lengthening the handle a little. I don't want to make an issue of the balance, though, because it was not an issue during the two week test. It is just a "nit" on my part.
The edges at the spine of the blade were properly eased so there was no discomfort to the forefinger or palm in using the knife. I wish all gyuto manufacturers would pay attention to this detail. It may not be much of an issue to the typical home cook but it certainly is to the commercial cook and these are professional level knives.
So I can tell you that I think the American Gyuto is a success. The knife is a breeze and a pleasure to use, it performs with excellence and S30V stainless was a pleasant surprise to me. I was pleased that one of our high performance American steels can perform with the competition.
My ratings on the 0-5 scale:
Fit and Finish 4
Performance 5
Ergonomics 4.5
No advertising please
If you want an American Gyuto for yourself, contact Matt through his website. the URL is Edited Ask him to add a tiny bit of length to the handle and spend a little extra time on the finishing and you could have the chef knife of your dreams.
Here's an image.
The gyuto has some characteristics which make it different from our chef knives. In the first place, the gyuto blade profile provides an efficient food chopping tool. With less belly than their Western counterparts, this profile is efficient and requires less hand motion to get the job done.
And the gyuto is made with blades that are harder and thinner than Western chef knives. As result they are lighter, producing less fatigue in use, and are easier for the makers to balance properly. The harder steel allows for sharper edges and better edge retention. So the cow sword of Japan has turned out to be a high performance piece of kitchen cutlery to be sure which is gaining in popularity quite rapidly in the U.S. and Europe.
Several weeks ago, I decided I wanted to have an American gyuto made here with American steel. I posted my requirements in the custom knife forum at bladeforums.com. Matt Cook, a custom knifemaker from Portland, Oregon accepted the challenge of making an American gyuto and I sent him a Japanese gyuto so that he could experience it first hand.
Specifically, I asked for a blade profile with the efficiency of the gyuto and defined that for him. I asked for a knife that was properly balanced for the normal grip that is taught in culinary schools. I asked for a thin, hard blade. We worked out the details and Matt went to work.
The American Gyuto arrived a couple of weeks ago and I've had a good chance to test it. This is my review of the product.
Model Custom gyuto made by Matt Cook
Blade length 9 5/8"
Overall length 14 5/8
Weight 6 1/2 oz.
Construction blocked and ground full tang, riveted scales
Blade S30V stainless hardened to around RC 58-59
Handle Resin impregnated laminated burlwood scales on a full tang
The first thing that struck me when I removed the knife from its packaging was its amazingly light weight. This was a 240mm gyuto with the weight of a 210mm. The blade thickness of the knife is quite close to the sample Kikuichi gyuto I sent to the maker. But the knife has no bolster, unlike the typical Japanese gyuto, and Matt tells me that the S30V alloy is somewhat lighter than many other high performance alloys. The result is a race car of a chef knife. It is extremely maneuverable and never produced any fatigue for me in use. Using a long bladed chef knife of that light weight has been a bit of an epiphany for me and, after I got used to it, I really began to appreciate it. Most of us like gyutos partly because they are light. This one is even lighter.
The lack of a bolster would lead one to conclude that the knife is somewhat blade-heavy and it is. The balance point is about 1 inch forward of ideal. But in a knife this light it really isn't much of an issue. I found the knife comfortable to use from the very beginning. We have all used blocked chef knives that are very blade-heavy and they are somewhat uncomfortable to use. But put a light thin blade in place and it becomes only slightly blade heavy and not uncomfortable at all.
I've read numerous comments about S30V. I can tell you that it is a terrific stainless steel for kitchen use. I used the knife for a week straight and it needed only a quick steeling to put it back to good performance. Then I recut the bevels to my standard 15 degrees on the Edgepro and finished honing the bevels by hand with the Shapton waterstones up to 8000 grit. The knife now performed even better and has managed to maintain that edge with no difficuly over the past week. S30V can hold an acute bevel angle and it can hold an edge very well.
It is natural to compare S30V to VG-10 which is used commonly in Japanese gyutos. I have a Masamoto gyuto made from solid VG-10 and I spent some time comparing it to the American Gyuto. The Masamoto has a slightly harder heat treatment than Cook's knife but, in my opinion, doesn't hold an edge any better. I think they are comparable in this respect. Also I found grinding the S30V to be comparable to the VG-10 in my Masamoto. I will say that the the final edge on the American Gyuto is very slightly toothier. The edges polish up nicely, just like the VG-10 but the edge just has a tiny bit more grittiness. I assume this is related to the grain of the alloy. One other point is corrosion resistance. If you have ever used a VG-10 bladed knife in the kitchen you know that it develops a slightly gray patina after some use. The American Gyuto showed no signs at all of any corrosion. Otherwise, I wouldn't know one from the other unless somebody told me.
The knife itself is attractive. The stabilized burl scales are very nice and resist moisture effectively in the kitchen in the same way the stabilized ebony does on the Japanese products.
I was somewhat disappointed in the fit and finish of the knife. The blade was nearly polished but left with horizontal scratches. There were also some imperfections along the top of the tang and in the area just forward of the scales. I think the finish could have been improved.
The slight blade-heaviness could also have been improved by lengthening the handle a little. I don't want to make an issue of the balance, though, because it was not an issue during the two week test. It is just a "nit" on my part.
The edges at the spine of the blade were properly eased so there was no discomfort to the forefinger or palm in using the knife. I wish all gyuto manufacturers would pay attention to this detail. It may not be much of an issue to the typical home cook but it certainly is to the commercial cook and these are professional level knives.
So I can tell you that I think the American Gyuto is a success. The knife is a breeze and a pleasure to use, it performs with excellence and S30V stainless was a pleasant surprise to me. I was pleased that one of our high performance American steels can perform with the competition.
My ratings on the 0-5 scale:
Fit and Finish 4
Performance 5
Ergonomics 4.5
No advertising please
If you want an American Gyuto for yourself, contact Matt through his website. the URL is Edited Ask him to add a tiny bit of length to the handle and spend a little extra time on the finishing and you could have the chef knife of your dreams.
Here's an image.
