Top 10 manufacturers of kitchen knives?

Konosuke, Suisin, Shigefusa, Masakage, Sakai Yusuke, Masamoto, Aritsugu, Nakaya Heiji, both the Gesshin Hide and Gesshin Kagekiyo lines, and maybe Murray Carter if you consider him a "manufacturer."
 
Nice! I'd love to see!

Ambidextrous. After 15 hours plus a day, especially with the same few knives, it's nice to be able to switch hands and give yourself a break, or improve your ambidexterity. Guys with bigger hands who are cutting through cases of veg all day and don't really need multiple hand positions on a blade or are less comfortable with them are probably the top candidates for handedness optimization.

Oh yea, I think after trying so many of the "kitchen" steels like S35VN, N680, W2, you start getting a feel for what tasks they're best for, okay at, and just don't do it with certain foods. :)

As for the bevels, that's a great question. For protein (not fish) butchery, convex with the right geo can be a laser. For veg, I've experimented with lots of my own profiles trying to see if it would help, seems razor sharp flat. Flat with convex sounds like you're onto something, i think that might be an ultimate fish prep style.
 
I'm just learning from those who know more than me. The different grinds on each side were suggested my Michael Rader, but I took it a step further and offset the flat. I was doing that before with the full flat grind, but the convex on the one side has been a big improvement. I have tried 60/40, 70/30, and 80/20, and they all feel just a little different. I think I like the 70/30 the best. One of my buddies/customers preps a lot of raw chicken as he breeds monitor lizards. The offset convex dropped his chicken prep time from 20min to 5min! Its like a less extreme version of a sushi knife. I have this evening free. I'll take some pics and post a new thread with some of my work/designs to introduce myself. Would you be interested in a knife at cost to test the design? You can e-mail me through my profile, since we can't sell through the regular forums. To me this isn't a sale, but a chance to test the design. If I have broken one of the rules, I will edit the post.
 
Yea, let's chat offline as to let the thread roll on, but I'll shoot you an email later today!
 
IMHO, the best makers are all in Japan, and not named Shun, KAI, and the rest that you find easily online.

Here are couple that make top notch knives:
http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-stainless-kasumi-240mm-wa-gyuto/
http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/shigefusa-kasumi-240-mm-wa-gyuto/
http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/yoshiaki-fujiwara-240mm-gyuto-dragon/

A top notch VG-10 smith for kitchen cutlery is Hattori

In the end, grind and geometry has a lot to do with how a kitchen knife performs.
Personal preference is another huge factor, some like thin knives, some thick knives. Handle shape and size also will affect cutting performance, especially during long cutting sessions.

There are probably more details to consider regarding the kitchen knife (geometry and grind wise) than other types of knives.
 
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I've been on a Konosuke kick as of late. Thus far, the Fujiyama Gyuto 240mm White #2 has tickled my fancy the most. I've been toying with a Fujiyama in Aogami 2.

Takeda will be the next brand I probably go on a binge of.
 
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