which japanese knife? (repost - post it in the wrong forum)

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guga

Joined
Apr 9, 2011
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Hi! I am new to the forum and would like to know which knife would you recomend. I've been cooking for several years (not pro), and just recently started culinary school. I own a few wusthof ikon classic knives (chefs, paring, utility) and I am very pleased with them. Now I want to buy a japanese knife, and been looking on the shops you people have recomended on this forum.

This is what i've found (i want a gyuto knife):

The one I liked the most was the Hattori gyuto kd, until I saw the price, I cant pay $1,000 for a knife no matter how good it may be.

so, I look at all of this:

- hattori hd gyuto (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HDSeries.html)
- ryusen tsuchime damascus series (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/RyusenTsuchimeDamascusSeries.html)
- shiki damascus premium (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SHIKIDamascusSeries.html)
- kanetsugu saiun damascus (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SaiunDamascusSeries.html)
- kanetsugu pro j series (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/ProJSeries.html)
- hiromoto Tenmi Jyuraku Damascus Series (VG-10) (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/TenmiJyurakuDamascusSeries.html#WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 184px)

well, of all of them, the one that I liked the most is the Kanetsugu (damascus and pro j) , so....is it a good choice for a go to knife?? or any of the rest may be a better choice?


thanks

guga
 
You really need to look at Murray Carter, ABS Master Bladesmith and 17th Generation Yoshimoto Bladesmith. His knives are a san mai construction using Hitachi Aogami/Shirogami #1 between two layers of mild steel, giving the best of both worlds. If you've been looking into Japanese knives you probably understand the advantages of this type of forging, but all of Murray's knives are hand forged start to finish by him, and before each knife is shipped to the end user Murray puts the final 'scary sharp' edge on the knife himself.

www.cartercutlery.com

By the way, here is a picture of Murray (right of center with the neck knife) having tea with Hattori (center) at last years Seki knife show.

5605048710_f59ba46f0c_z.jpg
 
I bought an 8" Miyabi 7000MC Chef's Knife for $175 after shipping. Steel is ZDP-189 laminated at Rc 66. It's heavier than traditional japanese knives, but I find it to be easier to clean because of the lack of wood, and the weight hasn't bothered me yet. Not a bad deal for the price:thumbup:.
 
guga said:
Hi! I am new to the forum and would like to know which knife would you recomend. I've been cooking for several years (not pro), and just recently started culinary school. I own a few wusthof ikon classic knives (chefs, paring, utility) and I am very pleased with them. Now I want to buy a japanese knife, and been looking on the shops you people have recomended on this forum.

This is what i've found (i want a gyuto knife):

The one I liked the most was the Hattori gyuto kd, until I saw the price, I cant pay $1,000 for a knife no matter how good it may be.

so, I look at all of this:

- hattori hd gyuto (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HDSeries.html)
- ryusen tsuchime damascus series (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/RyusenTsuchimeDamascusSeries.html)
- shiki damascus premium (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SHIKIDamascusSeries.html)
- kanetsugu saiun damascus (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/SaiunDamascusSeries.html)
- kanetsugu pro j series (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/ProJSeries.html)
- hiromoto Tenmi Jyuraku Damascus Series (VG-10) (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/TenmiJyurakuDamascusSeries.html#WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 184px)

well, of all of them, the one that I liked the most is the Kanetsugu (damascus and pro j) , so....is it a good choice for a go to knife?? or any of the rest may be a better choice?


thanks

guga
Click to expand...

pay attention to the weight of those knives and the thickness of the blades.
 
I really liked the kanetsugu damascus (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Sa...cusSeries.html), but is seems that no one recomended it.

Well, i have read every post available and I have narrow my search on this knives:

- Hiromoto AS (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Te...akuSeries.html)
- Fujiwara FKM (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/fufkmgy21.html)
- Masamoto VG (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/VG...EIGHT: 181px)
- Tojiro DP (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojiro-dp-f-8081.html)

I like the hiromoto the most....but is also one of the most expensive

As for sharpening, I was thinking about spyderco's sharpmaker



any thoughts?
 
guga said:
I really liked the kanetsugu damascus (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Sa...cusSeries.html), but is seems that no one recomended it.

Well, i have read every post available and I have narrow my search on this knives:

- Hiromoto AS (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/Te...akuSeries.html)
- Fujiwara FKM (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/fufkmgy21.html)
- Masamoto VG (http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/VG...EIGHT: 181px)
- Tojiro DP (http://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojiro-dp-f-8081.html)

I like the hiromoto the most....but is also one of the most expensive

As for sharpening, I was thinking about spyderco's sharpmaker



any thoughts?
Click to expand...

all four knives have similar designs, what separates them is construction. the hiromoto AS is the only one of those choices that has a carbon steel core (non-stainless). the small exposed cutting edge will patina over time. the other three have fully stainless blades. i personally love carbon steel but it's not for everyone. if the thought of your cutting edge discoloring over time bothers you or you want minimum maintenance, get a fully stainless knife.

it's hard to tell someone what knife to buy because not everyone likes the same weight and balance.

*these are thicknesses and weights i got of the net*
hiromoto AS = 2mm thick blade, 200 grams
fujiwara FKM = 2mm thick blade, 165 grams
masamoto VG = 2mm thick blade, 176 grams
tojiro DP = i don't know the blade thickness, 180 grams

if you are going with a japanese knife, the steel should be pretty hard IMO. the fujiwara FKM is around 58-59 HRC, most german made chef's knives are around 56-58 HRC. i prefer japanese made chef's knives that have a cutting edge of 60 HRC or higher (personal preference).

if you want a fully stainless knife, i would pick between the masamoto VG and tojiro DP. i doubt you'll be disappointed by either one. out of those two, the tojiro DP seems like a good value being it's nearly 1/2 the price of the masamoto VG.

look up reviews on all the knives to try and find people who own two or more of them and give a user review/comparison of them.

p.s. i have no firsthand experience with those knives you have listed, the closest knife i have to your list is a masmoto HC 240mm gyuto.
 
Last edited:
guga,

Having recently gone through the same process of choosing my first J knife, researching and getting tons of suggestions from other knife forums I selected a 240 Carbonext gyuoto:

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

They're very popular, sell out quickly and are back in stock within a few weeks. Apparently it's a clone of a more expensive knife and the unadvertised saya is $20 which you have to request in an email.

I'm very happy with it and the two wet stones (1K and 5K Shapton glass stones).

Learning to hand sharpen isn't that hard if you watch you tube videos and take your time. Also realize there's no perfect knife of stone set out there for you. In every price range there are a bunch of very good knives that will work well for you. Don't go nuts trying to make the one right decision.
 
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