Knife recommendation please. White steel?

[eyediver]

1)Pro or home cook?
Home cook.

2)What kind of knife do you want?
Gyuto

3) What size knife do you want?
Originally thinking an 8 inch / 210mm
but now leaning towards 180mm.

4)How much do you want to spend?
<$150

5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction?
All reactive or stainless over reactive carbon.

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
Japanese

7)What are your main knife/knives now?
Shun Classic with some Wusthof for my pairing and utility.

8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair?
Good. Possibly even inching towards fair.

9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter?
Mostly push but sometimes rocking when I didn't cut fine enough.

10)Do you know how to sharpen?
Yes. I like to think I'm good at it. I've repaired a few chipped knives over the years. Am able to get sharp though not as sharp as I'd maybe like.
I have a cheap $20 sharpening stone and a fixer stone. Does the sharpening stone make a big difference?

>Please also add any additional pertinent information that can help everyone with suggestions.

I'm mostly pleased with the Shuns that I have but remember using a vintage Sabatier at a friends house years ago. Although not pretty, it was sharp as the dickens. Something about it just felt "special"... and different from any other knife I had used(mostly German knives). I've heard that this may be because of the monosteel construction but it may be because it was simply high carbon. steel. In reading about different types of steels I get excited by the idea of white steels which are easy to sharpen. I'm open to other ideas too.

I'm drawn to the Tojiro Shirogami ITK simply because of the price but would be willing to spend a bit more if I got something that said "quality" more loudly. I've haven't seen the Tojiro up close or used it so it might fit the bill in this department just fine. When I asked for recommendations years ago I was pointed to the Masamoto KS series but I don't think I'm willing to spend that much... at least at this point. I'm also drawn to the idea of "lasers" that are lighter in weight, and perhaps slide a little easier through food.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

[Drewski]

For $150, It would be hard to beat a Harukaze AS. I have not used one, but they are very highly recommended. This is Blue Super steel, not White, but it will still sharpen easily, and will hold an edge longer too.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/haas21gy.html

Not sure when the Makoto damascus kurouchi White #2 knives are coming back in stock, but they sell like hotcakes.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/makotowhite21.html

The Kohetsu Blue #2 Nashiji is also something you could consider.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kobl2nagy21.html

[Jeff B]

The ITK is VERY reactive and has been known to discolor acidic foods and/or leave a metallic taste. It gets better the more it is used and developes a stable patina. Some are worse than others though and not sure if this would be a problem for you. It does take a very sharp edge and is easy to sharpen.

If you want to splurge a little, an absolute monster of a knife and excellent bang for the buck. Has a "cool" factor to it also. Easy to sharpen and holds its edge very well. Gihei Blue #2 Gyuto 210mm https://www.chefknivestogo.com/gibl2gy21.html

If you go Makoto splurge on the non-damascus it's well worth the extra coin. Better grinds, F&F and MUCH nicer handle.

You may want to consider a better stone at some point, it will make a difference. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ceraxcombo1k3k.html

[lsboogy]

Id look into this one as well

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/argtgy21.html

I have a Richmomd GT (older version of the knife) that is my basic line knife. They take and hold a great edge, even for a semi stainless monosteel blade, and it performs quite well in a professional setting. Cheap handle, but blade is great
I second the Kohetsu stuff (have lots of their blades) and love the Sabatier comment. I grew up with sabatier blades and still have the ones my mom bought in France in the 50's - they are great blades and the profile is what the Masamoto (and now others) tried to emulate with their KS knives.
Have fun, get a decent knife (nothing Mark sells is less than a really good knife) and cook some great food

[stevem627]

If you like a laser I’d look at this. I think this might be exactly what you want.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/haashagy21.html

[eyediver]

You all have me busy reading, watching videos, measuring and handling the knives I currently have. The blade I use the most is a Shun Classic 6" Chef which has me thinking that a 180mm blade might be a better choice for my next purchase. I notice both Harazuke and Hohetsu have a 180mm gyuto, Harazake's being a bit longer at 186mm.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/haaswagy21.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/koaosugy18.html

Thank you for all the suggestions so far. I am looking at all of them.

[Bob Z]

Kohetsu also makes an SLD version in 180 which is a little beefier than the last two, and for all purposes stainless with a bonus of having some eyeball. I also think the handle is nicer. I have an Nakiri version in this and love it.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kosldgy18.html

[eyediver]

Bob Z, I came across the SLD and loved the looks of it. Having stainless for the blade would be a plus but my concern would be about the cutting edge not being as easy to sharpen or keep an edge.
This was my thinking for going high carbon steel to begin with.
Does anyone here have any experience with the SLD steel compared to the Blue or white steels?

[Bob Z]

Bob Z, I came across the SLD and loved the looks of it. Having stainless for the blade would be a plus but my concern would be about the cutting edge not being as easy to sharpen or keep an edge.

I haven't had to sharpen my sld yet only strop it occasionally on newspaper or compound. This knife seems to keep the edge as well as any my blue #2 knives do if that helps.
Will it be as easy to sharpen as a high carbon knife? I cant answer that as I never had to do a full progression on either of my two sld knives and maybe others can help here. Your first real Japanese gyuto purchase here can easily be information overload! good luck with your purchase.

[lsboogy]

SLD is harder to sharpen than many steels, but and steel will sharpen with most stones. I might look into getting a decent stone as well as a knife if you have any question about it. For home use, you will probably only have to sharped a B#2 or SLD knife a couple of times a year at most. I strop my knives as well - even to the point of mid session - every box or two of onions seems to be about right

I purchased these for my nieces and nephew, and a few other folk in my family

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ceraxcombo1k3k.html

Good basic combination stone that puts a very usable edge on almost any knife. I find some steels harder to sharpen than others, but for the most part a high HRC blade will take longer to sharpen than a lower HRC blade, but will hold the edge longer. And I have recently become a believer in low grit stones (thanks ken123) - a 220 stone will take out chips and set an initial bevel in record (for me) speed - might even get a 120 early next year when I come out of purgatory for having purchased too many knives last year

[eyediver]

Looking at a metals composition chart, the SLD steel seems to be similar to the VG-10 steel currently in my Shun Classics. I'm pleased with my Shuns but I'm leaning toward trying something different. I know there are other aspects that matter a lot such as heat treating, so perhaps they are not as similar as I think. Feel free to correct me if I'm not seeing the picture clearly.

I'm an audio geek and buy and sell a good deal of equipment. I've gotten to listen to music through hundreds of pieces over the years and know pretty well by now what makes my soul sing. My story is that can be similar with knives.

My assumption is that most of you are knife geeks and that many of you have all spent a good deal of time finding the knife that just felt "right" to you for a given purpose. How did you get there? Lots of reading? Asking in forums? Buying lots of knives to compare side by side? I wish I could hold and cut with a bunch of different knives side by side but I'm not sure how open companies are to taking returns on high-end knives that have seen some use. If cared for, how well do used knives hold their value? Any other tips for me in this process?

Thanks again for you time everyone.

[gladius]

I have the Harukaze AS Wa Gyuto 180mm << which I highly recommend. It is a super performer with great steel, HT and grind that gets very keen and holds the edge well. It is a perfect small knife, very nimble that you don't have to fuss over and it looks quite nice too. You may even find it "special".

[Byphy]

Been wanting to try the Harukaze AS. Looks like a good line knife. Are you set on white steel?

[eyediver]

No, I'm not set on white steel. These ladies and gentleman have been convincing me rather well that a blue steel would fit the bill.

[gladius]

No, I'm not set on white steel. These ladies and gentleman have been convincing me rather well that a blue steel would fit the bill.

...or super blue steel

[lsboogy]

IMHO, white steel is great for ease of sharpening, take a great (super) edge, and would be a fine material. But until you are a proficient sharpener, it's easier to get blue or AS steel and have a lot less sharpening to do.

[ChefKnivesToGo]

I recommend this knife for you. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/haashagy21.html

[eyediver]

I decided to go with the Harukaze AS in 180mm.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/haaswagy21.html

Perhaps I'll write back after I've had a bit of time with it.

Thank you to everyone who responded. I much appreciate your time and attention!

[STPepper9]

Great choice

[Byphy]

Yea I would like to hear more about how this knife performs. Read in another thread that it is the same knife as the Akifusa, just different branding.