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Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Sun May 13, 2018 10:10 pm
by Hackinmage
1)Pro or home cook?
Home

2)What kind of knife do you want? (Gyuto, Santuko, Petty, Paring, Sujihiki, etc.)
Gyuto and paring

3) What size knife do you want?
For gyuto 210-240

4)How much do you want to spend?
Under 600 for each knife, but price is not really an object for my only passion besides whiskey

5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction?
No preference

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
Used western, but tried Japanese and didn't mind it!

7)What are your main knife/knives now?
Tojiro dual set for the better half of the decade

8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair? Good

9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter?
Push pull with a mix of the other 2

10)Do you know how to sharpen? Yuppers!

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 4:51 pm
by Nmiller21k
Let me address this once I get back to my desk.

Is there anything you've been eyeballing or questions about?

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 5:02 pm
by Cutuu
Your budget is wide open! Like Nick said it would be good to throw out some that interest you. Also you can get extremely picky. I would start flushing out what you want in more detail with that kind of budget, plus you probably don't even have to spend close to that, but you never know. One that comes to mind for a gyuto is takayuki ginsan. I'm a huge fan and it's worth the cash I'm, but not everyone loves it as much as me- sometimes I don't understand that but everyone has their preferences ;) . The one I have is the non Damascus version.

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 5:17 pm
by salemj
I don't know why but my first thought is actually a Bloodroot Blade (not sold by Mark). Have you ever heard of them? You could play their lottery once or twice as you shop in the meantime...otherwise it is a 3-4 year wait, I think. I got lucky playing their lottery after just 2 months, I think, so I know it happens! The damascus blades are super-expensive, but my 220 gyuto was 675, but they have options that are both above and below that. Mine is magnificent so farโ€”not the "best" blade in my collection, but based on my experience, these blades are not overpriced at all, and mine is exquisite in terms of design, fit and finish, steel quality, and attention to detail. The nice thing is that they have blades that are more Western and more "Japanese" in profile and design, and they generally name them transparently (as "gyuto" or "chefs"); they also have a number of handle types, including "integral" handles, which are a nice in-between zone between Western and Japanese-style handles.

http://www.bloodrootblades.com/chef-2/#gyuto

If you are wondering, I think it comes from your mention of "passion," yet you survived with two Tojiros for nearly ten years. A BB definitely feels like a very passionate, artisanal product, but it also feels like it is designed to be used normally, regularly, and for many years. It looks and feels like one of the most utilitarian knives I own, and yet it is also super well-crafted.

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Mon May 14, 2018 5:56 pm
by Cutuu
Joe those bladeroot blades have always looked super nice!

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 4:45 am
by keithmarder
Remember whiskey and knives don't mix

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 11:34 am
by Lepus
You need to start a collection.

$600 is a lot to spend on a gyuto. Past around $200, gyutos level out. They don't get much better, they get more specific. You might buy a $600 knife because you like the aesthetics, you want to try the specific type of steel, you want a knife from a certain maker with a known heritage, or what have you, but the key word is you. I have a few knives around the $200 price point that I like much better than popular costlier knives because I favor them specifically.

You want to get a great knife, you understandably don't have a ton of experience with everything out there, and your budget is huge. Here is my custom made gyuto boot camp. Buy two popular $2-300 knives, sell one of them, buy a third based on what you liked from the first two, and go from there. Some popular knives that would fit in that scheme from CKTG would be the Kurosaki AS or the Anryu Hammered, the Harukaze AS or the Konosuke GS+ Togatta, the Yahiko Nashiji, and the the Mazaki Hairline. They're all good knives that would be able to inform future purchases. The Kurosaki is fairly similar to the Anryu and the Harukaze is going to be a lot like the Konosuke in practice, so I would not buy either of those as a pair. I suggest these not just because they are good knives but because they are also popular enough you could sell them at a modest loss if you decided to go a different direction.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kuasku24gy.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kaanasgy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/haas24wagy.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kogs24frstgy.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yawh2nagy24.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yashhagy24.html


For $600 you could even fly somewhere to check out some knife collections and still have $300 to buy whatever fits best.

A Western chef knife like salemj mentioned is a different story.

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 1:16 pm
by J david
keithmarder wrote: โ†‘Tue May 15, 2018 4:45 am Remember whiskey and knives don't mix
Speak for yourself! I rather enjoy my time with both.
Image
Image

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 3:32 pm
by Jeff B
keithmarder wrote: โ†‘Tue May 15, 2018 4:45 am Remember whiskey and knives don't mix
Knives and whiskey in moderation mix just fine... :D

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 6:10 pm
by Nmiller21k
No
Whiskey and knives mix well

Whiskey knives and credit cards don't mix

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Tue May 15, 2018 6:17 pm
by Jeff B
Nmiller21k wrote: โ†‘Tue May 15, 2018 6:10 pm No
Whiskey and knives mix well

Whiskey knives and credit cards don't mix
Will definitely +1 that!

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 9:42 pm
by Hackinmage
You guys are amazing! And I love the whiskey discussion! Bwahaha the only time whiskey isn't a possibility is if a wine reduction is going down (still haven't done a whiskey reduction :/)

Question, I could try knives but would it be better to buy the 200-300 gyutos and use them long term vs going to a local shop and just using them a few times?

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 9:44 pm
by Lepus
What is local for you?

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Thu May 17, 2018 10:10 pm
by Jeff B
I think you will be wowed and very satisfied by most $200-$300 knives compared to your Tojiros.

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 12:36 am
by Hackinmage
Haha well I spend much of the year traveling and live in LA so there's a decent selection, the question is can blade testing briefly help me with limited knife experience? I've just been sharpening these blades and practicing for 5 years ๐Ÿ˜‹

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 1:03 am
by Jeff B
Well if your not to far from Beverly Hills, Japanese Knife Imports and Jon Broida is on Wilshire Blvd. If he can't fix you up no one can.

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 1:24 am
by Lepus
Trying a knife before purchase is definitely valuable at any skill level. It isn't everything, but it can tell you a lot.

Re: Upgrade to new blade, gyuto

Posted: Fri May 18, 2018 2:24 am
by Jeff B
Passarounds helped me immensely when it came to choosing knives. There were times I had a desire for a particular knife and then got to try it and really didn't like it. Tried other knives I didn't think I'd like but loved them. Just holding a knife has helped me make up my mind.