Looking for a knife recommendation

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chosenbyetro
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:21 am

Looking for a knife recommendation

Post by chosenbyetro »

So I'm looking for a new knife to use as a daily driver.. I'm a qualified Chef working in a fast paced environment.
A few things I'm looking for in a knife:

Sharp, like a laser.
Good edge retention and easy to maintain.
Durable - don't want to have to worry about chipping.
Japanese Gyuto 240mm
Japanese Wa Handle - Octagonal, I believe.
Pinch Grip.
Good Food Release, don't want anything sticking to the blade as much as possible.
Weight- decent weight in the blade.
Purpose: Everyday driver, veg, fruits, meats, seafood, detail.
Budget - Sub $450AU
Knife Profile: Chop, Rocking and Slicing. Currently I do my food preparation using all these cutting methods, I'd like something that isnt too punishing and allows for all styles.

Currently I own 24cm Ran and 24cm Gou from Yaxell.
They a great knife but looking for something bigger and better, and with a Japanese Wa Handle, I think haha.

Through a bit of research a came across HAP40 Steel, what is this like compared to Carbon Steel and Stainless?

Im still unsure of what steel I'd like, I like the idea of the 'patina' effect but as I'm new to all this I'm not sure exactly how much maintenance is required, and how long it would take for the knife to rust. As I work in a pretty high volume and fast paced restaurant, I want something that's easy to maintain. I'm yet to pick up a Stropping kit, but in the meantime all I have is a Ceramic Steel and a F Dick Finecut Honing steel to maintain my knives. So my question is on this matter is whether these knives can handle this type of maintenance? As I've read somewhere that some knives can get chipped through the use of steels.. Is this true?



Knives that I've reviewed and have taken interest in:
(no particular order)
• Kohetsu HAP40 Wa Gyuto 240mm
• Masakage Koishi 240mm Gyuto
• Kurosaki Laser AS 240mm Gyuto (formerly Richmond
• Takeda Classic Gyuto 240mm Medium
• Takeda Stainless Clad 240mm Medium
• Tanaka B#2 Damascus Gyuto 240mm
• Sakai Takayuki Damascus G3

So yeah that's what I've been looking at, appreciate the Recommendations and all information.

tl;dr
Looking for a Japanese Gyuto that's durable, sharp, easy to maintain with steels and has good edge retention. Unsure on which Steel to use at this point in time. Need some professional and personal recommendations.

Ta
Igalor
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Re: Looking for a knife recommendation

Post by Igalor »

Hi. I have or had most of the knives on your list, the koishi I had was great, nice profile, great steel, very thin and agile tip, really thin behind the edge. I have a kurosaki r2 that is my daily driver, it doesn't really excel at anything, but it doesn't lack either, not too thin, not too thick either, easy to get in the line with confidence, and r2 stays sharp for a very long time, and is quite easy to sharpen. I carry a tanaka and a takeda in my roll, at all times, tanakas are great knives, and though I use the r2 version, I've had both the b2 Sammy and used the b2 nashiji and both are amazing as well. Takedas are different to anything else I have encountered, best food release ever, and man they are tough, I wouldn't be with out one takeda at any time, but it wouldn't be my choice if I had to keep just one knife either.
chosenbyetro
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:21 am

Re: Looking for a knife recommendation

Post by chosenbyetro »

So what would be your biggest recommendations for an everyday driver?
AlbuquerqueDan
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Re: Looking for a knife recommendation

Post by AlbuquerqueDan »

Sukenari HAP40. Extremely underrated light-to-middle weight knife. It's the knife I'd want in a pro environment. I gifted mine to my buddy who's a Japanese-style chef in Napa, and he can't get enough of that thing. I didn't find HAP40 difficult to sharpen in the least.
chosenbyetro
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:21 am

Re: Looking for a knife recommendation

Post by chosenbyetro »

AlbuquerqueDan wrote: Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:22 am Sukenari HAP40. Extremely underrated light-to-middle weight knife. It's the knife I'd want in a pro environment. I gifted mine to my buddy who's a Japanese-style chef in Napa, and he can't get enough of that thing. I didn't find HAP40 difficult to sharpen in the least.
O o o F that looks like a very nice knife! Bit outside of my price range THOUGH unfortunately. :(Anything you can think of that's < $300AU? That's suitable for restaurant work.
chosenbyetro
Posts: 4
Joined: Mon Sep 10, 2018 7:21 am

Re: Looking for a knife recommendation

Post by chosenbyetro »

Any other recommendations that anyone can think of?

Again looking for something for a busy working environment, good edge retention, easy to sharpen and maintain and good food release.

Ta
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