What knife should I start my collection with

[palmke]

Hi All,

Been looking and drooling over Japanese knifes for a couple of months now, visited some stores, got some explanations, read a lot, but it's a jungle out there. I only own classic western knifes right now ( but I resharpened them using a sharpening stone to 15%) and 1 Global knife that I got as a present from my wife. The global is a GNS-03 11cm Santoku and I use it mainly for shopping onions, for most other work I use a 24 cm Chefs knife. I don't fillet fish or de-bone meat, I cut fish and meat occasionally ( butterflying chicken most I think). Apart from that it's vegetables on the chopping board.
I have laid my eyes on a Takeda NAS 240 Gyuto knife to replace my chef's knife. I saw one in the store( and was stupid enough not to buy it immediate, it was a bit early on my journey to realise I should) and was sold immediately, so I am monitoring for that one. What should I get based on the above usage to add to the Gyuto? I defintely need a petty so tips on that are appreciated, but I think I need something to compete with the Global. I like Japanese octagonal handles in dark wood, and love to grow some patina on my knifes so they come to life. I don't have a budget in mind, but want something that does not come from a massive factory, but I guess that is why we are all here. Hope that helps. Thanks in advance for the tips.

1)Pro or home cook?

Home, every day.

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

Don't know, see above

3) What size knife do you want?

Don't know, see above

4)How much do you want to spend?

No specific budget. It all depends on what I find.

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

Carbon

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?

Japanese, octagonal

7)What are your main knife/knives now?

Western Chef knife, Petty knife, Filleting knife + Global GNS-03 11cm Santoku

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?

Mainly push / Pull, rocker for parsley

10)Do you know how to sharpen?

Yes, using sharpening stone

[Kerneldrop]

So, these are off-beat recommendations out of 200+.
The global is a gift from your wife, so trust me when I say you don’t need anything competing with that. Instead, you
want something to compliment it. Others can recommend a 240mm gyuto, the ones below are different.

Yasunori Nakiri
Why?: because the same one person does the forging, heat treat, grinding, edging
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yabl2na16.html

Yoshimitsu Petty
Why?: small shop that does most or all in-house
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yobl2tape12.html

Sakoda 180 Gyuto
Why?: one man shop that does most stuff by hand with files and stones
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sagy18.html

Check this brand out: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yubl2kukn.html

What I want: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mabl2nagy21.html

[Kekoa]

The biggest two factors I think here if I were to make a suggestion is how thin you want it and what style. Thicker knives feel more sturdy and have better food release in general, with some exceptions, while thinner knives cut with less effort, but can stick more in food sometimes.

The other question is style and length. 210mm Gyuto is an all arounder that can do almost anything you need. Santokus and Bunkas are similar but more compact than a Gyuto, Bunkas having a more usable tip. Nakiris are generally regarded as good vegetable knives, which might be up your ally from the sound of it, and they have flatter profiles if you like that. Another option to consider is a Chinese Cleaver, it is a slicing cleaver that is much like a large Nakiri. I have a cheap Dexter Chinese Cleaver that I quite enjoy as it is not quite like any of my other knives.

If I were to steer you toward any brands and series that aren't too extreme in either direction in terms of thickness or thinness, I would look at Anryu in the Blue 2 or AS series for something a bit stouter, or the Konosuke HD2 series for something thin and lasery. These are knife lines that are very highly regarded by those who own them.

[palmke]

So, these are off-beat recommendations out of 200+.
The global is a gift from your wife, so trust me when I say you don’t need anything competing with that. Instead, you
want something to compliment it. Others can recommend a 240mm gyuto, the ones below are different.

Yasunori Nakiri
Why?: because the same one person does the forging, heat treat, grinding, edging
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yabl2na16.html

Yoshimitsu Petty
Why?: small shop that does most or all in-house
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yobl2tape12.html

Sakoda 180 Gyuto
Why?: one man shop that does most stuff by hand with files and stones
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sagy18.html

Check this brand out: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/yubl2kukn.html

What I want: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mabl2nagy21.html

Some nice knifes, thanks for some new stuff to look at

[palmke]

The biggest two factors I think here if I were to make a suggestion is how thin you want it and what style. Thicker knives feel more sturdy and have better food release in general, with some exceptions, while thinner knives cut with less effort, but can stick more in food sometimes.

The other question is style and length. 210mm Gyuto is an all arounder that can do almost anything you need. Santokus and Bunkas are similar but more compact than a Gyuto, Bunkas having a more usable tip. Nakiris are generally regarded as good vegetable knives, which might be up your ally from the sound of it, and they have flatter profiles if you like that. Another option to consider is a Chinese Cleaver, it is a slicing cleaver that is much like a large Nakiri. I have a cheap Dexter Chinese Cleaver that I quite enjoy as it is not quite like any of my other knives.

If I were to steer you toward any brands and series that aren't too extreme in either direction in terms of thickness or thinness, I would look at Anryu in the Blue 2 or AS series for something a bit stouter, or the Konosuke HD2 series for something thin and lasery. These are knife lines that are very highly regarded by those who own them.

On the thickness, I actually don't know and guess i'll only know once I buy one
I think I like the tip on the Bunka, it also looks a little cool. Thank you