Your Lineup

[meesterleester]

I am curious about the line up of knives that members here maintain. In particular I'm interested in the different fields or types of knives that people keep on hand and ready, think of it like a roster. For example, you may keep a workhorse for prep, a laser gyuto for detail work, a line knife, slicer, etc. Feel free to include some examples regarding length, weight or smith and maybe why this knife works, or why you feel the need for a certain type of knife. Pros and home chefs alike, lets converse.

Justin

[ared715]

Alec's current lineup consists of:
1. Masakage Shimo 240 Gyuto. Prep and fun at home.
2. Kohetsu Hap40 210 Gyuto. Prep and detail work.
3. Kohetsu SLD 165 Bunka. Hard vegetable prep and hard protein prep. My heavy lifter at work for smaller things.
4. Masakage Yuki 170 Bunka. Vegetable prep and precision detail work like garnishes and even mire poix. It's a bad boy for sure!
5. Yamashin White #1 150 Honesuki. Butchering of poultry ,red meats and fish. This is my go to knife for butchery of all sorts and it even doubles as a petty because it has a very versatile profile and it's on the tall side for a honesuki...I love the value, versatility and sharpenability.
6. Tojiro DP 210 Gyuto. For the super heavy lifting that a higher heat treat carbon blade is afraid of.( or really that I'm afraid of) haha
7. Karaku AS 165 Santoku. For tasks at home when no other knife is either available or I just don't feel like busting out the really good stuff. Haha no, but it's a pretty good knife. I just don't care for it as much, personally...
8. Kiwi knives. Got them at my local Asian market and I use them at home a lot. Generic but great for easy use and low maintenance.
9. J. A. Henkles 8" chef knife and paring knife. For home use and really heavy duty tasks at work that I am scared to use even the Tojiro for.... purchased them before i saw the light, so to speak, to the world of Japanese cutlery...
That's my current line up as of now! They serve me pretty well at my job in a pro kitchen during 50 hr weeks of non stop prep and cooking on line! Also, a real treat to use at my home kitchen cooking for my family!!

[meesterleester]

^^ that's awesome. Thanks

[Lepus]

I keep a few knives with me at all times. This set is almost always supplemented by a gyuto of the day.

• 270mm Fujiwara Kanefuse FKM sujihiki: This was one of my first Japanese knives. It has cut quite a lot of beef. There isn't much it can't cut well.
• 270mm Fujiwara Kanefuse FKM gyuto: The FKM gyutos are good knives. While plenty of knives are better overall performers, if I can't do a task with this knife, I probably cannot do it at all. I don't mind loaning it out, either. I swap it out at times with a 240mm Kanehide TK.
• 180mm Konosuke HH nakiri: I keep this knife on hand so I always have a great knife for onions or squash.
• 150mm Konosuke GS petty: This petty sees general utility work, including some deboning tasks. It's also a great if somewhat delicate line knife.
• 7" Victorinox Fibrox serrated bread knife: I only use this knife for particularly crusty breads. It seems some use as a loaner, too.
• 3" Henckels Pro paring knife: Sometimes you need a tiny knife. The partial bolsters on this knife is actually pretty comfortable.

[Jeff B]

I keep a few knives with me at all times. This set is almost always supplemented by a gyuto of the day.

• 270mm Fujiwara Kanefuse FKM sujihiki: This was one of my first Japanese knives. It has cut quite a lot of beef. There isn't much it can't cut well.
• 270mm Fujiwara Kanefuse FKM gyuto: The FKM gyutos are good knives. While plenty of knives are better overall performers, if I can't do a task with this knife, I probably cannot do it at all. I don't mind loaning it out, either. I swap it out at times with a 240mm Kanehide TK.
• 180mm Konosuke HH nakiri: I keep this knife on hand so I always have a great knife for onions or squash.
• 150mm Konosuke GS petty: This petty sees general utility work, including some deboning tasks. It's also a great if somewhat delicate line knife.
• 7" Victorinox Fibrox serrated bread knife: I only use this knife for particularly crusty breads. It seems some use as a loaner, too.
• 3" Henckels Pro paring knife: Sometimes you need a tiny knife. The partial bolsters on this knife is actually pretty comfortable.

Rob, it would take you 3 pages to list all your knives and give your description of their best uses!

[jmcnelly85]

For work:

52100 sab artifex: prep and line workhorse beater
240 kurosaki laser: prep and line when I have more projects than reservations:
210 kohetsu blue gyuto: prep and line when there is not that much prep but a lot of reservations
8in wusthof ikon chef: get ready to get your butt kicked line knife, love it for chicken, too
Artifex 150 petty: back when we broke down chicken this got more use, now I only pull it out when I'm filling in for someone on salad station... works awesome breaking down smaller fish.
Artifex 270 suji: slayer of salmon
Tojiro itk bread: best bread knife I've ever used
Cheap Chinese meat cleaver: I found this at a pawn shop and keep it in my roll to take up space and weigh things down. Once zombies come, I'll be ready
Leatherman fuse: fixing random things, steamers, sinks, doors, turning the cooler temp knob with the broken knob, it's amazing how often you need a Phillips, flathead, or pliers.
Cheap rapala filet knives: silver skin removal, best knives I've used for this task, can't take the greatest edge or hold it, but damn effective

At home:
240 Gihei blue 2: my go-to for everything, it lives a cushy life with an end grain board
210 takamura R2: wife's go-to for everything
50's-60's era wusthof 8in flexible slicer: found at thrift store for either .25 or .50 cents, amazing on fish and smaller roasts
5in wusthof santoku: love it for a lime or an apple or a whatever in reach small task
Assorted beaters: assorted beating
Itto ryu nakiri: change of pace machine gunning assassin and master of all things cabbage

[cedarhouse]

I have:
Kanehiro AS 240mm
TF 240mm gyuto
Takayuki Ginsan Damascus 240mm gyuto
Takayuki Syousin Sakura 240mm gyuto
Sukenari ZDP-189 Hairline 240mm gyuto
Shig Kasumi 240mm gyuto
Tanaka R2 Wa handled 240mm gyuto
Masamoto KS 250mm gyuto
Mizuno Tenrenjo Aogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Ginsan 240mm gyuto
Kono Fuji Funi Aogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Laser Shirogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Fuji Damascus Shirogami #1 240mm gyuto

Just out of curiosity, what are all these other knives you guys are talking about? How do they differ from a 240mm gyuto?

[mauichef]

Cedar I would LOVE to come to your house and do some side by side testing.
What an amazing collection of 240's!
So which one is the king, or is it not that simple?

[limpet]

Hum. I have no specific lineup, since I have lots of knives and lots of overlap. They are all different with their pros & cons, but most of them can be used for most things. Lately I've been trying to select one or two knives as my main knives for the week.

At the moment, I have only two knives that I use for special tasks:

• The first one is a 165 mm petty made by the late Masami Asai, sold under the Akifusa AS label. The grind and its edge is not particularly thin and the edge retention is excellent. I use it for breaking down chickens for parts.
• The second one is a Shigefusa kasumi sujihiki 220 mm that is use for slicing medium sized proteins, for example deboned chicken thighs. I find its size perfect for this task - ordinary pettys are too short and a longer suji is overkill. Of course, a 210 gyuto could do the trick, but is like the low profile of the suji for this.

Both these knives have been touched up on merely a 1000 grit to give them a very good bite.

[cedarhouse]

So which one is the king, or is it not that simple?

Not that simple. As good an answer as any is the Kanehiro probably gets the most miles. I will say that for my uses, the Kurosaki Laser and KU and the Masakage Koishi are perfect stand ins for the Kanehiro. I have said before, the only reason I own the Kanehiro and not the others is because I got the Kanehiro first.

That said, it is not the best, just the knife that does the most things well and I'm willing to risk on what it doesn't excel at.

[Dufus53]

Diggin this thread...particularly interested in the application for each.

[meesterleester]

Diggin this thread...particularly interested in the application for each.

Agreed. This thing is starting to pop off.

[meesterleester]

I have:
Kanehiro AS 240mm
TF 240mm gyuto
Takayuki Ginsan Damascus 240mm gyuto
Takayuki Syousin Sakura 240mm gyuto
Sukenari ZDP-189 Hairline 240mm gyuto
Shig Kasumi 240mm gyuto
Tanaka R2 Wa handled 240mm gyuto
Masamoto KS 250mm gyuto
Mizuno Tenrenjo Aogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Ginsan 240mm gyuto
Kono Fuji Funi Aogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Laser Shirogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Fuji Damascus Shirogami #1 240mm gyuto

Just out of curiosity, what are all these other knives you guys are talking about? How do they differ from a 240mm gyuto?

What's your favorite Kono line?

[Jeff B]

Just an addicted home user with more knives than I need....
Getting ready to give my brothers/brother-in-law each a knife from my collection to get them hooked and thin the herd some.

Masamoto KS W#2 250mm Gyuto
Konosuke HD2 240mm Gyuto
Teruyasu Fujiwara W#1 240mm Gyuto
Kurosaki AS 240mm Gyuto
Masakage Koishi AS 240mm Gyuto <----- Grab whatever 240 feels/looks good at the moment for heavier prep full meals or task at hand.
Hiromoto AS 240mm Gyuto
HHH AEB-L 240mm Gyuto
Kanehide PS60 240mm Gyuto
Fernendez s35vn 230mm Gyuto

Teruyasu Fujiwara W#1 210mm Gyuto - Use the TF the most for light prep smaller meals.
Kanehide TK 210mm Gyuto - Generally stays out on the board for quick, through the day tasks.
Artifex AEB-L 210mm Gyuto - For the wife to brutalize.

Konosuke W#2 210mm Petty - Use as a small slicer for things like pork loin, bird boobies.
Tim Johnson W#2(German?) 180mm Petty - Just a great all around odd job knife, use this a lot! Fits great between the 210mm and 150mm petties.

Teruyasu Fujiwara W#1 150mm Petty - Great for trimming proteins, breaking down chickens.
Masakage Shimo W#2 150mm Petty - Small board work duties, fruit and such.

Konosuke W#2 300mm Suji - Mainly a holiday knife for slicing that whole baked ham. Does see other odd other jobs a few times a year. Zombie Slayer.
Tojiro ITK 270mm bread knife - Obvious

[meesterleester]

Just and addicted home user with more knives than I need....
Getting ready to give my brothers/brother-in-law each a knife from my collection to get them hooked and thin the herd some.

Masamoto KS W#2 250mm Gyuto
Konosuke HD2 240mm Gyuto
Teruyasu Fujiwara W#1 240mm Gyuto
Kurosaki AS 240mm Gyuto
Masakage Koishi AS 240mm Gyuto <----- Grab whatever 240 feels/looks good at the moment for heavier prep full meals or task at hand.
Hiromoto AS 240mm Gyuto
HHH AEB-L 240mm Gyuto
Kanehide PS60 240mm Gyuto
Fernendez s35vn 230mm Gyuto

Teruyasu Fujiwara W#1 210mm Gyuto - Use the TF the most for light prep smaller meals.
Kanehide TK 210mm Gyuto - Generally stays out on the board for quick, through the day tasks.
Artifex AEB-L 210mm Gyuto - For the wife to brutalize.

Konosuke W#2 210mm Petty - Use as a small slicer for things like pork loin, bird boobies.
Tim Johnson W#2(German?) 180mm Petty - Just a great all around odd job knife, use this a lot! Fits great between the 210 and 150 petties.

Teruyasu Fujiwara W#1 150mm Petty - Great for trimming proteins, breaking down chickens.
Masakage Shimo W#2 150mm Petty - Small board work duties, fruit and such.

Konosuke W#2 300mm Suji - Mainly a holiday knife for slicing that whole baked ham. Does see other odd other jobs a few times a year. Zombie Slayer.
Tojiro ITK 270mm bread knife - Obvious

The classic bird boobies! Awesome collection thanks for sharing

[ared715]

I have:
Kanehiro AS 240mm
TF 240mm gyuto
Takayuki Ginsan Damascus 240mm gyuto
Takayuki Syousin Sakura 240mm gyuto
Sukenari ZDP-189 Hairline 240mm gyuto
Shig Kasumi 240mm gyuto
Tanaka R2 Wa handled 240mm gyuto
Masamoto KS 250mm gyuto
Mizuno Tenrenjo Aogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Ginsan 240mm gyuto
Kono Fuji Funi Aogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Laser Shirogami #2 240mm gyuto
Kono Fuji Damascus Shirogami #1 240mm gyuto

Just out of curiosity, what are all these other knives you guys are talking about? How do they differ from a 240mm gyuto?

Soon the alphabet of 240's and world domination will be complete!!
Awesome collection bro! I definitely know who to talk to about future Gyuto recommendations!! Sweet!!

[Jeff B]

....Just out of curiosity, what are all these other knives you guys are talking about? How do they differ from a 240mm gyuto?

Not everyone cares to grab a 240 when they just need to peel an apple....

[Kit Craft]

Tojiro ITK: 165mm Santoku (Sharpening practice and stone testing.)
Tojiro Stainless: 165mm Santoku (Sharpening practice and stone testing.)
Tojiro MVS Color: 120mm Petty, 170mm Santoku, 240mm Suji (Travel)
Suisin Western Inox: 90mm Petty, 150mm Petty, 180mm Gyuto (Community use)
Masakage: Yuki 75mm Petty, Yuki 210mm Gyuto (Daily use, for me only.)
Gesshin Ginga: 210mm Wa Gyuto White #2 (Daily alternative. I use it as an oversize petty.)

There are others but this is what gets used. I think I am going to get an Ikeda 210 next.

[ared715]

Tojiro ITK: 165mm Santoku (Sharpening practice and stone testing.)
Tojiro Stainless: 165mm Santoku (Sharpening practice and stone testing.)
Tojiro MVS Color: 120mm Petty, 170mm Santoku, 240mm Suji (Travel)
Suisin Western Inox: 90mm Petty, 150mm Petty, 180mm Gyuto (Community use)
Masakage: Yuki 75mm Petty, Yuki 210mm Gyuto (Daily use, for me only.)
Gesshin Ginga: 210mm Wa Gyuto White #2 (Daily alternative. I use it as an oversize petty.)

There are others but this is what gets used. I think I am going to get an Ikeda 210 next.

Yeah agreed on the Ikeda! Those look sweet!

[Lepus]

Jeff, it's actually a little funny, but my most used "proper" gyuto at this point is probably my Yuki, which I honestly picked up as an afterthought on sale. It's a nice knife to use, but the knife's biggest strength for me is that it's an easy knife to use. I don't really worry about the core steel's reactivity, the handle, or even my technique while using it.

If I keep the knife cedarhouse's old Anryu is almost certain to pass it in use. It's just as easy if not easier to use with a better handle. I think I favor the Anryu's grind, too. My Takeda and (again cedarhouse's old) Takamura are probably tied for second.