What should my next knife be?

[Ambitious_Goo]

I've just turned in a significant professional review dossier. If (not to tempt fate!) it goes well--which I may not know for a couple more months-- clearly this would be an occasion for a celebratory knife purchase. In the event this does go well, in order to distract myself from the anxiety of waiting, I'm seeking enablers, ah, I mean, soliciting input:

What should I get next?

I'm a skilled hobbyist home cook and my kitchen is pescatarian, so I am mainly cutting produce and fish (though for a household of 2 I almost never find myself in a position of needing to break down a whole fish). Right handed. As you can probably infer from my collection, I can and do sharpen. I have an end-grain board with plenty of real estate, and am open to any steel type and knife shape (though obviously I have no use for something that's specifically intended for meat). I'd prefer to stay at $300-ish or below but am willing to stretch to 4 for something truly special.

My current collection (in order of acquisition) includes:

Kurosaki AS KU 210 gyuto (still my favorite overall)
Masakage Yuki 120 petty
Fujiwara FKH 270 sujihiki (this knife has one job, and that's slicing gravlox)
Yamamoto AS tsuchime 170 nakiri
Daovua 52100 kiri cleaver
Yahiko hand-engraved Ginsan 170 bunka
Kono HD2 150 petty
Hatsukokoro B2 Rainbow Damascus 210 gyuto


Some directions I've considered include a long-coveted Shibata, trying my luck at the next Takeda feeding frenzy, or seeing if I can start to learn the skills for single bevels. But I'm open to other options I may not have considered, too.

[taz575]

Hmmm. You have a couple petty knives, a slicer, 2, 8" gyuto (one thicker and one more laserish), a nakiri, bunka and the Kiri cleaver. Pretty well rounded so far!

Do you make/eat a lot of bread? The Tojiro ITK 270mm is a great bread knife and works well when slicing up watermelons, too!

I would say a 240mm gyuto? When I am cutting rutabaga, cabbage and larger sized veg, I like to use a 240mm gyuto. The 210mm seems a bit small when going through larger food and you are left with almost a straight down chop where the 240mm gives you a bit more blade length available to use a "guillotine and glide" motion. I use this motion a lot with harder, root veggies for less stickage and better cutting in stuff like sweet potatoes.

I did a repair on a Shibata recently and it's a crazy nice knife, super thin grinds, should go through veggies well! Takedas are a different grind and feel and most love them or hate them! They do AS steel very well, too! Either of those would be a good 240!

Another option is a Funayuki. They comes in single or double and usually around 165mm-180mm. I have a couple double bevel ones and when cooking smaller quantity, they work really nice for quick prep. Tall enough for knuckle clearance, a fairly flatish edge profile, but a pointy tip for more precise work. You could get a single bevel one to see how you like single bevels:

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/iswh2fu16.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/ki18fubl2.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/sawh2fu18.html

[Kerneldrop]

As Taz typed, you have a well rounded arsenal.
You can either get a "premium" version of something you already have, or get a larger version of something you already have.

I'm a 180-210mm guy, but, I too, will happily spend your money for you on a 240mm Gyuto.
All that's left to decide is do you want a small-shop hand-made rustic product, or do you want a super-performance Gyuto?
Shibata is under your budget and what you want...so easy decision.

I'm a rustic hand-made small-shop type...but I recently splurged for a super-performance 240mm Gyuto.

Funny Taz mentioned a Funayuki...I saw there was one of these left and went to order it the next morning and it was gone.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/niwh1fu18.html

[Jeff B]

One of my faves....
Good looks, great performance, excellent stainless steel, above average stock handle, just the total package.

Shiro Kamo SG2 Damascus Gyuto 210mm

[aporigine]

I’ll chime in with a coupla oddballs.

1) Tsubaki Kori (kasumi) gyuto 240. It’s a workhorse grind, but made by hand in a small shop.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tsbl2kogy24.html

1a) for less money and a midweight grind with the handmade coolness factor, Doi blue 2 240 gyuto. I really like mine: great grind, excellent heat treat, “likes to cut”.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/doibl2gy24.html

2) Okada funayuki 180. Again not a laser. Made of white 2 and clad with a nicely understated iron damascus. Another hand-forged knife that has not suffered from explosive popularity.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/okada2.html

Of course, a Kashima is hard to gainsay. The 240 on onion or potato is a positively sensual experience.

[trancher]

Shibata Gyuto.

It will introduce you to the pure laser gyuto category of knives, which your list doesn't have ...yet ....

[Ambitious_Goo]

Thank you, everyone, for all the suggestions! I see there's a lot of encouragement in the Shibata direction, which, you know, I'm not mad about...

Taz, I do actually have the cheaper Tojiro bread slicer, which I'm quite satisfied with. TBH my use patterns for bread knives in particular dictate something that can take a bit of abuse: I eat toast for breakfast, I'm incredibly not a morning person, and I have ADHD. All of which means that if the bread knife does not live ON the bread board (which lives directly in front of the bread box), and I am trying to get breakfast together before my meds have kicked in, it will take me significantly longer to get everything done, even though you'd THINK it would only add five seconds to the whole affair to retrieve the knife from the knife strip 10 feet away...

A single-bevel funyaki as an intro to that genre is a pretty intriguing suggestion, though!

[Qapla']

What do you think of these?

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/risawh2ya30.html
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tash2ya27.html

Unfortunately a Takayuki Tokujo yanagiba is a bit above your price point in 270mm and currently also sold out in 300mm.

MTC has a Sukenari white #2 300mm available.

[Ambitious_Goo]

Qapla', not a bat'leth?

[Qapla']

Those aren't for the kitchen.

[aporigine]

Those aren't for the kitchen.

I saw a wicked cool handmade bat’leth pizza slicer (the back was sharpened) but thought about it for a day and it was gone.

[taz575]

My nephew wants a pizza axe. He's like 12. I was going to make them tomahawks for Christmas this year, but maybe I will add some steel and make him the pizza version...lol.

[Robstreperous]

To the OP....

OK so my first thought was pure laser but you're not wild about that. Fish heavy/veggie heavy diet ..... bunka, cleaver, 210 gyuto covered and a couple of pettys in your arsenal. But.. Is there a reason you don't have or aren't considering a yanagi for fish?

Assumng the yanagi's off the table my next thought is funayuki which would do double duty for you and, of course that's already been discussed.

My last thought: Try a K Tip such as a kiritsuke? They let me chop away but the K tip lets me do delicate work when I'm so inclined. Here's one. I can't say I know a lot about it but it's from a respected maker, good steel and aesthetically pleasing.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/nisg2tski241.html

Good luck with your submission.

[Ambitious_Goo]

Oh, hah--when I said "which I'm not mad about," I meant "I'm not angry about being encouraged in the direction I was already leaning"--but I can see how it easily read as "which I'm not wild about." Yes, definitely up for a pure laser. The yanagiba is also something I've considered, and I am a confirmed k-tip fan as well--I REALLY like my bunka.

Thank you for the good wishes!

[aporigine]

My nephew wants a pizza axe. He's like 12. I was going to make them tomahawks for Christmas this year, but maybe I will add some steel and make him the pizza version...lol.

You could always get him this.

https://eatingtools.com/products/damasc ... mwEALw_wcB

[taz575]

I made some Damascus pizza wheel cutters before, but he wants an axe...lol

[XexoX]

I made some Damascus pizza wheel cutters before, but he wants an axe...lol

Gimli's axe?

[taz575]

Maybe? The Pizza Axes I see are short handles with a small head, but long beard that goes over the fingers and almost to the bottom of the handle. I could forge weld a piece of steel onto a hatchet head to make it? LOL. I would need to make sure it would fit into the forge and quench tank though!

[Qapla']

Does he cook pizza on sufficiently regular a basis that a specialized tool such as a pizza axe would be worthwhile at all?

I never knew that pizza axes and pizza bat'leths were even a thing.

Back to the OP: As for "laser" gyuto's, do you think this might qualify?
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/hasg2gy24blh.html

[Tom_V]

You seem to be missing a santoku. I just bought one to celebrate closing a large sale, so I endorse your idea to acquire another knife.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/moassa18.html