Recommendation? Japanese kitchen knife Q's

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Conner Michaux

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Jul 8, 2018
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My next knife hasn't even arrived and im already looking for another! :D

So lately ive been interested in getting better at cutting up vegetables, Yeah that sounds boring i know, I've seen some cool mothods of dicing onions and slicing cucumbers. and im very intrigued. So then I started looking for a nice Japanese petty knife.

But there are so many websites claiming they have real forged Japanese kitchen knives but im not sure how to find out if its really authentic, or if its a fake.

Do you guys know any websites where you can get authentic forged japanese kitchen knives? (that are reasonably priced)
I want a single edged petty knife. I dont want a production american take on a japanese knife.

I like the petty because its specifically for carving and detailing vegetables and fruit.
Also I think its a good knife to get me started into the universe of Japanese knives.

Thanks for reading! Also please excuse my horrible grammar.
 
I want a single edged petty knife.

Petty's are double bevel knives, A "Mukimono" is the traditional single bevel knife for doing decorative
veggie cutting.

https://www.korin.com/HMA-SHMU-180

You would get very limited use/value with one in a home kitchen.
with some practice you should see better results in the decorative area & better value
with a regular Petty.
Jon at JKI Japanese Knife Imports is great to work with { I have several knives from him }

fast forward to 4:58, he talks about petty's. I have a 240mm Kochi Gyuto from JKI & it's an insane cutter
 
As stated above, a Petty knife is a double bevel knife. The single bevel traditional Japanese knives, like Usuba,Deba, Yanagiba have been around in Japan for a long time. But it was not until the second half of the 1800s that Japan opened it's doors to global trade and the French Chef's Knife became the Gyuto (Beef knife) and the Petite knife became the Petty. For that reason these two knives were always made in the western full tang/scales double bevel style. The current trend in Wa-handled Gyutos and Pettys alone are a relatively new thing created by the demand of many western buyers.
But, today you can find wa-pettys some even in single bevel.

https://japanesechefsknife.com/coll...no-3-wa-petty-150mm-5-9inch-single-bevel-edge

https://www.japaneseknifeimports.co...80mm-white-2-hon-kasumi-single-bevel-wa-petty

If I may throw in a few personal comments, you don't have to use a single bevel knife to appreciate using a real Japanese knife. Nor does it have to be Wa-handled, although that "looks" more traditional Japanese. Using a double level Japanese Gyuto or Petty after using German, French or other western knives, you will notice a big difference, in shape, weight, profile, steel hardness, blade thickness, etc etc.
Also, while the very best and most expensive Japanese knives are forged, today's stamped knives come very close and most users can not tell any difference.
Finally, traditional single bevel Japanese knives are really "task specific" designed to be used for a dedicated purpose. Whereas the western influenced knives; Gyuto, Petty, Santoku are double beveled and can be used for any task. I would never consider a single bevel petty for this reason since I use my petty for anything where the size is appropriate. Furthermore, a single bevel knife pulls to one side (albeit gently), depending on whether the knife is a Righty or Lefty. Again, quite meaningless for a Petty.

Look for real Japanese brands like Masamoto, Tojiro, Misono, Masahiro, Sakai Takayuki, etc. There are alot more. Just avoid the "fake" Japanese knives made in China sold on Amazon and eldsewhere.
If looking for a Petty, consider Wa (Japanese) or Yo (Western) handle, and whether Carbon or Stainless. Then the multitude of different steels in those categories. Powder steel knives will knock your socks off with their edge retention.
 
Chef knives to go, has a large selection of Japanese knives.
 
Yeah that shows my amazing knowledge of Japanese knives :p yeah not really.

O OldNavy the one you linked is very cool, but that’s way out of my price range.

Is there a good veggie slicer I could find under 100$?? Or is that totally unrealistic..

I could make one....but I think real Japanese knives sooooo outrank my skill level at the moment.
 
First off if you use the term "veggie slicer" with respect to Japanese knives, people will automatically assume that you are referring to a specialized Vegetable knife called an Usuba (if single bevel) and Nakiri (if double bevel).
You stated that you are looking for a Petty knife. You need to choose whether Wa-handle or Yo-handle. Note that a Wa-handle will have a forward weight distribution compared to a Western handle. There are many good knives in your price range.

https://www.chuboknives.com/collections/knives/Petty
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/petty-knives.html
https://www.japanny.com/collections/petty-knife
 
I like the Wa-handle, I don't know if the petty is the right one though. Is there a knife that is specifically for vegetables and fruits? Or is that the petty?

{Edit} Okay I just did some more looking and I guess the petty is what im looking for.
 
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Conner Michaux said:
I like the Wa-handle, I don't know if the petty is the right one though. Is there a knife that is specifically for vegetables and fruits? Or is that the petty?

{Edit} Okay I just did some more looking and I guess the petty is what im looking for.
Click to expand...

The Petty, as well as the Santoku and Gyuto can be used for anything including vegetables and fruits.
However as stated before, the Japanese cooking knife designed specifically for vegetables is the double beveled Nakiri, and the single beveled Usuba.
Nakiri:
hUE2o0.jpg

Hqxevj.jpg
Usuba.
 
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Another rec for Chefknivestogo.
They have a wide pricing range. There are other sites that also have forged Japanese knives, but in the US they have the most reasonable prices. Mark also usually makes a yearly trip to Japan and meets with some of the smiths and intermediaries.
The forums there can point to to some knives in your price range and usage case.
 
I’ve been checking out the pricing on JP-Knives, they’re pretty aggressive on several brands...

I understand it’s an entry level manufacture, but has anyone given SETO’s Iseya-I Wa-handled line a try? Very attractive pricing for a Seki made knife, just wondering if anyone’s given it a go? Here’s their 210mm Gyuto on JP-Knives https://jp-knives.com/seto_i-4/

I can buy SETO for slightly less (5% over wholesale) from one of my F. Dick dealers, but it’s a broadline restaurant equipment dealer and they don’t know anything about the SETO brand, but they stock the SETO Iseya-I line and a few other Japanese manufactures, amongst all the Dexter/Mercer/Vic stuff...
 
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KenHash said:
I put Tojiro above Seto as a brand any day.
Click to expand...
Why? Have you tried both?

I have zero brand preference in concerns to Japanese made knives, I’m looking for friends to help me better understand Japanese knives and the market for them for my career, I mean no disrespect.
 
OldNavy said:
I want a single edged petty knife.

Petty's are double bevel knives, A "Mukimono" is the traditional single bevel knife for doing decorative
veggie cutting.

https://www.korin.com/HMA-SHMU-180

You would get very limited use/value with one in a home kitchen.
with some practice you should see better results in the decorative area & better value
with a regular Petty.
Jon at JKI Japanese Knife Imports is great to work with { I have several knives from him }

fast forward to 4:58, he talks about petty's. I have a 240mm Kochi Gyuto from JKI & it's an insane cutter
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting this video, I’ve been on the JKI website for the past 20-minutes checking it out, very nice site, I was really enjoying the knives and the Japanese artwork on his site, fun stuff.
 
KnifeRep said:
Why? Have you tried both?

I have zero brand preference in concerns to Japanese made knives, I’m looking for friends to help me better understand Japanese knives and the market for them for my career, I mean no disrespect.
Click to expand...

I own and use 4 Tojiros among my 12 kitchen knives all of which are Japanese except for 1 Wustoff and 1 Henkels.
I do not own, but have held a Seto Iseya line knife in my hand. The quality does not compare.
today there are tons of "Japanese styled knives" coming out of Yangjiang China factories cashing in on the "Japanese knife boom" and
are offered at very attractive prices.
I always recommend Tojiro to people new to Japanese knives as an low cost way of getting into the real thing.

That said, the Tojiro knives, while being in my opinion the best "bang for the buck" as an entry to mid price choice, are nowhere near the upper-middle to upper
levels of Japanese knives, the top ones, again my opinion being the forged work out of Sakai and Sanjo/Tsubame.
 
I am going to Bernal Cutlery today in San Francisco to finalize a F. Dick order with their buyer, I will also be looking at buying a forged Usuba and 210mm Gyuto, I will probably buy one SETO Iseya-I 180mm Santoku just to try it, I can buy them at near wholesale so why not...I will also try a Tojiro knife as well.

I am intrigued by small-forge maker Shehan Prull (Shi Han Knives) in New Mexico and plan to purchase one of his Gyutos in 52100 carbon steel.

These are all reference knives, my business will buy them, they are for my continuing education.

Once I buy several I will post my own thread, I don't want to hijack Conner's thread anymore than I already have...
 
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