Gyutos - Japanese Chef Knives

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Knife Outlet

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Comparative review of Japanese Gyutos

The Japanese gyuto has emerged as the finest example of the culinary chef’s knife in the industry. Thanks to harder steel than steels used in Europe and the U.S., gyuto blades are thinner and have more acute bevel angles than chef’s knives from other countries. In other words, they are sharper and cut better than chef’s knives from other countries. Add to this half bolsters that don’t get in the way of the back of the blade and you have significantly easier maintenance than on some of the forged European knives.

But which gyuto is best for you? These knives are available for less than $50 and for more than $300. On average the cook can expect to spend more than $100 for a good quality gyuto. I’ve tested a number of the most popular models and have developed some opinions that I will share in this post. I’ll rate each knife on a scale of 1 to 5 in the areas of fit and finish, cutting performance and ergonomics. Please understand that these are a single person’s observations and opinions. They compare to each other, not to chef knives from other countries. Also note that gyutos aren’t truly forged. Normally, they are made by blocking out the blade and tang from sheet steel and then forge welding a bolster to the tang. It is just easier for me to call it forged. I have not conducted group tests. I’d be interested in your own observations as well. Please email if you agree or disagree with what I’ve written here.

I’ll start out with my very favorite Japanese gyuto, the 240mm Misono UX-10, and use it as a basis for comparison as we move along through the rest of the knives.

misono.jpg


Here are the specifications:

Model – Misono UX-10 240mm Gyuto
Blade length – 9 ½”
Overall length – 15”
Weight – 8 ¾ oz.
Construction – blocked
Blade – Swedish stainless steel, RC59-60
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on a full tang
Other – Attached nickel silver bolsters

My first impression of this knife was concern because I noticed immediately that this knife was blocked or stamped instead of being forged like most gyutos. It surprised me that the least expensive form of construction was chosen for a knife this expensive. All my concern went away as I tested the knife. It is blocked so that the manufacturer can use very hard stainless steel. This knife takes and holds an edge as well as the famous traditional Japanese knives made of hagane. When I grasp the blade just in front of the bolster, the knife settles into perfect balance. Its handle is relatively long and has no “ergonomic bumps” that can sometimes make a knife uncomfortable for me. Fit and finish are flawless. This knife is very well made. It cuts as well as any gyuto and better than some of them. I’ve sharpened this blade a couple of times with 2000 and 8000 grit stones and it sharpened up in about two minutes each time. This is with several weeks of hard use between sharpenings. So we have a chef knife with a blade almost as long as that of the 10” chef knife that weighs less than an 8” chef knife. It has a hard blade that takes an acute edge and holds it extremely well. It is perfectly balanced and feels excellent in the hand and in use. It has flawless fit and finish and is, therefore, attractive. What else could you want in a chef’s knife? For me, nothing. This knife really does the trick for me and I recommend it without reservation. If I had to give up all my gyutos but one, this would be the one. The price is in the area of $200. My rating:

Fit and Finish – 5
Performance – 5
Ergonomics – 5

Next is a knife with an incredible blade but ergonomics that fail me a little, the Glestain 240mm Chef gyuto.

glestaingyuto.jpg



Model – Glestain 240mm Chef gyuto
Blade length – 9 ½”
Overall length – 14 1/2”
Weight – 9 1/4 oz.
Construction – forged
Blade – Acuto 440 sub zero quench, RC 58-59
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on a full tang
Other – Granton blade.

This knife has a blade that is literally covered by kullens. I usually find this to be unwanted decoration in a chef knife because, in my experience, they don’t really have much effect on the use of the knife. This is not true of the kullens on the Glestain Chef. They are large and closely spaced so they are functional. They help prevent food from sticking to it. I sliced a block of cheese and found this blade worked as well as a cheese knife.

As much as I like the blade on this knife, I have some reservations about the handle. I tend to grasp chef knives on the blade right in front of the bolster. This is a curved ramped area on the Glestain. When I grip it there, my last two fingers fall on the “ergonomic bump” on the handle which feels awkward for me. I can’t help but think the designer’s intention was to have the user grasp the knife right on the bolster. That would place my hand, at least, in the correct position on the handle. The handle is also a little short, probably due to a steel pommel at the back of the tang which adds a lot of weight to that area. Actually, the knife is very slightly handle heavy. The balance point is about ¼” behind where I would prefer to have it. It is close enough, though. Put this knife’s blade on the Misono tang and handle it might make the perfect gyuto for me. The price is around $200. My rating:

Fit and finish – 5
Performance – 5
Ergonomics – 3

Next up is the attractive 240mm Inox Gyuto from Suisin. Suisin is an innovative knife maker that has created some of the finest stainless steel traditional Japanese knives on the planet. My favorite yanagi is from Suisin’s Inox Honyaki line. I can’t help but like their gyuto as well.

suisingyuto.jpg



Model – Suisin 240mm Inox gyuto
Blade length – 9 3/8”
Overall length – 14 1/4”
Weight – 7 1/2 oz.
Construction – Forged
Blade – Unknown chrome moly stainless steel
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated hardwood scales on a full tang

This is the race car of my 240mm gyutos. It is light and short compared to the others. It is lighter, in fact, than most 7” santokus made in Europe. I can’t tell you about the blade material other than to say that it is typical of Japanese gyutos in terms of hardness, edge retention and bevel angle. It cuts just fine, thank you,. The handle is on the short side for me. It doesn’t have the troublesome bump of the Glestain but it feels a little cramped compared to the Misono. My knife is quite attractive because the outer lamination of the wood scales is a light colored, nicely grained layer that makes it stand out. Fit and finish are better than most gyutos in the price range. Balance is right on the money. If you like light, maneuverable chef knives and your hand is small to medium in size, this might be the perfect Gyuto for you. It is priced in the $100 area. It is an excellent value in my opinion. My rating:

Fit and finish – 4.5
Performance – 4.5
Ergonomics – 4

270mm is really too long a chef knife to be comfortable for me. I only have one in that size and it is the Hattori HD, an excellent product.

hattorigyuto.jpg


Model – Hattori 270mm HD Gyuto
Blade length – 10 5/8”
Overall length – 16”
Weight – 10 ¾ oz.
Construction – Forged
Blade – Sandwich with VG-10 interior and soft forge welded exterior, RC 60-61.
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on a full tang
Other – Exterior of blade is 63 layer forge welded from soft stainless.

Most people refer to the blade on this knife as Damascus. I don’t think it is an accurate term to describe it. The Japanese call it “ink pattern” because it takes on an appearance similar to dropping ink in water. I call it forge welded because it is indeed two layers of stainless that are forge welded and then folded repeatedly to form the pattern. The blade is downright attractive with its ink pattern and it cuts extremely well thanks to the well honed and hard high tech VG-10 stainless steel in the core of the lamination. This knife will hold an edge right along with any gyuto. The handle is excellent for me. It is large since it needs to balance a long blade and feels very good in the hand. Fit and finish are also excellent. It is a shame to see the vertical grind lines in the beautiful blade but this is visible on any gyuto I’ve seen except for the Kai Shun knives. I won’t mark it down very far for that. It is somewhat blade heavy but this is not unusual in the longer models. The balance point is about ½” forward of its ideal position. I haven’t tried the shorter models but I suspect they probably balance perfectly. Perhaps someone can confirm that for me. Price is a little over $200. My rating.

Fit and finish – 4.5
Performance – 5
Ergonomics – 4.5

Now on to the shorter models – the 210mm. The best 210 I own is the Kikuichi 210mm gyuto.

kigyuto.jpg


Model – Kikuichi 210mm V Gold Gyuto
Blade length – 8 ¼”
Overall length – 13 1/4”
Weight – 6 1/4 oz.
Construction – Forged
Blade – Unknown steel (probably one of the VG series)
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on a full tang
Other – blade is laminated with a hard core surrounded by softer stainless steel.

When I want an 8” chef knife, the one I almost always reach for is my Kikuichi. It has a hard sharp blade that holds an edge extremely well. It’s handle is ergonomically better than that of any other short chef knife I own. Balance is perfect. The knife is hand forged and not just stamped with a forge welded bolster. It is also hand finished. It reminds one of the hongasumi construction found on professional traditional Japanese knives. This not surprising since the company has been making swords and knives for over 700 years. This knife provides not only the best of traditional craftsmanship but performance second to none in an 8” chef knife. Price is in the area of $160. My rating:

Fit and finish – 5
Performance – 5
Ergonomics – 5

Here’s the best value in the industry and I mean it. It is the Tojiro Honwarikomi gyuto.

tojiro.jpg


Model – Tojiro Honwarikomi Gyuto
Blade length – 8 ¼”
Overall length – 13 1/4”
Weight – 6 oz.
Construction – Forged
Blade – Unknown laminated stainless steel
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on a full tang

What can you buy for $60? You can by a knife that is dimensionally the same as the outstanding Kikuichi that will perform as well as most other gyutos that cost more. How’s that for value? If you compare it to the Kikuichi you give up hand forging and hand finishing and the flawless fit and finish. But not much else. Balance is perfect, handle ergonomics are the same as the Kikuichi and, while it may not hold an edge quite as well, it is in line with the rest of the Japanese gyutos and all for a price that is way, way below the competition. You simply can’t go wrong with one of these in your knife block. I recommend it to everyone starting out with Japanese knives. My rating:

Fit and finish – 3.5
Performance – 4.5
Ergonomics – 5

Ah yes, the famous Global G2 from Yoshikin. Is it a gyuto? I don’t know why not. It doesn’t have the typical gyuto shaped blade but neither do the Kai Shun knives. This is a knife made in Japan for a Western Audience.

globalg2.jpg


Model – Global G2 8” Chef Knife
Blade length – 8”
Overall length – 12 3/4”
Weight – 5 1/2 oz.
Construction – sintered
Blade – Unknown stainless steel, RC 57-58
Handle – Hollow ergonomic stainless steel

This is the sports car of chef knives. It is light and maneuverable. The manufacturer fills the hollow handle with the right amount of sand so this knife, like all Globals enjoys perfect balance. Despite the “ergonomic” handle this knife doesn’t feel quite so good to me as some of the full tang gyutos mentioned above. The blade steel isn’t quite as hard as that found on other gyutos but it is hard enough to maintain a 15 degree bevel reliably. I know because mine has had a 15 degree bevel from day one. It’s price is around $85 and it will outperform any chef’s knife made in Europe. My rating:

Fit and Finish – 4.5
Performance – 4
Ergonomics – 4.5
 
Personally, I'd rather have a slighly softer knife with a slightly lower angle than a super-hard, super-sharp one, because I'd rather have a knife that will bend at the edge rather than chipping. But, that's just my opinion...and some of those knives are VERY beautiful. I'm guessing they're either Super Blue or Super White steel?

Edit: And what's so bad about Mora's, anyway? With a little bit of polishing, mine will push cut paper with almost no pressure.

Anyway, excellent review...although I'm wondering, is the Gyuto 'traditional' in it's form? J/w...
 
The gyuto is Japan's answer to the Western chef knife. The blade shape is "traditional" to Japanese manufacturers. In other words, the manufacturers all make a similar profile for the gyuto with very few exceptions.

Very few gyutos use either aoko or shiroko hagane steel. Most of them are stainless. With steels such as VG-10 that are now available and very good for kitchen knife use, there isn't much point beyond "tradition" for making knives of hagane.

I used to feel like you do. No longer. I don't use western knives at all any more in the kitchen. The Japanese knives are simply better. They balance better, they are lighter and they are sharper. I haven't chipped one yet, even cutting frozen food. They are being used increasingly in commercial kitchens. So increasingly, actually, that Japanese made kitchen cutlery had a 300% increase in sales last year while kitchen cutlery in general had a sales decrease. Take care.
 
Gotta agree with the conclusions from Knife Outlet. My wife is a professional chef. She uses nothing but Japanese knives -- Kasumi's to be precise. Beautiful knives -- excpetionally well made, awesome balance in the hand, razor sharp & easy to keep sharp, and they slice like nothing else I've ever seen & used.

In our kitchen at home we have the Kasumi's and a Shun... have had nothing but incredible service from these knives, with no chipping of the blade edges. Have given all my German kitchen knives away.

AJ
 
A lot of it comes from how they are used, so experience is key. I have used a thin ground Japanese knife and other similar blades) for a long time in the kitchen, and even for utility use without harm.

However I also loan them to friends, or have them use them while they are visiting and it never fails to produce damaged edges readily if the blades are used like you would a thicker and softer knife.

I recently viewed my Japanese utility knife form Lee Valley after one such exercise and found four large chips in the edge (the biggest was about a full mm deep).

Do those scallops in the fully scalloped blade help it cut potatoes smoothly. The only problem I have in that area, food sticking, is when dicing up potatoes finely. The potatoes can stick to the blade and thus you can't work as fast and smooth as you would like.

-Cliff
 
It's a little hard to tell what the bevel angle is from the factory on these knives because the bevels are uneven. Typically the maker will grind 80% on the outside and 20% on the inside. The outside, then, sometimes has a convex bevel but the inside never does. The traditional knives are single bevel, as you know, and this practise sort of heads them in that direction.

Truthfully, though, I don't think the bevels are that acute. What they are is highly polished. When I go to sharpen and match the bevels they look rather like 20 degrees to me as I sharpen them-maybe a little more acute. After taking them up to the 8000 grit waterstone they cut very well indeed. The blades are certainly thinner. The bevels may or may not be more acute. Whatever the geometry of the blades, they work better than European or American kitchen cutlery blades.

I did slice potatoes with the Glestain and the kullens are functional, unlike those on the typical European granton santoku. I cut both hard and soft cheese with it and felt it did as good a job as the cheese knives. The Glestain blade is a little softer than the blades on the Misono UX-10, Kikuichi, Masamoto and Hattori but only by a little. The blades on these others are VG-10 except for the Misono which has a Swedish steel that is competitive with VG-10. Restoring the edge with waterstones is quick and easy. I really like the Glestain blade.
 
Truthfully, I haven't used it. I tolerate non stainless steels in traditional Japanese knives because they are, well, traditional. In this day and age, though, stainless steels are so good I think Western chef knives should be made of them. Fit and finish of the Elite carbon series is excellent. They are beautiful knives and, since they are made from hard hagane, they will blow away the Thiers Issard-made carbon steel knives in terms of performance.

Perhaps one day I'll dig into that series a little and see how it fares. Good cooking.
 
Hi to all, I'm new here and reading up on some topics.

Nice overview Knife Outlet, I have a question about a the Global G-2.
Last week I got one and prepared sushi with it, it was a joy!

On close inspection of the blade I noticed the steel is stained near the handle on both sides. Should I be worried and take it back?

I believe the steel used by Global is VG-10.
 
No, the steel isn't VG-10. Someone told me what Global uses once but I forgot. It is certainly somewhat softer than VG-10 and significantly harder than what the European and American cutlery makers use. Probably the most important feature of the Globals isn't the steel or the blades. It is the perfect balance every knife has as result of the manufacturer being able to balance them by putting sand in the hollow handles. Globals seem to feel right all the time and I think that's the reason.

I have now spent quite a bit of time with the Kikuichi Elite Carbon gyuto and several other carbon steel models. In fact a 240mm is in my block at the moment. The steel is very hard. I would estimate it is probably shiroko (white steel) or something comparable and is probably in the area of RC 63-64. I say that because it feels similar to my shiroko yanagi against the stone. The only other carbon steel gyuto I've used that is comparable in hardness is the Masamoto - a dandy product as well. The Suisin, Misono and others I've tested were softer but still a little harder than VG-10. If you can live with the discoloration, the performance of these knives certainly won't be a disappointment.
 
I took my Global G-2 back to the shop, cos the discolorations described in my previous post were in the blade when I got it. The one I got now looks alot better.
 
I recently got a Global knife which I took back after getting it out of that packaging. Geez...it's a knife but, is that level of packaging really necessary?

In my case, the grind between the handle and blade was very rough. Once I got it out of that @#$% packaging and out of the plastic sleeve, I wondered what had happened to Quality Control.

Right now, I am using a 300mm Masamoto VG-10 Gyuto a lot and really love it. Who would have thought I would replace my beloved Wusthof's? Now the Wusthof's sit neglected in drawer while I use my Japanese blades.
 
agreed, the sit alone often in the draw/home...@my kitchen as well.
Nice realm that's going here.







KNIVES:10"wide body wusthof cook's knife
270mm Kikuchi moly chef knifehak
 
Fred,
Before I forget, Pam Braun wanted me to give you her regards, she had nothing about great things to say about you.

For those that do not know, in addition to selling knives, Fred teaches knife skills workshops for chefs. His opinion is one that carries some serious weight when it comes to culinary tools.

How do these knives compare to high end western cutlery, i.e. Wustoff, Henkels, Sabatier and Mesermiester?

Globals is kind of a hybrid in my view, but seem to perform well enough.


Japanese knives require a whole different mind set to use, similiar to the difference between a carpenter using western wood working tools vs. Japanese tools.

They are often built with no "safety" factor of durability, i.e. the knives and other tools are not over built at all. They are made for pure performance. There is a cultural aspect where tools are given far more respect, and are built to be used properly and carefully.

The gain from using these tools is a leap in cutting performance. As well, when used properly they last for generations and are cherished.

Personally I do not like the idea of stainless steel traditional style Japanese knives, it is like adding a side car to a race motorcycle.

However, for a professional chef, many safety codes do not allow carbon steel to be used in kitchens. For the home cook, staining should not be a matter to be concerned with at all, and the advantages of a good carbon steel (much tougher, and so avoids chipping even with morew acute edge angles, ease of sharpening, etc) vastly outwieghs any disadvantage.
 
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