Need help picking out first Gyuto

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Ronin859

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Aug 28, 2019
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I’ve been lurking here for a while trying to make a decision on which Gyuto will be my first “high quality” kitchen knife, but I feel I need a little more information.

I’ve been cooking for 20+ years, 10+ professionally, and I’ve never pulled the trigger on what I would call a nice knife. I’ve had some cheaper Wustofs and Henckels, but nothing too special. I’ve started a new job in an upscale kitchen and seeing others with high end knives makes me want my own.

I’ve been watching YouTube vids and lurking here trying to figure out what Japanese makers are considered the “best”. It seems like there are quite a few good makers, but what would be your list of top 5 if you had to pick?

I’m trying to stay under $500 and the one maker there seems to be consensus on, Masamoto, is in such high demand that finding an 8” Gyuto by him is going to be a challenge. So this leads me to try to find some other makers to choose from. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
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I would recommend visiting the Chefknivestogo forum.
Thats what I did a few months ago, which lead me to the Gyuto that I purchased.
I spent just under $300.00 for a very nice knife.
 
Masamoto Sonhonten is a famous brand, not a one man operation. Nothing wrong with that, just that they're made in a multi-person factory/workshop setting.

Ask at kitchenknifeforums (KKF) and chefknivestogoforums (CKTG) but beware that both forums have certain biases. CTKG is heavily biased towards the brands carried by the retailer that runs the forums, and KKF has their own biases.

If you have colleagues that are willing to let you use their knives, maybe worth asking them if you could try them out. Knife preference is extremely personal. A knife that I love to use might be a knife that you hate to use.

If you're looking specifically for Japanese kitchen knives, call up Jon at Japanese Knife Imports and he can offer you some choices based on what you're looking to do with the knife and what kind of situations you'll be using it for (in prep, on the line, in a small cramped kitchen, at the sushi bar, etc). Another good retailer is Korin in NYC.
 
I got a lot of recommendations for Tanakas as a entry gyuto. I think my B2 KU 240 was under $250 shipped from Australia. Though I’m a home cook, and I know a lot of pros prefer stainless in that environment. His Ginsan knives are also well regarded.
 
Ive been most impressed by shibata and harukaze knives for performance while still being a good deal. They are simple no frills , badass knives
 
Ronin859 said:
I’ve been lurking here for a while trying to make a decision on which Gyuto will be my first “high quality” kitchen knife, but I feel I need a little more information.
I’ve been cooking for 20+ years, 10+ professionally, and I’ve never pulled the trigger on what I would call a nice knife. I’ve had some cheaper Wustofs and Henckels, but nothing too special. I’ve started a new job in an upscale kitchen and seeing others with high end knives makes me want my own.

I’ve been watching YouTube vids and lurking here trying to figure out what Japanese makers are considered the “best”. It seems like there are quite a few good makers, but what would be your list of top 5 if you had to pick?

I’m trying to stay under $500 and the one maker there seems to be consensus on, Masamoto, is in such high demand that finding an 8” Gyuto by him is going to be a challenge. So this leads me to try to find some other makers to choose from. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
 
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Ronin859 said:
I’ve been lurking here for a while trying to make a decision on which Gyuto will be my first “high quality” kitchen knife, but I feel I need a little more information.

I’ve been cooking for 20+ years, 10+ professionally, and I’ve never pulled the trigger on what I would call a nice knife. I’ve had some cheaper Wustofs and Henckels, but nothing too special. I’ve started a new job in an upscale kitchen and seeing others with high end knives makes me want my own.

I’ve been watching YouTube vids and lurking here trying to figure out what Japanese makers are considered the “best”. It seems like there are quite a few good makers, but what would be your list of top 5 if you had to pick?

I’m trying to stay under $500 and the one maker there seems to be consensus on, Masamoto, is in such high demand that finding an 8” Gyuto by him is going to be a challenge. So this leads me to try to find some other makers to choose from. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Hey there, Ronin!

Allow me to suggest the Misono UX10 27cm Gyutou featured on Amazon for $295.

It's a beautiful combination of a Japanese blade and a European 3 riveted handle.

She's a real centerpiece!

PS.

Of course, there's the Togiharu Inox available thru Korin that's also 27cm that costs only $163 and it's also a genuine masterpiece!

You might also wanna checkout their Damascus steel gyutous being offered at shorter lengths...
 
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If you haven't already done so head over the the exchange and search kitchen knives in the Knifemakers Market.
There seems to be a lot of what you may be looking for there. Although a lot of Japanese styles and steels everything seems American made. Not from Japan.
If you don't find what you are looking for you might be able to contact one of the makers and get a true custom one off.
Just a thought.
Cheers
 
There are a number of decisions you need to make.
What size gyuto are you looking for? They commonly come in 210mm, 240mm and 270mm edge lengths and also 180mm which is slightly less commonly available. rarely you will see 290 - 300mm+ gyutos. 240mm is something of the "standard" size for pro kitchens but you certainly aren't tethered to that length.
Do you want all carbon steel, a carbon core/cutting edge with stainless cladding or an all stainless or semi-stainless blade?
Do you want a wa (Japanese style) or yo (Western style) handle. Wa handles commonly come in D-shaped (oriented for right handed users), oval, or octagonal shapes.
I strongly endorse participating in the Kitchen Knife Forums and Chef Knife to Go Forums. Read both to get a feel for their biases as previously noted by milkbaby. Use the search function on both forums as the "which knife" question and variations are asked over and over again.
Good U.S based retailers include: JKI (Japanese Knife Imports), CKC (Carbon Knife Company), EE (Epicurian Edge), CKtG (Chef Knives to Go), A Frames Tokyo, Bernal Cutlery, Korin and MTC Kitchen. You can also look at JNS (Japanese Natural Stones in Denmark), CleanCut based in Sweden, Knives & Stones (Australia) as well as a number of other Canadian, Japanese, and European vendors. Almost all ship internationally, typically for free on a $300 knife.
Personally, I suggest dialing back your budget for a first Japanese knife to the $200 to $300 range. That should get you an excellent knife. At this point I don't think you know enough to invest $500 plus knives not infrequently are damaged or stolen in pro kitchens. Unless you can ceaselessly guard your knife or you're in a kitchen where no one ever touches anyone else's knives a $500 knife is a significant risk.
Personally, I would look at work from (Shigeki) Tanaka, Mazaki, Kochi (from JKI), Yoshikane, (Mutsumi) Hinoura, or (Yu) Kurosaki but there are a number of other entirely defensible choices.
Good luck!
 
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