Foo shops for a Japanese knife

[Manton]

There are, but if I wanted a 210 gyuto in that range, I do believe those are the two best options, hands down.

 

[mikeman]

One more question! When buying sharpening stones, what are the best grits to get for regular maintenance?

 

[heldentenor]

I recommend 500x or thereabouts for major resharpening/reprofiling, 1000x for regular sharpening, and something between 3000x/6000x (depends to some extent on what you use the knife for as well as the steel it's made of) for finishing the edge and touch-ups.

Last one is optional until you've got the hang of sharpening.

 

[Manton]

I have found that once I have a good edge, all I need is the finest grit to restore it about once a month. So I haven't used anything but that 8,000 in ages.

 

[mikeman]



I have found that once I have a good edge, all I need is the finest grit to restore it about once a month. So I haven't used anything but that 8,000 in ages.

Thanks. When I purchase my new knife i won't be too concerned. However, my parents have a set of Global knives that they got sharpened for free at SurlaTable...I'm pretty sure they just run them through some crappy machine... would a 1,000/ 6,000 combo stone fix them up?

 

[Manton]

depends. You don't know what geometry that machine put on the edge. Some are made to do a japanese bevel at 15 degrees, others are at 22. If they are beveled wrong, it might be a lot of work to fix the geometry.

Also, while 1K to 6K is OK, you would be better off with something in between, either 2K or 3K.

 

[gomestar]

I have the Masamoto and it's just awesome (and it's how Manton has Masamoto sharpening experience). No experience with the other suggestion, but I doubt you can go wrong.

The Masamoto is, in my inexperienced opinion, very much a worker knife. Whatever hard root veg I throw at it, it's there. Wash, rinse, repeat, and then it's back up to work more. My Kotetsu Aogami Super long petty is a much cooler knife, carbon edge and all. But I don't use it as a worker knife like the Masamoto.

 

[mikeman]

Good to know, and thanks for making my decision that much more difficult! I know, I'm over thinking this, and any of the knives I used will be great!

I did wonder about something while browsing knives. It seems that this 33 layer damascus knife made by hand is everywhere. HOWEVER, it seems to be made by like 3 (that I've seen) makers. Just coincidence and popular look to copy or what?

http://www.chuboknives.com/products/sakai-takayuki-33-layer-damascus-gyutou-210mm-8-2#.VkFdpK6rRp9

http://www.amazon.com/Yoshihiro-Ham...id=1447124423&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=yoshihiri

http://korin.com/Togiharu-Hammered-Damascus-Gyutou?sc=27&category=280059

 

[tropics]

found a chopping board.

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Finally getting a good kasumi finish

There has been some interesting lessons here that don't necessarily cross over easily from tools. The edge of those knife is a 'hamaguri' or clamshell shape and that basically means that it is a tapering convex edge. Easy to maintain the extreme edge but required a bit more work in setup and to put the final finish on (or what approaches final finish) I had acquired some uchigumori stones to break up and make into finger stones to create an even kasumi finish on the convex edge. The extreme edge is finished with my Nakayama asagi (30,000 grit~).

Cuts fish like crazy, hehe.

and this has turned out to be a very stupid plan when the goal is saving a few bucks on sushi dinners.

 

[Fred G. Unn]



If you want to go through bone, you need a deba or a honesuki or something like that.

I use this honesuki, and it's really great for breaking down a chicken:
http://korin.com/Misono-Molybdenum-Honesuki?sc=27&category=8549937

Using a deba for a chicken is way overrated IMO. I chipped mine twice on chicken bones, so no more chicken for my deba. Fish bones seem fine though.

 

[Fred G. Unn]

Great looking end grain board @SkinnyGoomba! What kind of wood is that? Is that store bought, or custom?

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Thanks Fred, it's made from larchwood and I believe the company that makes it is 'larchwood cutting boards'. Larch is a softwood and comes from Canada.

 

[mikeman]

When I purchase a 8 inch gyutou knife, would it be wise to pick up a 5.9 inch petty as well? I use my current chef knife for everything, but there definitely are times when a smaller blade would be beneficial.

This is what I'm sold on. http://www.chuboknives.com/products/takamura-r2-two-piece-set#.VkLLjK6rRp8

 

[heldentenor]

A 150mm petty is a very useful knife, but I'd strongly encourage you to think about a 240mm gyuto instead of a 210mm. Not only will you use the extra length more than you might think, but the resulting change in profile creates a longer "sweet spot" of basically flat edge that will help you get faster and more efficient in your cuts.