In need of new Japanese steel

Right off the bat, Miyabi -- Henckels in Japan -- has a new line called Kaizen, which is more or less a better Shun Classic. They're sold at SLT, so, unlike most Japanese made knives, you can go visit them and speed chop a few spuds. 

That said, we can probably find a better knife for the price, if you're willing to forget about Damascus and stick to what gets mirepoix into the pan.  I'm not saying looks aren't important or that your priorities are skewed, just that nothing comes without trade offs.  If you value a particular look, than that look you should have. 

I don't happen to like that look, but we're not talking about my next knife.  Watch me like a hawk, though.  It's so easy to project.

There are a few things which really distinguish one Japanese made knife from another -- especially in the professional, high production context. 

One thing is blade profile -- which you (bless your heart) brought up on your own.  There's a lot of "it depends," but a few brands do stand out.  I measure everything against Sabatier.  The more like a Sabatier the more I like it; and the less, the less.  By and large, anyway. 

Another is handle -- again, a few brands stand out.  You mentioned Shun.  They use a "D" shaped variation of a "wa" (Asian style) handle.  Would you be open to buying a wa-gyuto?  It's not as big a switch as it might seem -- at least not if you have a good grip.  There are some non-obvious advantages we can go into.

We should talk about your grip.  So...?  If you only have a good grip, we can bump it up to excellent in the course of a couple of shifts, at most.  That should allow you the freedom to get away from "ergonomic" designs like the Furi and give you a great deal more choice.  It will also make you more comfortable and faster. 

A lot of western cooks value stiffness more highly than a lot of Japanese makers.  Japanese knives are light (a good thing), and light can mean whippy (some people no like).  I'm not going to try and sell you the advantage of a flexi chef's knife.  If you like or even if you can live with some degree of flexibility, you gain a lot of good choices.  If not, we're only looking at a few brands.

Edge qualities of course, are where the rubber meets the road (alloy meets the board).  In your price range, you can pretty much have it all, pretty much.  Pretty much.  It's typical that if a cook sharpens a knife with good edge retention every other shift, he'll end up sharpening knives with very good and excellent edge retention every other shift.  Typically on the very same sequence of stones.  Maybe not all, but pretty much.

Furis have terrible edge characteristics.  Really, really terrible.  You will do much better, no problem.  Give it a few weeks and you won't have a clue as to how you could live with a Furi for so long.

Before we get into all the details and nuances, it's important to remember that while there are differences in hardness, alloy composition, and a bunch of other stuff, none of it will make anywhere near as big a difference as the quality of your sharpening, and your tolerance for performing regular and frequent maintenance.

You don't have to be the world's greatest freehand sharpener to enjoy a good knife, but if you're not going to sharpen to "extremely sharp," and maintain your knife that way, we're looking at different knives than if you are.  So... how do you sharpen and maintain?  Are you willing to invest time and money into doing it really well?

Looking forward to hearing back,

BDL

Assuming the Shiroko (white paper steel #2) is hardened properly, and assuming the knife is properly profiled and the edge properly ground:  It gets very sharp very easily -- as those things go.  It's not magic, someone who isn't a good sharpener can't extract anything like it's potential, but it's easier than just about anything else.  Also (still assuming everything else is right) it's potential for absolute sharpness, is among the very best alloys.

Shiroko edges wear well, but not as well as the aogami (blue paper) steels, especially Aogami Super.  The aogamis, especially AS again, are also more stain resistant.

AS has a better reputation than Shiroko among people who are more into knives than cooking, and tends to be more aggressively marketed.  But Shiroko is the cook's choice for its edge qualities.  Remember though, that the differences between alloys are more around the margins than really substantive.  The better your knife and sharpening skills, the better able you are to discern the difference, but the less meaning it has.  

In the past few days, I've written several times about carbon's "neediness," as I'm sure your aware; and have written about it many more times here and in other places in the past.  All things considered, good carbon knives are a legitimate choice -- but they aren't for everyone.  It's not so much that they need a lot more maintenance, it's just that when they need to be rinsed and wiped, or really cleaned, they need it NOW.   

I like carbon knives' edge taking qualities, and used them since before dirt.  I switched to stainless for a few years back in the seventies, but was never really happy with my Henckels, and went back to carbon Sabatiers in the early eighties for the bulk of my kit, including all the "core" knives.  I never much minded the differences in maintenance, and still don't.  But for completely extraneous considerations, I would have bought Shiroko Konosukes rather than HD and stainless. 

Bear in mind though that rather obviously I'm not you, and don't expect you to want what I want or like what I like.   

The most important thing in your last post, was something you said only in passing.  If you'd really rather have a 24cm than a 21cm knife, it's a good idea to do what's necessary to get a longer blade.  If that means buying a Tojiro, Fujiwara, Kagayaki, or other "budget" name instead of something more prestigious, so be it.  Length is one of the most important considerations.

What about a Kagayaki "Carbonext?"

Just got finished writing the same thing to someone doing the same search.  The Kikuichi TKC is a very nice knife.  I haven't had enough time with one to make any serious comments, but a lot of people who know their onions are very high on it. 

BDL

24cm ftw ;)

Oh yeah.  Length.  Nice pick up ruscal.

For your "go to gyuto" you want as much length as you and your board can comfortably handle.  For whatever reason most people feel the 3cm differences between 21 and 24cm and between 27 and 30cm as substantially more significant than the difference between 24 and 27cm.  My guess is that's because 21cm feels like a short knife, 30cm feels like a long knife, but 24 and 27cm are both mediums. 

Usually a little work with grip dyanimics will make the next size up just as comfortable as whatever it is you're used to now.  What you can't always fix is counter and board size.  Use a knife that fits your space.

Lately, I've been using a 30cm suji as my primary go to.  The knife is so designed and so light that neither the extra length or lower height put pressure on my meager skills, and my boards are big enough not to be an issue.

BDL

PS.  Go go Gadget suji!