Need help deciding between Hattori HD and Konosuke HD Gyuto Xmas purcahase - Page 2

Looks good, Lenny. Enjoy that beauty!

Lenny,

 

Now that you've had the Konosuke HD wa-gyuto 240mm "new shape" for a while, any more impressions?

 

I ask because I'm trying to decide between the standard and the "new" shape for that 240mm gyuto and would really like to hear feedback from actual users.

 

Mostly, is it too flat to rock for cutting?  Is the tip so low that you can't really rock it much without catching the tip?

 

For comparison, I have a 240mm Yoshikane wa-gyuto which I really like, but it is quite thick for a Japanese knife - 3.2mm close to the base.  The shape works pretty well for me, though.  It's got a very long almost (but not quite) flat section, then flares up to a somewhat low tip.  I use it for both push cutting and rocking.  Its point is maybe a hair lower than I would really like.   Here's a link so you can see the picture of it:  http://www.epicedge.com/shopexd.asp?id=85676

 

I would not want a flatter knife, or a knife with a lower point than that Yoshikane.  Same (or slightly less) flat, and a slightly higher point would be perfect.

 

Could you tell me how the shape of your "new shape" Konosuke gyuto compare to the Yoshikane and how it's been working for you?

 

Thanks!

Thanks for the info.  I've ordered their standard profile and will see how it goes.

Got the Konosuke HD Gyuto 240mm (regular shape, not new shape) Saturday.

I was assuming I would need to run through a sharpening session with it before use (as I had to with the petty) but it was quite sharp out of the box. Had some long marks along the blade, so perhaps it was hand sharpened along the way somewhere. I'm not one who cares about marks on the blade, and these won't be noticeable once I use it a bit anyway. Don't know what the actual cutting bevel is.

Just a few initial thoughts. I'll try to post a more full opinion once I've used it for a month or so.

The shape / geometry seems just about right for my combination of rocking and push cutting. It's got a little more belly to it then my pretty flat Yoshikane, but I don't think I'd want it flatter -- the shape seems very good for all purpose work.

Handle has a nice length, is slightly narrow but seems to work fine for my grip. Ho wood handle is a larger diameter than the Konosuke petty ebony handle. The ferrule and wood aren't exactly flush, but I wasn't expecting them to be.

I LOVE the weight of it! My abused wrists appreciate it. A little blade heavy, as expected, but not much with this blade! I kind of wish it had the heavier ebony handle for a slightly more balanced feel, but in use it hasn't seemed to matter. The thin blade does make me a little nervous about what not to cut with it -- I guess that will be learned with experience (and swearing).

If anyone else had advice on what not to cut with this (after I take it to my planned 10* relief bevel, 13* cutting bevel) I would love to hear it.


So, actual use (coming from a home cook, so feel free to laugh):

Dicing potatoes made me giggle. Blade just glides right through.

Cutting apple wedges was easy. Cuts were even easier than with the Konosuke petty. Probably a weight or blade stiffness difference since it couldn't be my perfect (not!) sharpening job. Heh.

Onion diced easily, but not spectacularly. The cuts near the end of the blade were a little more work (but still easy). Need to cut more onions to see if this is typical. Probably the end of the blade just needs some sharpening work, or I'm wiggling in the cut.

Jicama into medium dice worked pretty well. Cutting the initial planks had some wedging (as expected with a big jicama) but worked fine without cracking it, and everything after that was very smooth. My Wustoff cracked the other jicama I cut up.

Lemons, Limes, Oranges, celery all easy to work with.

Carrots cut into rounds easily. I did some quick quartering and juliene of one to test and it was better than any of my other knives. Haven't tried any really large diameter carrots though.

I admit I did NOT try the new knife on the Kabocha squash that got roasted and made into a nice soup. Back to the big $15 cleaver for that.


So far I'm pretty impressed. Once I take the time to do my own sharpening and get some more use of this under my belt I'll post about it. Again, if anybody (BDL? Lenny?) has recommendations on what not to cut with this blade, I'd love to hear them rather than learn the hard way.

The factory bevel is usually convex and not terribly acute; at least my Konosukes came that way.  

 

After fooling around with a bunch of angles, symmetries and finishes, I've come to the conclusion that unless you go very extreme and compromise durability a great deal, that somewhere in the 12* to 15* range is fine; 3:2 asymmetry works well; and a double bevel (such as your proposed 13/10) is redundant; and whenever truing is necessary, stropping on paper rather than steeling will allow you to hold a higher polish longer. 

 

Also, I think 13/10 is a very difficult angle to sharpen -- probably impossible without using a very accurate gag, such as an EP with an angle finder and collet stop -- and the angles are too close to make much difference.  Besides the grind angles on a laser are so acute, you really don't need to thin.

 

You can cut just about anything -- including all but the very toughest squash -- other than bone.  The trick is keeping the blade angle to square to the cut.  If you're under a lot of time pressure and don't have really good knife skills (for instance a line cook without a lot of knife training), that's going to make trouble.  On the other hand, if you're a home cook who doesn't get a lot of "hurry up" screaming, you can take your time.  If the knife binds, just start over and focus on keeping the blade straight along all three axes. 

 

Remember that a very soft grip is your best friend.

 

BDL

 

 

Thanks for the info!

 

I do have the EdgePro, so can get the 10* relief bevel and 13* primary bevel (keeping it symmetric) but you're saying it wouldn't give much benefit.

 

My primary reason for doing the different relief and primary bevels was to keep the primary bevel very small so I can resharpen quickly (with the jig) when needed.  This is what I do with most of my woodworking tools (usually freehand).  Maybe something more like 10*/15*  or 12*/15* if the 10* relief would make the edge too weak?

 

Really glad to hear it on the cutting just about anything!  I'm pretty careful not to force the tool.  I do get the yelling, but it's my kids with "we're hunger - when's dinner!" instead of the boss.

 

I was planning on avoiding bones but it's good that most squash will work.  (Not that kabocha though -- took a cleaver and a mallet.)  Have you used yours on pineapple?  That's a common one for me here.

Yes to pineapple.  It's asking a lot from your technique and from the knife itself, so it's not my first choice.  That would be my 10" Forschner Cimiter. 

 

A double bevel on my Konosuke wa-gyuto didn't do anything positive for me, but it's easy enough to test for yourself.  Also, if you're bevel angles are less than 5* apart from one another, don't bother.

 

BDL

Thanks for the info.  Please let us all know how it goes with the 12-13° bevels.