My new Tojiro 21 Cm. Wa gyuto

Hi guys...

While deciding on "wich lasser to get" I got curious on the 21 Cm. Tojiro wa gyuto, my experience with this brand was originally because I had no idea on how good a carbon steel knife was, and also I wasn't sure if I was going to be happy with a knife that gets rusty if you don't wipe it every time. (And it gets stained even if you wipe it)

So, just for experiment I got a Nakiri, and a santoku wich were under 50 bucks each. Once I got the package, I liked the knives at first sight and loved how sharp they get, how easy to sharpen they are and I can't complain about the edge retention. I was a very happy guy and those knives became battlehorses in my kitchen.

And a few days ago I visited the chefsknivestogo.com website and I saw a 21 gyuto available and also a 12 cm Petty, and also as an experiment I bought them (this time I wanted to check on the S&H from U.S. To Mexico. I want a lasser but that's  too expensive to see if the S&H is going to work) , so I bought more affordable stuff that in case that gets lost, I can live with the loss.

Long story short, the knives arrived flawlesly in less than 2 weeks. The service from mark from CKTG was excellent and I can't be happier.

Just like the last time, as soon as I got the knives, I sanded the handles and I gave to the petty, the usual tru oil coating that has proven to be excellent even under professional use and abuse. The handles on the Tojiros have a very basic finish and they get a ton of benefits with the oil coating, the looks improve big time and they don't get stained on the handle.

The petty took 3 layers of tru oil, but with the gyuto I had another experiment to do. I sanded it and gave it a coating with "walnut stain" (To make the wood look darker), once it got dry, I gave 3 layers of oil too, and I can't be happier with the results.

Take a look.

The petty has the original color and the gyuto got the taned "pimped up" look 

On the performance department... They are great. I like these knives a lot. They perform great, they are very affordable and have a geometry that pleases me, besides, I don't mind if one of my cooks take one of these knives to work for a short while, I know that they are not going to damage them, and if they do... No big deal. 

My first impression with the gyuto was that it's a thick blade, but once I started using it, I didn't get any "too thick" sensation. They came sharp OOTB but not enough for my personal taste, so I gave them the bester 1200 / Takenoko 6000 treatment and they got razor sharp fast and easy.

I can't stop recomending the Tojiros, great bang for the buck, and also I can't stop recomending CKTG, the service was top notch!

Best regards!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by pohaku 

Very nice!  I really like the stained handle on the gyuto.  Now I may have to take a pass at mine with some stain too.

You're going to like it for sure! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by carpenter 

I dig the "Huggy Bear" look.  I wonder if stain followed by a coat or two of tung oil will work?

Hi Carpenter... First sand the handle, then give it a coat of the "walnut stain", that product is watery and the more layers you give, the darker it looks, amd it dries very quickly. Once that it's dry, give a coating with the tru oil using your index finger, that product is oily but with a thick and sticky feling while still fresh. It dries in 6-12 hours. After that you decide if you want a second, third or fourth layer. The more coatings you give, the shinier it looks (But is not shiny like laquer, it's a bit flat if you compare it to laquered wood, but I prefer this kind of look).

And with only one layer you'll see the difference, and even with a single coating, it looks nice and you get the wood protected against stains for a lifetime.

I hope this helps!

Quote:

Originally Posted by racineboxer 

Is it just me or in the picture of gyuto can you actually see the size difference between the handle and ferrule?  The handle looks bigger.

You're right, the handle is a bit bigger. Believe me, when you have this knives in your hand, you think about many things, but " high quality" is not the first tought that will come to your mind. But remember, these knives are very very affordable, and once you start cutting with them they are a joy to work with.