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need help want to buy a gyuto

2K views 7 replies 3 participants last post by  westbigballin 
#1 ·
So hi guys

I am a line cook at a restaurant been doing this for a couple of months and I finally decided that I need a knife but dont know where to look or what I should be looking for in a knife

Knife I want gyuto
Price range: tops 200$
Size: either 210mm or 240mm
 
#2 ·
Hi chris353.  Welcome to ChefTalk!

These threads are a dialogue.  Hopefully, you and everyone else will discuss what you want, expect, need, etc.  So, be sure to respond!

I will elaborate on what Benuser asked.

What types of food are you preparing now on the line?

What type of cutting surface do you have to work on?

What are your sharpening procedures?

Any special needs?  Left handed?  

Can we assume you are in the USA?

Just as a commentary, I suspect that, if you are like most in commercial kitchens, you will find that a 240 to 270 mm blade will make doing larger prep jobs easier than a 210 or smaller blade.

Hope to hear back from you.

Galley Swiller
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hi chris353. Welcome to ChefTalk!

These threads are a dialogue. Hopefully, you and everyone else will discuss what you want, expect, need, etc. So, be sure to respond!

I will elaborate on what Benuser asked.

What types of food are you preparing now on the line?

What type of cutting surface do you have to work on?

What are your sharpening procedures?

Any special needs? Left handed?

Can we assume you are in the USA?

Just as a commentary, I suspect that, if you are like most in commercial kitchens, you will find that a 240 to 270 mm blade will make doing larger prep jobs easier than a 210 or smaller blade.

Hope to hear back from you.

Galley Swiller
What are you using now?
Atm I am using the knives we have at the kitchen for instance a dexter
I dont own my a knife so that is why I decided it was time to

I prep sea food fish, lobster calamari
Polyethylene Cutting Boar
There are some stones at the restaurant
Right handed and US
 
#4 ·
If you are working with lobster in the shell, then I DEFINITELY would NOT get a VG-10 cored knife (which describes most Damascus blades).

You don't want VG-10 steel anywhere near anything as hard as bone, shell, etc.  Nor near anything frozen.  VG-10 steel is notorious for chipping when put against hard or frozen items.

For straight protein and other flesh, VG-10 steel will be OK.  Just no bone, shell, frozen, etc.

For a lobster splitter, I would suggest a cheap fibrox handled 12 inch Victorinox chef's knife.  No sense in spending extra money on something which is going to get a huge amount of abuse which can put the blade hors de combat in a single whump.

A century ago, there were knives made specifically for lobster splitting.  They were generally referred to as "Canadian" or "Chef de Chef" knives  Heavy and thick as anything, guaranteed to act as a great cleaver and put muscle on the forearms of the chefs weilding them.  They disappeared from the general market in the 1930's.  Nowadays, mostly unavailable, unless you're willing to have a bladesmith finish and heat treat the few remaining knife blanks floating around.

Hope that helps.

Galley Swiller
 
#5 · (Edited)
If you are working with lobster in the shell, then I DEFINITELY would NOT get a VG-10 cored knife (which describes most Damascus blades).

You don't want VG-10 steel anywhere near anything as hard as bone, shell, etc. Nor near anything frozen. VG-10 steel is notorious for chipping when put against hard or frozen items.

For straight protein and other flesh, VG-10 steel will be OK. Just no bone, shell, frozen, etc.

For a lobster splitter, I would suggest a cheap fibrox handled 12 inch Victorinox chef's knife. No sense in spending extra money on something which is going to get a huge amount of abuse which can put the blade hors de combat in a single whump.

A century ago, there were knives made specifically for lobster splitting. They were generally referred to as "Canadian" or "Chef de Chef" knives Heavy and thick as anything, guaranteed to act as a great cleaver and put muscle on the forearms of the chefs weilding them. They disappeared from the general market in the 1930's. Nowadays, mostly unavailable, unless you're willing to have a bladesmith finish and heat treat the few remaining knife blanks floating around.

Hope that helps.

Galley Swiller
I hardly crack or cut lobster shell
I cut more of the lobster meat cut fish and regular stuff like parsley chives shallots things I need for my station at work
 
#6 · (Edited)
I highly recommend this knife. $56, insane value.


Cheap but ridiculously sharp and excellent to use. It stays sharp for a LONG time--I used it for about 8 months before I finally bought a King wetstone to re-sharpen it. Now I resharpen it every month or so because I just can't work without it being stupidly sharp, slicing paper with ease.

Everyone in the kitchen respects my knife b/c it's the sharpest and most badass knife of them all, and because I'll shank them if anything happens to it (even though I don't really care because it's cheap and I can always take it to the stone.)

I considered buying a high end Gyuto--$200+. But then I realized... why? This Tojiro DP is just as good and I don't really have to worry about it at work, like I would if I brought a $200+ gyuto to work.

I considered buying other knives e.g. a serrated knife but my sharp knife can slice bread or fruit just fine.

Only knife I'll ever consider buying again is the 24cm version.
 
#7 ·
Since the OP is not going to be splitting lobsters, I will agree about the Tojiro DP and will only make a few caveats to Westbigballin's Amazon link.

First, for commercial work, the 210 mm blade (8.2 inch) is simply too short.  The 240 mm blade (9-3/8 inch) is a better bet.  The price difference isn't that much more (the 240 mm is $68.79) and the larger blade is much easier to work with for larger prep jobs.

A second caveat isn't about the blade, but a caution that popped up on my computer.  For some inane reason only Amazon knows of, Tojiro DP gyutos are listed as 335.0 mm, 365.0 mm and 405.0 mm.  Presumably, that's the length overall in millimeters, but it's a distraction which Amazon should have caught and corrected.  The 210 mm blade is 335.0 mm, the 240 mm blade is 365.0 mm and the 270 mm version is 405.0 mm.  Go figure, and use caution when ordering from Amazon so that you order what you want.

GS
 
#8 ·
Since the OP is not going to be splitting lobsters, I will agree about the Tojiro DP and will only make a few caveats to Westbigballin's Amazon link.

First, for commercial work, the 210 mm blade (8.2 inch) is simply too short. The 240 mm blade (9-3/8 inch) is a better bet. The price difference isn't that much more (the 240 mm is $68.79) and the larger blade is much easier to work with for larger prep jobs.

A second caveat isn't about the blade, but a caution that popped up on my computer. For some inane reason only Amazon knows of, Tojiro DP gyutos are listed as 335.0 mm, 365.0 mm and 405.0 mm. Presumably, that's the length overall in millimeters, but it's a distraction which Amazon should have caught and corrected. The 210 mm blade is 335.0 mm, the 240 mm blade is 365.0 mm and the 270 mm version is 405.0 mm. Go figure, and use caution when ordering from Amazon so that you order what you want.

GS
Personally I haven't had issues with my size (210mm / 8.2inch) but I can see how some people would. The sous in my kitchen uses a tiny santoku for just about everything just fine (but that's just my kitchen).

Still want the 240mm though, as bigger is better and sexier. Plus I'll probably grind the 210mm down quicker than I know it.
 
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