[boar_d_laze]

There aren't that many good, semi-stainless 21cm knives out there. Aritsugu A, Kikuichi TKC, Kagayaki CarboNext and Konosuke HD leap to mind. After that... [crickets]. A question about semi-stainless... what about it, other than stain resistance, makes you want it?

Why a 210mm knife, why not a 240 or 270?

Must be a western (yo) handle, or could it be a wa?

It would help a great deal if you could narrow down what you want, but I recognize that if you really had a good idea you also have the research skills to do the looking without much input from us. Still, don't be shy about adding salient details.

It seems you can sharpen, but how good a sharpener are you? Be realistic, not modest. How good is your sharpening kit? What stones do you have? As a sort of stray thought, what would you think about putting your "it's good to be the king" money into better sharpening equipment?

BDL

 

[boar_d_laze]

I get the point. You can sharpen, you can sharpen.

Sakai Yusuke stainless doesn't have outstanding edge holding properties; more like mediocre. It is a relative bargain as lasers go, but it's no longer a standalone at the price point; and I think it might be "wa" only. I tend to think of a stainless Yusuke as the bargain version of a Tadatsuna Inox or Suisun Inox Honyaki -- but not as good. Gesshin Ginga on the other hand... I only hear good things. Gesshin Ginga should be one of several knives on your short list.

Carbon is needy and needs rinse and wipe right away when it needs rinse and wipe at all. Sushi bar level of care has as much to do with getting the taste of the last fish off the knife as it does with taking care of carbon; and they wipe their stainless knives just as often. Frequent rinsing and wiping is always good practice with carbon -- but it doesn't have to be every two minutes. We can talk more about it if you like. And, given your price range, I'd at least consider some of the excellent carbons available. Knives made with stainless and semi-stainless alloys which really compete with excellent carbons tend to run about 1/3 more expensive than their carbon equivalents.

I haven't heard back from you about semi-stainless knives, or about why 210mm. What are your thoughts?

You haven't said you want a laser. There are a lot of other choices, almost as thin, almost as light, but sturdier. I wouldn't trade one of my Konosuke HDs, but I were to buy yet another new gyuto it would be more along the lines of a Masamoto KS -- or perhaps something stainless -- to fit between my HDs and Sabatier carbons. However, you're looking for an all-round go-to gyuto and have plenty of heavy duty knives to back it up.

In addition to the Gesshin Ginga, you might also want to look at the Masamoto VG, Masamoto HC (if you can live with carbon), the Konosuke HD (which is a big favorite in this forum), the Tadatsuna (western handled) stainless, the Kagayaki Carbo Next (it comes with a crap edge, but is quite a good knife if you can sharpen well), Kikuichi TKC, MAC Pro, Sakayuki Grand Cheff (the AEB-L mono-steel, not the damascus or other san-mai versions) and perhaps the Richmond Remedy. Not all of those knives are going to be available in 210. I recommend the MAC Pro more often than any other knife as a first, good Japanese gyuto and/or a first, really good chef's knife. It's significantly less transition from a Euro than many other Japanese made, western style knives because of its excellent handle and stiffness (compared to other Japanese knives); and it has a much better warranty and factory support. The Masamoto VG and HC are better handling, but more "Japanese." On the other hand, the Sakai Takayuki Grand Cheff and Remedy (made in the USA) are also easy transitions. The Grand Cheff is an easy knife to get very sharp, so is the HC. The VG and Pro a little less so.

BDL

 

[boar_d_laze]

I took my HD gyuto all the way down to a very asymmetric 8*, and worked my way back to a nearly 50/50 15*. I find that because the knife's so thin to begin with, acute angles and lopsided asymmetry don't make enough positive difference to compensate for the lesser durability compared to more conservative angles and geometry.

My best and most respected friend in the knife world, KC, likes his lasers with extreme edges, but believes in keeping polish levels significantly lower than I do. There are a lot of reasons we come down on different sides of the fence, but the biggest are that I'm more oriented towards durability and less towards absolute sharpness when it comes to angles and geometry; and the polish worth the extra time and wear on the good stones for as long as it lasts -- as far as I'm concerned.

My guess is that 12*, fairly symmetric, is near optimal for most people. To the extent that you get your angles that exactly (I can't, at least without a gag), I'd err more towards 15* than 10*. I think a very good 8K is the ideal polish for the HD knives.

I'm currently using a Gesshin 8K which is very expensive but great. My previous finishing stone was a Naniwa SS 8K, very good, less expensive, but the usual SS fine stone issues. I'd also recommend the Naniwa Pure White and Kitayama, alone or -- better yet -- in combination. The Gesshin polish and Pure White + Kitayama are pretty close, but the Gesshin is a helluva lot faster than either of the other two -- and take those two in combination, fuhgeddaboudid!

I know someone's going to ask about the Chosera 10K... I'd take the Pure White or the Kitayama singly -- let alone as a combo. The Chosera's a very fast, convenient stone, but I don't think the combination of sharp and slippery are as good as either of the other two. The Gesshin is about as much better as one polishing stone can be compared to another.

I'm not sure what the factory edge was like on the gyuto, but the HD suji came with something so convex and with so little visible bevel I couldn't give you an accurate estimate of what the underlying angle was before convexing. 15* wouldn't surprise me. If it matters to you, call Mark or Jon and ask someone who knows.

BDL

 

[boar_d_laze]

For your purposes you should dry the stones thoroughly before putting them away. Best way is stand them on an edge, outside, out of direct light, for two day. However, weather can be an issue as well as space. The thing to remember is that you want them to dry out of direct sunlight, not over a heater, and at a relatively even temp. I don't think it's a good idea to pack them in foam or anything else which will hold moisture.

For storage, don't overtrain. I use cheap, plastic, "school boxes" I got at Staples for beaucoup cheap. Cardboard is good too. Cigar boxes if they aren't too short. Punch a few holes in them so air can circulate and your stones don't mildew.

There's nothing wrong with the boxes they came in, for that matter. Just try to keep them dry.

Stones can be stored on edge or flat, as long as they're not touching or have a couple of paper towels between them. Or so they say. Mom! He's TOUCHING me!

BDL

 

[boar_d_laze]

Water stones are porous, dry slowly, and are usually stored in a tight, dark environment. Is mold a common problem? Yes. However, it's not a problem until it's a problem. Drying your stones is the first defense. They're going to dry anyway, so dry them right. Dry them slowly and evenly so they don't craze or form "pot holes." If mold does form (probably smell it before you see it), you can soak your stones in diluted bleach.

BDL

 

[boar_d_laze]

All three of mine were perfectly crowned ootb. Martin, yours is also losing its ootb edge pretty quickly. It sounds like the first "Friday afternoon" Kono I've heard about.

Send the dealer an e-mail, if only to let him know.

BDL