[ietinker]

I recently lost a Henkle's 4-star chef's knife which has been replaced with a Hiromoto gyuto that I love.  But what I miss about that heavy German steel was that it was a heavy knife.  I smash garlic, hack through heavy rind melons, just stuff that I feel like the Hiromoto is to delicate for.  Not to say I can't use it for these things but think there would be a tool better designed for these harder tasks.  I was thinking maybe a cleaver would be a better choice but just don't know.

So folks, what are your thoughts and recommendations?  What do you use?  Or am I just being too protective of my gyuto and it really can be used for all these activities?

 

[millionsknives]

I wouldn't worry about melons. Thinner is better actually for melons.

And smashing garlic you say?!

Also, yes, you can use your gyuto for everything you mentioned.

 

[ietinker]

Alrighty then.  It's just that the blade is so much thinner, the knife lighter that I feel like it's going to bend or something.  

 

[brianshaw]

Why not buy another Henckels? They are rather affordable on eBay.

 

[millionsknives]

Or a forgecraft! I'm sick of restoring them now so I'm out of the bidding wars

 

[ietinker]

I may just do that.  I certainly need to change my mindset but 15 years using that knife, I just know what to expect from it's heft.  But there's just that shiny new thing that grabs my attention. LOL

 

[rick alan]

It's a matter of technique. A thinner lighter knife merely has a smaller sweet-spot for smashing things.  Takes a little more wrist action too.  Then there's the friction technique Yan shows to add in there.

Rick

 

[ietinker]

I remember watching Yan on TV years ago and that's exactly the type of cleaver I was thinking about.  But I'm practicing with my gyuto and will get the technique down.

Michael