[millionsknives]

So here's my opinion- miyabi kaizen is full tang, the handle has a bolster, and a metal end cap.   All that metal is heavy.  You will find that miyabi is very handle heavy compared to wa handle japanese knives.  They call this a feature because it is 'balanced'.  You might see some guy on youtube balance the knife on his finger to test as if this is a measure of quality. It means diddly squat to people who are using a pinch grip and especially who are mostly push cutting as typical with a flatter knife.  I prefer the balance to be forward on the blade actually

My point is most japanese wa handled knives are already lighter.  You don't need a laser to be lighter than miyabi.  Even well balanced mid weight knives are probably lighter.

 

[millionsknives]

There's nothing wrong with having stainless in your kit. It's good to have options. It's also good to know exactly what you're looking for! Lightweight, carbon steel, check!

I guess you have been to Tosho knife arts already? Try one of konosukes. THAT is what we mean when we say 'laser' knife. Not the konosuke fujiyama (actually is a thicker wide bevel grind), i mean something like this https://www.toshoknifearts.com/collections/konosuke/products/white-2-br-gyuto-3 Really thin and light. Ikazuchi and ginga are similar types (and cheaper!). So as a reference point, do you want something that light or slightly heavier?

The downside of lasers is that they wear faster and you have to sharpen more often. Also the food release is not good (think potato slices sticking to your knife). On the other hand they fly through certain produce and there is less fatigue throughout the day. Everything is a tradeoff. That's why I keep different steels, different shapes, and weight knives.

 

[millionsknives]

I have the konosuke white steel 210. It is way too light for me. Edge retention is below my other knives, but that white steel is so easy to sharpen. I got mine for $120, white steel, ho wood handle. That was worth it for me. More money, probably not. I use my itinomonn 210mm a lot more than this one http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-stainless-kasumi-210mm-wa-gyuto/ but it's out of stock.

The takeda I used had really sharp shoulders (see what i mean http://www.cheftalk.com/image/id/742951) . It's part of the hollow grind on both sides, but still really annoying. Old takedas were ground much thinner. Can't say it's worth the money compared to what else is out there.

Looks to me like you already have two nakiri and a short 8" Miyabi gyuto. I see a lot of redundancy. There are a lot of other knives that would round out your kit.

usuba - if you're working in kaiseki kitchen you should probably have one?

240-270mm gyuto - for bigger veg

butcher knife

heavy cleaver

deba

yanagiba

Of course I don't know what your prep tasks are, but be aware of the trap of collecting gyutos.

 

[millionsknives]

So... I know you were asking about gyutos but... I can't help it. I'm not saying go and buy these, but overall I think any of these would make your life better than incremental improvements in another gyuto. There's no perfect knife for everything for everyone. This is just my advice based on personal experience. Whether it makes sense for you or not, you can't know without trying and that costs $.

All your meat - http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/munetoshi-kurouchi-210mm-wa-slicer/ trimming? check. small butchery around bones? check. Portioning? sure! Slice cooked meat? check.

fish - get a cheap flex filet knife dexter, victorinox, etc. $20 at any restaurant supply

veg tasks - All your nakiri tasks I would use a chinese cleaver. All boneless meat that doesn't require a pointy tip I would use use a chinese cleaver. They are heavier, but if you let the weight of the cleaver do the work it is not bad. believe it or not a big knife helps very much in consistency of small cuts. That ginger and garlic mincing? rough chop then use the knife to smash and drag. I use the front of the cleaver for this. Also it's a bench scraper move cut produce off the board. The spine can be used to tenderize, you can use two cleavers to mince meat. So many things a nakiri can't do that add up to saved time. For the kind of food you're cooking it is def a must have. There's this CCK store 40 min out of the city http://chanchikee.com/toronto.htm Look for a CCK 1103 I bet you can find it way less than the $100 cktg charges. Suien VC is a step up from that at $160, harder better steel, but has some curve/belly that is offputtting to some. I got used to it but I tend to use the front or the back.

this is a must read IMO http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/s...course-on-why-I-love-Chinese-Cleavers-re-post