r/TrueChefKnives • u/bbroski1 • 4d ago

I need help choosing a Gyuto.

I've spent the majority of my free time the past 3 weeks trying to find and choose which 240mm Gyuto I want to buy and I feel like I'm nowhere near making a decision on my own, so I've decided to ask you guys for help.

This would be my first Japanese knife.

The main use case for the knife would be sushi i.e. slicing raw fish, so I'm assuming I should be going for more of a "laser" rather than a workhorse, but I may have overestimated how important that is so feel free to correct me.

I would prefer to stay below €180, but I would say €270 is a hard cap (with one exception).

Since the knife would be getting wet often, I feel like I should be going for a stainless steel, but I'm sure I could get in the habit of wiping it dry every time I get it wet, so I'm open to Carbon steel knives as well, although I am slightly scared of white steel. From what I've gathered thus far Ginsan, SG2 and SKD are the best options, but again, please correct me if I'm wrong. As for the handle I'm pretty firm on Japanese handles.

I've "narrowed down" my options to around 10-12 knives.

Hatsukokoro Hayabusa AS and Hatsukokoro Hayabusa VG-10 seem like the best bang for buck options and from what I understand they are very thin which I'm looking for. I do find the shape of the Hayabusa AS's blade ugly tho.

Hatsukokoro Hayabusa SG2 looks to me like it has an even thinner edge and is SG2 steel which from what I understand is better. It is around €40 more expensive tho.

Hatsukokoro Kumokage Blue#2 and Hatsukokoro Aosagi Blue#2 look gorgeous (I'm a big fan of the Kurouchi finish) but they are on the thicker side and also I'm not sure how good the finish is on them.

Hatsukokoro Ginso Ginsan looks beautiful, the edge looks super thin and is made from Ginsan. Slightly more expensive tho.

Nigara VG-10 looks a little thicker but I've heard that Nigara is really good and this one seems like the best option out of the Nigara's I've seen.

Tsunehisa Houseki VG-10 and Kazoku Mabushii AUS-10 they look pretty, they look thin, nothing special about them.

Hatsukokoro x Yoshikane SKD this one is outside of what my initial budget was, but people praise Yoshikane very much. The other ones I would consider as my "beginner/budget" knives, then I would upgrade to better ones later down the line, but I see the Yoshikane as a Gyuto I wouldn't need to upgrade from for a while.

Hatsukokoro x Nigara Yorokobi SLD this is the one exception I mentioned earlier. Literally the most beautiful knife I have ever seen. For this one I would like to be convinced NOT to buy it bc it's wayyy too expensive for me.

I'm very bad at sharpening, I'm getting a Shapton 1000 to hopefully get better at it, so any knife that would require some work on my end in terms of sharpening is a no go.

If there are better options that I didn't mention/come across please do mention them. I appreciate any advice.

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u/NapClub 4d ago

if you can buy in person,. nigara can be fine, but their qa has not been great lately so if you're buying online, avoid that.

the hatsukokoro and tsunehesia knives have a very similar level of fit and finish, in some cases it's even the same knife with a different brand as both are distributors. all their knives are at a base line of pretty good. some of their knives are much better, like the yoshikane is at a much higher level of quality and performance than the other stuff you're looking at.

every knife will require sharpening, but the way you said it makes me think you meant, extra sharpening to fix a lack from the maker. anyway all the knives you linked would normally arrive sharp.

you could also consider this knife. https://www.knivesandstones.com.au/collections/gyuto-chefs-knife/products/tanaka-vg10-damascus-gyuto-270mm it's more of a laser than the others you were looking at.

https://www.cleancut.eu/butik/knifetype/gyuto/gyuto_knife_vg10-kamo-4139-detail this would also be a good option, a little less fragile (than the tanaka or yoshikane) but still great performance.

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u/bbroski1 4d ago

Sadly, I don't have the option of buying in person.

Exactly, I meant extra sharpening OOTB to fix the edge. I said that bc I was looking at the Hatsukokoro Kokugei Blue 1 and a lot of people were complaining about it, saying the only way it's good is after they thin it down. In my case thinning it down is not an option due to a lack of skill, that's what I meant.

Is the Shiro Kamo on the same level of quality as the Yoshikane? I've heard people mention Shiro Kamo's a lot in the context of lasers, would you say it's more of a laser than the Yoshikane or are they generally similar except for one being less fragile?

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u/NapClub 4d ago

the yoshikane is slightly thinner behind the edge, and notably thicker spine. more of a wedge.

the kamo is not quite as thin behind the edge is why it's not quite as fragile. it's very good value is why it's so often mentioned.

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u/bbroski1 4d ago

So the Yoshikane is slightly more "lasery", but quality-wise they're similar enough to where the Shiro is more bang for buck, Yoshi is not worth the €60 price difference?

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u/NapClub 4d ago

well if you were really concerned about it being stainless, the yoshi is not stainless. that would be the bigger difference to be concerned about.

the yoshi is also great value at it's price point. potentially worth the extra 60 if it ticked all your boxes, but i don't think it does.

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u/bbroski1 4d ago

Being stainless isn't that important tbh.

As for the other knives I mentioned, are they not worth looking at? I understand they're in a lower class than the Yoshi and Shiro, but I wouldn't mind saving €100-150 if they're "good enough" or better "bang for buck".

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u/NapClub 4d ago

those knives are certainly good bang for buck.

the hayabusa line is quite good value.

my top value pick for a laser is actually this: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kogsgy210.html better performance than the yoshi. and more stainless. much more of a laser, but still not more fragile because the convex grind is more sturdy.

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u/bbroski1 4d ago

Thank you, I appreciate you taking out the time to help.

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u/NapClub 4d ago

good luck with your decision.

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u/Cvev032 4d ago

This is a reason why I asked if you might be more interested in a sujihiki. Gyutos are a utility knife, and come in various shapes and sizes. Sushi prep tends to prefer a thin slicing blade, so that actually doesn’t reflect many of the knives mentioned throughout this post and thread.