210 Gyuto recommendation for home cook

[Chappychap]

While I can't answer that, too new to this, I will say that most experienced sharpeners here say to not use a stainless steel knife to learn to sharpen. Learn on a carbon steel knife first. After you get good, consistent results on that type of steel, then move to a SS knife.

Not sure if I can find it, but there was another thread here where someone wanting to learn to sharpen knives got some really good advice, and even which knife to buy (it was inexpensive, comparatively) to learn to sharpen on. I'll see if I can find it and post a link.

Found it! This post, actually the whole thread, but this post is what I was remembering, might help. Best of luck.

Personally, I don't agree with this at all. Truly garbage or very soft stainless can be difficult but with any decent brand this should not be a problem. A Fibrox is probably around 55HRC and is dead simple to sharpen.

Now, the edges may not be as keen as hard carbon or fine grained stainless but that is a different thing. You CAN learn to sharpen on stainless steel.

This was my experience also. Trying to learn to sharpen with the old, never-heard-of-it bargain bucket brand Western stainless chef knife I had kicking around? Ok that was a total mess . Wouldn't recommend that or do it again myself. But sharpening a stainless Mercer Renaissance, that was just fine. It may not be the 100% optimal choice to start with stainless, but it was ok for me whilst I figured out the direction I wanted to go in with my collection.

[d_rap]

Yeah most people are going to have something like Sabatier, Wusthof, Henckels, Victorinox, Mercer, Global lying around, unless you started buying your first knives on chefknivestogo. You're not going to mess any of that up learning to sharpen and they all sharpen up just fine.

[Eli Chaps]

A Victorinox, Wustohof, Henckels, etc. pairing knife is a great thing to start your practice on. Good steel, very thin so quick burr formation, and smaller blade all combine for a good starter knife.

[Jason183]

Thanks Afagjones! I suppose if a good knife sharpener can fix a chip, they can probably fix a bad sharpening job if I really screw it up.
Ha ha. I don't think I've ever hear the phrase "rocket surgery" before. I'll have to start using that.
Do you have any thoughts on the Kohetsu B#2 vs the Kohetsu SLD?
Thanks again.

Kohetsu B#2 is pretty Good, I have tried 2 of them last month(1 gyuto and 1 sujihiki), both western style, so far so good, very sharp, easy to sharpen, and holds the edge well. For low budget knives I prefer it over Tojiro DP or Fujiwara FKM, if you’re looking for Wa handle, liked other said can consider blue 2 Nashiji, but cost a bit more.

[RyanI]

Thanks Jason183. And thanks everyone for the really interesting and helpful conversation about sharpening and steels.
The B#2 seems to be getting high praise, so I’m leaning in that direction.
It’s probably time to take a final look, add up the cost of the sharpening equipment, gut check my budget and take the plunge.

[Eli Chaps]

Thanks Jason183. And thanks everyone for the really interesting and helpful conversation about sharpening and steels.
The B#2 seems to be getting high praise, so I’m leaning in that direction.
It’s probably time to take a final look, add up the cost of the sharpening equipment, gut check my budget and take the plunge.

I really think that Kanehide PS60 or Kohetsu SLD would be a great jumping off knife. The stainless steel will be one less worry starting out and they should sharpen up like a dream, especially the Kanehide.

Starting out, with a knife that is already sharp, you could get a Shapton Glass 1k or 2k, a CKTG 140 diamond plate, and a universal stone holder. You can strop on denim, cardboard, or even paper wrapped around a stone if you don't want to spend the extra on strop right. If you can get a strop, just giving options.

Another even cheaper but still very effective choice that isn't sold here, is the King Neo 800 ST-2. You can find it for about $40 and comes with it's own holder. Splash and go as well.

You'd be in for ~$220-70 and be well set. It sounds like a lot up front but you'll get years of service out of the tools and the sharpening gear can be used on all manner of knives and just expanded on.

[RyanI]

Thanks for the tips on the sharpening stones/equipment.
I just started browsing the sharpening stones on CKTG. I can't believe how many options there are!

[bingbong]

Looks like you and I are in the same boat. I'm a home cook, and had all the same requisites as you. Also I am a push cutter with the occasional rocking, mostly for herbs.

I have only recently been getting into Japanese cutlery and I have the Kanehide WITHOUT the additional sharpening from CKTG. It is jaw-droppingly sharp in my experience. Fresh tomatillos were cut literally like a hot knife through butter. It's a thin blade and very light compared to anything German I had. I became an instant fan of the Wa handle, especially because it facilitates a pinch grip so well (and is next level in terms of aesthetics.) Can't speak for edge retention because it's such a new knife.

As for sharpening, I recommend watching the Burrfection channel on Youtube. Also Ethan Chlebowski and Joshua Weissmans knife sharpening videos (the one where Josh goes to Bernal Cutlery and has the demo there.) I watched them a lot to gather the overall techniques. Either use dull knives (that aren't completely terrible) or get yourself a cheaper knife from this site or Cutlery and More (6' Chef's Choice Trizor are a screaming deal over there right now) and practice on some stones after losing some edge. King has the 1000/3000 KDS that's very popular and affordable. In my experience, sharpening isn't too hard to get the hang of. I haven't done the Sharpie trick (but I will.) For now, I just feel for the burr and go from there. After a few solid practice sessions, you should start to develop some muscle memory, and even understand the feedback from the stone a bit. I am refining my sharpening abilities with a Chefs Choice 6' Trizor and Richmond Artifex II before taking a Kanehide to a stone.

Anyway, I'm totally convinced of the Kanehide performance. Again I can't speak about sturdiness/edge retention, but reviews suggest they hold up great after some solid use. I'm glad I went with them, and will likely continue to get Kanehide knives.

Hope this helps.

[RyanI]

Thanks Bingbong, I appreciate the feedback and recommendations!