Knife recommendation for a friend

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jacko9
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Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

I'll skip the standard questions for now since this is about what knive I would recommend to a friend.

She wants first good knife a 240mm Gyuto around the $250 price range. I'll set her up with sharpening supplies and show her how to sharpen. I am going to lend her my Toyama 240mm B#2 Stainless clad and my T-F 240mm W#1 Nashiji Gyuto to give her some ideas.

I decided to ask you guys what you would recommend. She is a home cook cutting mostly vegetables and she is going to buy a good Hasegawa cutting board. She is a new mother and does a lot of cooking at home and is frustrated with her cheap starter knives and wants one very good knife.

What do you guys think?
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Ozno_flash »

Any idea about handle type preference? 250 is a good amount to spend without any input on handle, especially since she is likely able to test drive some from you.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

Ozno_flash wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 3:46 pm Any idea about handle type preference? 250 is a good amount to spend without any input on handle, especially since she is likely able to test drive some from you.
She doesn't have a handle preference and i think she really wants a very good cutter that won't dull too fast. She took my word and is going to buy a good cutting board.

I will let her try a variety of knives but, unfortunately most of them are out of her price range. I'll let het try my Kato's and Shigefusa's so she has some reference other than her starter knives.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Bob Z »

After trying a TF and a Toyama, might be hard to go back to a toyota just saying..I would go for a ginsan or clad but all the ones I would recommend are OOS.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Ozno_flash »

Hap40 for extended edge retention?

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohagy24.html

Kono HD2 western 240 is also for sale for 250

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohd2gy24we.html
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

The Kono HD2 is one of the knives she's looking at. I need to ask my son to bring over the one I gave him so I can re-sharpen it and let her try it out.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Radar53 »

Hi there Jack.

Three or four knives come to mind (unfortunately most are OOS currently);
the Kohetsu HAP40 240 wa https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohawagy24.html
the Kurosaki R2 240 hammered https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kur2hadagy24.html
the Makoto SG2 Sakura 240 https://www.chefknivestogo.com/masasg2gy24.html

And assuming mainly vegetables and reasonably good knife skills;

maybe the Shibata R2 Kashima 240 https://www.chefknivestogo.com/shckex24gy.html

HTH
Cheers Grant

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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

Radar53 wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 6:18 pm Hi there Jack.

Three or four knives come to mind (unfortunately most are OOS currently);
the Kohetsu HAP40 240 wa https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohawagy24.html
the Kurosaki R2 240 hammered https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kur2hadagy24.html
the Makoto SG2 Sakura 240 https://www.chefknivestogo.com/masasg2gy24.html

And assuming mainly vegetables and reasonably good knife skills;

maybe the Shibata R2 Kashima 240 https://www.chefknivestogo.com/shckex24gy.html

HTH
Thanks the Shibata looks like it might be the ideal candidate.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Chappychap »

Kono HD Western handle was exactly where my head went to, given its in stock and intended to be the 'one' knife. I'm assuming she'll continue to use her old knife as a beater.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

Chappychap wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 7:16 pm Kono HD Western handle was exactly where my head went to, given its in stock and intended to be the 'one' knife. I'm assuming she'll continue to use her old knife as a beater.
I did point that one out to her and she is contemplating that one. I told her nor to hurry since they have baby bills and all and I want her to get as close to a ideal "first knife" as possible. I say first knife because I'm not sure how her husband is going to feel about buying more than one. Loaning them a few knives is as much to convince him as to help her make up her mind. I do like the HD2 weather Wa or Ho handle.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Chappychap »

jacko9 wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 8:02 pm
Chappychap wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 7:16 pm Kono HD Western handle was exactly where my head went to, given its in stock and intended to be the 'one' knife. I'm assuming she'll continue to use her old knife as a beater.
I did point that one out to her and she is contemplating that one. I told her nor to hurry since they have baby bills and all and I want her to get as close to a ideal "first knife" as possible. I say first knife because I'm not sure how her husband is going to feel about buying more than one. Loaning them a few knives is as much to convince him as to help her make up her mind. I do like the HD2 weather Wa or Ho handle.
Kind (and brave!) on the loaning. Look forward to hearing what she ends up choosing!
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by FisherMAn1298 »

AS super is my favorite. After that, the sg2 or r-2.Out of what's in stock the hap40 here fits the budget, etc.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohagy24.html.
best of luck there's a couple in the new arrivals section with wa handles you might want to show her.
In the immortal words of Ken Schwartz-"Master The 1K."
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by lsboogy »

Kurosaki or Konosuke -
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

lsboogy wrote: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:02 pm Kurosaki or Konosuke -
She seems to like the Kono HD2 so if I can get my son to loan me the one I gave him, she can try it out.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by lsboogy »

jacko9 wrote: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:52 pm
lsboogy wrote: Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:02 pm Kurosaki or Konosuke -
She seems to like the Kono HD2 so if I can get my son to loan me the one I gave him, she can try it out.
Have both - Kuro is a more medium weight knife, and the most I use my Kono's the more I like them. Either would be a marvelous go to blade
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by Eli Chaps »

As a new mother, I would NOT recommend anything in carbon, that is prone to chipping, or is in any other way overly finicky.

She will almost certainly find herself at times cutting, only to have to hurriedly drop the knife and attend to the child for indeterminant amounts of time before returning.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

Eli Chaps wrote: Fri Jan 29, 2021 7:33 am As a new mother, I would NOT recommend anything in carbon, that is prone to chipping, or is in any other way overly finicky.

She will almost certainly find herself at times cutting, only to have to hurriedly drop the knife and attend to the child for indeterminant amounts of time before returning.
I agree and I have already pointed her in the HD2 direction.
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by jacko9 »

While she's making up her mind, can somebody give me the short answer to the steel, weight, height, etc differences between the HD2 and the GS+ on a 210mm knife?
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by daviddg »

Hi jacko9, lucky lady getting to try some things out instead of buying totally blind. Sorry that I can be of no help, other than looking at Marks posted specs. Just wanted to point out if your sons HD2 is Wa handle, it is more than her budget and may feel different than the western which is in her budget. Also if you are comparing weights between a GS Wa Handle, and HD2 western I wouldn't think that, that would be a direct comparison because the weight distribution would be different. I am going to toss in something you may wish to consider offering to her to try out, a Nakiri. Many people insist that a gyuto is the most versatile and this is probably true. I started a thread awhile back for knife for my daughter, but after much deliberation on my part I decided to go with a Nakiri for her since her primary cutting is boneless chicken breast and vegetables. Skilled people can cut/chop easily with neer anything. Unskilled people tend to gravitate towards large flat spots from what I have determined for chopping and push cutting. I simply figured as dismal as her chef knife is, it is adequate to do the little that she needs which requires a point and or to cut larger meats, squash melon's etc. It has been a month now and about time to check up to she if she is happy or wishes to exchange it for a gyuto.
Best
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Re: Knife recommendation for a friend

Post by lsboogy »

Have both HD2 and GS+ Kono's - the grind on the HD2 is much more to my liking - have the GS+ out for a bit of grind change. But either one would be a great home knife - and probably the last one you NEED to buy. But it may also lead you down the rabbit hole with the rest of us. The handle on the ho one is probably a bit bigger than the wa version, that's not a big deal - my mom pinch gripped from the mid 60's on Sabatier blades - mostly with Nogent handles, but I still have a few of her "regular ones" and my mom was 5'4" 105lb lady - so it should not be a big concern.
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