Swtiching from a Wusthof

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Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Hello CKTG,
Searching for my last kitchen knife. I've been using a henckel 240mm chef knife for over 30 yrs..it has served me well and will continue to do so. I am only home cook but enjoy the use of quality and precision tools,that when I pick it up can say, this is truly made by a craftsman first, artisan second. To add a challenge to this endeavor a budget of under $300 is given.
Things I like about my henckel knife:

Distal taper
Stainless/ easy care
Height
Heftyness
Length
Grind
Stiffness
Multi tasks
50/50 grind

Things I would expect:
Length- way over sized 210mm/ 240 or under
Sharpness- screaming
spine thickness - min. 3mm
Height -higher than 47mm
Weight - lighter than 9oz
Fit and finish - excellent
Easy sharpening on whetstones
wrapped stainless clad
Carbon core
Well balanced
Toughness-As tough as can be expected ( for chopping nuts)
Nimble feel
No wedging
No sticking
Excellent grind/ thin tip
Versatile profile
Straight blade!
Lefty grind or a 50/50


Questions and Comments:
Handle - ho or wa ? And why
How to take care of a carbon steel core knife?
How long can I expect in the life of a carbon knife?
Dont like the thick bolster on the henckel can`t sharpen that part easily
Hold- pinch grip

I'm Left handed
Cutting style from rocking, pull/ push, to chopping



I am truly looking forward to hear from you.


Thank you for all your help,

Michael
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Hi Michael,

You covered most of these but my standard form helps me focus and there are a couple things you missed.

1) Pro or home cook? (Home User)
2) What kind of knife do you want? (gyuto, santoku, etc)
3) What size knife do you want?
4) How much do you want to spend? ($300 or less)
5) Do you prefer stainless or reactive carbon?
6) Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle?
7) What are your main knife/knives now? (Wusthof)
8) Do you prefer something rustic or production oriented with good fit and finish?
9) Are you a rocker, chopper or push cutter?
10) Do you know how to sharpen?


Kind Regards,

Mark Richmond
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by gladius »

Hi Michael,

Welcome to the forum.

Suggest:

Japanese handle:
Gihei Blue #2 Gyuto 240mm << or

Western handle:
Harukaze AS Western Gyuto 240mm <<
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

Hey Mark,
Here are the answers to your questions

1. Home user
2. Gyuto
3. 240 mm
4. Under $300
5. Carbon core / stainless wrapped
6. Japanese
7. Henckel
8. Quality rustic
9. Rocker and push/pull
10. Yes, a decent whetstone sharpener
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by Infrared »

The Goko pretty much fits all of your criteria.

Goko White #1 Gyuto 240mm https://www.chefknivestogo.com/gokogyuto240mm.html

You should also check out the Matsubara. It's much smaller and has more of a Sabatier profile.

Matsubara Blue #2 KS Nashiji Gyuto 240mm https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mabl2naksgy21.html
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by FisherMAn1298 »

Kurosaki Shizuku R2 Gyuto 240mm
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html.You'll have a nickel left so you can say it didn't clean you out! Kurosaki is awesome, R2 will give you an edge as good as it gets for a long time. Plus she's beautiful too! There are SO many, good hunting!
In the immortal words of Ken Schwartz-"Master The 1K."
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by Miles »

Coming from German steel, you’ll be blown away from any purchase at CKTG (see response 2). I’ll make comments this way

Length- way over sized 210mm/ 240 or under
Skip 210, since there’s few that register over 215.

Sharpness- screaming
You can ask Mark about your future purchase if it’s sharp OOTB. Japanese knives can be dull- weird right? Its a small fee to get it crazy sharp and get that feeling, memory of where the knife should be when you’re sharpening.

spine thickness - min. 3mm
Japanese knives can taper or be straightish under this. Over 3mm should taper pretty good from handle to tip. Some do this right away. It sounds like you’re ruling out thin or laser type knives- I wouldn’t since coming from western style you’ll see a more contrast.

Weight - lighter than 9oz
This shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe the ‘yo’ or western style handles add some weight but damn if anybody is using 9oz gyuto unless you’re working out.

Easy sharpening on whetstones
Any full carbon -shirogami, aogami, 1 or 2. Check

Toughness-As tough as can be expected ( for chopping nuts)
:shock: BE CAREFUL- almost any gyuto will be thin behind the edge. Roasted nuts I dunno, hard squash probably no, bones no. That’s what your Henkel/wustof is for smash away

No wedging
No sticking
This is where things get tricky :ugeek: Depending on the grind, Harder produce like carrots can wedge (thicker & shorter grinds) and/or things like cucumber stick (laser style). What you like and what you’re cutting are key. Without trying out a bunch of knives, you’ll won’t know your style and this will be entirely subjective. I don’t know that there’s a do all grind but folks will debate/argue this all day. This is why folks are buying selling trading for that perfect blade- to them. Maybe a good distal taper gives you thin Up front and thick (good food separation) in the back. Not hearing too much complaining about Konosuke Fujiyamas which don’t have much taper from front to back

Versatile profile
rock and push/pull lend themselves to non flattish profiles. They should have some curve and less a flat.

Straight blade!
If the unlikely event you get one that has a bit of twist, send it back. CKTG has a great rep for standing behind their products.

Lefty grind or a 50/50
Youll want to double check with Mark or folks on the forums about this. Some folks can do 60/40 and others are entirely against it

I like the options folks have mentioned here. There’s also a cheapish, gateway knife. Kohetsu blue 2 nashiji.
It’s stainless clad carbon. Decent handle too. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kobl2nagy24.html
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by 7x57mm@gmail.com »

Take this with a grain of salt as I'm a guy who has been using two J knives since Jan 1 2021 :) Take a hard look at the Anryu 240mm B#2 hammered. Pretty much checks all of your boxes. I have the 210mm version. About the only criteria it won't fulfill handily is the "non-sticking" requirement. To the best of my knowledge, about the only knife brand that releases food the best is Glestain. While I don't own a Glestain, I have used one and the food release is quite remarkable. The Anryu does not wedge on hard product or have that choppy/jerky feel when cutting through hard product like a German blade....kinda like the difference of riding in a Coupe DeVille down the freeway vs rock hopping in a Jeep :) I have found that carrots, squashes, peppers, onions etc ride up the Anryu blade like any other knife I have used. The geometry and grind is what really opens the eyes when you go from a German blade to a Japanese blade.
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

I love that Anryu Blue #2 but the edge is thin so keep your Wusthof around for tough jobs.

This is another one I like a lot: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kurosaki240.html

Gladius made a good suggestion too. More of a workhorse. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/gibl2gy24.html
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by Ozno_flash »

A different suggestion might be this Tsunehisa ->

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tsassagy21.html

I haven't seen it discussed and it's only a 210, but looks it could be an alternative for anryu hammered that is constantly out of stock. Looks very similar.
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by JASinIL2006 »

My workhorse chef knife is a Henckel, but I have to admit, that Gihei Blue #2 240 has been calling my name... I'd probably keep the Wusthof for my wife and/or for breaking down squash and such, but the heavy Gihei looks pretty sweet...

And whatever you decide on, absolutely get the CKTG finishing service as Miles recommended. You deserve to know how good your knife can be, and having Mark apply a finish sharpening will show you the knife's potential.
Last edited by JASinIL2006 on Sat Feb 27, 2021 9:00 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by Michael V »

Thank you all for your input, I am taking all your recommendations to heart.
But I have a question about the R2 suggestion. Is it a stainless steel at about the same level as a carbon steel, In terms of ease in sharpening, sharpness and toughness?
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

R2 is hard steel and it’s stainless. I find it takes longer to sharpen the steel other things being equal when compared to most carbon steels. In terms of toughness it’s way less tough than your Wusthof for instance. The benefit is it will take a steep edge and hold that edge for a long time and the cutting performance will impress you. You simply need to be mindful when you cut with it. Going from a 30 year old Wusthof to one of these will be a shock.
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by 7x57mm@gmail.com »

You bring up a good point Mark and now I am very curious. Which J knife do you feel is a "Wusthof" replacement with "Wusthof" toughness? My youngest will likely be moving out at the end of this year. I told her she will inherit my German/Vic knives and the Spyderco Sharpmaker to get her going. I'll need to replace the GoldHamster chef's knife when the time comes as it is (now) my rough and tumble blade.
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by Infrared »

Even on the lower end most Japanese knives will be 58-59 HRC. Such a hard and thin knife will not work for rough tasks like bones or frozen food. A $15 Mercer would be a good knife for when you want to be rough.

You can also check out some Japanese specialty knives like a honesuki or deba which are sturdier and made for processing poultry and fish. A double bevel deba could take a good beating and still come out sharp.

Kohetsu Blue #2 Nashiji Ko Deba 120mm https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kobl2nakode11.html
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by d_rap »

7x57mm@gmail.com wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 6:07 pm You bring up a good point Mark and now I am very curious. Which J knife do you feel is a "Wusthof" replacement with "Wusthof" toughness?
Infrared brings up some good suggestions, but inasmuch as "Wusthof toughness" means a relatively expendable knife with forgiving steel that bends or rolls as opposed to chipping or breaking--then the best answer for me is to keep at least one lower stakes, German steel type knife handy at all times.

I cut up chickens and cut around bones in other proteins with a honesuki (through joints, and around, but never across or through bone) and a deba is on my short list for butchering larger fish, but when I know I have a gnarly cut ahead of me that could go south, I'd rather use something replaceable with softer, tougher (more ductile, pliable) steel.
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by cliff »

I butterfly chickens with a Kanehide TK or a Misono Dragon Gyuto all the time. Never had a problem. But I do keep a heavy cleaver around just in case
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by 7x57mm@gmail.com »

I've used a Vic curved semi stiff boning knife to break down chickens, cut steaks from roasts, skin and process deer for years. This knife, to me, is almost perfect for those tasks. I don't know if a J knife could do what the Vic does for those specific tasks especially when mud, grit and grime are involved. When the time comes, I'll look at getting a good workhorse chef's knife to replace the tried and true Goldhamster. It's heavy as a tank, homely to look at but it's a nose forward pugilist ready to take on anything :)
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by Michael V »

Since I was a youngster I've always wanted to try a true japanese knife. Now I'm about too.Thank you for all your input, it has really made my decision a solid one. Pulling the trigger on a Gehei 240mm blue #2. Yahoo!!
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Re: Swtiching from a Wusthof

Post by ChefKnivesToGo »

I hope you enjoy it. :)
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