New knife for wife

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FunkeyMonkey
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New knife for wife

Post by FunkeyMonkey »

I’m looking at buying a couple Tojiro DP knives for myself but coming here for a recommendation for new knife for my wife.

1)Pro or home cook? Home cook

2)What kind of knife do you want? (Gyuto, Santoku, Petty, Paring, Sujihiki, etc.) her favorite knife is a 5 inch Oneida Cooks knife, but it dulls fast, so I would rather replace it. Looking at Petty but hard finding one tall like the Cooks shape.

3) What size knife do you want? 125 - 135 mm long, we have a 7 inch Santoku that she says is too heavy at 8 oz, we have a Mercer Renaissance 8 inch Chef knife that she says is too long, Her favorite Cooks Knife is 30 mm tall and 5 inches long. It weighs 3.8 oz.

4)How much do you want to spend? Looking at under $80

5) Do you prefer all stainless, stainless clad over reactive carbon, or all reactive carbon construction? Prefer stainless

6)Do you prefer Western or Japanese handle? Western, but never really tried Japanese handle

7)What are your main knife/knives now? Oneida professional line - stainless full tang with bolster but dulls too fast

8)Are your knife skills excellent, good, fair? I don’t complain when she is doing the cooking and holding a knife

9)What cutting techniques do you prefer? Are you a rocker, chopper or push/pull cutter? Slice/Chopper - We are vegetarians mostly (occasionally eat fish)

10)Do you know how to sharpen? Yes, I have a King KDS and 1000,6000 and use it to sharpen
JASinIL2006
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by JASinIL2006 »

Under $80 is a bit of a challenge...

You might want to look at some of the petty knives in stainless steel... this one is over your budget, but gives you an idea. (This is a nice brand of knives, too!)

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kovgdape12.html
slensgra
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by slensgra »

how about this one: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/harukaze.html

My wife uses (and likes) a honesuki as her main knife.
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Qapla'
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Qapla' »

Ut_ron
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Ut_ron »

This is not as light as the one she likes but at 4.7 oz way lighter then your 8oz santoku. Its a great looking knife and within your budget.

Masutani VG10 Damascus Santoku 165mm
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mavgdasa16.html
Home cook that enjoys sharp knives.
Ut_ron
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Ut_ron »

I would also suggest that you check out this live of knives. Tojiro DP Bolsterless. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/tojirodpa1.html

Don’t let the price scare you off. The steel is very good and will hold the edge much, much better then her current job knife. They are also pretty light which she prefers. The 170 santoku is 3.9 oz and the 135 petty is under 2 oz.
Home cook that enjoys sharp knives.
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Jeff B
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Jeff B »

Bet she would like this, tall but light. https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mavgdasa16.html
If God wanted me to be a vegetarian he wouldn't have made animals taste so good.
Bob Z
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Bob Z »

So it looks like you want a short santoku or a tall petty (none were in your price range). I agree with Jeff B and UT Ron, get a Masutani Santoku, either one would work and they both look good too. Vg10 may keep its edge a bit longer than the Vg1 but thats a guess on my part. Both knives also have lots of good reviews.

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mavg1sa17.html

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mavgdasa16.html

But I have to mention this Misuzu Bunka also:
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/mivgbu16.html

I have the shorter version of this and love it. With its fairly flat edge will be a breeze to sharpen (few seconds on strop keeps mine going), the tip will work well with many veggie tasks and it cuts well. BUT its a cheap handle. I replaced mine but If i got another I would sand it and apply a few coats of tru-oil or other sealers to it. (this is covered elsewhere in the forum)
mikeltee
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by mikeltee »

I think you should go for a Nakiri since you are vegetarian. I doubt she is fileting whole fish when you occasionally eat fish. A nice thin 150mm Nakiri would make short work of those veggies! It looks really cool too! It's prett much a small cleaver and the clever is the only tool the Chinese use for everything. Anything you get is going to become dull. If she does the cooking maybe you can do the sharpening. A single 1000 grit stone once every couple weeks is all you need. It would take less than 5 minutes. Every time she picks that knife up it will cut like new. Please don't waste your money on a Paring knife/Petty. They are the least used knives in all our kits.
FunkeyMonkey
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by FunkeyMonkey »

Every one very helpful thank you
@JASinIL2006 Yes $120 a little over what I was hoping to spend (probably buying several knives two for me and one for you)
@slensgra the blade fits the bill, but we've never used a Wa handle. I live in a rural area, but may need to find a shop where I can try a Wa handle out.
@Qapla' I'm thinking about a bunka for myself. Biggest concern with this one is the Carbon core. I don't think we will take care of the cutting edge.
@Ut_ron Masutani VG10 Damascus Santoku 165mm this looks to be a good option. A little longer and higher than her favorite but this one seems to fit the bill.
Tojiro DP Bolsterless - Looking at the 3 rivet option. I'm just starting to learn about quality knives, but these do not have the video reviews like the other knives. Will she likely miss the bolster? Anyone know about the balance of these knives and transition of handle to spine when using a pinch grip.
@Jeff B yes, the Masutani VG10 Damascus Santoku 165mm seems to be a good option.
@Bob Z Thanks for the confirmation.
@mikeltee Yes, I also thought about a Nakiri. I saw a video on America's Test Kitchen praising the Mac Nakiri, which had a partial tang and no bolster. They liked that it was light and thin.
This seems like a good alternative with VG10 and very reasonable.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/todpvgna16.html
Bob Z
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Bob Z »

Being a serious nakiri fan, I didn't recommend one only because of the lack of tip. If she only uses one knife a Santoku or bunka would be the way to go.
You just cant dice onions as well with a nakiri as with the tip of a gyuto/santoku knife.
That said, if you are a veggie cutter a nakiri is a wonderful choice and maybe something to consider next. Or you could go with the new two rivet Tojiro vg10 line and get the matching santoku. But for the price I would get the masutani santoku. For the price I dont think you can beat its looks and performance.
Wjhunt
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by Wjhunt »

I really like your answer to the eighth question.
mikeltee
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by mikeltee »

FunkeyMonkey wrote: Mon Mar 22, 2021 10:14 pm Every one very helpful thank you
@JASinIL2006 Yes $120 a little over what I was hoping to spend (probably buying several knives two for me and one for you)
@slensgra the blade fits the bill, but we've never used a Wa handle. I live in a rural area, but may need to find a shop where I can try a Wa handle out.
@Qapla' I'm thinking about a bunka for myself. Biggest concern with this one is the Carbon core. I don't think we will take care of the cutting edge.
@Ut_ron Masutani VG10 Damascus Santoku 165mm this looks to be a good option. A little longer and higher than her favorite but this one seems to fit the bill.
Tojiro DP Bolsterless - Looking at the 3 rivet option. I'm just starting to learn about quality knives, but these do not have the video reviews like the other knives. Will she likely miss the bolster? Anyone know about the balance of these knives and transition of handle to spine when using a pinch grip.
@Jeff B yes, the Masutani VG10 Damascus Santoku 165mm seems to be a good option.
@Bob Z Thanks for the confirmation.
@mikeltee Yes, I also thought about a Nakiri. I saw a video on America's Test Kitchen praising the Mac Nakiri, which had a partial tang and no bolster. They liked that it was light and thin.
This seems like a good alternative with VG10 and very reasonable.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/todpvgna16.html
Torijo offers great value! I have their 240mm Western Deba and it's a beast. This one is awesome! Check out the reviews.
www.chefknivestogo.com/toshsa16.html

The one you picked out is great. You could add this and be under budget and have a point. I am surprised of the quality of the DPs line of handles. It's just as good as any high dollar German knife I've used.

www.chefknivestogo.com/todpvgsa17.html
jacko9
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Re: New knife for wife

Post by jacko9 »

I hear that you don't want to spend over $80 but, I have gone through several Petty knives for my wife and the one she settled on and uses every day is this one. It does hold a great edge and I can restore it's bite with just a few strokes on my strop when needed (which isn't often).

https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kogspe150.html
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