# Looking for Recommendations!



## Hugh03 (Mar 26, 2020)

I am just starting to form an interest in Kitchen/Chef knives. I am searching for some recommendations for a beginners knife for home cooking, and on occasion breaking down larger pieces of meat. It doesn't need to be anything too wild as I will be learning how to sharpen with this knife as well. My key interest are Gyutos, and could maybe see myself owning a Nakiri at a later date, unless someone feels I should start with a Nakiri. Some other things I should mention is that my hands are rather large, so a tall heel would be needed/wanted, and I am right handed. Carbon Steel seems to be the superior choice as well from what little research I have done.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!!


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## pgugger (Mar 26, 2020)

Welcome! It would help if you could answer the questionnaire for soliciting advice on knife recommendations: https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/the-which-knife-should-i-buy-questionnaire-v2.12791/


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## Hugh03 (Mar 26, 2020)

LOCATION
What country are you in?

*Southern Indiana, United States*



KNIFE TYPE
What type of knife are you interested in (e.g., chef’s knife, slicer, boning knife, utility knife, bread knife, paring knife, cleaver)?

*Chefs Knife, mainly Gyutos with a slight interest in Nakiris*

Are you right or left handed?

*Right, probably good to note that my hands are large. For perspective, glove size is 12, ring size is about 15*

Are you interested in a Western handle (e.g., classic Wusthof handle) or Japanese handle?

*Octagonal seems best, have never held one tho *

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?

*180mm to 240mm*

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no)

*No, would prefer Carbon*

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?

*For a beginner, $50-$150...? Will be learning how to sharpen with this knife as well.*



KNIFE USE
Do you primarily intend to use this knife at home or a professional environment?

*Home cooking*

What are the main tasks you primarily intend to use the knife for (e.g., slicing vegetables, chopping vegetables, mincing vegetables, slicing meats, cutting down poultry, breaking poultry bones, filleting fish, trimming meats, etc.)? (Please identify as many tasks as you would like.)

*Slicing, chopping, and mincing veggies. Breaking down, slicing, and trimming larger pieces of meat.*

What knife, if any, are you replacing?

*None*

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)

*The few knives I have held, pinch grip seems the most comfortable.*

What cutting motions do you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for types of cutting motions and identify the two or three most common cutting motions, in order of most used to least used.)

*Chop, push cutting, rocking*

What improvements do you want from your current knife? If you are not replacing a knife, please identify as many characteristics identified below in parentheses that you would like this knife to have.)

*N/A*

Better aesthetics (e.g., a certain type of finish; layered/Damascus or other pattern of steel; different handle color/pattern/shape/wood; better scratch resistance; better stain resistance)?

*I like the look of Damscus quite a bit, but wouldn't need one out of the gate to get started. No reservation on handle wood.*

Comfort (e.g., lighter/heavier knife; better handle material; better handle shape; rounded spine/choil of the knife; improved balance)?

*Good balance would be appreciated, could be a bit blade heavy. Straight choil I believe, what ever is easiest to sharpen*

Ease of Use (e.g., ability to use the knife right out of the box; smoother rock chopping, push cutting, or slicing motion; less wedging; better food release; less reactivity with food; easier to sharpen)?

*Ease of sharpening*

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?

*Decent to Good retention, sharpen once a month or two after daily use, if its plausible*



KNIFE MAINTENANCE
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? (Yes or no.)

*Yes, wooden*

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)

*Will be, yes*

If not, are you interested in learning how to sharpen your knives? (Yes or no.)

Are you interested in purchasing sharpening products for your knives? (Yes or no.)

*No, have a friend that has some quality whetstones*



SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS


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## pgugger (Apr 2, 2020)

I haven't used Kaeru, but I have seen it commonly recommended on this forum as a good value entry level Japanese knife: https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru/. The 240 mm is on sale now (not sure how long, maybe just today), so it is actually cheaper than the 210 mm... hard to beat: https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru-kasumi-white-gyuto-240mm/. JNS is a great vendor with fast international shipping, though you may need to add another item to qualify for free shipping. 

Most of my knives have octagonal handles, but I have two from JNS with these D-shaped handles and they are also quite comfortable in my opinion. They are larger than most octagonal handles, so you may appreciate that too.

Btw, you may get more replies if you move this post to the main forum. I think this subforum gets little traffic.


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## GorillaGrunt (Apr 3, 2020)

One of my cooks has a Kaeru SLD and it’s pretty boss.


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## Hugh03 (Apr 9, 2020)

pgugger said:


> I haven't used Kaeru, but I have seen it commonly recommended on this forum as a good value entry level Japanese knife: https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru/. The 240 mm is on sale now (not sure how long, maybe just today), so it is actually cheaper than the 210 mm... hard to beat: https://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/kaeru-kasumi-white-gyuto-240mm/. JNS is a great vendor with fast international shipping, though you may need to add another item to qualify for free shipping.
> 
> Most of my knives have octagonal handles, but I have two from JNS with these D-shaped handles and they are also quite comfortable in my opinion. They are larger than most octagonal handles, so you may appreciate that too.
> 
> Btw, you may get more replies if you move this post to the main forum. I think this subforum gets little traffic.


Thank you! Will look at some of these, and also move my thread over.


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