# Which one to buy?



## alvaro_garcia (Nov 29, 2018)

Hi all.

Please forgive me if I'm in the wrong sub-forum. If so, I kindly ask the moderator/administrator to move it to the right place.

I'm an enthusiast of knives in general and bought many European (Spanish and German) high quality kitchen knives in the last weeks.

As I've noticed this forum is mainly populated by Japanese knives' geeks and I'm curious to buy and try at least one Japo, here below I copy/paste and fill the questionnaire:

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LOCATION
- Spain.

KNIFE TYPE
I'm interested in (by order):
- Chef’s knife (this is my main wish for now).
- Utility knife.
- Slicer.
- Paring knife.

Are you right or left handed?
- I'm right handed.

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

What length of knife (blade) are you interested in (in inches or millimeters)?
- From 16 cm to 21 cm blade.

Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or No)
- Not really, but I do prefer (it's more practical).

What is your absolute maximum budget for your knife?
- Less that 200€.

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

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.)
- Mainly slicing vegetables and filleting meat and fish. Always with care (never chopping and of course never touching bones to keep the edge sharpness). Bear in mind that I do prefer symmetrical blades/grinds over asymmetrical.

What knife, if any, are you replacing?
- None. I'm just interested in knowing which are the best Japo Chef's and Utility knives options out there.

Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? (Please click on this LINK for the common types of grips.)
- I don't have any particular grip preference, however I may say that, possibly, these are by order the ones I use most: Regular grip, Pointed finger grip, Pinch grip. (It depends on what I'm cutting or what's my handling preference on each moment).

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.)
- Slicing / Back-slicing. (I don't keep the knife tip sticked to the wodden board for slicing).

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.)

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)?
- Nice handle look and quality.
- Good scratch and stain resistance.

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

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)?
- Ability to use the knife right out of the box.

Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)?
- Ability to keep edge sharpness retention as long as possible without sharpening.

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

Do you sharpen your own knives? (Yes or no.)
- No (for now).

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

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

SPECIAL REQUESTS/COMMENTS
- I like and prefer FULL TANG knives (rather than rat-tail).
- I also like HEFTY knives with thicker blades, they give me the sensation of being more robust/solid.
- I also like the knives to be as SHARP as possible and to keep their edge sharpness as long as possible without sharpening.


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## inferno (Dec 1, 2018)

I like to recommend the the shapton glass stone series of sharpening stones. specifically the 1k and 4k and the DMT coarse diamond plate (325grit). And simply keep what you already have.

other than that i recommend the hattori vg10 series. they come in 2-3 different types of wood and also corian. https://japanesechefsknife.com/collections/hattori-fh-series


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## alvaro_garcia (Dec 1, 2018)

inferno said:


> ... And simply keep what you already have.



It's the most reasonable choice.


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## alvaro_garcia (Dec 9, 2018)

I finally decided to go ahead with what I have (Spanish and German knives) and forgot jumping into the Japanese world (at least for now). They are possibly sharper in general, but they also are thinner and probably more delicate, and as I'm extremely happy and satisfied with the robustness, heft, design and sharpness (yes, also sharpness, they all are scary sharp, much more than enough) of my current collection, I'm just going to enjoy what I have and will not look in other directions (at least for now, like I said).

Thanks for your amability.


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## playero (Dec 9, 2018)

you can try a japanese deba since they are the thickest and somewhat heaviest in some of these. i mean you cannot go wrong with german since they last long time but you have to expierence the other side.


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