# Suisin Inox Western vs Misono 440 vs Mac vs Other?



## G_D_ (Jul 20, 2017)

Hey folks, I've been skimming the boards here for a while before diving in. Ive been researching Japanese made Western style chefs knives for the last few weeks and Im a little lost narrowing down to my final choice, and thought a few expert pointers would help. Sorry to those who read across several knife forums - I've posted this on another forum, but feel there's value in getting as much input as possible to make a decision.

Im looking to purchase a 8 chefs knife for home use, and it will be my sole chefs knife. I'd like something that has exceptional fit & finish, and something that can cover different uses rather than needing to purchase multiple knives. In the past Ive been using Wusthof Classic, Henckels 4 star II, and Global G-series chefs knives, but Im looking to step into the Western-style Japanese knife world. Ive attached the knife questionnaire below.

I would like something that is great for home use, typically cutting mostly vegetables and a little meat. It will get some heavier use from time to time cutting squash in fall etc, but heavy use will be relatively rare. My plan is to sharpen it myself and intend to buy a 1000 & 5000 stone. Ive done a small amount of sharpening previously, but Im really a beginner and will need to expand my skills here.

Its very important to me that the knife I purchase has excellent fit & finish, and so my short list is focussed accordingly. My preference would be to spend around the ~$100-120 mark for the knife, however if there was a significant improvement then I would be willing to jump up to the $150 mark.

At this point I'm leaning towards one of the first couple of options (Suisin Inox Western vs Misono 440), but would like some input before ruling other options out.

Id be really interested to hear from people whove used the knives below, and what theyve found in terms of performance. Does the step up to the ~$150 mark get a significantly better knife than the $110 options? If not, I'd likely steer towards the cheaper option, especially as a starter Japanese knife. How different in terms of performance and sharpening is something like the AUS-8 or 440 steel is compared with the other options like the VG steels? Are these steel types going to have very significant differences that would steer me towards a particular choice?

Heres my short list at the moment:

$100-$110 - Id be really interested to know what people think of the comparison between these two in particular as theyre top of my list at the moment.
- Suisin Western Inox 210mm Gyuto. Seems well regarded. Excellent fit and finish. Some questions about the AUS-8 steel. I can get this pre-sharpened from Korin.
- Misono 440 210 Gyuto. Theres not a lot of comment about this one either in terms of usability or steel. I dont know where the semi-stainless 400 steel falls compared with the Suisin steel. Wouldnt come with a pre-sharpening from where Im looking to buy.

$140-160
- Mac Pro 8.5 chefs. Well regarded for the shape/usability and the steel seems respectable too. Good F&F.
- Mac Pro 8 chef with granton edge. Not sure which is more recommended out of this and the 8.5 Mac knife.
- Masamoto VG 210. Seems well liked, although perhaps over-priced. Now with plastic handle unfortunately.
- Sakai Takayuki Grand Chef 210. Generally good reviews, but perhaps not superior to the Mac options.

Possibly interested in these but there doesnt seem to be a lot of history regarding the performance and F&F:

Knives in $130 - $150 range - F&F questionnable??
- Gonbei AUS-10. From the images online the F&F looks pretty poor, so Im probably going to rule this out unless others have good experiences with performance and F&F.
- Kanehide PS60. Seems to get decent reviews for performance, but again, not sure whether performance warrants this over the other options. F&F looks better than the Gonbei from what I can see, but perhaps not up to the Suisin or Misono options?

Some of the most recommend knives Ive ruled out completely based on poor or average F&F:
- Tojiro
- Fujiwara

Questionnaire:
What country are you in? US
Knife type/size? 210mm Chefs Knife/Gyuto
Are you right or left handed? RH
Western handle, at least as a first Japanese knife.
Do you require a stainless knife? (Yes or no) Stainless, or at least semi-stainless
Budget? $100 to ~$160. Prefer the lower end, unless theres a standout/big jump in performance.
KNIFE USE? Regular home use, mostly vegetables, with some meat.
What knife, if any, are you replacing? Have been using Wusthof classic 8, Global G-2
Do you have a particular grip that you primarily use? Use combo of pinch and racket depending on what Im cutting.
What cutting motions do you primarily use? Variety - will plan to learn whatever techniques suit the new knife. 
What improvements do you want from your current knife? - Sharp edge, comfortable, holds edge for good amount of time, can sharpen at home.
Aesthetics? The F&F must be excellent. Overall style/look not as important.
Edge Retention (i.e., length of time you want the edge to last without sharpening)? I dont know whats possible. Interested to hear.
Do you use a bamboo, wood, rubber, or synthetic cutting board? Yes
Do you sharpen your own knives? Have done a little. Will learn.
Other requests: Fit and finish must be excellent.

Apologies for the long post...


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## daveb (Jul 21, 2017)

Welcome to the forum. Lot of questions. I'm sure you'll get a lot of answers.

For me I like the Suisin Western and keeping 50 in my pocket vice the Misono. Can say the Mid sharpens like a dream.

The Mac is a good quality, nothing remarkable knife. Yawn.

JKI' s Gesshin Stainless merits consideration in this price bracket. A lot of knife for just north of $100.


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## K813zra (Jul 21, 2017)

I see that fit and finish is your thing. Both have good fit and finish but I feel that in general Misono offers better handles. Also, the Misono Molly is more comparable to the Suisin and is cheaper. Food for thought. However, the Suisin is a good knife and I still own three of them.


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## G_D_ (Jul 21, 2017)

daveb said:


> Welcome to the forum. Lot of questions. I'm sure you'll get a lot of answers.
> 
> For me I like the Suisin Western and keeping 50 in my pocket vice the Misono. Can say the Mid sharpens like a dream.
> 
> ...





K813zra said:


> I see that fit and finish is your thing. Both have good fit and finish but I feel that in general Misono offers better handles. Also, the Misono Molly is more comparable to the Suisin and is cheaper. Food for thought. However, the Suisin is a good knife and I still own three of them.



Thanks for the advice. There's a good price going on the Misono 440 at the moment, coming in less than the Suisin Western (and a couple of the AUS-8/-10 options from JKI), although without an initial sharpen. So I'm leaning towards the 440 at the moment, especially if it's relatively comparable to the Mac Pro. Is the Gesshin Stainless a decent step up in performance or similar to the 440 etc? What's the general experience with F&F on the Gesshin western handled knives?

I'm possibly splitting hairs too much on all this. By the sounds any of these knives will present a good step up from a typical Wusthof etc.


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## daveb (Jul 21, 2017)

Not a bad choice among yr candidates. Pick the one you like, try it, if you don't like it you can try again. If you do like it you can try again.

Korin offers both the Suisin Western and the Misono series. All are on sale this month.


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## Benuser (Jul 21, 2017)

The Misono 440 is no semi-stainless, it's stainless, and a bit harder than the Misono Moly. Fit&Finish are excellent. Ask Korin for a free initial stone sharpening. The factory edge is overly convexed and polished by buffering, and as a result of this quite weak. For your own sharpening you may just follow Korin's edge.


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## G_D_ (Jul 28, 2017)

Thanks for the input everyone. I purchased the Misono 440 210mm Gyuto as I found it at a great price (less than the Suisin).

I've had a chance to use it briefly - it's sharp, handles very nicely and deals with a variety of vegetables quickly and with ease. I particularly like the profile - a nice change from the classic Wusthof. Feels like it'll be a relatively easy learning curve. The F&F is excellent of course.

Now I just need to close out my basic kit with a 150mm petty. Currently thinking a wa handle, and potentially in carbon steel - although undecided as to whether that's wise/more advantageous.


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## RDalman (Jul 28, 2017)

Hehe down the rabbit hole you go... Get a carbon, get into sharpening. :whistling:


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## K813zra (Jul 28, 2017)

G_D_ said:


> Thanks for the input everyone. I purchased the Misono 440 210mm Gyuto as I found it at a great price (less than the Suisin).
> 
> I've had a chance to use it briefly - it's sharp, handles very nicely and deals with a variety of vegetables quickly and with ease. I particularly like the profile - a nice change from the classic Wusthof. Feels like it'll be a relatively easy learning curve. The F&F is excellent of course.
> 
> Now I just need to close out my basic kit with a 150mm petty. Currently thinking a wa handle, and potentially in carbon steel - although undecided as to whether that's wise/more advantageous.



There are tons of ways to go but if you like the Misono profile so much they do make a carbon as well.  I like my Dragon, a lot. Well, mine is a 195mm so it is a flower but it is a good knife regardless. Of course there are tons of other knives out there and in wa as you mention.


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## G_D_ (Jul 28, 2017)

RDalman said:


> Hehe down the rabbit hole you go... Get a carbon, get into sharpening. :whistling:



Haha. You never believe someone who says "just one more"?


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 28, 2017)

G_D_ said:


> Haha. You never believe someone who says "just one more"?



... just one more cigarette. One more pill. One more pull of the slot machine. One more knife. One more stone. One more lens...

Fortunately, only the last three are my actual vices ("vices"). But the point stands.


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## K813zra (Jul 28, 2017)

DanHumphrey said:


> ... just one more cigarette. One more pill. One more pull of the slot machine. One more knife. One more stone. One more lens...
> 
> Fortunately, only the last three are my actual vices ("vices"). But the point stands.



I quit smoking so I no longer say "one more" but at one point I did and it never worked out until I simply didn't buy any more. That would never work with stones...I just order 6 more...And I order 5 more two weeks before that.:O


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## sharptools (Jul 28, 2017)

It really is too bad you want a Western handle. The new Gesshin Stainless Wa handle from JKI is absolutely fantastic. Most entry level knives require some sort of rework or thinning. You don't actually need to do that with the Wa version of the Gesshin Stainless.

I'm also surprised you don't have the Fujiwara FKM on your list, its handle is one of its strong points vs similar knives like the Suisin or Misono.


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## DanHumphrey (Jul 28, 2017)

sharptools said:


> It really is too bad you want a Western handle. The new Gesshin Stainless Wa handle from JKI is absolutely fantastic. Most entry level knives require some sort of rework or thinning. You don't actually need to do that with the Wa version of the Gesshin Stainless.



Is the blade different on the western handle version? I had assumed they were the same.


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## sharptools (Jul 28, 2017)

Jon can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe the profile is different. The Wa handle also seems thinner behind the edge from what I have seen.


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## G_D_ (Jul 28, 2017)

I did grab the Western handle on the gyuto, but I'm definitely open to trying out a wa handle for a petty knife (or future chef's knife). Does anyone have experience of the wa-petty knives in the Gesshin line? It looks as though the Gesshin stainless doesn't have a wa-petty?


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## JBroida (Jul 28, 2017)

DanHumphrey said:


> Is the blade different on the western handle version? I had assumed they were the same.



different profile and grind... flatter and thinner


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## JBroida (Jul 28, 2017)

G_D_ said:


> I did grab the Western handle on the gyuto, but I'm definitely open to trying out a wa handle for a petty knife (or future chef's knife). Does anyone have experience of the wa-petty knives in the Gesshin line? It looks as though the Gesshin stainless doesn't have a wa-petty?



wa-petty-wise you'll be looking at the gesshin uraku, gesshin ginga, gonbei hammered damascus, yuri, etc. from me... no gesshin stainless one right now


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## foody518 (Aug 1, 2017)

Maybe something like this? http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/33669-Masamoto-Sohonten?p=503625#post503625


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## Benuser (Aug 1, 2017)

Masamoto CT are Western I'm afraid.


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## foody518 (Aug 1, 2017)

Benuser said:


> Masamoto CT are Western I'm afraid.



Oops, thanks for catching that. I got the preferences mixed up


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## panda (Aug 1, 2017)

i would just get something from japanese knife imports and ask to have the spine & choil rounded.


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## labor of love (Aug 1, 2017)

I purchased a gesshin uraku stainless gyuto because I wanted something inexpensive with durable steel and wa handle. Not alot of stuff around to choose from(maybe korin) also w saya is a plus. It's been my most used knife since I got it. Great basic no frills knife.


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## labor of love (Aug 1, 2017)

I had a gonbei petty and enjoyed using it very much, I'd probably pick that over uraku-but it depends on what kind of knife you're looking for.


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## G_D_ (Aug 2, 2017)

Looks as though the options from JKI are good at that the Gesshin line is well regarded and up there with the best at their price points.

Do you feel the Gesshin Ginga petty would be worth the extra $20 step up above the Uraku or Gonbei? It seems that it's a thinner profile - although I'm not experienced enough in knives to know everything that means performance wise (more prone to damage but fine if treated well, cuts easier, but may be very sticky?). And for that matter what the key differences are between the Gonbei and Uraku? They seem to have similar profile/thickness.


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## labor of love (Aug 2, 2017)

If I were you I'd talk to Jon about it. Uraku has a thicker blade than gonbei or ginga, but isn't thick. Gonbei has more heft than ginga but is ground pretty thin. Ginga is thin blade, very thin edge. Jon lists the weights and measurements for his knives, if I were you I'd compare the stuff I'm interested in.


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## daveb (Aug 2, 2017)

+1 Talk to Jon. His responsiveness to questions like this are part of the reason he's so well regarded.


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