# Why buy a gyuto over a santoku?



## _HH_ (Mar 3, 2019)

After reading the forum for the past few weeks I haven’t found a really good reason as to why gyuto are more useful than a santoku given my criteria:

1. I like short knives
2. I don’t rock chop
3. I don’t care if my knife doesn’t look pointy

The main arguments against a santoku seem to be that they can’t rock chop, are too small, or ‘they don’t look badass like a bunka’ (which I find amusing given they seem to be almost the exact same shape but one has a K-tip).

Given that I don’t rock chop, and already have a western chef’s knife, is there any reason - other than personal preference - as to why I should buy a gyuto over a santoku as my next knife?

I like the idea of having one knife which can do most things, and seeing as I’m not going to get a Nakiri and am going to hang onto my chef’s knife, it seems to me that a santoku with its flatter heel section may be more helpful for veg prep without losing the ability to cut protein.

I’d love to hear your thoughts if you can give me any advice one way or the other.

Thanks!
Henry


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## lemeneid (Mar 3, 2019)

Santoku is the bastard child of a gyuto and nakiri and does neither function well. If I wanted a short knife I rather a long petty/short suji or a nakiri as my everything knife. My 150mm Shiro Kamo petty currently fills this position when I need stuff done quick and don’t need my gyuto.


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## Cyrilix (Mar 3, 2019)

lemeneid said:


> Santoku is the bastard child of a gyuto and nakiri and does neither function well. If I wanted a short knife I rather a long petty/short suji or a nakiri as my everything knife. My 150mm Shiro Kamo petty currently fills this position when I need stuff done quick and don’t need my gyuto.



I would disagree with this. Santokus have varying profiles. The ones that are sufficiently flat are basically a nakiri with a tip, which is a perfectly acceptable design for doing what a nakiri does. If the tip is half decent (has enough taper), you'll be able to do more with it. A more pronounced tip may not be something you get with more santokus but should definitely exist with a k-tip santoku, like a bunka.

My ideal santoku is: a minimum of 50mm in height, about 180mm long with a more pronounced tip, has many flat spots that are of considerable size and only just curves upward noticeably at the very end of the knife.


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## Midsummer (Mar 3, 2019)

Welcome Henry! 

There are some ingredients that are much easier to work with a longer knife. You can address this in many ways such as forging on with the little knife, getting a longer carver, or avoiding cooking that involves bigger stuff.


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## Ochazuke (Mar 3, 2019)

I think part of the reason that gyuto reign supreme for most on this forum has a lot to do with what they’re cooking. I would never argue that any knife type or shape is objectively better than another, but I 100% agree that some knives are better for some tasks and for some people’s technique. I’m general I believe that technique matters way more than any aspect of your knife anyways (I once did katsuramuki with a deba just to prove to a coworker that it was him and not the knife that was the problem).

If a santoku fits your cuisine and your personal technique, then naysayers be damned. Buy what you like.


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## Xenif (Mar 3, 2019)

Ochazuke said:


> I think part of the reason that gyuto reign supreme for most on this forum has a lot to do with what they’re cooking. I would never argue that any knife type or shape is objectively better than another, but I 100% agree that some knives are better for some tasks and for some people’s technique. I’m general I believe that technique matters way more than any aspect of your knife anyways (I once did katsuramuki with a deba just to prove to a coworker that it was him and not the knife that was the problem).
> 
> If a santoku fits your cuisine and your personal technique, then naysayers be damned. Buy what you like.


^that 100%

I grew up using cleavers/chuka; I cook pan-asian-ish food. My primary motions are push and chop, so that makes me love using the Nakiri, although some here argue they are useless rectangles.
The line between Santoku and Gyuto is a real blur at the 180mm, what's a flat profile tall Gyuto look like? A Santoku.
Buy what you think you like, but always keep an open mind on what you think you may like. Happy hunting!


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## Marcelo Amaral (Mar 3, 2019)

Hi there Henry,

one thing the gyuto does better than the santoku is offering less area near the tip (specially for pointy tipped gyutos), which helps with food release while dicing if you are using mostly the area near the tip to do that. Anyway, it's not a deal breaker for me and i have enjoyed santokus too, but what happened to me is that nakiris took the santokus' place in my kit.


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## Michi (Mar 3, 2019)

When I'm by myself and put a quick meal together, I enjoy using a santoku. It's the perfect knife to cut anything in smallish quantities. The one I have is 165 mm. It works fine for chopping veggies, dicing up a few bits of chicken or beef, and rocks just well enough to chop a few herbs or mince a bit of garlic or ginger.

For a small meal, I find that my 240 mm (250 mm, really) KS gyuto is overkill and awkward. I have to be more careful handling it, need to watch for the tip to not stab into anything with a little careless movement, etc. The santoku is compact and nimble, and just right of a quick meal. The one I have is stainless clad with a VG10 core, so I don't have to baby it continuously; it's OK to leave it sitting on the cutting board for a few minutes without wiping it down, which I wouldn't do with a carbon knife.

I like the santoku. It's a pragmatic knife for a pragmatic job. I agree that it is a jack of all trades and master of none. But that's the whole point of that knife.


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## Eloh (Mar 3, 2019)

My mom makes great meals with a 120mm utility knife.
Bigger chef knives are just more efficient for volume prep in an professional environment. For home use just use what you are comfortable with.


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## HRC_64 (Mar 3, 2019)

For 'asian cuisine' from an actual workflow point of view...you are (often) cutting things smaller, so there are more cuts...
to do more cuts, with fewer motions, you may do more 'stacking' of ingredients, but cutting stacks of ingredients is done with the back of the knife (taller = more stability) and not the tip ( narrower =less stability) because stacks are inherently unstable...

So if you are doing lots of this work, then a santoku is actually pretty useful (as is a cleaver, etc).

But in a western kitchen, its very often you are cooking meats, coring fruit, removing eye from potato,
deboning a cooked pork chop, etc...lots of small tasks that benefit from more agility...
more agility means a usable tip is very valuable.


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## Benuser (Mar 3, 2019)

The low santoku tip tends to catch the board when forward slicing as in 'guillotine and glide'. Rarely got a santoku for sharpening where the tip wasn't damaged.
Better have a 180mm gyuto that isn't too narrow.


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## Cyrilix (Mar 3, 2019)

Benuser said:


> The low santoku tip tends to catch the board when forward slicing as in 'guillotine and glide'. Rarely got a santoku for sharpening where the tip wasn't damaged.
> Better have a 180mm gyuto that isn't too narrow.



Is that not essentially rock chopping?


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## HRC_64 (Mar 3, 2019)

Cyrilix said:


> Is that not essentially rock chopping?



minced parsley or chopped nuts or chocolate = rock chopping
chiffonade of basil = glide cutting


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## Benuser (Mar 3, 2019)

Cyrilix said:


> Is that not essentially rock chopping?


More forward after landing. 
http://www.cookfoodgood.com/?p=405


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## gman (Mar 3, 2019)

if the ingredient needs tip work, then i'm using either a gyuto or a petty, and if it doesn't then a nakiri, and if i'm cutting a variety of ingredients that need both tip and flatness ahead of the heel, then definitely a gyuto. 

i've owned santokus and always found them to be the worst of all worlds. the tips aren't thin enough, and depending on the ingredient they seem to always be either too long or too short, and have either too much belly or not enough.


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## podzap (Mar 3, 2019)

HRC_64 said:


> But in a western kitchen, its very often you are cooking meats, coring fruit, removing eye from potato,
> *deboning a cooked pork chop*



We should not condone criminal activity such as this!


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## nonoyes (Mar 3, 2019)

I find plenty of uses for the tapered, pointy, slightly curved tip many gyutos offer

I use the front 2-3 inches of my gyuto to trim inside bell peppers, remove pith from orange quarters. The very tip I use to dig out imperfections or even cut a bit of twine in a tight location. It's also nice to start the trimming of a bit of skin or silverskin. And there is less drag or stiction when using the front of the blade to slice a veggie or some cheese.

When I use my santoku I find the nose a bit thick and awkward for some of my most common tasks like vertical cuts into halves of onion, garlic or shallot, or working in tight spaces.

Otoh, I'm sure santoku users have ways of doing all these things just fine.


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## McMan (Mar 3, 2019)

Here's something to think about:
Wide-bevel Mizuno (White#2) for $160:
https://japanesechefsknife.com/coll...e-steel-2-165mm-and-180mm?variant=33658429966


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## podzap (Mar 3, 2019)

Yep, can't trim sinew off large pieces of meat with a santoku


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## Nemo (Mar 3, 2019)

A thin tipped gyuto is pretty handy for onion.


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## KenHash (Mar 3, 2019)

lemeneid said:


> Santoku is the bastard child of a gyuto and nakiri and does neither function well. If I wanted a short knife I rather a long petty/short suji or a nakiri as my everything knife. My 150mm Shiro Kamo petty currently fills this position when I need stuff done quick and don’t need my gyuto.



I have to disagree with this generalization. The Santoku does not do the task "AS WELL" as other specialized types and profiles. But that does not mean it does not do the tasks well. The fact that it does is why t it is so successful.
A long petty or short suji does not have the height to carry chopped material from board to bowl. I find myself using a 180 Gyuto for this reason, and a Santoku would do the same.

From the OPs, post, I think he has no reason to use a Gyuto if he is comfortable with a Santoku.


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## OldJoeClarke (Mar 3, 2019)

I just got a new Anryu damascus shirogami #2 santoku on Friday and it flies through my food prep. A brunoise of garlic to killing an oversized Dutch onion, all is pure fun. Of course it has limitations as do most of our knives, that is why we "reluctantly" have to buy more knives, eh folks...
Go ahead Henry, enjoy you new knife...

PS, what knife are you thinking of getting?


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## HRC_64 (Mar 3, 2019)

KenHash said:


> ... no reason to use a Gyuto if he is comfortable with a Santoku.



I think this is true if the end user is flexible in technique and adopts to the shape.

For me, a usable santoku must be able to draw cut...
I'm not looking to glide or rock chop but if it cannot draw cut, its no good.

For whatever reason, very few Santoku are excell at this...Shig is one that works pretty good.


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## jaybett (Mar 3, 2019)

A gyuto is a general purpose knife just like a santoku. Dedicated knifes will also out perform a gyuto. In the end who cares? Most of us want a knife that is best suited to our kitchen and tasks. 

If you want a knife that can handle most jobs in the kitchen, then a gyuto would be the choice. Even a small gyuto would be more versatile than a santoku. If you chop a lot of vegetables and cut up protein, than a santoku might be a better choice. 

Jay


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## daveb (Mar 3, 2019)

I'm not a santoku fan - I've tried more than a few and they don't work for me.

But if they work for you then by all means find the one you like best and go for it.


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## _HH_ (Mar 3, 2019)

Hey everyone!
Thanks so much for all of the very helpful replies. I have found a site which can ship me the Kanehiro AS santoku for $200. Given that I live in NZ this is a pretty good deal!

My reasons to get a santoku are mainly wanting a change from my Wusthof chef’s knife. I feel the gyuto is likely to be very similar.

A lot of responses seem to say that a gyuto is ‘better’ or a santoku ‘worse’, without explaining why.

I still can’t see why a gyuto is going to be more versatile than a santoku. The gyuto is going to be longer and has a more gentle curve, with less of a flat spot from what I have seen.

One of the things that annoys me about my chef’s knife is that on push chopping, I tend to have things like spring onions scored but not completely separated. I am hoping the larger flat section of the santoku will help me to fix this.

Being a novice it may just be something I have to use and compare side by side to really ‘get’ why one is better than the other, as from reading and looking at blade profiles I can’t seem to get it clear in my head!

Thanks again for all the help!


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## Benuser (Mar 3, 2019)

Those spring onions not getting completely cut can have to do with the lack of sharpness, or with the edge not touching the board along the entire edge — a reverse belly, after poor sharpening or steeling abuse, quite common with a fingerguard.
When moved forward the blade doesn't have to be deadly flat — it rarely is, in fact. A good gyuto forms a continuous arc from tip to heel.


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## Midsummer (Mar 3, 2019)

You can also have incomplete cuts from a warped or dished cutting board.


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## HRC_64 (Mar 3, 2019)

as other have said its either a sharpening issue or a slightly imprecise technique
or maybe cutting board but I don't think wustoff is that flawed in profile


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## Cyrilix (Mar 3, 2019)

HRC_64 said:


> as other have said its either a sharpening issue or a slightly imprecise technique
> or maybe cutting board but I don't think wustoff is that flawed in profile


Or it could just be that the the OP is using a push cut technique and a knife with more curve than makes sense. I prefer flat spots, certainly not the entire blade flat, but flat spots of reasonable size and light curves in between. It allows me to cut veggies more easily with a flat push cut motion without moving the knife very far along the board. Just small precise quick motions. It seems like OP prefers this as well, so saying that a continuously curved gyuto is the way a good gyuto is made is imposing one's own preferences on others.


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## Uncle Mike (Mar 3, 2019)

Could be that the bolster needs to be ground down. Put the Wusthoff edge down on the cutting board with the heel (bolster) down. Can you see daylight between the edge and the board? If you sharpen it enough, the edge moves up the blade, but the bolster doesn’t, so there’s a gap between the edge and the board because the bolster is hitting the board and the edge isn’t.

Red is bolster I’m talking about. Yellow is the edge. (This knife doesn’t have the problem I’m describing). 







Japanese knives don’t have these bolsters.

Also, if you want a Santoku, then that’s what you should get!


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## refcast (Mar 4, 2019)

The versatility of the gyuto is the curve and the more narrow in height tip.

*Curvature helps with meat*: More curve means you can cut better as it dulls, so more tougher or wedging food items can be cut better. It's why the scimiter is curved because you get extra cutting length, which is great for meat, which needs sharpness and can't just be split like veggies.

*Narrow thin tip wedges very little*: Like a lot of people say, the less wide tip has less surface to drag on the thing we're cutting. This is good for precision stuff, horizontal cuts, peeling. It's like having another knife for detail work. It's also great as a way to make the first cut into dense items.


The trade-off is it's not efficient in the push-cut compared to the push cut king, the nakiri (and usuba, maybe kiritsuke), and the follow-up, the santoku. This efficiency seems to be your priority. A lot of people cut different, too though. For instance, a lot of people do spring onions with the tip of the gyuto with more wrist action, which helps to not crush the spring onion as much (but is, yes, more effort I guess to some).

It's not a big deal. If you need a bigger main knife, the options are pretty much only gyuto (and then you have the chinese cleaversssss!!!!)


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## Benuser (Mar 4, 2019)

Cyrilix said:


> so saying that a continuously curved gyuto is the way a good gyuto is made is imposing one's own preferences on others.


Large deadly flat spots are simply uncommon with Japanese makers, quite common though with French. Not imposing my own preferences — what do you know about them? I find the suggestion unpleasant.


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## Benuser (Mar 4, 2019)

Uncle Mike said:


> Could be that the bolster needs to be ground down. Put the Wusthoff edge down on the cutting board with the heel (bolster) down. Can you see daylight between the edge and the board? If you sharpen it enough, the edge moves up the blade, but the bolster doesn’t, so there’s a gap between the edge and the board because the bolster is hitting the board and the edge isn’t.
> 
> Red is bolster I’m talking about. Yellow is the edge. (This knife doesn’t have the problem I’m describing).
> 
> ...


Quite common with old or neglected Westerns with a fingerguard. The extreme form of it is the reverse belly.


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## Cashn (Mar 4, 2019)

I prefer a Gyuto over a santoku because I feel it gives me more options when cutting. Any knife that property sharpens can accomplish any basic cooking goal.


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## _HH_ (Mar 4, 2019)

Ah you guys have been so helpful - thank you!

UncleMike - thanks for your helpful picture. My knife is similar to the one in your picture in that it doesn’t not have a reverse belly, but this was useful to check and not something I would have considered. Thanks!

I feel the issue may be more to do with poor technique on my part than any specific problem with the knife itself. Not having had any formal training I will see if I can find some resources on how to chop and use a knife properly in case it’s something which can be improved wth a change in technique.

Thanks very much for all your responses


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## AT5760 (Mar 4, 2019)

You can find some great videos online concerning different techniques and grips. Having recently moved from a German-style chef's knife, to a gyuto, I've found that adjusting technique a bit can make a world of difference on a different knife. My gyuto is much more versatile than my chef's knife. Good luck with your new santoku!


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## Cyrilix (Mar 4, 2019)

Benuser said:


> Large deadly flat spots are simply uncommon with Japanese makers, quite common though with French. Not imposing my own preferences — what do you know about them? I find the suggestion unpleasant.


I mean, you basically dictated what a well made gyuto should be so I said that's what you think a well made gyuto should be, but to me, that would not be a well made gyuto. It would be one that fights against my push cuts.

I have a Takamura Hana and a FKM for gyutos and both of them have sufficiently large flat spots.


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## Elliot (Mar 4, 2019)

I am late to this party, but for the sake of the original question: I don't hate on Santoku the way many knife enthusiasts do. 
Do I prefer gyuto? Yes. That being said, I have two Santoku and use them quite regularly. I am not really sure of anything they do better or differently than my gyuto, but I just like having different knives. Let's not forget to have fun and use what ya like using.


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## Luftmensch (Mar 4, 2019)

_HH_ said:


> After reading the forum for the past few weeks I haven’t found a really good reason as to why gyuto are more useful than a santoku *given my criteria*



You don't have to justify your own preferences. Enjoy what you enjoy! Bugger the rest.... Although, if you can afford to, I would encourage experimentation just for the fun of it. And maybe you'll learn something new!



_HH_ said:


> Being a novice it may just be something I have to use and compare side by side to really ‘get’ why one is better than the other, as from reading and looking at blade profiles I can’t seem to get it clear in my head!





Welcome to the forum! Experience is the best way to do it. I would hazard a guess that almost _nobody_ here owns one knife... Further, if they did and were so certain that one profile was the 'best'... they'd be buying tickets to their own show.



As a post note, there are some really knowledgeable KKFers (I know how that sounds ) in NZ. They might have purchasing advice. If the retail market in NZ is small, you might find shipping from across the pond in OZ reasonable? But heck... its a global world...


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## _HH_ (Mar 4, 2019)

Luftmensch said:


> You don't have to justify your own preferences. Enjoy what you enjoy! Bugger the rest.... Although, if you can afford to, I would encourage experimentation just for the fun of it. And maybe you'll learn something new!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks for your post Luftmensch - I’ll let you know how I get on and what I end up with!


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## dough (Mar 4, 2019)

I’ll just add one more thought if you break your tip off enough or large enough it’s much easier to give it a santoku style tip. I also find western style chef knives have a different profile and feel then gyuto but santoku have a similar feel to gyuto. If I need a shorter knife bc space is an issues I tend to prefer santoku to gyuto bc they tend to have more height and a sturdier tip. Anyway here is hoping you love your santoku and try other styles in the future.


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## Benuser (Mar 5, 2019)

I've used myself a 190mm Hiromoto, and it had enough upswing to allow using 'guillotine and glide'.
Some gyutos have a tip that low that you can't.


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## dsk (Mar 5, 2019)

No mention of masashi profile. Quirky, but I personally like it and might be a decent fit for OP. They offer both 180mm gyutos and santoku that are so close in profile it almost looks like a height difference and tiny difference in tip curve.

If you like santoku that's what you get. Many advocate nakiri but I honestly disliked it and prefer the santoku for a small knife. That said, experimenting with a 180mm ish gyuto wouldn't hurt, cause you just might love it.


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## Itsjun (Mar 5, 2019)

well, even in modern days now, gyuto comes with different belly and profile.
So it doesn't necessarily mean gyuto > santoku.
It all comes down to personal preference, feel to the knife and stuffs.

Personally I own a santoku, but i dont really use it, is because of how thick it is.


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## _HH_ (Mar 15, 2019)

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but wanted to thank you all for your help and let you know I just ordered a Tanaka 180mm ginsan gyuto.

I realised I don’t really know anything about knives at this point, so starting with a well-regraded ‘standard’ blade shape will give me an idea of what a decent Japanese knife can do. I’m sure it won’t be the last knife I buy and there’s plenty of time for getting into more esoteric blade shapes and steels in the future.

Thanks again for your help!
Henry


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## Keith Sinclair (Mar 15, 2019)

The Tanaka ginsan is a good start. Easy to sharpen too.

Wow never expect to have a mass shooting in NZ. That must be a shock.


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## _HH_ (Mar 16, 2019)

Keith Sinclair said:


> The Tanaka ginsan is a good start. Easy to sharpen too.
> 
> Wow never expect to have a mass shooting in NZ. That must be a shock.



Thanks for your message Keith - yes it’s awful. Everyone is shocked and saddened that something like this could happen over here.


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## Luftmensch (Mar 16, 2019)

Horrifying. Right-wing terrorism is not something that ever crosses my mind when I think of progressive, diverse & beautiful NZ. Condolences to families and friends affected by the attack. My thoughts are with them.


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## Foltest (Mar 17, 2019)

Well, I transitioned to 240 guyto from 165 santoku. To me, santoku is awkward for meat preparation, because of lack of length. Imo the main benefits are length and narrow tip that helps a lot when it comes cutting to sticky stuff


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## Pila (Jul 29, 2019)

Santoku is popular at the west because most people think it is related to a Guyto but smaller. That is absolutelly wrong. Also, we can often read and hear Santoku is a professional Japnese knife. No, it is not. It is a (women's) home cook knife created to replace Nakiri and Deba, created by the politicians for a political cause. There is a longer explanation with evidence which I did for an article I wrote. But: a Santoku is still a knife and it will still cut!

My mother made us wonderfull meals and she never used neither Santoku, nor Guyto nor Chef's knife. I had proper knife training years ago, but I quickly adapted most of it to me beng lazy and wanting to cut with as little force as possible. If I tried using my mother's old knives in her way, I would be lost and quickly injured (as she was, often). So: you can cook with any knife, but a proper knife training can help you in doing job better, easier and safer. Even if you only use it as a base and modify it. First, you must know the rules. 

In any job; there are different tools suited for different jobs. Yes, you can tear the brick wall down with a small hammer, but really? Would you really try doing it that way? Without some training, we are unable to envision proper (as in most efficient and safest) knife size and shape for particular jobs. People without knife training believe smaller (10 cm pairing typically) and less sharp knife is the best and afest one. Big mistake!

One can do most things with any knife. Due to some articles I am working on, I test and reexamine knife use. One test I did was cleaning and deboning entire chicken with: 15 cm 9 dps petty, 21 cm 9 dps Gyuto and 6,6 cm outdoor knife I am using as a pairing knife. While German flexi 15 cm boner beats them all, I can almost as good and almost as qu8ickly clean and debone entire chicken without breaking any bones with any of these knives. Guyto is annoying and dangerous in this use, despite many years of me using it

That being said; I did not have a desire to try deboning a chicken with a 24 cm Gyuto or even longer Kiritsuke, nor Santoku, nor Nakiri nor Chinse cook's knife. I will likely at least try them, but I expect them to fail. I could do it if I had to, as long as the knife is sharp. But, I prefer to do it safe and efficent.

One is not safer by using smalelr knife. One is safer by having decent knife skills, sharp knife and properly sized and properly lit cutting area. And only then: using well suited knife for the task.


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## osakajoe (Jul 29, 2019)

^ huh??

This thread was quite dead. No need to bring it up with some rambling on deboning with knives you shouldn’t be deboning with.


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## Barclid (Jul 29, 2019)

osakajoe said:


> ^ huh??
> 
> This thread was quite dead. No need to bring it up with some rambling on deboning with knives you shouldn’t be deboning with.


Same tbh. Huh?


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## Lotmom (Jul 29, 2019)

I personally find the lack of a fine, pointy tip really reduces the "tacticool" factor of my knives. That, and speed holes. 

In all seriousness, I don't think my advice is any different than others' in this thread. You do you. If you have a santoku that you love and do good work with, there's no reason to switch to a guyto. _If it ain't broke, don't fix it. _That being said, I do personally find a Gyuto profile much more useful. The aforementioned fine, sharp tip really helps for doing fine work eg: very fine dicing for onions. I feel that with a santoku, I just don't get that precision. Another argument I've heard (which I don't agree with, but oh well) is that a Gyuto shape allows you to see the tip better so it's easier to accurately place your tool.


As will all things in this hobby, though, YMMV


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## DitmasPork (Jul 29, 2019)

_HH_ said:


> After reading the forum for the past few weeks I haven’t found a really good reason as to why gyuto are more useful than a santoku given my criteria:
> 
> 1. I like short knives
> 2. I don’t rock chop
> ...



Personally I prefer gyutos, about 75% of my knives are gyutos. That said, recently I borrowed a friend’s Mazaki santoku and have really enjoyed using it, I can appreciate the value of it’s being shorter in length to my gyutos, its nimbleness, etc.

I don’t chase knives with a “one knife which can do most things” idea in my head, simply because pretty much all of my gyutos can do most things, ...so can this santoku—even cut sashimi with he santoku the other day. A good santoku can do most things, so can a good gyuto or Chinese cleaver. Depends on how/what you cook, the technique you use, etc.

I’d choose a gyuto over a santoku, and tend to recommend gyutos and chef’s knives over santokus, just personal tastes, extra blade length is handy for a pile of veg, etc.

If curious about santoku, you can always go to a discount store and get a mass produced santoku for under $10 to see how you jive with the shape—before investing in a handmade santoku. Using/testing a santoku, with your own hands will inform you much more than any opinion from KKF or any other source.

Santokus are quite wonderful, not better or worse than gyutos, just different. Get them both IMO, along with a suji, petty and nakiri. Life goals.


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## DitmasPork (Jul 29, 2019)

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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 29, 2019)

A lot is about knife skills have watched Chinese debone many chickens with a cleaver for banquets.


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## bahamaroot (Jul 29, 2019)

A Santoku is a girl knife.


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## Keith Sinclair (Jul 29, 2019)

That's why I bought a Takamura R2 Santoku for my better half, I use it on occasion.


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