# MAC or Hiromoto Gyuto



## bechler (Oct 9, 2011)

Everyone has been really helpful and a few people have suggested the Hiromoto knife. Is it better than the MAC Professional?


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## tk59 (Oct 9, 2011)

Depends. These are totally different knives. The Hiro is stainless clad carbon steel so it takes a carbon steel edge but does not react with food much even before it takes a patina. It feels a little thick when cutting but it is very sturdy. The fit and finish is known to be spotty as well (Although the two stock examples I've seen did not have fit and finish issues.) MAC Pro is similar in weight but cuts like a thinner knife. The edge it takes is not as keen-feeling without some extra work but it is completely stainless. Both are nice knives but which is "better" really depends on the user. If it was me, I'd go for the Hiro because it takes a better edge and hold it longer (as long as you're not cutting acidic things all day) and I can just thin it a bit and it will cut the way I want it to.


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## Vertigo (Oct 9, 2011)

I'm rarely attracted to clad knives, and especially not the Hiro, so I'd probably take the MAC. Carter does good cladding; Hiromoto, not so much (in my opinion, of course). The one I had was way too thick, curved along the entire edge, and felt funky to use. I'm buying a MAC for my friend Mac's birthday, and that's as much because it's a decent "introductory" j-knife as it is because he gets his name on the knife for no extra charge.


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## unkajonet (Oct 9, 2011)

+1 to everything tk just said. I've had both (gifted away the MAC pro for Christmas), and while I definitely miss the MAC, if I had to choose between the two, the Hiro gets the nod. The MAC is thinner OOTB, but that doesn't really outweigh the type of edge you can get from the Hiro.


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## oivind_dahle (Oct 9, 2011)

Im a sucker for clad! Hiro for me


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## Mike (Oct 9, 2011)

oivind_dahle said:


> Im a sucker for clad! Hiro for me


 
+1


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## tgraypots (Oct 9, 2011)

I gave my MAC 8" to my sister, and bought a 9 1/2" to replace it. After playing with the larger knife for a few months, I thinned it out and have been very happy with it.


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## DwarvenChef (Oct 10, 2011)

What you thought I could pass this up  

One thing wrong with MAC's is that they are stainless, and we all know that just plain evil (snicker).


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## iceman01 (Oct 10, 2011)

tgraypots said:


> I thinned it out and have been very happy with it.



That's the way to go with a MAC. Just thin it to about 10° per side and add a secondary bevel and it will perform in an entirely different league.


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## TamanegiKin (Oct 10, 2011)

I just picked up a Hiro and I'm liking it so far.
No f&f issues really and it has a normal flat area toward the heel.
Sounds like they run inconsistent. FWIW, I got the t-j version from JCK, Allegedly the top of the line from hiro.
Its far from a laser, bit it feels sturdy. I kinda dig the clad, only patinas on the edge and looks interesting with the contrast. The only complaint I have is one I've heard before, the stainless steel is real soft and scratches with a mere towel wipe. Not really a big issue. My 2cents. 
No experience with the MAC.


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## jwpark (Oct 10, 2011)

Hiro, because you get a custom handle from Dave w/ all the bells and whistles


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## UglyJoe (Oct 10, 2011)

jwpark said:


> Hiro, because you get a custom handle from Dave w/ all the bells and whistles


 
Hah! Pretty sure a Dave handle doesn't come standard with a Hiro purchase. If I'm wrong about this let me know and I'll ship mine straight over to Dave!


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## Vertigo (Oct 10, 2011)

Dave has rehandled Macs as well.


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## karloevaristo (Oct 10, 2011)

if you're not planning on tweaking anything, i'd go for the Mac's out of the box profile... but a Hiro AS that's thinned out by some of the guys here would definitely out perform the Mac... To make the long story short, I find the Hiro AS a bit to thick for my taste... and the Mac is not bad at all... (i have both knives)


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