# Chef knife height?



## Christian Trajkovski (Apr 2, 2019)

Started up a new project during the weekend, what are your thoughts on blade ”height”?

The Damasteel bar that I got hold of of is approx 5 cm wide, can chef knives be to ”high”.

(Is hight even the right word, I’m refering to the distance from the spine to the cutting edge)


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## ian (Apr 2, 2019)

Height is the right word. 50mm is a common height for 240mm gyutos. A lot of people around here seem to like even taller knives, too, e.g. around 55mm.


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## Barmoley (Apr 2, 2019)

Height is an OK term that is used a lot, blade width could be used too, but it doesn't seem to be popular. There is a good discussion about profiles in general and height too in this thread https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/threads/rambling-thoughts-on-gyuto-profiles.38393/ .

I like 52-54 mm for 240 blade length and 48-52 for 210 - 230, but there is more to it, such as the angle between the cutting edge and the handle and the distance between the cutting edge and the bottom of the handle at the heel. It seems that most here prefer taller blades and if the cutting surface is not too tall these work well allowing for a thinner blade that is still stiff and has some weight on it. Tall blades also allow you to do more with the geometry. For me 56 mm is too tall, but that is strictly a height of the cutting surface + knife height vs the distance between the floor and my elbow.


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## thebradleycrew (Apr 2, 2019)

+1 to what @Barmoley said. I would add that personally, I like a knife height at 50mm+, with 52-55mm being my ideal in a 210-270mm gyuto. Once it gets below 48mm, I struggle with technique/knuckle clearance which is my peeve with lower heights. I think I only have a couple knives in that range at this point as have slowly discarded the rest.


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## Christian Trajkovski (Apr 2, 2019)

Thanks for your input! I usually only get hold of Damasteel bar stock that is around 40mm or a little lower in width. Do you have any preferences when it comes to knife spine thickness? The piece that I'm working with at the moment is 3,2 mm thick.


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## thebradleycrew (Apr 2, 2019)

I like a good distal taper in my knife. 3,2mm thick at the handle/heel isn't a big deal at all to me, but I'd be most interested in seeing how it tapers towards the tip from there. In fact, I like a thick spine at the heel with a good taper because it can make a longer knife feel lighter and more nimble in the hand and allows for a lot of precision in cuts. Just my two cents.


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## Barashka (Apr 2, 2019)

As said above most 240s fall into 50mm hight range +/- a bit.
Some people, however, are out on the fringes of normality and really like tall knives. I have to really adjust after using a ZKramer, 58mm high .. and so most, even excellent, knives that are "only" 50mm high are now not that excellent to me.


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