# gesshin ittetsu user experiences?



## labor of love

these knives dont seem to get talked about quite as often as some of jons other stuff on the forums, i did some searching and i couldnt find much feedback. could anybody with experience with the gyutos, particularly with the hon kasumi http://www.japaneseknifeimports.com...ttetsu-270mm-white-2-hon-kasumi-wa-gyuto.html tell me about how your user experience? any pros or cons? how the knife felt in hand? thanks. from what i gather these knives sound like nice san mai knives with really thin grinds.


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## Chefu

I'm glad you brought up ittetsu. I've been wondering about them for some time now myself. Doesn't look like anyone has any input. The honyaki's on Jon's website look awesome.


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## labor of love

i wanted to bump this thread one more time before i pick up the phone and call jon myself. i suppose if i pull the trigger ill write a review, because besides a very dated bieniek review there is hardly any mention of this knife on this forum


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## foodaholic

I have the 180mm white #2 wa petty and absolutely love it. I cannot comment on the gyuto but there is nothing that I don't like about the petty. It takes a screaming edge and is not difficult to sharpen. I cannot comment on the edge retention as I use it for detail work as much as possible so it does not see much board contact. The reactivity is not bad at all either which is nice. If you have any more questions do not hesitate to ask


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## JBroida

@laboroflove you know where to find me when you're ready to talk


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## labor of love

JBroida said:


> @laboroflove you know where to find me when you're ready to talk



I used to the compare feature on the jki website and compared the ittetsu gyuto to a few other gyutos ive used/owned (heiji, gengetsu, ginga, kochi,). just a couple of lingering questions remain. ill give you a call soon.


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## JBroida

how does that compare feature work for you? I'm curious about how some of these things are playing out.


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## labor of love

the products comparison list shows side by side your various spine thickness measurements(by the handle, above the heel, halfway between blade, 1cm before tip). so its cool for me because i can tell in terms of spine thickness ittetsu is closer to gesshin ginga gyuto as opposed to gengetsu, kochi, heiji etc...
specs dont tell the full story but atleast i can get an idea of how drastic the taper is from handle to tip. also comparing weights of different knives side by side is fun too. ittetsu's weight is around 180grams, ginga 130 grams, and gengetsu is 217grams. 
my favorite spec is the blade thickness halfway between spine and edge. according to the comparisons ittetsu is thinner ground halfway than gengetsu, kochi and heiji(obviously) but not quite thin as gesshin ginga. 
the product comparison feature actually answered most of my questions. if you suggested this feature more often to your customers you may save yourself some time by not needing to answer so many emails 
the only questions i really had left were concerning steel hardness(is it closer to gengetsu white steel or ginga white steel) and the stiffness of the blade. since gesshin ittetsu is san mai and a little thicker than gesshin ginga i was expecting/hoping it would be a stiffer blade too.


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## JBroida

closer to gengetsu, but less stiff (more stiff than gesshin ginga though)


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## labor of love

thanks. im sold.


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## Joelgarza1

goodshit


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## Joelgarza1

thick behind the edge however.


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## JBroida

Joelgarza1 said:


> thick behind the edge however.



Here's a pic of a OOTB 240mm Gesshin ittetsu wa-gyuto from my instagram http://instagram.com/p/obyuRFKpLg/


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## Matus

JBroida said:


> Here's a pic of a OOTB 240mm Gesshin ittetsu wa-gyuto from my instagram http://instagram.com/p/obyuRFKpLg/



That knife is NOT thick anywhere, and certainly not behind the edge. Actually looks even thinner than the Tanaka R2 I used to have which was a true laser.


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## Timthebeaver

Do not feed the troll/fool...

The grind on that Gesshin Ittetsu looks fantastic, frankly.


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## labor of love

guys, this knife is suppose to be a secret. lets not let word get out on its potential awesomeness


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## Matus

labor of love said:


> guys, this knife is suppose to be a secret. lets not let word get out on its potential awesomeness



I am not quite so sure that is Jon's intention


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## Keith Sinclair

Nice knife, like the overall geometry & the thin grind.


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## labor of love

And....now Ittetsu 240mm hon kasumi gyuto is sold out. Im pretty sure Jon's choil shot was the driving force behind that one.


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## Tanalasta

Has anybody done a comparison between the ittetsu and kagekiyo? Apart from the lacquer finish on the latter?


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## labor of love

Tanalasta said:


> Has anybody done a comparison between the ittetsu and kagekiyo? Apart from the lacquer finish on the latter?


I’ve owned both. What did you want to know?


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## Tanalasta

F&F ; geometry ; stiffness, edge retention, maintenance etc...
I'm trying to decide between the kagekiyo ginsenko Sujihiki (after a slicer) or the ittetsu Yanagiba (mostly for sashimi).

I'm leaning towards the sujihiki for versatility.

There's also the Ginga line. SO many options!


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## labor of love

Couldn’t help you with single bevels. My experience is with gyutos. That ittetsu suji looks sweet though.


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## Tanalasta

I’d take an opinion on the Gyuto


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## labor of love

Well, to be honest there’s different lines of kagekiyo knives with different levels of finish at different prices so I wouldn’t make a generalization about them. Ittetsu are usually quite thin, have a cool frosted looking finish, I really dig their handles. Ittetsu come taller at the heel than many gyutos, steel does have above average edge retention for wh2. Seems to be pretty stiff, but not as stiff as something like kochi. I like Ittetsu a lot.


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## refcast

Anyone else try ittetsu? I've handled them, but I wonder if they feel can feel on the too thinner side. For reference, I'm totally fine with and use thinner knives Ashi Hamono knives and thicker ones like Heiji.

Also any other cool things about the steel?


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## Ochazuke

I own, and very frequently use the single bevel petty. It’s a fantastic knife - definitely one of the thinnest and lightest I own though. It’s very easy to sharpen and deburr too, which is nice.

It’s pretty sturdy too for its grind and weight, though I definitely babied it for a while until I got used to it. I’m the type who abuses my knives so I usually prefer heavier knives with thicker grinds. It was really nice to find such a thin, lightweight performer where I didn’t think I was going to break the tip or chip it every time I used it.


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## labor of love

I wouldn’t mind another gyuto at some point.


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## MrHiggins

I owned (and just recently sold) the single bevel petty. It is a work of art and was obviously made by a very skilled craftsman with an eye toward detail. The fit and finish was the best I'd ever seen. 

I really liked that knife, but had so few uses for it I passed it on. I'd get another ittetsu in a heartbeat.


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## valgard

Probably doesn't count but my Gesshin Ittetsu honyaki is one of the best knives I own. Grind and profile are amazing, steeps feels great on stones, nice handles and great finish. The only knock is that it's on the short and low side as it is more common with Sakai stuff.


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## Chef Doom

I have a petty that I use when I need something smaller than a gyuto. I rarely use a parer except for say peeling potatoes. It's a good knife I would never sell.


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## Robert Lavacca

That 240 is calling my name. If Christmas was not right around the corner, I would be all over that beauty!


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## labor of love

Robert Lavacca said:


> That 240 is calling my name. If Christmas was not right around the corner, I would be all over that beauty!


 I sure do miss mine. One day I’ll grab a 270mm.


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## CiderBear

Necro-ing this thread to see if anyone other than labor has tried the non-honyaki gyutos in this series 

I feel like the 240mm hon-kasumi one is just calling out my name


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## daddy yo yo

CiderBear said:


> Necro-ing this thread to see if anyone other than labor has tried the non-honyaki gyutos in this series
> 
> I feel like the 240mm hon-kasumi one is just calling out my name


CiderBear, it’s me, Ittetsu! BUY ME!!!


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## ian

I’ve been wanting to try one 4-evah. Someday. *sigh*


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## MrHiggins

I can't speak for an ittetsu gyuto, but the single bevel petty I owned was truly top shelf. You could really tell the sharpener was aiming for perfection, both in terms of performance and aesthetics. Lovely little knife.


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## CiderBear

ian said:


> I’ve been wanting to try one 4-evah. Someday. *sigh*


You should buy one so I can borrow it 


MrHiggins said:


> I can't speak for an ittetsu gyuto, but the single bevel petty I owned was truly top shelf. You could really tell the sharpener was aiming for perfection, both in terms of performance and aesthetics. Lovely little knife.


How was the heat treatment of your knife? 

The single bevel petty sounds lovely, though I don't know if I'll ever be skilled enough to use it. The normal petty and the gyutos, however...


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## tcmx3

CiderBear said:


> Necro-ing this thread to see if anyone other than labor has tried the non-honyaki gyutos in this series
> 
> I feel like the 240mm hon-kasumi one is just calling out my name



So Im insanely late but this thread appears to have a bit of phone tag to it so Im going to go for it; as it happens I happen to have the plain 240 Gesshin Ittetsu gyuto in white steel.

The cons are the profile is an awkward combination of quite tall but also quite short, the tip drops too much for my preference, and food release is better on other knives (duh).

Pros are everything else. It cuts like an absolute demon, F&F is awesome, it seems to hold an edge slightly better than my Kato does, and Jon very graciously put a different handle on it for me, iirc burned chestnut (which I paid for, but hey not everyone will do that). Also, the cladding seems a bit less reactive than some other knives I own, which is probably a plus to a lot of people. Great push cutter for veg if you want to cut it up real small.

No knife is all things to all people. But if you want a knife that cuts this one *definitely *cuts.


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