Dao Vua 210mm Tall Gyuto (V3)

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jman8310

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I want to start by saying that this review is coming from a rookie. The first knife I ever used was a random Chinese cleaver. This was during my first ever job, at age 16, the USA's legal age at the time. I worked as a food prep in a local Chinese Buffet. I spent most of my time running semi-thawed meats through a meat slicer, and chopping the meats into 1" squares for the chefs, along with slicing vegetables, and was the designated fried rice cook for the buffet. Only worked there 6 months, and kept the cooking hobby, but never took decent knives into consideration until recently.

*Ahem* so. I bought the Dao Vua V3 210mm tall gyuto, after a little research. The knife came looking great. It was somewhat sharp, but sharpened up very quickly and easily with cheap, no-name whetstones and a strop. Prior to this, I had been using cheap, stainless steel knives from factories. It was a chore to sharpen them, and they frequently needed a new edge. The Dao Vua arrived a month before typing this review. It has already developed a really nice patina, and makes very quick and easy work of any vegetable, and some meats such as boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cheap beef steaks and pork. A month later and the edge still seems like the day I sharpened it, with only one stopping done during this time. I'm too "new" to the game to really provide you with good thoughts on the balance, but it feels so right when I use knife.

I'm definitely a function > form guy. To me, this is the perfect knife. I believe that it performs at a very high level for my needs, and the price was just right.
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Nice to see someone enjoy their knife even if it’s not super expensive, I’m a bit too far down the rabbit hole for that even though I do quite love some of my cheaper ones.
Heard the steel quality wasn’t great on the earlier versions, experienced it too, but I guess their new 52100 versions fixed that from what your saying
 
Nice to see someone enjoy their knife even if it’s not super expensive, I’m a bit too far down the rabbit hole for that even though I do quite love some of my cheaper ones.
Heard the steel quality wasn’t great on the earlier versions, experienced it too, but I guess their new 52100 versions fixed that from what your saying
100%. I have a v1 240 gyuto and who knows what the steel is. It gets sharp but it loses it quick.
The 52100 cleaver I have seems to be a quite a bit of a step up
 
I had an early version of the DaoVua leaf spring gyuto that I bought a practice knife for sharpening. The grind on that blade was really inconsistent and messed up; it made it very hard to know if I was keeping a consistent angle, using correct pressure, etc. While I liked the idea of supporting a small family business getting started, it really was a pretty poorly made knife. It sounds like they've improved immensely since then.
 
I got a V3 Kiri Cleaver that they call the Tank :rolleyes: (obvious coat-tail riding, but that's how I discovered it).

I got it at Tokushu and had Zach sharpen it up. I am down the rabbit hole too but I can appreciate a fun, well-made knife. The grind wasn't bad and I've had worse handles. It took a good edge and cuts pretty damn well, way better than I expected. I've been giving the V3 a solid endorsement. Rounding the spine and choil would go a long way with comfort, it could definitely use some refinement. It seems like a great-cutting knife that's tough and could be even better with a little tweaking.
 
Nice to see someone enjoy their knife even if it’s not super expensive, I’m a bit too far down the rabbit hole for that even though I do quite love some of my cheaper ones.
Heard the steel quality wasn’t great on the earlier versions, experienced it too, but I guess their new 52100 versions fixed that from what your saying
I have the Bunka and the cai Dao in 52100 , and they both have been great. They aren't perfect but for the little money they cost , they are pretty great..... I especially really like the Bunka . I have knives that cost 4 and 5 times more , but the Bunka is truly enjoyable to use.
 
Got a 210 Tall Gyuto (52100) a fortnight ago. I like it; edge retention is probably not its strongest suit though.
 
Got a 210 Tall Gyuto (52100) a fortnight ago. I like it; edge retention is probably not its strongest suit though.
I added the tall Gyuto to my Dao Vua collection and I probably use it the most. I agree , edge retention is not amazing but it is not bad either. I lightly strop my knives , so it really does not impact me in any way . All in all it has been a great addition
 
Indeed, Taurahe!

When it comes down to it, I enjoy sharpening knives - so agreed that edge retention is not a deal-breaker by any means.
 
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