The Best Japanese Knives for Your Kitchen | Gear Heads
If you’re considering buying some Japanese knives—and we think you should—here are some things to know.
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Lisa’s Picks:
Hitohira FJ 210mm Gyuto:
Masamoto Sohonten VG Gyuto:
Kanetsugu AUS-8A Stainless Gyuto:
Kate’s Picks:
Masamoto Sohonten Wa-Nakiri:
Sakai Kikumori 165mm Nakiri:
Masutani VG1 Nakiri 165mm:
Misono UX10 Santoku 7.0″:
MAC Superior Santoku 6 1/2″:
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I have gyuto, nakiri, and santoku knives by MAC. I love them all–however, I rarely use the gyuto. Unlike the santoku and nakiri knives, the gyuto is markedly longer. This is a problem if you have a small kitchen without abundant counter space for prep work.
Although I do believe the knives they recommend are amazing and great, my biggest tip is not to go and get those just because they recommended them, I suggest (if you have the ability too) go to a knife store and grab and feel and act like your cutting food with as many as you can. When I got my first two knives I went in thinking I knew exactly what I wanted, and it wasn’t till I got to hold the knives when I realized what fit my hand and my body best. So yeah awesome video btw !
To manage a 210 cm blade would have humbled even the most badass knights templar.
I'm really surprised that there was no mention of being careful when choosing Japanese style knives as many tend to have a single sided cutting edge. Meaning they are designed to be used by right or left-handed people. Choosing the wrong cutting edge means your knife will be pretty much useless to you. While this is important when choosing any single-sided knives I personally found this issue over and over again when shopping for Japanese knives.
210 centimeters??? That's a big knife 🙂
A dull knife can still be used as a spade, chisel or other blunter instrument.
The blade profiles are cool, I prefer the french profile gyutos. The video skips over the discussion of steel too quickly. Some manufacturers may offer the same blade in 5 different steels, you should know the merits of each before choosing. There are three or four stainless steels that perform differently in terms of critical sharpness, wear resistance, and ease of sharpening. And the video should also have mentioned none of them will survive the dish washer.
As much as I love ATK, your knife reviews can use some work. Consult with a blade smith, learn proper terminology, learn about what type of steel is being use instead of the generic carbon vs stainless… like knowing that stainless is carbon steel. Yes, knives are sharp… anything can be sharp… it's about edge retention. But I understand your target audience probably won't care about everything I just mentioned, except for those who do!
Mood? Amen. That’s what may determine which Japanese knife I use in the kitchen. The Santoku is my all around favorite. The Petty and the Gyuto may be the one I choose depending on the job at hand. My Nakiri isn’t as versatile as my other Japanese knives. The Bunka? Not so much. Right now I’m thinking about giving my brother a Santuko instead of a bottle of bourbon or Scotch when I next visit him. A bottle lasts for a while but a good knife can be passed down for generations to come. Can I get an amen?
Great job, everybody. I love my Shun knives and a beautiful El Cheapo Nakiri I picked up from Amazon for about $35.00. I'm a big Gearheads fan and I look forward to seeing more of Kate on your team.
Just a note for those in the market for a Japanese knife: all of the "Japanese" knives I investigated on Amazon were actually made in China. This is not necessarily to denigrate these knives, but if you want a made in Japan knife you must look into the origin carefully.
This channel is laughable. Don’t know how to spell Nakiri, can’t use the metric system right and even suggesting sharpening a Japanese knife with a pull through sharpener. Gross. Their lack of proper knife terminology or understanding of ‘how’ to utilize Japanese knives. You can use them for everything western styles can can be used for. You just don’t use them the same way, not necessarily being delicate with a Japanese knife, rather, being calculated and precise with your cuts. If anything you should be delicate with all knives bc if they are sharp enough to cut, actually cut, then they can chip, roll, crack etc.
Even throw I not a fan of Japanese knives [ German rocks] I found the information. Quite interesting so much so I signed on to gear heads.
210 centimeters?? 6 feeet long knife??
I only get japanese knives with rounded handles because I find them more comfortable to hold than western handles
The winner is a Japanese made mordern western knife… not a traditional Japanese knife. Disappointed
I have a cheap Shun and love it!
Was about to splurge on a nakiri, because they’re so cool, but couldn’t justify a single use case that all my other knives couldn’t do, as a home cook.
Seems like a santoku is the same knife but with a tip
210 centimeters would be more than 2 yards.210 millimeters is more likely to be the real length of the gyuto
My experience is Japanese knife are awesome but they are expensive. What about a video or recommendation about good Japanese knife’s for the money? Thanks!! 🙌🏻
I really enjoy Japanese knives because of the balancing, weight and grip techniques they favour. I find a knife with one of the octagonalish traditional handles to be much more comfortable and better balanced for a pinch grip which is how I feel I get the best control with my knife. The thinner spines also generally feel nicer to use. Still think there’s a strong place for western knives in the kitchen though, and I think a kitchen should always have a good western chefs knife that’s very low maintenance with a sturdy handle, forgiving material hardnsss (or lack thereof) and modern construction that isn’t affected by water.
Too much care needed for me lol.
I bought a cheap nikiri on Amazon and liked it so much I bought a bunch of other blade designs. I've been using it for years, my favorite blade in the kitchen for 90% of my cutting.
that mercer gyuto in the beginning is a beast. 10/10
Great video! I fell down the Japanese knife rabbit hole during the pandemic, and now have eventually purchased seven Japanese knives. I love them for their lightweight, beautiful iron patterns, and the signature on them. They are all work of art! And I feel like a chef (or a samurai) on the cherry wood cutting board I had to get to make the cut feel right.
Have a japanese Gyuto and a Petty at home, with a Bunka on the way. Absolutely love my Japanese knives, they stay incredibly sharp for such a long time and they just look and feel great in hand. Would recommend to step up your knife game! But do your research on the steel the blade is made from and how to take care of it.
Is this because of Dan?