# My first potential japanese knife - Masakage Yuki gyuto and its usage



## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

Hi all,

my first post after a month of good reading here.

I have decided to buy my first japan knife and I am leaning towards a 24cm masakage yuki gyuto.

I cook at home, I am right handed and I have a 24cm wustohf chef knife (plus a pairing knife and a santoku by henckels)

I would keep using the wusthof for heavy duties in order to save the yuki from "injuries" since in some posts I have found that its blade is fairly thin.

And this is the point: what kind of food could I cut with the Yuki with no risks for its blade? I have searched for some youtube video but in those I have found there are only people cutting onions / tomatos...

Forgive my rookie question... I would obviously avoid meat with bones but speaking about vegetables, could I cut fennels, carrots, etc and what would it better avoid?


For those who could be curious, I live in Europe (Italy) and I'd like to buy from an european online seller to avoid problems with custom duties from Japan (it has been difficult to stop me thinking of buying something from sellers like japanesechefsknife...)
And I found the Yuki as a reasonable choice in the "up to 250$" range. Should you have any alternatives to suggest, I'd be glad to look at them 

Thank you for sharing your knowledge


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

I use a chef's knife to cut pretty much everything except bones, coconuts, and frozen foods. Cutting through nuts can be hard on the edge but it's not likely to do more than leave microchips (warrants a sharpening). Going through herbs with a rocking motion, it's easy to torque the edge or getting it sticking into the board, also leads to accelerated edge wear 

If you're predominantly cutting denser foods like carrots and large root vegetables, the thickness of the wide bevel as it transitions into the blade face will add resistance and tend to split the food during the cut. In that case an overall thinner knife could be a better choice. 

Cuttingedgeknives UK stocks the Yuki, but the price is on the high side IMO.

Buying from Knifewear right now during their 15% off Masakage sale (it's under 150$ USD with the discount) might still make it cheaper for you even after import duties.

In general it seems like JCK is one of the international vendors with whom people have better luck not getting the goods hit with duties.

How are you sharpening your knives?


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

Thank you foody518 for you reply!

What thinner knife would you suggest? (I'd like to stay on a good quality white or blue steel if possible)

Really precious advice about Knifwear!

I have immediately made a check but I am afraid that with shipping costs + duties (here in Italy I have been told that custom checks for almost anything in this category) the price would be more expensive! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif

I am sharpening my knives with waterstones. I have 3 naniwa professional stones (aka chosera).

400 / 800 / 3000 that with my german steel knives are pretty.

Do you think that with a japan knife such as the Yuki or similar I'd better get a higher grit stone too? Maybe the 5.000 grit one?

I started sharpening with stones a couple of months ago so I am worried not to damage the blade of the new japanese knife. Especially if cladded. But I want to improve /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

@Rubius Japanesechefsknife has always marked my packages as 'gift' I think this matters to customs.

I cannot recommend this knife enough http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-stainless-kasumi-210mm-wa-gyuto/ The 240 is sold out at the moment but they come back in stock every 2 or 3 months regularly. JNS is in the EU so you won't be hit by customs but you do have to pay VAT


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

@MillionsKnives: thank you!

About the "gift" mark, I have read that unfortunately here in Italy it often does not work.

I like the look of the Itinomonn more than the Yuki's. And it seems to me that it has a better F&F too.

How would you compare it with the Yuki?


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

@Rubius Also check out the Itinomonn Kasumi http://www.japanesenaturalstones.com/itinomonn-kasumi-240mm-wa-gyuto/ for when it gets back in stock. It's a fantastic performer for the price range. If you prioritize ease of cutting through stuff, this beats out the Yuki.

Glad to hear that you've already stones and are sharpening. If you're happy with the Chosera 3k edge then there's not a huge need to step up from it. And unfortunately finer grit stones tend to cost more...


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

@foody518 yes I suppose I prioritize ease of cutting. And quality of the knife, since I like to keep my quality tools for long time.

also for @MillionsKnives, what's the difference in the 2 cores? One is V2 and the other is just described as "Core "Stain-Less"" /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif

About the 5.000 grit, if it is just for "polishing" matters and not for improving cutting performance, I could wait for a while.


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

Rubius said:


> @foody518 yes I suppose I prioritize ease of cutting. And quality of the knife, since I like to keep my quality tools for long time.
> 
> also for @MillionsKnives, what's the difference in the 2 cores? One is V2 and the other is just described as "Core "Stain-Less"" /img/vbsmilies/smilies/confused.gif
> 
> About the 5.000 grit, if it is just for "polishing" matters and not for improving cutting performance, I could wait for a while.


V2 is carbon steel, very much like white steel but better edge retention It is made by Takefu steel vs white steel by Hitachi company. These are proprietary names. Basically they are simple carbon steels

The 'stainless' is a semistainless alloy, sharpens and behaves much like carbon, just the patina is more grey and does not rust as fast


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

MillionsKnives said:


> V2 is carbon steel, very much like white steel but better edge retention It is made by Takefu steel vs white steel by Hitachi company. These are proprietary names. Basically they are simple carbon steels
> 
> The 'stainless' is a semistainless alloy, sharpens and behaves much like carbon, just the patina is more grey and does not rust as fast


So you suggest the "stainless" comparing to the V2 version, for being slower in its reaction? And if I understand right, the edge retention is quite similar. (?)


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## millionsknives (Apr 25, 2014)

My advice is if you cook 3-4 times a week you can use carbon.  If you don't cook as often or have a lot of knives to rotate through, the semi stainless is a nice touch.  Neglected carbon steel has a tendency to rust. Either is easy to sharpen.


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

IMO there'd be no problem with the Itinomonn Kasumi V2 being your 'daily driver' knife. The reactivity of the core steel is not such that is should catch you off guard with rusting issuse if you're attentive. And if the price difference between the V2 and StainLess (semi-stainless) is a concern, go with the V2 

Here is the 270mm V2, on the left





  








20170130_195429.jpg




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foody518


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Feb 7, 2017


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

Thank you again @foody518 and @MillionsKnives for your precious support /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

I have sent an email to Maksim asking when he thinks the stainless one will be available again.

Let's see /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

Hope you get a response soon! By the way, here's the Itinomonn V2 with the Yuki, both 270mm





  








20170122_190459.jpg




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foody518


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Jan 23, 2017


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

@foody518: very nice couple!

I guess they are yours... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

I really like the look of the itinomonn most.

This picture of them side by side is really useful. I can notice the Itinomonn has a larger handle and that the blade is a little bit longer.

Out of curiosity, how do you feel with them in comparison?


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

@Rubius yep!

One note on the Itinomonn handle - it is a very beefy handle, but seems like the burnt chestnut handles haven't been offered with these knives since about the time I made my purchase... There should be a couple of folks here at CT who have the Itinomonn with the ho-wood handle and can hopefully chime in on its dimensions @MillionsKnives @Mike9. The Yuki's handle can be considered on the slim/narrow side, though, and it at least mine is a little shorter than being a true 270mm from heel to tip.

I made the comments from earlier in this thread with this comparison in mind - if you're very cutting performance oriented and are doing a lot of cutting of larger dense foods like root vegetables and large onions, definitely go Itinomonn. The Yuki could be easier to maintain a more uniform thinning bevel over time (not necessarily an immediate concern). Profile is a little bit curvy.

Sharpening on both is easy. Both are stainless clad for ease of maintenance.

I have too many knives and will spend time cutting with stuff that aren't my best performers because I feel like playing around with them and sharpening and polishing them soooo....most things get at least some use. Since I doubt you're in that boat, I would recommend you get the one knife that is going to blow you away the most compared to your current stuff (hint hint the recommendations are given above  )


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

Thank you again @foody518! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

I'd be curious to know what are your personal "best performers"... /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rolleyes.gif even though I suppose they are on a different level...


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## foody518 (Aug 6, 2015)

Hint - that Itinomonn is one of them!


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## rubius (Feb 9, 2017)

/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif/img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif


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