# Recommended Line Up of Knives Based on Core Knives



## andrewbernst (Sep 5, 2012)

Hi all,

Long-time lurker on the various forums since I started heavily researching J knives a few months back. I won't go into my background now, or ask too much of the typical "what brand" questions. The lurking has answered many of those questions and I'll save the rest for another thread.

*This question is about what styles/sizes of knives to pick in order to work on building a complete set without redundancies*. I'm not one to have six 240s when 1 or 2 would do.

I made the jump with a 120mm Tojiro ITK Shirogami Petty and 165 Nakiri. The purpose of these knives was to be introduced to real Japanese steel and carbon steel. I plan on using my 120 as a large paring knife/small petty, and the nakiri was mainly to practice sharpening, and experimenting with cutting styles with the flat edge. They were inexpensive and I plan on practicing with them and building a set around them.

I know the nakiri will be redundant once I build up a collection, but it'll serve its training purposes till then.

I'm debating on whether I want to pull the trigger on the Konosuke 240 gyuto or go with the JCK Inazuma line or Ginga or Sakayuki etc.... I will be getting that size next when I figure out what I want to spend according to my skill.

*Finally, the main point of my post:*

I want to know the core list of sizes and shapes I should get when my set is complete-ish.

*I'm considering these sizes:*

*120mm petty*

*150mm honesuki or petty*

*180/210 petty*

*240 gyuto*

*270 suji*

rounded out at the end by the bread knife and possibly a deba.

The problem I'm running into is the middle part. Is a honesuki really necessary? I do like to buy whole poultry and break it down, but would a dedicated 150 honesuki be redundant with my 120 petty and a petty in the 180/210 range? I could use it as a stainless knife for citrus slicing and bar work as well.

With the 120 petty/parer I have now, what would the next size petty be? 180/210... I would use it for slicing steaks to fan for plating, for other small slicing tasks, for trimming if I didn't get the honesuki, and other small slicer tasks (coring peppers/whatever) when the 240 wouldn't be practical.

Should I even get a 210 petty if I eventually want the 270 suji? Would that size be awkward slicing a small steak? I just used my western 10.5" slicer on seared tuna and could really have used a proper edge for that. However, the length was great and with the slight clearance benefit from the wa handles I want a J suji would have been great.

What knife would I use for fileting small fish (fish you would buy whole for home use, not tunas or salmons). I'm thinking I could lop the head off with a german chef's and filet with the 180/210 suji. Is that what people do without mioroshis or debas?

Sorry for the long winded post, but I wanted to give as much of the basic info I could to help the answers. I need help narrowing my list so I can pull the trigger again. What should the next size up be from the 120 based on the uses I illustrated? Honesuki or just the next size up and skip 150 altogether? Although not necessary for my post, for what its worth, I have the Bester, Beston, Suehira stone set and am practicing with the Tojiros.

Thanks for making it through my redundant post about avoiding redundancy in knives.


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## mano (Dec 16, 2010)

Andrew,

Consider working backwards, looking at how you cook and then selecting the best knives for the job.  As a home cook it's likely you'll expand your cooking repertoire and use more advanced cooking techniques based on your high performance knives.  

If you break down a lot of poultry and want to make chicken or duck ballotine, then a 150 honesuki is great.  I also use one for squaring off racks of ribs and Frenching chops.  A lot of people grab it from the knife rack to cut veggies.  

Your 120 petty and 185 nakiri should eliminate the need for a 150 petty.  But you have to decide if the extra 30mm is that important.  A 180 may be a more practical jump in size.

A 180/210 petty is a terrific knife and an excellent small slicer.  I love my 180 Konosuki HD and agree it may be the right size if you're getting a 270 suji.  

Your nakiri should be great for all the thin veggie work the a Kono HD 240 gyuto is so good at.  Maybe go with a robust gyuto for thick skinned fruits, squash and other appropriate tasks, 

A 270 suji is another great knife to have and a lot of folks prefer a 300 if they have the counter space.

JMHO


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## mano (Dec 16, 2010)

double post


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## andrewbernst (Sep 5, 2012)

mano said:


> A 180/210 petty is a terrific knife and an excellent small slicer. I love my 180 Konosuki HD and agree it may be the right size if you're getting a 270 suji.


Thank you for your reply. Your advice helped me confirm my "want list." As a follow up, if I didn't want to get a 270 suji in the near future (reserving a like new 10.5" German slicer that I'll tune up) would the 210 petty be just as useful as the 180? Or slightly too large for some petty tasks?

Andrew


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## mano (Dec 16, 2010)

andrewbernst said:


> Thank you for your reply. Your advice helped me confirm my "want list." As a follow up, if I didn't want to get a 270 suji in the near future (reserving a like new 10.5" German slicer that I'll tune up) would the 210 petty be just as useful as the 180? Or slightly too large for some petty tasks?
> 
> Andrew


Not having a 210 I couldn't say. I was searching for a 210 petty -which some people use as a primary knife- but got a deal on a 180 and haven't looked back. For practical purposes I'd be hard pressed to say the difference would be significant, especially since you have a slicer.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

The two knives I reach for most are my 240 Gyuto and my 150 Petty.  Besides those I have a 300 Yanagi, a 180 Deba and a 150 Honesuki Maru.  I don't consider the Petty a stout enough boning knife the way I use one.  I also have a heavy cleaver for carcass work.  All these extra blades are handy to have and serve a purpose as I break down a lot of meats, but for every day meal prep it's the Gyuto and the Petty.


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