# Recommendations for decent 150mm petty



## toddnmd (Jan 23, 2012)

So, I have a really good gyuto (Konosuke HD 240), good slicer (Sabatier 4*), decent bread knife (Forschner 10.25" with rosewood handle).  I have some cheap Forschner paring knives, along with a Wusthof Culinar paring and a short Tojiro ITK carbon paring knife.

I hone on an Idahone, use wooden boards (mostly end-grain) and have 1200 and 6000 waterstones for sharpening.  I'm still fairly new to freehand sharpening, but working on it.  I'm a home cook, but I like nice knives and good tools.

I'd like to fill out my set with a decent quality (not great, but not too cheap) petty/utility knife in the 150mm/6" range.  I'd prefer stainless or at least semi-stainless.  Here are my contenders:

Masamoto VG ($92)

Mac Pro ($70)

Carbonext ($70)

Misono Moly ($86)

Hiromoto G3 ($72)

(I'd also consider Fujiwara FKM or Tojiro DP, but would prefer something a bit better, if there is good value.)

Any recommendations particularly for or against any of these to help me narrow down my choice?  Any others I should seriously think about?  I want to keep price ~$75.

Thanks for any input!


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## toddnmd (Jan 23, 2012)

Benuser said:


> Considered the Hiromoto AS??


I have. I think of its carbon core and edge still needing the care that a carbon knife does, or at least a fair amount of the care. Do people think it performs that much better? Cost is $80, so it's in the price range I'm considering.


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

The AS doesn't perform significantly better than G3 -- at least not the gyuto. However, taking care of a san-mai knife with a carbon core isn't much different than taking care of a stainless knife. Just don't put off rinsing and wiping too long; don't leave it out on the counter overnight after cutting onions or lemons.

Also, any of the ~$70 knives from your list would be good with some _possible_ caveats for the CarboNext. There have been some OOTB sharpening issues with the longer knives -- I don't know if that's true about the petty or not; but if you're a passable sharpener it's not an issue anyway (you'll want a coarse stone, though). Also, if you're going to be cutting a lot of citrus and other acidic fruit with your petty -- using it as a bar knife, for instance -- it might not be as stain resistant as you'd like; but that's pure speculation.

Short narrow knives tend not to last very long unless you baby them. Normally they take a lot of abuse, which means a lot of sharpening, which -- in turn -- means they get sharpened down to nothing pretty quickly. Unless you have junk knives which you use religiously for utility purposes like opening plastic food wrapping, cutting tape, cutting string, and so forth, you probably want to keep the price down pretty low.

If you want to save a couple of bucks, you might think about the Artifex 150mm petty. It's not going to have the same level of F&F as those three ~$70 knives, but it's made from a good alloy, has a comfortable handle and takes a good edge; or at least so I'm told -- I've never seen one in real life.

I have two petties, a 150mm Konosuke HH and a 6" T-I "Nogent" (carbon) Sabatier. They're both excellent knives and I'd recommend them but neither of them fits in with your wants.

BDL


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## toddnmd (Jan 23, 2012)

Thanks for the input. 

I've never had a carbon-core, stainless clad knife.  While I appreciate it being less immediately needy than a pure carbon, it seems like the most important part, the edge, still needs that type of care (though it's easier the wipe the edge than the whole knife).  So, I guess I see a clad knife like the Hiromoto AS as being more a lower-maintenance carbon, requiring more attention than stainless.  In practice, this could become an automatic action, and therefore a non-issue, but I'm not sure.

I was considering the Artifex, though I have heard some say they are a bit thick.  Anyone out there have one who could comment?

BDL, I've seen some of your other posts echoing your comments about petties getting worn down quickly, which is part of the reason I'm trying to keep the cost down.  I have a feeling the Konosuke is a great petty, but it seems like a lot.  I will say that even $50 or $70 is a significant amount for me to spend on a petty, so I use a cheapo steak or paring knife for the non-food kinds of cutting.


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## franzb69 (Jul 9, 2012)

from the choices you posted i'd get the hiromoto. and i bet you wouldn't regret having to have made the choice.

=D


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## boar_d_laze (Feb 13, 2008)

Whether or not it's easier to care for a knife with stainless cladding around a carbon core than a "mono-steel" carbon knife is problematic. 

Caring for a carbon knife either becomes automatic very quickly or not.  In my case, an immediate rinse and wipe is very much internalized.  In yours... ? You already know a lot about how you treat your tools, and that should be enough of a guide.  Let's say that if you're the type of person who carves a roast for dinner on a wooden board and leaves the juices on the board overnight, don't get carbon. 

Is the Artifex thick?  The answer needs some context; "compared to what?" It's nominally a bit thicker than the Hiromoto.  CKtG has it listed as 1.8mm as opposed to 1.6mm for the Hiromoto, and on top of that I think that the Lamson made Richmonds tend to be a hair thicker in reality than the published specs.  So, a little bit thicker than a Hiromoto but about as thick as a Sabatier and somewhat thinner than a Wusthof Classic 6" sandwich/slicer.  In my opinion it's not unduly thick, but that depends on what you want.  I like my super thin lasers but like my more robust Sabatiers just as well, and choose between them more or less randomly. 

Also, while my Kono petty suits my uses, I'd only recommend one (or something similar) to someone who was willing to baby it. 

BDL


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## toddnmd (Jan 23, 2012)

Thanks for the input.  I do take good care of my knives (even if those around me think I'm a fanatic), so I'm considering the Hiromoto.  And I'm sure wiping down even a stainless knife is probably a good habit.  And while I do take care of my knives, perhaps a really thin petty is not what I really want.  Something marginally thicker may end up being more useful because it's more durable, and rarely will the additional thickness be an issue.

I'm curious that no one else has had much to say (positive or negative) about any of the other options mentioned.

Thanks for the input so far.


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