First curious of the why behind your thoughts on going 30mm longer on the Japanese handles?totally agree. if i was a line cook spending 8 hrs a day chopping veg then i would totally go for a 270mm or a 240mm gyuto. i can see how that extra length would be crazy useful over the course of the day, speeding things up considerably.
but at home i chop for maybe 20 mins tops. a 210mm gyuto for home use seems totally legit to me.
i do find i use the 240mm suji a lot though. its great for fruit; i eat a lot of mango and its perfect for that.
if i had to reduce my knives down to just 4 i think i would go:
270mm scalloped bread
240mm suji
210mm gyuto
150mm petty
those lengths are based on using western handles. if i was going with japanese handles, then i'd probably add 30mm to each of those lengths.
I do agree with both you and Wag on the idea that if needing to slice larger cuts of meat etc a longer slicer would be a big benefit, but somehow when I think of this I am finding myself looking at 300mm or at least 270mm, and unless that really rarely is the case (larger etc) it just seems to be the way to go.
Though I have used several smaller gyuto including a 180mm and found them all fine for the job at hand (actually the 180 I have used is a Tojiro DP and was very good for the job at hand, and the smaller board that was available at the time) and I know most home cooks are used to the 8" or 210mm chefs/gyuto that is supplied in most block sets etc I really find that the thinner, lighter, and sharper 240mm Fujiwara that I have been using the past year has become a true extension of my hand, and more than once I have speculated that a longer blade (maybe not as long as the 12" "woostie" that I used many times when learning) would have been a benefit.
So I still have the idea of a 270 gyuto in the back of my mind, but I really believe that for my current use and needs the 240mm is absolutely fine, and I just do not need the added expense of the 270mm etc.
All that said I am still needing to think and research more on the idea of the smaller 210mm range petty/slicer vs a longer Suji to find which I believe will produce more use or "bang for the buck" for my needs. I have all but removed the heavy full finger grip (have actually been moving from that without even realizing even before getting into J knives while my previous Henckels were actually becoming sharper due to boredom from unemployment lol) so I do not think that currently the blade height will cause any issues, but I am going to have to pay attention to how often I would really benefit from a 300mm Suji and then compare what I think about how much more use a 210mm could give, if any.
I did have a Henckels Pro S 8" slicer previously, and it did get some use, but primarily as a slicer only, and I do not recall actually using it for other jobs. Could have been for many reasons, but I can not be sure. Since that is about the same length as Wags petty I have to think I would have to find more use for it, and also that it may actually cover what I normally run into that needs slicing etc. and still can always revert to the gyuto anyway.
Have to admit that BDL has a way of writing that makes things "glow" or "sing" etc, and being his thoughts come from more of a professional/actual cooking use position they really make more sense to me than many of the enthusiasts or collectors, and I am sure his love affair with the Konosuke HD had a big affect on my decision to get one (damn I hope he is right lmao, jk) but also like I have said more than once before having a level headed non fanatical opinion has been so helpful I can not thank him enough.
Still remember he comes from a professional background, and some of the things discussed are difficult for someone who is and will continue to be a home cook to fully grasp. Not that I spent all that many years myself (had a hard time giving up all those nights and weekends lol) in this, but just being part of a small restaurants staff when things get crazy busy and things start flying etc just leaves a impression on you that is hard to forget.
Anyhow this is going to be a hard decision as have the previous ones, and I just hope I do not over think things too much just once again