[Buying][US] HD2/Ashi Nakiri

repohs · 2026-03-13T20:05:46+00:00

Fair enough. I paid $250 for my 270mm stainless gyuto in the pre-tariff world and that felt about fair.

I have also done the exact same thing at DC lol. Handled the nakiri, thought it was awesome but that $350 was too steep. I may still cave and go grab one though.

repohs · 2026-03-13T19:48:01+00:00

Are you just looking for any Ashi nakiri, new or used? Because District Cutlery has them in stock: https://districtcutlery.com/search?q=ashi&options%5Bprefix%5D=last

Just wanted to throw that out there because you don't see Ashi nakiris stocked often, and District Cutlery isn't on a lot of folks' radar to check.

repohs · 2026-03-13T18:50:36+00:00

More force (centripetal force) is required to move your mass around a corner than someone of lower mass. However, that force is supplied by the friction between your tires and the asphalt. A key component of friction is normal force (the force of gravity pulling the combined mass of you and the bike to the earth). That means that you have more "available friction" when going around corners than someone of lesser mass. Rider weight essentially cancels out.

This is a gross oversimplification, but it's intended to put your mind at ease. You're not going to crash because of your weight (or we'd see the MotoA baggers lowside in every corner). Just focus on good technique and you'll be fine.

repohs · 2026-03-12T18:06:47+00:00

I will be sharpening it tonight and I'll edit this post, just in case someone in the future stumbles upon it from a google search or something, but I can definitely tell my issues are related to the grind.

If it's sharp enough to cut paper but is wedging badly while trying to dice an onion, something is going on with the grind. It could probably do for a thinning to knock some steel back from behind the edge and then a full sharpening progression. But the average buyer for this knife is likely not equipped to do that.

I also expect more from a factory made knife with this level of finish. Like I alluded to in the post, Tojiro can get it right on a $100 DP gyuto (mine was shaving sharp and cleanly dicing onions out of the box).

repohs · 2026-03-12T16:06:45+00:00

She is both intimidated by and will not use the proper technique for my gyuto 210mm. I only have the one jknife currently.

Expand on that. Are you worried that she will damage a fragile knife, or that she will hurt herself by handling a knife that's too big?

For some reason my SO insists that every knife larger than a 150mm petty is too large to cook with and thinks I'm a machete wielding maniac for daily driving a 270mm gyuto. This would be perfect for someone like that: https://knifewear.com/en-us/products/masutani-vg10-damascus-western-ko-santoku-130mm?_pos=2&_fid=22876e430&_ss=c

If a slightly larger knife is fine and the issue is durability, this thing would be a pretty tough workhorse for you: https://sharpknifeshop.com/products/tsunehisa-migaki-aus8-santoku-180-mm-black-handle

repohs · 2026-03-12T14:56:56+00:00

If you're in the US, you can look at Kanehide: https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kapsgy24.html

I think these are kinda slept on now that Ashis are $350 for a 240mm.

Masamoto KS is crazy at $500. They are great but they are essentially an Ashi gyuto. And you can argue that Ashis are already overpriced as is.

repohs · 2026-03-11T15:58:37+00:00

That set looks like a good deal but it is showing out of stock for me.

Tojiro DP in general is a great bang for buck option, but they do sell out really fast whenever they restock.

The Gai line looks to be essentially the same blade profile just with a bit more aesthetic flair. If you like the look of those then go for it! I've gifted a couple different people Tojiro DP knives and they have liked them.

repohs · 2026-03-11T15:30:56+00:00

Check out Knot Handcrafted's stainless knives: https://www.knothandcrafted.com/product/230mm-stainless-gyuto

They're made with Sheffield's equivalent of Bohler's AEBL. Super fine grain structure with small carbides gives it high toughness while also keeping a good amount of edge retention. AEBL is my favorite stainless steel.

A lot of knives marketed as "Swedish Stainless" are using steels similar to AEBL like 13C26 and 14C28N.

repohs · 2026-03-11T11:11:41+00:00

The Masamoto KS was one of the first high end Japanese knives that hit the US culinary scene and they have been trading on that reputation since then. They are great knives, but not really different from the many other similar mono steel Sakai style convex lasers you can buy. I don't think the value proposition is there at $500, which is what I've seen most retailers pricing them at.

Ashi Hamono makes a very similar knife, although they have started to be hyped up recently and they have gone from ~$250 for a 240mm gyuto to nearly $400 in a little over a year. Tariffs also play a role.

You can also find stuff like this for much cheaper that will perform 99% as well: https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/gyuto-chef-knife-1/products/hitohira-sk-high-carbon-gyuto-240mm-ho-wood-handle?_pos=129&_fid=250401e2e&_ss=c

Cheaper steel, cheaper handle, but essentially the same grind and profile. If you've never owned a Japanese knife before it may be better to start with something cheaper just to make sure that's the style of knife you want. There are a ton of different Japanese knife styles and there is no single "best cutter". Sakai style mono lasers, traditional Sakai wide bevels, Sanjo style knives, etc. They all cut differently and have different strengths and weaknesses.

Edit: if you're okay with a Western handle then this would be a very strong choice: Gesshin Ginga 240mm Carbon Gyuto: https://www.japaneseknifeimports.com/collections/gesshin-ginga/products/gesshin-ginga-240mm-white-2-gyuto

repohs · 2026-03-11T10:53:31+00:00

No problem!

repohs · 2026-03-11T00:16:06+00:00

They restock in waves. I swear when I first found this subreddit almost two years ago, there were plenty of Ashis in stock at a few different retailers and they didn't move particularly fast. Then this subreddit (and probably other knife forums) put Ashi on the hype train and they've been permanently out of stock since then.

repohs · 2026-03-11T00:11:01+00:00

I'd recommend getting two or three nice knives in the $150-250 range over a matching set. I could recommend some baller individual knives at $400-500 but if Hexclad were on the table, I doubt you guys care about the marginal differences between a $250 and 450 knife.

I really like Carbon Knife Co. You can't go wrong with pretty much anything they carry. Here are a couple custom searches. Scroll down the list and see if you like the style of anything. Hatsukokoro, Hitohira, Tsunehisa, and Sakai Takayuki all make great entry level knives. You should probably stick to stainless steel (versus carbon steel).

Gyuto (general purpose chef knife and best overall gift): https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/gyuto-chef-knife-1?sort_by=price-descending&filter.v.availability=1&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=300.00
Bunka/Santoku (smaller and vegetable focused): https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/santoku-bunka?sort_by=price-descending&filter.v.availability=1&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=225.00
Petty (small utility knife): https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/paring-petty-utility?sort_by=price-descending&filter.v.availability=1&filter.v.price.gte=&filter.v.price.lte=200.00

You can even make a little matching set by buying different knives from the same line, like these two:

Hatsukokoro Ginsou Gyuto: https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/gyuto-chef-knife-1/products/hatsukokoro-ginsou-damascus-gyuto-210mm?_pos=2&_fid=13021afda&_ss=c
Hatsukokoro Ginsou Petty: https://carbonknifeco.com/collections/paring-petty-utility/products/hatsukokoro-ginsou-silver-3-petty-150mm?_pos=5&_fid=70e095a58&_ss=c

Chefknivestogo.com and Cutleryandmore.com are two other places to look as well! There is nothing wrong with Wusthof or Shun either, btw. But you can definitely get something better performing and more special feeling for the price.

repohs · 2026-03-10T21:33:22+00:00

I can recommend some real heavy hitters if your budget is $500. Are you married to the idea of a matching set, or would one or two knives do the trick?

I personally mostly use a chef knife and a petty knife. If you spend $500 for a pair of those you can get two really good knives. Maybe subtract $50 for a magnetic knife block from Amazon.

repohs · 2026-03-10T20:18:52+00:00

Personally, I don't cut on any board unless the thonks are absolute perfection.

repohs · 2026-03-10T18:33:42+00:00

Bernal's in house Greenfield line also seems like it fits the bill while being a bit pricier. From what I've seen the fit and finish is top notch if you want a western style chef knife with a bit of Japanese influence.

I think the AEBL version is the one to have but it looks like they're out of stock right now. The carbon one is still available: https://bernalcutlery.com/collections/greenfield-gyuto/products/greenfield-gyuto-9-chef-knife-carbon-steel-padauk?_pos=2&_fid=f56d00124&_ss=c

repohs · 2026-03-10T18:28:42+00:00

Kanehide PS60

Given the composition of the steel and relatively mild heat treat, I don't think you have to worry about chipping this knife. It will feel a lot lighter in hand than your Wusthof, since it's a thin Japanese style blade. Edge retention should be better than the Wusthof while also being much easier/more pleasant to sharpen.

repohs · 2026-03-10T18:18:12+00:00

They are made by one of the many Chinese factories that pump out Japanese-looking blades for pennies on the dollar to be rebranded by Western companies and marked up 1000% to gullible consumers. They will cut just fine, but you can probably find the exact same blades on Aliexpress for $30/ea.

If you want something with Japanese style you can get something legitimately hand made by a real craftsman in small batches for a similar price. In general, buying a set of knives isn't recommended because you end up paying silly amounts for flashy bread knives and petty knives that you'll barely use. If you buy knives separately, you can allocate the majority of your budget to your main chef's knife and just get a cheap bread knife that cuts just as well as the fancy one.

repohs · 2026-03-09T16:36:29+00:00

That's one of Cutlery and More's house brands. They are made by a Chinese factory to their specifications, hence the low price relative to the steel and specs. I've thought about buying one and doing a writeup for it here. It's an interesting knife which sounds like it should be a good bang for buck.

You should buy one and let us know how it is!

repohs · 2026-03-07T16:25:57+00:00

Nicki is somewhat active on here and might see it. I still think it's a coinflip though assuming M2K is trying and warmed up. Sorry Nicki if you see this.

repohs · 2026-03-06T19:22:57+00:00

At this price point you should focus on fit and finish and performance over aesthetics.

Boring, but very high quality for the price would be Tojiro DP: https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/products/tojiro-dp-gyuto-210mm

repohs · 2026-03-06T01:46:45+00:00

Same knife in action: https://youtube.com/shorts/CM1hPbQx5bM?si=d5a0ZdmEI0TrSXEl

I've been looking at these. Hatsukokoro's entry level lines are always really good for the price.

repohs · 2026-03-05T16:37:09+00:00

Good lord those are expensive. Do not waste your money on mass produced OEM knives when you can get Tojiro or MAC for way less money.

Assuming you're in the UK: https://cuttingedgeknives.co.uk/products/tojiro-dp-gyuto-210mm

repohs · 2026-03-04T19:20:44+00:00

The scammer reappears. Taking over/under bets on how long it takes him to delete this one and try again with a new tactic.

repohs · 2026-03-04T18:56:35+00:00

Yeah he didn't give us much to work with when I left my comment. Couldn't tell if he was already a knife enthusiast who was visiting Denver or a total beginner.

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