Review of Carbon Steel Gyutos

Misono Swedish Carbon Steel Gyuto

I've been a fan of Misono cutlery since I bought my first one - a UX-10 240mm gyuto. I have never been disappointed by a Misono knife and consider them among the best Western style Japanese kitchen knives available. Today's subject is no exception.

Model – Misono 210mm Swedish Carbon Steel gyuto
Blade length – 8 3/8"
Overall length – 13 1/8"
Weight – 6 oz.
Construction – forged
Blade – Swedish carbon steel
Handle – Riveted resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on full tang construction.

The Swedish carbon steel line is Misono's budget line of Western style knives. Fit and finish are not up to the level of the UX-10 series but better than other carbon steel gyutos I have reviewed. Haphazard grinding is common on knives in this category but the Misono is clearly better finished than its competitors. The only bad spot on my knife is a small area on the bolster. That might be the reason it is a little costlier.

Blade hardness is somewhere between the UX-10 stainless series and the very hard white or blue carbon steel traditional forged Japanese knives. I suppose I would rate it around RC 61-62. I've encountered harder and softer carbon steel gyutos. We'll call this one average.

Ergonomics are good. Balance is perfect as is the case with all my Misonos. The edges of the handle are well eased and the handle has no bumps or protrusions that often ruin ergonomics for me. I did find the the handle a little cramped for my taste but that isn't uncommon for me in the 210mm size. I just tend to grip these gyutos a little further forward on the blade than I do the longer models. I don't mean to make an issue of the handle. This Misono has an excellent and comfortable handle. Interestingly it features a couple of brass rivets which are fairly uncommon on Japanese gyutos.

I had little trouble putting the initial edge on this blade because the edge was in better shape than on most new Japanese gyutos. In other words, I didn't have very far to go. 5 minutes with the 2000 and 8000 grit stones and it was good to go. Edge retention is excellent and clearly better than the venerable UX-10 with it's Swedish stainless blade. So if you can live with the appearance of a discolored carbon steel blade, this Misono will outperform its more expensive siblings.

This little gyuto gets a thumbs up and enthusiastic recommendation from me. I like my UX-10's and I like this relatively inexpensive little Misono as well. My ratings:

Fit and Finish - 4
Performance - 4.5
Ergonomics - 4.5

Here's an image before my kitchen discolored it:

Suisin Nihonko Carbon Steel Gyuto

I have encountered many levels of blade hardness in carbon steel Japanese knives. The hardest have been the hand made traditional patterns I own from makers like Kikuichi, Watanabe and Masamoto. The hand made yanagis and usubas have very little compromise in terms of blade hardness. The personal attention provided in heat treatment by the maker is obviously evident in these products.

Gyutos are another matter, however. Carbon steel gyutos appear to be the manufacturers' budget lines. Without exception they have poorer fit and finish than their more elegant stainless or suminagashi models. The steel is also variable in hardness. I recently reviewed a Kikuichi Elite Carbon gyuto which had a blade similar in hardness to what I have experienced with the hand forged traditional Japanese knives. It was a lot of work to give the blade its first sharpening. It has edge retention right up there with the hand forged yanagis.

This is not the case with the Suisin carbon steel gyuto which is the subject of this review:

Here are the specifications for the subject knife:

Model – Suisin Nihonko 270mm gyuto
Blade length – 10 5/8"
Overall length – 15 7/8"
Weight – 9 1/4 oz.
Construction – forged
Blade – carbon steel
Handle – resin impregnated laminated ebony on full tang construction.

This knife has the typical blade heaviness of 270mm gyutos with the balance point about 3/4" forward of the bolster. Fit and finish are fairly haphazard. The underside of the tang shows deep grind marks and the scales are unevenly ground. The top of the tang is better but still not good.

The blade is finished just fine in typical satin style with asymmetric bevels I would estimate at 80% outside and 20% inside. The blade takes on a patina quickly as with other carbon steel knives.

I got the blade sharpened in less than 5 minutes which is typical in my experience with most Japanese knives. Edge retention is similar to VG-10 and noticeably less than my traditional Japanese carbon steel knives. Whether that is the steel used or the heat treatment, I couldn't say. I can only say that the single advantage of carbon steel (blade hardness) isn't evident in this knife.

Ergonomics are fine. The handle is a little roomier than the Suisin stainless gyuto I reviewed earlier and the knife is comfortable to use.

This knife is relatively inexpensive. It is available from Korin for $126.40 with lower prices for shorter models. So it is a good choice for the cook looking to get the performance of a $200 stainless gyuto for a bargain price. It is not a good choice for the cook looking for a harder blade than the one on his $200 stainless gyuto. It is coming out of the block today and being replaced by the usual knife that is in that spot - my Hattori HD 270mm gyuto. My ratings.

Fit and Finish – 2
Performance – 4
Ergonomics – 3.5

And the obligatory image.

Kikuichi Elite Carbon Gyuto

In the debate over stainless or carbon steel for kitchen knife blades, I'm generally a proponent of stainless steel as long as it can be one of newer high tech types like VG-10. But there is certainly a place for carbon steel as my test of the Kikuichi Elite Carbon 240mm gyuto has taught me. Here are the specifications.

Model – Kikuichi Elite Carbon 240mm Gyuto
Blade length – 9 ½”
Overall length – 14 5/8”
Weight – 7 1/4 oz.
Construction – forged
Blade – Japanese hagane carbon steel
Handle – Resin impregnated laminated ebony scales on a full tang

My first impressions of this gyuto was that it felt lighter than most stainless gyutos and it is, simply because the blade is thinner than most. I then noticed that the fit and finish of the knife were not in the same class as the more expensive Kikuichi V Gold stainless series. The handle has some grind marks as did the bolster and the fit between scales and bolster was not as good as I would like. Actually, this is all a result of hurry on the part of the finisher. Another couple of minutes on the belt grinder could have made the fit and finish just right. I will also note that the balance point is right where it belongs at the front of the bolster. Ergonomics are excellent. I prefer a little longer handle but this knife is certainly comfortable.

The edge was only partially sharpened as I expect from most Japanese knives. However, most Japanese knives just need a light tuning with a finishing stone to be ready to use. Like my experience with the Kikuichi Tatsutogi Takohiki, this knife needed some grinding, particularly on the inside bevel. Actually, the steel on this knife is quite hard and I spent no less than 15 minutes with a 220 grit waterstone to get the inside bevel formed properly. The steel really resisted my efforts to grind it away. I finally got it where it belonged and went through my 1000, 2000 and 8000 grit stones until I had an edge that literally sang. The knife was ready for use.

I have to tell you that using this knife is a pleasure. The thin blade and very hard steel made quick work of anything to which I apply the blade. After a couple of weeks of use, the blade has only had one stroke on my steel on the outside bevel. Nothing else has been necessary to maintain the blade. It is quite hard and has outstanding edge retention.

Discoloration of the blade occurred immediately. I chopped an onion and then set the knife aside for a couple of minutes as I did something else in the kitchen. That was all it took to begin to blacken the blade so corrosion resistance is certainly not one of it's attributes. Now that the test is completed, I'm going to spend a few minutes on the belt grinder to get the poor fit and finish of the handle fixed and I think I'll ease the edges of the handle just a hair as well. The discoloration will continue but I won't let it bother me at all. I only need to cut something with this knife to understand quickly the favorable side of the tradeoff between stainless and carbon steel.

The few stainless steels that can be hardened to the level of Japanese carbon steels are very expensive. The stainless steels used in most other Japanese gyutos is excellent but not quite as hard. So this knife becomes an interesting study in trade offs. The knife is fairly inexpensive as gyutos go and it outperforms most of them. The tradeoffs are fit and finish problems which I will fix and discoloration of the blade which one simply has to live with in a knife like this one. It's a fair tradeoff, I think. There is certainly room for carbon steel in the world of high performance kitchen knives. My ratings are:

Fit and Finish – 3
Performance – 5
Ergonomics – 4.5

Here's the image: