There are so many beautiful knives in this thread, I don't know where to start. You guys are ballers.
I just went on the start of what I hope will be a short buying spree of Japanese carbon steel knives. For years, Globals have been my go-to knives for most tasks. As I understand it, Global was one of the first major Japanese manufacturers to break through in the US, which makes sense considering that their knives are soft and stainless and mostly double-edged. I've liked mine while I've had them, but I'm anticipating a serious change in my cutting and slicing world. Up until now, everything has been stainless and everything has been stamped. My go-to Globals are the 8" G-2, a 6" nakiri-ish style veg knife, and (most recently) a 270mm chef's knife (that was probably my best knife purchase thus far). I also have a bunch of Wustof that I inherited from my parents (who upgraded, not passed on) though I mostly use the santoku.
Anyway, I've always wanted a yanagiba. I don't make sushi, and I seldom work with fish. But on those rare occasions when I want to slice fish like I want to slice fish.... that is the knife I dream of. And when Yoshohiro started their recent yanagi promotion, I picked up their cheapest 300mm white steel #2 with saya. It will be here Saturday, but from what I can gather, it's sort of an absurdly inexpensive knife of its type given the quality. I paid $234 for a 12" forged blade... and it comes with a saya? I mean... shut up and take my money.
Then I got to thinking. I've never had a pairing knife -- or short blade -- that I really gelled with. My current pairing knife is a Wusthof, which is fine and all, but I never want to reach for it for anything. And then I came across a 105mm petty from Chef Knives To Go. It's only $60. Who could say "no"?
At this point, my mind started racing. What did I need? One thing I've always wanted was a longer petty - something that was thin and agile and thin (ish... something tall enough for some board clearance). And that's when I found her. A 6-inch double-edged super blue petty from Yoshihiro. Good lord. What have I done? My only problem was that it didn't come with a saya. So I fired off an e-mail, and they replied that their knife-maker would gladly make me a custom lacquered saya to fit that blade. For the low, low price of $25. I couldn't fill out the Paypal invoice fast enough... SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!
I have a few more blades on my radar. But I think I'm going to play it cool for right now and see how I adapt to the new steels. I know that I'll have to adjust my cleaning and drying regimen, but that's not a huge deal. A few years ago, ChefSteps launched a knife sharpening class, which prompted me to buy a whole buncha stones and whatnot. And I love, love, love how the Globals perform fresh off the stones. But they're super soft by Japanese standards, and I hate how quickly they lose their edge (though the Hi-Soft cutting board I purchased recently is a godsend in this regard). I'm hoping that I can sharpen up my super blue petty and keep an edge (using the hi-soft) for a week or so of casual cooking.
We'll see what happens.
Pictures to come.
