There are thousands of KZread videos asking the the same question over and over again: German or Japanese knives? And the simple answer is: Get one of each.

@KnifewearKnives

Жыл бұрын

Agreed!

@barcham

3 ай бұрын

ONE of each? Only ONE? 😉

@mannmanuel7762

2 ай бұрын

The answer to that question is yes. Actually, i personally use a german chefs knife, bread knife and some small knices from zwilling and Victorinox (actually a swiss brand, but ferman style blade). Recently i got a japanese Gyuto and Nakiri. But i cam guarantee you, that's not the end of it 😂

these are super cool! i’m a knife maker and have been making a lot of kitchen knives lately and it’s really fun and interesting to see where preferences lie and what a wider audience looks for in their tools. my personal style tends to blend aspects of western and japanese knives, nearly as hard as japanese knives, more of a flat edge, really thin but with a full height bevel and i bounce between western and japanese handle styles. thanks for the videos!

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! That's cool to hear, a balance sounds like the way to go!

id have to disagree about which knife to buy specifically for working in a restaurant. I use my japanese knives often during prep, which is about 2 max 3 hours, during service i exclusively use my western knives. it gets a bit crazy and i need something i can toss about, use fast and can wipe or clean later. also my colleagues can grab it and i dont mind. Depends where you work of course but in my experience its like that.

@oldmilk68

Жыл бұрын

This has been the standard across the more experienced cooks I’ve worked with as well

Love these vids! Keep ‘em coming!!!

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Very good advice and based on real world process. Thank you!

Thank you for making this video. I was searching for a video explaining the differences between German & Japanese chef knives. I finally understand. Well Done👍

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Very informative. No filler. Good job.

@KnifewearKnives

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Thanks for the video !! It is really well made

@KnifewearKnives

9 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

Personally, I get more utility out of a Chef's knife than a Gyuto, so the latter can't replace the former. The softer and thicker steel means I can push through small bones (fish or chicken) with the heel safely. Also, the blade edge curving up to the spine (as opposed to the spine curving down to the edge with the gyuto) means you have the sturdiness of the spine behind your tip, if you want to thrust it into some hard shellfish for example. These are types of work that the Gyuto simply isn't suited for, you would damage your blade trying it. Don't get me wrong, slicing and dicing through veg and boneless meet is vastly better on a thin, carbon steel Japanese knife. But for those tasks a flatter blade profile works better. So something like a Bunka or K-tip Gyuto is a better companion to your Chef's knife.

@Robinson.69

Жыл бұрын

i have a good "few" of knives now, i have to say there are gyutos out there that are made of aogami super for example and due to the heat treatment they are completely different. Some are really sturdy for example but still damn sharp for a long time. I can rock with them and also push cut like a champ. It really depends. For some hard work i still have my cold steel gurkha kukri hahah... greetings

It's not often one sees see a subject matter presenter who is as qualified and can articulate that information. I'm really impressed. Keep up your good work. Jim

@KnifewearKnives

Жыл бұрын

Thank you Jim!

awesome content guys! thank you and stay sharp ;)

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

This vid is so comprehensive, it may even get me into cooking, while I'm more of a drinks guy. Well done!

@KnifewearKnives

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, I'm happy to hear it!

Great video as always…. The power thirst cameo was worth like 3 thumbs up alone.

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Hahaha thank you!

Nice job Nathan

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

I love the pegboard setup in the background... man, I need a bigger kitchen

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks man! I'm tempted to do the same at home..

@donpenney8139

2 жыл бұрын

@@KnifewearKnives I've got a toolbox on my counter for my knives... the pegboard would fit right in if I had an empty wall! 😄

think a lot of chefknives tend to have around 2mm spine thickness, slightly less than that would probably feel quite good when cutting. the tapering towards the edge probably matters a lot though.

Master class!!

Thinking about the rocking motion you do on a German chefs knife: in germany this is called Wiegeschnitt, it's used to finely chop herbs. You wouldnt use that technique for a cabbage. The rocking motion keeping the blade on the board actually gives you more control about the blade. I personally have a Zwilling Chefs knife which is very thin (the spine actually is thinner than the one from my Gyuto, but the most important thing about sharpness is the sharpening angle. Usually, Japanese knifes are sharpened at a shallower angle, making the knives sharper, but more fragile

You might want to do a comparison between the Gyuto and the vintage French Sabatier knives. The Gyuto is actually based off a particular Sabatier used to slice beef...hence the Japanese name Wagyu-to...or "beef knife". These early French knives have tremendous distal taper. They are very thick at the handle thinning down to an absolute laser for most of their length! Like the Wagyuto, they also have a flat blade with very little belly...unlike most German knives. The Japanese were so impressed by these early French blades that they essentially copied the form and made them out much harder steels. Anyway...just thought you might like to know.

@KnifewearKnives

10 ай бұрын

That's a great point, I'm a huge fan of those vintage Sabatiers!

Nathan: Which one do you need? Me: All of them

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Correct!

Nice demonstration. The technique with setting the tip on the cutting board and chopping ingredients is for more speed and efficiency. It would take much longer to chop ingredients with the slicing technique. Also the rocking technique works well too if you want to use less force and more finesse.

I'm not sure 1000 grit is the best to show off either knife! I usually use that grit as the *initial* grit level for a blunt but undamaged edge. For budget knives with German steels I'll stop at 3000. Most Japanese knives will only be starting to show their best at this grit level. Aside, I'm not trying to disrespect good German knives - (e.g Wusthof, Messermeister etc) they will handle higher grit (6000 or 8000) fine - tho you may find that the stone choice might influence the result ( I've found this to a lesser extent with some of my Japanese knives too).

I am thinking of buying a Kiritsuke as my first Japanese knife SG2 9.5 to 10” does this give me any more flexibility than a chef’s knife. I know you suggest the opposite opinion but l have German knives that l will still be using until l buy my 2nd which I believe will be a 8” boning knife.

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

If you plan to keep using your traditional chefs knife, a kiritsuke will definitely offer more versatility! The edge is much flatter, so it cuts much differently and offers a different utility.

@MegaQwerty567

2 жыл бұрын

i bought a 210 nigara hamono kiritsuke about 6 months ago, use it daily at work and its a fantastic knife for almost any job, outside of cutting significantly tough foods.

@larsvegas1505

Жыл бұрын

@@MegaQwerty567 I got myself a kurosaki bunka 170 does very well on food prep, and also use a german chef knife for the harder stuff.. gof a zwilling 4* 5.5'' deboning knife for fish (wich im very content with, i used to work in a fish shop and fillet tons of fish with them). I mostly use the kurosaki for food prep though.. a lot better performance then a chef knife..

Understanding that we are talking about a 10-15 degree edge and a thin blade profile on the Japanese knife vs a 20-25 degree edge on the German knife - can knocking down the shoulders from the blade surface to the cutting edge help reduce that "splitting" sensation by putting on a concave bevel using a belt sharpener?

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely! Not entirely but that's definitely change it. It will also reduce the edge retention, so it's a balancing act.

@smievil

2 жыл бұрын

i think the parts behind the cutting edge is really important on some vegetables, i big portion of the knife would have to go through an onion when cutting it in half, a smaller portion of the knife would need to go through the onion once it's cut in half though and maybe some good tapering would be good enough to cut through a smaller carrot without wedging it much. onions and carrots are pretty noticeable when a knife is quite thick or thin, some small herbs would probably not care much.

@MrRatFinkster

2 жыл бұрын

That's an important comment to make. I actually don't like using my Gyuto on sticky vegetables like mushrooms for instance where they just stick to the blade, where my western knives or cleavers wedge them off the blade.

@2adamast

2 жыл бұрын

@@MrRatFinkster I know German knives from Solingen (same town as Zwiling/Henckels) of less than 10° per side, hardly wedge blades

@jiahaotan696

2 жыл бұрын

I'm sort of late to this, but just adding on to Knifewear's reply: The German knife is made that way for a reason, so putting a thinner edge on it will have repercussions. It's like computer nerds who overclock their processor. Doable, but you need to know how far you can push it. The softer steel of the German knife needs more bulk behind the edge to support it or the edge will curl over very rapidly.

Hey, have you tried thinning out the german knife?

@KnifewearKnives

8 ай бұрын

Absolutely! They don't have an established bevel so it's tricky, but definitely doable!

the new global x is an amazing hybrid if you can’t afford both

Powerthirst is a classic. Made by Picnicface, a Halifax based comedy troupe. They actually had 1 season of a show on the Comedy Network!

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

No kidding! I remember them making great stuff.

Knife balance is probably more important if you're going to be throwing your knives at someone? I wouldn't use my Knifewear knives for that, though, in case it chips the blade

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Very true 😂

I'd continue the car analogy further...that Japanese performance knife has to have a driver who knows what they're doing, has to have regular trips to the mechanics for proper maintenance. European knives you can get away without shifting exactly when you need to, you can skip oil changes and still get by... performance will suffer but you won't have the engine seize up... (Ok... eventually it will...) You don't want to help your friends move with your Porsche...but if your other car is a beater...all good...and let's not forget winter driving... One isn't necessarily better... they're different...both have advantages and limitations...and I'm a firm believer you need both....

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Well said!

I fell down the kitchen knife rabbit hole. My favorites are my Japanese knives. They are more delicate, but they are more precise and more enjoyable to use than my Western ones. That’s not to say that my Victorinox knives aren’t spectacular. I’d recommend them to any chefs. But my Japanese knives make recipe prep almost orgasmic.

Wusthof Trident or JA Zwilling, rosewood handle, the Ikon or 5 star, vintage, none better.. they both made several levels of knives

You said that you only sharpen your japanese knife once every year or so. But you do strop it every once in a while, don’t you? Mine won’t hold an edge that long without at least stropping it relatively often. My aogami super petty knife needs stropping agter every use, more or less.

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, I strop mine quite regularly! I also use a ceramic honing rod on the regular, and together they keep it sharp quite a while.

Most of what you say is absolutely correct but not the sharpness comment, I sharpen professionally and properly tempered steel will be able to be sharpened to the same degree, harder steel will not get sharper, in fact for most people trying to resharpen harder steel they will not do it properly and so it won’t be as sharp, but a hard steel will last longer, the softer steel will roll over and feel blunt, the geometry of the Japanese knife is what makes it such a good slicer. Of course junk untempered steel will not be able to be sharpened well.

You compare Japanese handmade knife with European mass production knife. Should compare japanese handmade with European handmade.

As a beginner, i found that heel on the western knife to be a b-tch to deal with. Sharpening up to that heel can be a pain, and the cheap beat up communal restaurant knives were sharpened past the heel by someone who came before me, so the blade wouldn't make contact with the cutting board for the back inch or two. Knowing that either I could make that mistake, or own the knives long enough to eventually grind tge knife down to that point has me tossing western for Japanese and never looking back

Quality is what everyone should buy regardless tho I’m biased towards Japanese steel

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Same! Hahaha

You forgot to give credit to the humble beater knife and the role of having a beater knife standing in the place for other knives and tools as well as being the loaner.

@KnifewearKnives

Жыл бұрын

Great point, the utility of a beater cannot be overstated!

Zwilling Pro Series made in Germany. That brand exists since 1471

@scottmason229

Жыл бұрын

They make many knives in Japan too, Japanese style. Anyway, some of the best steel and knives come from Sheffield. England. 😉👍

@einundsiebenziger5488

7 ай бұрын

Nonsense. Zwilling J.a: Henckels was founded in 1731. Wonder where you got the 1471 from.

@einundsiebenziger5488

7 ай бұрын

@@scottmason229 Sheffield steel is still a given term in England. Yet, I do not know any quality knife brand from there similar to Zwilling and Wüsthof from Solingen, Germany. Can you name any?

@_Alfa.Bravo_

7 ай бұрын

@@einundsiebenziger5488 ... out of an old prospekt. The company was named in the town cronicals in 1471. Ask them Betterwisser

Whats up with the cleaver hidden in one frame after the mushrooms? Inspired by David Fincher? 😂😂😂😂

@KnifewearKnives

6 ай бұрын

😂

personally i'd rather get a tojiro for something like for tough jobs

I crush garlic cloves with the palm of my hand and I lean into it. I don't unterstand the need to slam on the garlic let alone the knife.

4:45 action start

You all should start selling the guitar knife racks you’d make a killing

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

We've seriously considered it. We just need to find a maker!

11:00 lol, it may help if you knew how to use the knife. :--) You do not lift the German knife in that way ever, and you do not use that part of the blade to cut with. Also, since your knife stays in the board all the time, do you get a safer cut than if you have to lift the entire blade. I am not hating on you, but simply saying that you are right in that the knife you know how to use is better and safer than a knife you use wrongly. :-) A German knife can do all tree types of cuts, while the other can only do the two of them.

As a owner of a 6 inch chef knife, yours look more like a 8 inch to me.

@jakekovacs55

Жыл бұрын

Nah man that shit must be 3-4 feet at least.

@Carnefice

Жыл бұрын

That's what she said

@matty808pyro8

11 ай бұрын

Are you impressed by his size?

I picked up a gyuto recently. 400 babies.

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

Welcome to the club!

I have owned and used both kinds of knives and I can tell you from over 50 years of service by my German-made Wustof Chefs knife that the Japanese knives do not hold up and the one I bought years ago has a damaged blade with large nicks! It is unusable! And it didn't make it 5 years before it started cracking out pieces of the edge! And the Japanese knife cost twice what my Wustof cost!

@KnifewearKnives

8 ай бұрын

I'm really sorry to hear that! Japanese Knives are definitely more delicate and can't handle every task. We can repair that knife though, visit one of our shops or get in touch!

@einundsiebenziger5488

7 ай бұрын

Wüsthof* knives

A Tomato is a fruit, eh ! 😆

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

😂

@IllyaKonakov

2 жыл бұрын

Nah, technically it’s a berry. ;)

I'm not with you on the balance of the knife. To me, if you are using the knife a lot, a balanced knife where the balance point is just in front of the handle is my preference. Because I get tired a lot using an imbalanced knife. Especially a blade heavy knife. I like my Shun and Mac knives because they are very well balanced. I also own traditional sashimi knifes in many varieties. Since I pull on these knives, I don't really care about the balance too much so a traditional Japanese handle is fine. But for Gyutos, I would never buy a traditional one. You can keep yours if you like. I also disagree about full-tang. I think traditional Japanese handles are made to be replaced easily because the wood they use will rot. But a lot of full-tang riveted handles will last forever. My Shun uses Pakkawood a composite material that is very durable and resists heat, water, warping, and other problems found in natural wood. Other handles I have use a resin material that's also very strong and durable. I believe that western style handles are superior and that's why a lot Japanese knife makers only use western handles.

Hybrid. Just buy a hybrid. Bob kramer carbon or stainless models

I'm 30 seconds in, one is a knife and the other is a piece of scrap metal. /J

@KnifewearKnives

2 жыл бұрын

😂

It comes down to this: It's pretty easy. Japanese Knives are good for tomatos, sashimi and youtube. German Knives are pretty much better in every other situation in real life. A German Knive can be razersharp without big problems, and can be sharpened easily by every idiot. So, KZreadrs, save the 1000 USD up you will spend on japanese knifes and the years to then come back to the one and only, german knife, which you will love because you can do pretty much everything with it.

@einundsiebenziger5488

7 ай бұрын

Even when razor-sharp* - and they usually never really get razor-sharp - German* knives* dull much faster than Japanese knives. I feel them cutting slower after only a few potatoes while I feel do difference with a Japanese knife*. The "Germans" are great though for bony meat and hard-skinned vegetables such as melons or pumpkins.

@h34p

7 ай бұрын

@@einundsiebenziger5488 then you have a bad knife, plain and simple.

If you aren't well versed in metallurgy just leave it out of the video. Both Japanese and German knives can be made with h.c. steel both are capable of being heat treated to desired hrc... the hardness of the steel has absolutely nothing to do with how a smith can shape the knife all steel is softer when it's hot and has to be proper heat treated to be hard... trying to keep this short and sweet but you have soo much misinformation in this video...