Definitive Japanese Knife Guide: Santoku v.s. Gyuto

The ultimate showdown for the best multipurpose Japanese kitchen knife! Do you need a santoku, or a gyuto to start your knife collection? Well, technically you should have both, but Nathan is here to help you decide which is the best versatile Japanese knife to start building your kitchen arsenal!
Definitive Japanese Knife Guide: Santoku v.s. Gyuto

Knives in the video:

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What's the difference? 0:00
Does size count? 1:47
How do they cut? 3:27
I wanna rock! 6:08
Cutting big stuff & meat 6:54
The onion test 10:32
Which one should you choose? 12:57
Finding the santoku 15:12
What gyuto is best? 17:20
Honourable mention: bunka & kiritsuke 19:50

[KnifewearKnives]

Thanks for watching folks! Which knife do you prefer more?

[Shane-zlry]

7" Santoku does almost everything for me.

[runeofferdal]

I use a Santoku. I have a longer chef knife, but use my santoku for 99% of my kitchen cuts. I love it.

[richardandersen]

I think the knifes you compare just has a too big length difference to be an accurate comparison. I have both a 165mm and a 185mm santoku and they feel completely different in use. I choose the 185 over my 210 gyuto most days, it just feels better. A small santoku is well suited for a typical japanese household where the wife is making food in a tiny kitchen. There is no room for a big cutting board and a giant cow sword.

[daemonspectre]

Love these longer more in depth vids. Also Nathan mentions his big hands alot. We know what that means.

[Prakriti_Senpai]

I think gyuto And santaku having an endless battle
But people don't know is they are besties
Buying both and using for specific purposes makes them long lasting And work done in great way and never get bored using them

[jakubbejger]

Santoku and deba, thats my "go away" set

[brendanmoll]

I got my first Japanese knife today, it was a Santoku Octagon handle VG10 SS. I like it a lot. I think Gyuto is probably the better knife in most scenarios but I got the Santoku because I like the look and it just felt completely different compared to a Gyuto which is more like a traditional chefs knife

[BlairRUM]

Santoku is definitely a better choice for a home chef.
The sheep’s foot tip makes them great for fine work as well.
Love them.

[Zizzy]

Every other video I have seen has been going the opposite direction.. they state that the gyuto (chef's knife) is more for a rocking motion, whereas the santoku is more for slicing up and down (well, diagonally).

[eirikkvalbein]

The amount of 'belly' on the knife (how flat the edge is) is not a property which differentiates the gyuto and santoku styles. Traditional japanese knives tend to have a flatter belly to accomodate the up/down slicing cutting style which is traditionally japanese, but nowadays you can get all kinds of edge shapes on both knife-styles according to your preference of rocking or slicing:)

[GuitarsAndSynths]

I like petty knives too for smaller more precision work

[johnsanford]

165mm is about 6 7/16" (6.44), almost an inch more than 5 1/2" (5.5) inches. Easy formula: 165 / 25.6 for approximation, you can just go with 25mm to the inch for most knife sizes.

[michael_the_chef]

Gyuto ftw, never saw a serious professional chef using a santoku, 240mm gyuto is perfect for 90% of Tasks, at home i mostly use a 210 laser gyuto from shiro kamo made of r2, a Kurosaki 180mm gyuto made of aogami super or a Kurosaki nakiri 165mm made out of r2

[showmak]

Thank you for the comparison. For correction, 165mm equals to 6.5 inches.

[AndyinMokum]

I've a 21cm Aogami #2 gyuto made by Kyohei Shindo san. It's hardened to around 62 HRC. It has soft iron warikomi cladding and a kurouchi finish. I've just finishing fitting a custom octagonal handle, made from African blackwood, (Mpingo) with a Bocote ferrule. This I've lacquered with several layers of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil gunstock finish. It looks and feels absolutely stunning. The blade is really thin and surprisingly tough. It cuts like a laser. It's also balanced to the way I like it. Along with my 17cm funayuki from the same smith, it takes an edge like no other knife I've ever used. I love my gyuto and funayuki knives.

[GrantHendrick]

Great video Nathan. As I improve I find I prefer the longer length so the gyuto is my choice.

[jensebu]

I have Kai Santoku and like it. For smaller jobs i have a Carbon Steel Nakiri. Only thing i don't like at it is that it doesn't have a tip. So i guess i need a Bunka.
I am not sure if i would be comfortable with a long Gyuto...
Thanks for that nice video!

[runeofferdal]

If your santoku skips in cabbage, it is really in need of some sharpening.

[mannmanuel]

I got a 180mm (~7 inch) Gyuto from my parents who visited Japan a few weeks ago and i am really curious how if feels compared to my 200mm German chefs knife. The second knife i got is a Nakiri and i already love the handling of that one