At 240mm, this gyuto from the Harukaze G3 Nashiji line steps up to the workhorse length many home cooks and professionals reach for as their main knife. Harukaze, meaning windy spring in Japanese, is made exclusively for CKTG by a mid sized factory in Tosa, Japan.
The core is G3 stainless steel, also called Ginsan, hardened to about 62 HRC and wrapped in a hammered stainless nashiji, or pear skin, cladding that keeps the larger blade impressively light. The gyuto is ground symmetrically at 50/50 and finished with kanji engraving, while the handle is an oval magnolia wood with a black pakka wood ferrule.
What Customers Are Saying:This gyuto has built up a long list of reviews praising it as a remarkable value at 240mm, with buyers repeatedly describing it as light for its size, very sharp out of the box, and an easy knife to bring to a mirror edge on water stones. Several reviewers mention it holding its own against far more expensive Japanese and Western knives they have owned, and more than one has come back to buy a second for a family member as a gift. A handful of notes for improvement come up across the reviews, including a blade profile that widens a bit quickly near the cladding line, which can cause slight wedging in dense ingredients, and a handle some buyers chose to treat with oil for a better feel and finish.
Care Instructions:The G3 core and stainless cladding keep this gyuto low maintenance at any size. Hand wash and dry it after use, skip the dishwasher, and keep it away from bones and frozen foods. Sharpen on quality water stones rather than diamond plates, since the thin, high hardness edge can turn brittle at very low angles on diamond stones, and treat the magnolia handle with a food safe oil if it feels dry on arrival.
The core is G3 stainless steel, also called Ginsan, hardened to about 62 HRC and wrapped in a hammered stainless nashiji, or pear skin, cladding that keeps the larger blade impressively light. The gyuto is ground symmetrically at 50/50 and finished with kanji engraving, while the handle is an oval magnolia wood with a black pakka wood ferrule.
What Customers Are Saying:This gyuto has built up a long list of reviews praising it as a remarkable value at 240mm, with buyers repeatedly describing it as light for its size, very sharp out of the box, and an easy knife to bring to a mirror edge on water stones. Several reviewers mention it holding its own against far more expensive Japanese and Western knives they have owned, and more than one has come back to buy a second for a family member as a gift. A handful of notes for improvement come up across the reviews, including a blade profile that widens a bit quickly near the cladding line, which can cause slight wedging in dense ingredients, and a handle some buyers chose to treat with oil for a better feel and finish.
Care Instructions:The G3 core and stainless cladding keep this gyuto low maintenance at any size. Hand wash and dry it after use, skip the dishwasher, and keep it away from bones and frozen foods. Sharpen on quality water stones rather than diamond plates, since the thin, high hardness edge can turn brittle at very low angles on diamond stones, and treat the magnolia handle with a food safe oil if it feels dry on arrival.
- Brand: Harukaze
- Location: Tosa, Japan
- Construction: Hammer Forged, San Mai
- Core Steel: G3 Stainless Steel (Ginsan)
- Cladding: Stainless
- HRC: 62
- Finish: Nashiji (Pear Skin)
- Edge Grind: 50/50
- Handle: Magnolia Wood Oval
- Ferrule: Black Pakka Wood
- Engraving: Kanji Engraved
- Weight: 6.7 oz (190 g)
- Blade Length: 245 mm
- Total Length: 395 mm
- Spine Thickness at Base: 2 mm
- Blade Height: 50 mm
- Photos credit: Gustavo Bermudez
Reviews
13 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval)
Opinion WoW...just...WoW!Posted By: Greg Lappe
This is a work of art! A 240mm G3 blade with a hammered Nashiji finish.....YES PLEASE! You are definitely getting a lot of knife for the price! I placed the knife's edge on a pepper only using it's own weight and pulled back, IT FELL THROUGH IT! WoW! It's also the lightest knife in this size that I have used. You will only be disappointed if you DON'T get it!
This is a work of art! A 240mm G3 blade with a hammered Nashiji finish.....YES PLEASE! You are definitely getting a lot of knife for the price! I placed the knife's edge on a pepper only using it's own weight and pulled back, IT FELL THROUGH IT! WoW! It's also the lightest knife in this size that I have used. You will only be disappointed if you DON'T get it!
Beautiful KnifePosted By: JC
This a gorgeous knife when compared to many of the plain Jane gyoto knives available on the market. The G3 sharpens and holds an edge like it should. No complaints there. I only use this knife for beef (Gyūniku / Ushi), so I can't comment on how it works as a replacement for a chef knife. It works great for slicing beef. The G3 stainless, when sharpened properly, develops a burr which is helpful in slicing through meat in a single pull.
This a gorgeous knife when compared to many of the plain Jane gyoto knives available on the market. The G3 sharpens and holds an edge like it should. No complaints there. I only use this knife for beef (Gyūniku / Ushi), so I can't comment on how it works as a replacement for a chef knife. It works great for slicing beef. The G3 stainless, when sharpened properly, develops a burr which is helpful in slicing through meat in a single pull.
Great size, great valuePosted By: Rod L - verified customer
1 people found this review helpful
When I got this knife I was worried that it would wedge a bit--despite the narrow blade, it widens quickly from the edge to the nashiji area of the cladding. But it's been wonderful to use in practice and the edge has been great (after resharpening to 27 degrees). It feels light for a knife this size and the balance is fine. I did round the spine a bit to make it more comfortable to grip.
1 people found this review helpful
When I got this knife I was worried that it would wedge a bit--despite the narrow blade, it widens quickly from the edge to the nashiji area of the cladding. But it's been wonderful to use in practice and the edge has been great (after resharpening to 27 degrees). It feels light for a knife this size and the balance is fine. I did round the spine a bit to make it more comfortable to grip.
Good knife for the pricePosted By: Julio Santiago - verified customer
My knife arrived a little late but for me, it was ok , the knife came razor sharp and its pretty comfortable, I also love the details. For the price , its a very good knife. The only thing I didn't like was that the handle came a little dry, but that can be fixed with some oil , in conclusion I totally recommend it
My knife arrived a little late but for me, it was ok , the knife came razor sharp and its pretty comfortable, I also love the details. For the price , its a very good knife. The only thing I didn't like was that the handle came a little dry, but that can be fixed with some oil , in conclusion I totally recommend it
Awesome knifePosted By: Mark Stiles
1 people found this review helpful
I'm just a home chef, but a lifetime knife addict, and one who's always enjoyed sharpening pocket and sporting knives. I'm brand new to Japanese knives, or was. It's been a knife per week lately. This thing rocks. I've had it about a month now, and am still shocked at the edge I've been able to achieve using a Suehiro Cerax 1000/6000 then stropping with compound. The retention seems pretty good, but I do touch it up fairly often with the 6000 and strop. Couldn't be more pleased with Chef Kives to Go, or this awesome G3 steel. I had my doubts a the G3, but after watching the video I thought this would be a good knife to get my feet wet with, and I've been nothing but pleased.
1 people found this review helpful
I'm just a home chef, but a lifetime knife addict, and one who's always enjoyed sharpening pocket and sporting knives. I'm brand new to Japanese knives, or was. It's been a knife per week lately. This thing rocks. I've had it about a month now, and am still shocked at the edge I've been able to achieve using a Suehiro Cerax 1000/6000 then stropping with compound. The retention seems pretty good, but I do touch it up fairly often with the 6000 and strop. Couldn't be more pleased with Chef Kives to Go, or this awesome G3 steel. I had my doubts a the G3, but after watching the video I thought this would be a good knife to get my feet wet with, and I've been nothing but pleased.
Fantastic Knife!Posted By: Mo - verified customer
4 people found this review helpful
I have been trying to buy a Japanese Chef knife for about a year and never could find anything that I really thought is worth the money for a person like me (not a chef, but I cook a lot at home). One of the things that was bugging me when I wanted to buy this knife was that whether the pattern actually looks nice in reality. It really looks perfect! That aside, the knife is super sharp and stayed sharp for the past month I've been using it on a daily basis (about 40 -90 mins a day), not heavy at all nor too light to make you feel that this knife is cheap or anything. The handle feels ok while holding it but I think it could've been better. Overall, if you want to buy a Japanese Chef knife, in this price range, this knife is the best you can get!
4 people found this review helpful
I have been trying to buy a Japanese Chef knife for about a year and never could find anything that I really thought is worth the money for a person like me (not a chef, but I cook a lot at home). One of the things that was bugging me when I wanted to buy this knife was that whether the pattern actually looks nice in reality. It really looks perfect! That aside, the knife is super sharp and stayed sharp for the past month I've been using it on a daily basis (about 40 -90 mins a day), not heavy at all nor too light to make you feel that this knife is cheap or anything. The handle feels ok while holding it but I think it could've been better. Overall, if you want to buy a Japanese Chef knife, in this price range, this knife is the best you can get!
Harukaze ginsan gyuto 240 Beautiful Craft Beautiful KnifePosted By: Daniel - verified customer
This knife is great. The fit and finish on my example is outstanding. I finished the handle with a little tru-oil and it looks really nice. No sanding was required. I just did a little steel wool in between coats of the tru-oil. The blade is straight. You really need to use water stones to sharpen. I tried using diamond stones and the edge got brittle less than 12 degrees per side. I ended up using water stones and put a 12 degree edge on it. 300, 1000, 3000, 10000 progression and it now has a mirror polished edge. Extremely sharp blade. I am very happy with the knife.
This knife is great. The fit and finish on my example is outstanding. I finished the handle with a little tru-oil and it looks really nice. No sanding was required. I just did a little steel wool in between coats of the tru-oil. The blade is straight. You really need to use water stones to sharpen. I tried using diamond stones and the edge got brittle less than 12 degrees per side. I ended up using water stones and put a 12 degree edge on it. 300, 1000, 3000, 10000 progression and it now has a mirror polished edge. Extremely sharp blade. I am very happy with the knife.
Amazing knifePosted By: Alex V
I don't have much to compare this to in the realm of fine Japanese knives but compared to the Shuns and Globals I've handled this knife blows them out of the water. Fit and finish is very nice with a light but comfortable handle and a beautiful blade that I often bind myself just admiring instead of using. I paid for the sharpening service and it is without a doubt the sharpest knife I've ever used. The video on this is absolutely correct that the handle is quite light so the balance is blade forward but I find this couples with the thinner blade to make it very easy to handle. All in all I'm very satisfied with this knife for the price I paid.
I don't have much to compare this to in the realm of fine Japanese knives but compared to the Shuns and Globals I've handled this knife blows them out of the water. Fit and finish is very nice with a light but comfortable handle and a beautiful blade that I often bind myself just admiring instead of using. I paid for the sharpening service and it is without a doubt the sharpest knife I've ever used. The video on this is absolutely correct that the handle is quite light so the balance is blade forward but I find this couples with the thinner blade to make it very easy to handle. All in all I'm very satisfied with this knife for the price I paid.
Awesome stainless knife Crazy Blade Quality!Posted By: Chase Perkins
Aside from the handle be fit slightly off center and the uneven edge bevel (which is easily remedied) the fit and finish is INSANE. The blade finish and work that goes into is phenomenal. You could easily tell me this knife is $180+ and I would believe you. if you are looking for G3 at a great price with an awesome finish, this is the knife for you. A rehandle on this blade would really take it to the next level.
Aside from the handle be fit slightly off center and the uneven edge bevel (which is easily remedied) the fit and finish is INSANE. The blade finish and work that goes into is phenomenal. You could easily tell me this knife is $180+ and I would believe you. if you are looking for G3 at a great price with an awesome finish, this is the knife for you. A rehandle on this blade would really take it to the next level.
