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If you are thinking about a good entry-level Japanese knife, at a good price, this is a screaming deal. The Tojiro Shirogami ITK 240mm Wa-Gyuto is one of the best value knives on the website, and one of our most popular to boot. This is a carbon steel Shirogami core and Shirogami clad blade, which has a beautiful aesthetic simplicity with a matte kuruochi finish. The knife is fully reactive - so it will change color over time, and could rust if you are not careful. This gyuto has a versatile shape for just about any cutting style, from rocking to slicing to chopping. It has a classic arc, with a generous flat spot toward the heel of the knife and a gentle curve toward the tip. For the gyuto style this knife is typically thin at around 3.92mm at the heel, with this particular knife boasting a decent distal taper toward the tip. The thin and pointed tips of gyutos make for impressive precision cuts and detail work. The blade height of this gyuto is medium height and the knife has a basic standard-sized D-shape ho wood handle with a plastic ferrule, making this knife a good choice for most hand sizes. The weight is further forward than many knives, letting the blade weight do more of the work of chopping. The blade also has a nice grind. This 240mm size of this knife is great for home cooks used to a larger knife and who have cutting real estate, and for pros who typically use 240mm or higher. Overall, this is an excellent, low-priced entry into carbon reactive Japanese knives!
Steel: Shirogami (white #2)
Finish: Kurouchi
Height at heel: 53.25
Edge: 50/50
Handle:D Shape, ho wood
Weight: 7oz.
Reviews
9 review(s) WRITE A REVIEW (Reviews are subject to approval)
Fastest shipping, awesome product!, April 2, 2021 Fastest Shipping EVER!, March 16, 2021 Great entry level Japanese knife, December 16, 2020 Yes, June 18, 2020
Great for the price, August 17, 2019Posted By: Thomas McGowan - verified customer
I think this is a high quality knife, it has good weight and a decent finish; when you consider the price, it's definitely a steal. However, the finish doesn't look quite as good in person as it does in the images, so if you're getting it for the finish you may want to look somewhere else.
I think this is a high quality knife, it has good weight and a decent finish; when you consider the price, it's definitely a steal. However, the finish doesn't look quite as good in person as it does in the images, so if you're getting it for the finish you may want to look somewhere else.
Great Knife, May 17, 2018Posted By: Tylor - verified customer
It sometimes takes a while before I finally acclimate to a new blade, so I'm going to just comment on the piece itself, rather than on my ability to use it.
1. The steel sharpens quickly and to an absurdly sharp edge. This is good. It's been easy to keep sharp with a strop and has required little maintenance - also, no rust after 2 months, but a nice patina has formed on the exposed edge.
2. The handle is irrelevant but sufficient. I'm used to western handles and balance, so I'm still getting used to the blade-heaviness of the ITK.
3. It can make precise cuts, but it's huge, so I use it more for general veggie prep. For me, the tip is less useful than the belly - though again, this is likely a stylistic thing that will change as I use it more.
All said, it's a really nice knife and I'm happy I have it. It's possible I'd have preferred the 210mm version, but it replicated a number of other knives I had in that range, so I decided to go bigger. I'm sure I'll appreciate it fully once I get used to it. I do enjoy the practice with this thing.
It sometimes takes a while before I finally acclimate to a new blade, so I'm going to just comment on the piece itself, rather than on my ability to use it.
1. The steel sharpens quickly and to an absurdly sharp edge. This is good. It's been easy to keep sharp with a strop and has required little maintenance - also, no rust after 2 months, but a nice patina has formed on the exposed edge.
2. The handle is irrelevant but sufficient. I'm used to western handles and balance, so I'm still getting used to the blade-heaviness of the ITK.
3. It can make precise cuts, but it's huge, so I use it more for general veggie prep. For me, the tip is less useful than the belly - though again, this is likely a stylistic thing that will change as I use it more.
All said, it's a really nice knife and I'm happy I have it. It's possible I'd have preferred the 210mm version, but it replicated a number of other knives I had in that range, so I decided to go bigger. I'm sure I'll appreciate it fully once I get used to it. I do enjoy the practice with this thing.
Excellent value, March 3, 2017Posted By: Jbart65 - verified customer
Really a 4 1/2 star knife. The ITK gets extremely sharp very easily. Profile is excellent, with blade forward weight great for chopping. I bought to be my sharpening knife, but it made it's way into my rotation.Now F&F is just okay. Some are better than others. I sanded off the D bump in the handle, doused in mineral oil and polished up the kurouchi. The ITK is highly reactive, too.I recommend one for everyone with more than a few knives who needs a good one to sharpen that is also functional. Cuts way better at half the price than any German knife.
Really a 4 1/2 star knife. The ITK gets extremely sharp very easily. Profile is excellent, with blade forward weight great for chopping. I bought to be my sharpening knife, but it made it's way into my rotation.Now F&F is just okay. Some are better than others. I sanded off the D bump in the handle, doused in mineral oil and polished up the kurouchi. The ITK is highly reactive, too.I recommend one for everyone with more than a few knives who needs a good one to sharpen that is also functional. Cuts way better at half the price than any German knife.
Affordable Shirogami, July 9, 2016Posted By: Kevin Draper - verified customer
Just like any shirogami you can get this thing scary sharp on a good wet stone. The steel is great but the handle is cheap. I made a new handle for it and sanded and polished the blade. It really looks great and develops a lovely patina. The steel will rust quickly so it will get you in the habit of always wiping your blade. It is easy to sharpen and will just crush prep work. The spine is kinda thick but thins out toward the edge. If you are looking for affordable Japanese steel you found it. A great knife for the price. A good intro knife.
Just like any shirogami you can get this thing scary sharp on a good wet stone. The steel is great but the handle is cheap. I made a new handle for it and sanded and polished the blade. It really looks great and develops a lovely patina. The steel will rust quickly so it will get you in the habit of always wiping your blade. It is easy to sharpen and will just crush prep work. The spine is kinda thick but thins out toward the edge. If you are looking for affordable Japanese steel you found it. A great knife for the price. A good intro knife.
Inexpensive, Great Performer, Design Flawed, November 19, 2015Posted By: Shihao Bao - verified customer
Used for 2 weeks.Pros:1. The price cannot be beat and this compounds it's other strengths and make its weaknesses forgivable.2. Really sharp out of the box. Easy to sharpen, so easy to put on your own bevel angle or micro bevel.3. Convex grind at this price range.4. White steel edge is strong and tough. I used it to prepare a live lobster, bringing the blade point to lobster head, and the blade edge to lobster's legs, and the blade spine to smash open claws. Then I observed under 60x magnifying glass. Absolutely no observable rolling or chipping. Cons:1. The reactive iron cladding used is a lot more reactive than white
Used for 2 weeks.Pros:1. The price cannot be beat and this compounds it's other strengths and make its weaknesses forgivable.2. Really sharp out of the box. Easy to sharpen, so easy to put on your own bevel angle or micro bevel.3. Convex grind at this price range.4. White steel edge is strong and tough. I used it to prepare a live lobster, bringing the blade point to lobster head, and the blade edge to lobster's legs, and the blade spine to smash open claws. Then I observed under 60x magnifying glass. Absolutely no observable rolling or chipping. Cons:1. The reactive iron cladding used is a lot more reactive than white
