crap. I want a new knife. a Japanese knife.

I want one to break down fish. could I go out and buy a fillet knife? sure can..

but I want a Deba? it seems so damn poetic the way a Japanese fisherman breaks down a fish. very cool, smooth and they waste very little if any.

you all good processing fish? I am okay..on the low end of okay. I just dont like flexy fillet knives.

 

addicting.....
Ive got multiple 210 gyutos from chefknivestogo....
they all continue to push-cut paper like a razor...
They also have a knowledgeable forum base...
Not experince with a cap fillet knife...
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/resources.html


A deba looks nothing life a fillet knife...

 

Great site. I grabbed a couple gyutos for wedding gifts this year and one for myself.

 

yup..nothing alike between the knives.

 

The global model X is essentially a gyuto and often goes on sale for less than 100 bucks.

 

I get it though, fillet vs breaking down are different....
but then again breaking down a fish with a large deba, would require a large fish....

 

I have a Deba, a bit of a learning curve going from a flexible thin blade, but once you get a technique down it is surprising what you can do with a wide thick blade.

Keeping it extremely sharp is key.

 

I got it. Looks bigger than the other one pictured. Mine is 165mm

 

If you want/need a j-knife to break down fish consider 2 things.. 1) will you be using it to go through thick bone like spines of bigger fish or 2) will this be a dedicated slicer, more like a western classic fillet knife?

A hon-deba is pretty much useless for western-style fish butchering. Too heavy and not long enough. If you enjoy breaking fish down in the Japanese methods (4 fillets vs 2, usually), it's great, tho.

Consider instead a mioroshi deba, 225 ish length. It's more of a hybrid and can be used a both a traditional deba and a fish slicer. Think of it as a way less delicate yanagiba.

Are you familiar with sharpening single bevel japanese knives? It's pretty easy to mess up the ura-side if you over-do it with low grits stones. But learning is quick.

I had a Watanabe 225 mioroshi deba in iron clad aogami #2 that I regret selling every fishing season lol

 

I have a traditional 7" chef's and a santoku that I keep on the countertop wood block, and then I have another santoku and paring that I keep hidden away from the people in the house that don't hand-wash and sharpen their knives.

 

agree. I dont want to do any western style. I have grown up eating the whole fish, and continue to do so. I just made salmon bone broth yesterday. my wife loves my miso-glazed grilled salmon head. salmon collar is my favorite bit.

I had the privilege to step behind the counter and watch a guy break down a fish with an even smaller deba. it was cool and eye opening to me and I thought, "I want to do that"
slicing? I would bum that dude out. I use my Chinese cleaver that is like a laser. . I'll buy a slicer one day. but not now.

 

Okay so not Japanese, and sorry for spamming you…

I understand this might be like way opposite of what you guys are posting about, seemingly you guys are talking about like an art really, with pieces of art as tools almost.. not sure that I am breaking down a fish on the level you are looking to achieve..

But from an super economical stand point, I’ve found these Amaznn knifes actually to be very good for breaking down larger game fish, I’ve got a few models… perform well beyond there cost imo

https://www.amazon.com/stores/ULTRA...D9CF7115F02?store_ref=bl_ast_dp_brandLogo_sto

 

Love me some BBQ'd salmon heads in tare sauce!!

One more point...If you're not familiar with sharpening and maintaining a single bevel japanese knife, it wouldn't hurt to buy a cheap used beater deba, yanagiba or whatever and learning on that. You will need multiple water stones tho (and j-nat finger stones if you're a stickler for a kasumi finish on the iron-clad blades).

All japanese knives are way over priced now...the jknife game was way more fun in the early/mid 2000s before collectors and flippers ruined the market for everyone.

IMO the mioroshi-style deba is the superior fish butchering tool. Less of a boat anchor than the hon-deba and more usable length/height. Can also double as a slicer/portioning knife (works really nice for portioning a whole section of boneless ribeye, for example). Can also thinly slice sashimi if you're into that, etc.

 

no way. I loved your response

 

My apologies, I'm dumb...just clued in that you bought the deba already. Congrats!!
Be careful, Knife Acquisition Syndrome is very real...hide your credit cards!

 

super happy to read your stuff after I bought mine. you may have skewed my thought pattern, and that cost more. hahahha...

this is my training knife. not expensive and should get my feet wet with the sharpening stones. I own several stones already.

 

Sharpening and polishing is the fun part of knife ownership imo. It's kind of like mediation, you get to zone out and think about nothing else for a while.

If you have not already checked his stuff out, Jonathan Broida from Japanese Knife Imports in L.A. has some really terrific knife sharpening/maintenance tutorials on YouTube :
https://youtu.be/kA0vdeDDSJI?si=Mrh5fIm3InLpA_QV

 

Processing lots of salmon each year plus deer etc, what stuck out is a desire for no flex, just surprised these knifes preform as well as they do.

like I said I didn’t stop by to pretend to be knowledgable in the history and art of Japanese knives and cutting techniques. So that’s why I apologized in advance, you guys and gals are discussing a cooler topic than some cheap amazn knifes lol

anyways to you as you are obviously a smart person for the knowledge of the collar I love them smoked along with the belly

 

This shop in AMS has a really great selection of knives, ships globally and keeps an archive of the stuff he has gotten in the past up on the site: https://karasu-knives.com/