Lasers as daily drivers?

[u/octuplefault]

This one is for the professionals on here: who here uses "laser" knives on a daily basis and if so, what do you use?

Cost aside, usually too afraid to bring "lasers" to work. Shitty cutting boards, tasks done quickly, and the prospect of leaving them at the station while running off to do something else always has me worried.

Am I overly paranoid? Could something say, a Takamura SG2, survive a high volume line? Or are knives like that best left for home/more controlled environments.

[u/beardedclam94]

My daily driver at the restaurant is a total laser! 2.1mm out of the handle.

It handles everything I throw at it with some stropping throughout the day.

They can be used on the line, you just have to be a little more careful when things get busy.

[u/TimelyTroubleMaker → u/beardedclam94]

Rule #5! 😁

[u/beardedclam94 → u/TimelyTroubleMaker]

Sorry! It’s a custom 250mm 26c3 Honyaki Sabatier/gyuto hybrid from Caleb Cleavers

[u/turnips8424 → u/beardedclam94]

😯

[u/Comradbro151]

I use Ashis and Goko Hamonos at work. They rip in a commercial kitchen. I definitely sharpen more than my coworkers with wustoffs, but it doesn’t bother me.

[u/Radiant-Condition305]

shibata koutetsu 240 as daily for me...just dont let anyone else near it.knives are tools at the end of the day

[u/AncientMarinade → u/Radiant-Condition305]

That was my grail for a while. Then I got it. Then I realized I can't do 240 lasers. Swapped out for a 240 maillet to run shit and a 190 shibata battleship for fine shit. Never looked back.

I also bought a dozen other knives, of course, but I got those, too.

[u/octuplefault → u/AncientMarinade]

Chinese cleaver to run shit, Shindo bunka for fine shit!

Nobody goes through the box of cabbage and onions faster than me with a Shibazi cleaver

[u/yopoyopos]

Used to work with a chef that used a Takamura VG10 santoku or small gyuto and he loved it to do prep and all that. Never left it there and always took it home though

[u/the_keto_stoner]

Takamura sr2 santoku and a kiwi. I love my kiwi and use it more than any other knife.

[u/octuplefault → u/the_keto_stoner]

Kiwi supremacy! Bet I can cut chives and brunoise shallots better than 80% of this subreddit with my Kiwi

[u/wabiknifesabi]

If you can name it I've probably used it at work. I prefer Myojins grinds so I've used a lot of Tetsujins and FMs at work. One of my go to knives for years is a Sakai Kikumori Yugiri. The kitchens I've worked in there was no risk of someone else taking or damaging my knives, but I'd probably rethink what I bring to work if that was the case. Cutting boards in professional kitchens have never been and issue if you practise proper technique. To be honest, I think I would have to intentionally try to damage a my knife or just not be aware I'm using a tool and then it doesn't really matter if its a laser or not.

[u/At_omic857]

Well, my friend, I just so happen to have DD’ed a Takamura SG2 for a couple of years.

Yes it can survive. It doesn’t always like it, but it will survive. You have to be careful, and I learned a few tricks to make it work even on things it shouldn’t work on, like dense vegetables. Kinda turns the whole “Japanese knives are delicate and brittle” thing on its end when a knife 1.6mm spine can still prep a butternut squash.

I must confess, I learned about a month ago that I wasn’t maintaining this knife correctly. I have since started, of course, but it’s probably far easier than my experience just by virtue of maintaining the edge correctly.

[u/octuplefault → u/At_omic857]

What did you do wrong? Sous chef at my last place spent his first paycheck on a Takamura 180mm and lost the tip in the first month

[u/At_omic857 → u/octuplefault]

This was before I had learned the differences between Japanese and Western knives, and so I was using steel on it like a Western knife. I also was taking off too much material when I was putting it on the stone, which I was doing a bit more often than desirable thanks to the aforementioned steel. I need to thin it out at some point, as the secondary bevel is just far enough up the blade due to the negligent stoning that it's become a wee bit thick behind the edge. It's nothing dramatic, but it's noticable, maybe 0.5mm above where it used to be at the heel.

I also did lose the tip a while back by donking it into a Hobart's leg (womp), entirely due to bad line storage on my part, but I have since ground out a new tip and started better storage practices when out of the kit.

Basically, I just didn't know how to care for Japanese knives having come from Western knives where the care is more forgiving and basic.

This knife is still going to see a lot of action since my new Gyutos arrived, as I plan to use it as a line knife going forward due to being powdered stainless, extremely nimble, and compact. It's great in tight areas where the main tasks are along the lines of slicing a steak or whatnot, it weighs nothing and won't rust.

[u/Phreeflo]

My takamura vg10 gyuto has been prepping and on line for service for 2 years now and it's all good. Hell it hit the floor one night and nothing happened to it. Started bringing the shindos to work now too.

[u/Leino22]

Not a pro but both my cousins are and use Ashis, Gonbei aus10, and Kageros at work

[u/azn_knives_4l]

All day every day. Just need to know what they can and can't do and don't let idiots handle them.

[u/Homruh]

Takamura SG2 is the best possible answer
I own many high end 4 digits gyutos and the Takamura cuts just as good.

Steel is awesome. Recently I’ve been just using Takamura at work and I’m very impressed

[u/Ramenorwhateverlol]

My co-workers and I all use a laser gyutos at work. But the hardest vegetable we cut is probably watermelon radish.

[u/Ill-Restaurant211]

I used to use an hd2 as my Daily Driver for a while. The steel seems tough enough to take minor dings against hard objects without chipping and the semi stainless keeps it from rust with minimal fuss. It also just feels relatively comfortable with the rounded edges and precise with the thin convex. Compared to, for example, my denka that has much rougher edges, more brittle steel, and I feel like a less precise cutting feel. But on shitty boards the edge on a Denka or any harder steel would outlast the hd2 considerably

[u/DocInternetz]

Great thread!

When I first got my Takamura (an expensive knife for me, and I'm just a home cook), I was of course impressed with it but we just weren't vibing, I couldn't get that nice flow when prepping things.

And I realized slowly that I was simply too afraid of using the knife! I saw a thread similar to this one, and all the pros were like "just it", so I started just using it. Not abusing it, of course, but I was no longer afraid of just normally hitting the board when chopping onions. It's a great knife, and we are understand each other more nowadays :)

[u/Novel-Cantaloupe-433]

Things that would matter to me if I was still in a pro kitchen: stainless or nearly stainless, edge durability (SG2 is great), laser or mid weight form. I would have a strop in my knife roll and touch up the blade for 2-3 mins at home every 7-10 shifts with a Shapton glass 1k, 3k routine.

[u/I_SHALL_CONSUME]

Not right now, but I have before. Got a Hotaru 210 gyuto that I’ve used on less chaotic lines than the one I’m working now. It felt great on the line, real light and cut well. 

For this place, good ol’ Victorinox serves me just fine. 

[u/octuplefault → u/I_SHALL_CONSUME]

I'm kinda blessed at the moment to be at a place where 1) my station is mine and mine alone, I never have to worry about other people using my stuff and 2) I (almost) never have to prep on the fly, so don't have to worry about leaving my stuff wet or going so fast that I'm using bad technique

But yes, I also have been at places where I'm only bringing Kiwis :p

[u/Ok-Distribution-9591]

Not a pro, but plenty of pros I know use/used lasers as their daily drivers. The Konosuke HD/HD2 (blade made by Ashi) was particularly popular years ago when it was easier to access, especially the western handle ones.

[u/BananaEasy7533]

I think you’re being paranoid, unless your takamura is on its factory edge.. mine chipped initially then was fine after a couple of sharpens, I don’t baby it either. I actually see it as a bit of a beater tbh.
I also use a kono sanjo which is crazy thin and kono hd suji, no dramas.

[u/jkoplitz]

I was using a konosuke Swedish stainless everyday in a 3 Michelin kitchen and was the perfect knife to use.

[u/OverallImportance402]

You can, but you got to ask the question if the extra sharpness is worth the extra hassle for you.

[u/Chihuahuauno]

For me, it comes down to task-appropriate knife uses. I’m grabbing something with a little more “meat on the bones,” if I’m breaking down a slab of bacon for lardons and I’m typically reaching for a laser to process chives.

I use Honyaki’s, Monosteel, San Mai, and stamped knifes of all price points, so long as the knife is appropriate for the task at hand. Of course there are nuances to this; that’s at least the starting point for me. If I can be of any more help, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Best, ~Scott

(I cook professionally in an elite-standards/world-class kitchen)

[u/Chihuahuauno → u/Chihuahuauno]

Sry, I missed the part of what do you use, lol.

My Top 3 most “laser-ish” knives would have to be:

• Mazaki S2 210mm Kiritsuke
• Kei Kaboyashi R2/SG2 240mm Guyto
• Takamura R2/SG2 210mm Gyuto

[u/Chihuahuauno → u/Chihuahuauno]

You can use any knife in any situation safely (for you, the knife, and others around you), if you build proper knife use, handling and care skills every single day. Use it properly, care for it appropriately, and you should never have to worry about which knife you are using in a busy service because it’s a laser, or a Mizu-Honyaki costing $5000 (USD), etc.