Likewise, 10" is too long for me.
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I found one in a 6.5”. Probably more likely that I’d use it.
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Hi Sgee,
Has your Shun developed it’s blue patina?
The 6.5” knife arrived yesterday.
It’s too small. 
Just joking. Actually, it is a bit too small but (if I use them at all) I’m likely to use it considerably more than the bigger one. I have this mental issue where I hate using new items. Sigh
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Really beautiful patina, Sgee, but shows Shun is staying away from unimetal carbon steel as much as they can. Everything Shun (except that little edge) is SS.
Ray
If the goal is really one knife, then a shorter knife is more “one knife” than a longer knife. Of course, this also depends the definition of “one knife”. One knife to cover what? One knife to cover all main knives job, or one knife to also covering being a paring and a meat cleaver?
If the latter, then a shorter and thicker knife makes more sense to me.
Hi Chem,
I don’t think any of us home cooks can boil things down to one knife, but Sgee does have a great favorite in his Hattori gyuto–which is quite long. I’m actually getting comfortable with my Shun Fuji as a first grabbable. That’s new for me. At 8.5" it’s pretty long–and a little wide.
My go-to knife is a Sabatier 4-star elephant carbon steel knife that I bought years ago from a hardware store that was going out of business. Besides that I have accumulated a collection of knives from IKEA. They are well made and hold an edge well but had to be professionally sharpened before use.
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I think weight, blade shape, balance, sharpness, and familiarity are key to deciding what does and does not work as your “one knife” or whatever is closest to it. My ten inch Jeune carbon Sab, about which I probably blather and rave too much, has that long, straight profile and sharp point of older French knives, is light enough to be use not only in the conventional grips but in something more akin to a pencil grip for very delicate tasks, which also necessitates an extremely sharp edge. There really is not a use other than splitting very hard things that it cannot handle. A shorter knife, even an eight inch, may be right on the edge for slicing a large roast or a wide boule. So after using it a lot I have gotten very comfortable with it doing most things, comfortable enough that if I already have it out I very rarely grab another knife. When I have any smaller knife out, other than the bread knife for a loaf, I often end up also pulling out the big knife.
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Hi Vecchiouomo,
There are one knife solutions for the Japanese and Chinese home cooks, but not for Americans. This set by Chicago Cutlery is pretty typical of the American home cook solution:
We even have Hungry Onion members who are still using them today.
The professional solution, from Europe, has always been a big Chef’s knife–and experienced users like you can make due with one of them, but home cooks like me are uncomfortable with a 10", and are sometimes overwhelmed with an 8".
My birthday Fuji 8 1/2" is the biggest knife I have ever had that “feels” like a favorite Chef knife, but I never will stop using my many specialized utility knives for many tasks.
My 2 cents.
The length of the knife is going to depend on someone’s physical size and comfort. i.e someone who is 4’10" may find a 9-10" knife too large. On the other hand a person who is 6’5" may find a 7" too small.
As to the appropriate knife style - I think this is going to depend on style of cuisine one cooks most frequently. Folks that tend to cut harder tougher raw materials will be better served with a thicker knife vs a nimble gyutou.
Just shared what works for me, I recognize it’s going to vary by the individual home cook. Or some may just find one knife is not practical for their daily prep.
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I agree the typical American (USA) household will buy a set like this, but they end up using only 3-4 of them. In reality, all could do fine with only chef, bread, and paring. If pressed as to which they would keep if they only had one, my guess would be either a mid sized knife they rarely use or the bread knife to avoid sharpening. Sigh.
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That’s just it. Most every day cooks won’t want to sharpen. My folks had that Chicago set, like many families. I got used to dull blades, until my food awakening.
I take that chef’s knife, though. Used it many times before. Good handles. I just never liked those blades.
What I am saying is that… if I want to define a “one knife” for everything.
Let me use an example… I like desktop computer. So if I have it my way, I want a desktop for 90% of the time and a labtop for traveling. However, if someone says to me that I can only have one computer. No more. Then, I will get a labtop because I can travel with it.
This is what I mean. I don’t mean I like a labtop more than a desktop.
Hi Vecchiouomo,
I posted a vintage set of Chicago cutlery (from the thread I created) that was used and maintained by users for decades–some are still doing it. They are comparable to European knives–and many are available in vintage oriented sites. Check out my postings.
The newer sets are as you describe, but some home cooks become enthusiasts like us–and buy just a few Japanese or European knives as upgrades.
That’s where cultural fusion might take place.
Good analogy that displays the logic of your argument perfectly. I think this is why the vague “chef’s knife” a thing. It’s the one that can do it all. Might not be as good at boning as a boning knife; but it will get the job done. It’s a laptop. The PC is all the others in your drawer. The batterie, sans the one knife.
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My American backwoods analogy is to my portable fixit tool kit. I have a hammer, screwdriver and a multi adjustable vise grip that I can grab, but different other tools if the top ones don’t work. I have multiple tasks–and I need multiple tools.
I do have a favorite vise grip that solves the most problems in my kitchen . . .
I guess that’s my “chef’s knife.”
You mean your laptop!! I don’t go anywhere without vice grips.
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I think you’re a collector, Chem, with a bent toward evaluation. There’s nothing wrong with that. But Knife Geeks (not you) sometimes get lost in the minute and largely irrelevant differences between blades. Some even imagine great cultural trends.
Other, like Claus–and somewhat including myself, Charlie and Tim–simply reach a point where just a few relative pedestrian knives do all the jobs, and we lose the drive to amass more.
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