After an earlier recommendation on a good value knife went unavailable really quickly, I thought I'd add my bid for a decent alternative to Tojiro FU-808 DP3 210mm (ol' faithful)
Tojiro was superb because VG10 steel is probably the best premium steel for the casual knife enjoyer. This one has a carbon steel core, clad in stainless. It will develop a patina only near the cutting edge of the blade. Carbon steel is so nice to cut with when it's sharp, there's something about it…
Bear in mind I have not tried this knife.
- Carbon Steel core, stainless steel clad, so it's just near the edge that will patina.
- video showing the knife - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Bh_1KvTd1Y
- 59HRC, 165grams, 50/50 bevel (a big deal for this leftie)
Tojiro DP3 FU-807 (180mm) is still a good price at $74. I'm a large person and 180mm isn't a deal breaker for me at all.
https://www.amazon.com.au/TOJIRO-Ltd-Fujita-Takako-FU-807/dp…
This was the cheapest I can find Tojiro DP3 FU-808 210mm ($113 shipped to me in Perth):
https://japanwithlovestore.com/en-au/products/tojiro-fujitor…
It is still a good knife at that price imo.
EDIT: Shipping is odd on the original link. When you add more than one knife, shipping more than doubles. If you want 2x knives, this is a cheaper option as the rate stays the same for 1 and 2 knives (total $84 per knife)
https://www.globalkitchenjapan.com/products/seki-magoroku-mo…