This Misono 440, 270mm* (*275mm Actual Blade length) stainless steel Gyuto is sharpened for right-handed users. Keep that in mind if you are left-handed.
It comes with a western full tang handle that is held together by rivets. The Mono-steel construction is made from 440 Stainless steel that is heat-treated around 58 to 59, which is easy to sharpen and the knife holds a decent edge. The blacks on the debossed logo will eventually fade away.
The blade also has a distal taper with a thickness of 1.9mm in front of the bolster, 1.7mm in the middle, and 0.6mm at the front.
The long Misono 440 Gyuto only weighs 253grams which is very light for its size.
Gripping Style & Balance Point
If you pinch grip the knife at the bolster, the knife will be perfectly middle-balanced. And if you use a fingertip grip the knife will become front heavy.
Knife Handle & Comfort
The added contours and the slight belly make this handle a joy to use for an extended period of time. The handle is pretty hefty which adds extra grip due to the long blade size of 275mm. The handle is 19mm thick and 125mm long.
Remember that the handle size will vary depending on the blade length. The longer the blade the bigger the handle.
Handle Material
Despite the water-resistant properties of Pakkawood, it can still shrink and expand slightly due to humidity. Pakkawood will expand when it is warm and shrink when it is cold. Therefore some Misono knives will have a slight protrusion which does not affect the knife and is not noticeable during use.
Knife Profile
The blade profile is flat at the heel area and once it passes the middle it goes up quite aggressively. The blade profile will be suitable for a variety of cutting techniques. You can push cut with it. Pull cut with it, and you can rock with the knife. The pointy tip is ideal for tip work, like trimming excess fat or if you need to puncture a hole in a fish belly. But due to the straighter heel area, it is not ideal for mincing on things like herbs or garlic. The knife height is 55mm which provides good knuckle clearance.
Sharpness & Edge Retention
The out-of-the-box sharpness is good, the knife comes with a mirror-polished edge and a 70/30 bevel for increased cutting performance that is more noticeable on softer produce. The edge retention is around 4 to 5 months if used at home with regular honing sessions in between. The Molybdenum steel on the Misono 440 is very durable, less prone to chipping, and takes substantially longer to wear out compared to other stainless steel knives with the same Rockwell rating.
Fit and Finish
The overall fit and finish are good. The Choil is on the sharper side but if you hold the knife correctly at the point of balance, your fingers should not touch the choil at all.
70/30 bevel for left-handed usage?
It is recommended to keep the 70/30 factory bevel as this will give you all the benefits of the Misono knives as they have intended. You will also preserve the lifespan by keeping the factory angle instead of regrinding it for left-handed usage or adding a 50/50 bevel. (show choil) If you are left-handed ask if the retailer can place a custom left-handed order with Misono.
Maintenance & Care
Because of the stainless blade, you only have to take care of the cutting edge. Since this is a 70/30 bevel I recommend that you start with the 30-side first since this will realign the edge (the side without a logo ie; higher angled side). By doing the 30-side first you don’t have to work so long on the 70-side and this will give you a smoother sharpening result since you have realigned the edge on the 30-side first.
Recommendation
The Misono 440 is a knife that is optimized for comfort during a long period of usage and is basically almost maintenance-free. The extra rounding on the handle makes a lot of difference in the comfort level. The lightweight and the point of balance of the Misono 440 makes it a joy to use for hours. Combined with the Molybdenum steel that is better than the Misono Handmade series makes this the obvious choice for those that work in a restaurant. However, I don’t recommend the Misono 440 for those that plan to use the knife at home since the Misono Handmade series might be the better option.
Why the handmade series
The Misono Handmade series is created before the Misono 440 series. Where Misono has made some incremental improvements with the 440 series. However, the same improvements are adding little to no value to those that use the Misono 440 at home. And therefore the cheaper-priced Misono Handmade Series is recommended over the Misono 440 if you plan to use the knife at home.
Misono 440 vs Handmade
One of the incremental changes on the Misono 440 is in the overall rounded contours on the handle and the added belly, this will add comfort for cooks at the restaurant that use the knife for hours. Besides that, they also upgraded the steel which is more rust-resistant and will keep the edge retention for longer compared to the handmade series. However, all the incremental changes on the Misono 440 are so small and pretty much not noticeable to the home cooks that use a knife for around 5 minutes a day.
Edge Retention
If you use the handmade series at home, the edge can last you around 3 months with regular honing sessions in between before you need to maintain it on a whetstone. Whereas the Misono 440 will last you a month or 2 longer. The Handmade series has some confusing Rockwell ratings by some retailers, my version came with a Rockwell around 57.
Key Takeaway
Both the Misono Handmade and the 440 series are great knives, it comes with the quality that you can expect from the Misono brand. While the 440 series is basically the better version, the incremental changes are more beneficial for those that work in a restaurant. Whereas the home cooks will not notice the changes. The edge retention is months away for those that use the knives at home on both knives and therefore should not be a deciding factor. The handmade series does not have the polished attention to the spine but overall the Handmade series is the better value option for those that use the knife at home. If you are looking for a stainless steel knife to be used in a restaurant then the Misono 440 is the knife I recommend.
🛒S H O P:
🔪Misono Handmade Gyuto
🔪Misono 440
🔪Misono 440 27cm [Proffesional use]🔪Misono UX10 Gyuto 21cm
🔪Misono UX10 Gyuto 24cm
🔪Misono High Carbon EU Steel Gyuto
🔪Wusthof Ikon Classic
🔪Zwilling Pro
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