Glestain KE Series 8.3-inch (210mm) Left-Handed Gyuto

The 210mm Left-Handed Gyuto is Glestain’s everyday chef’s knife made for the left hand. Its blade is a mirror image of the right-handed 721TK, with the steep face and the dimples on the opposite side, so slices fall away and the knife holds its line when a left-handed cook pushes it through an onion or a stack of peppers.

At 210mm it suits a standard home board as well as a station in a professional kitchen. The KE Series bolster and end cap make it a solid, hand-balanced knife; cooks who want something lighter at this length can choose the K Series model, which drops the end cap. The way that food doesn’t cling to the blade really speeds up dicing potatoes, onions and the like. Everything just stays on the cutting board without having to hold the slices together. If you do a lot of cutting, this is likely to become your favorite knife.

Left-handed Japanese knives are hard to find, and an asymmetrical blade cannot be reground for the other hand. Buying the left-handed model is the only way to get the Glestain geometry working in the left hand.


Other Left-Handed Glestain Knives

See the K Series 210mm Left-Handed Gyuto for a lighter knife and the 240mm Left-Handed Gyuto for more length. The left-handed range also includes the 170mm Left-Handed Santoku and the 140mm Left-Handed Utility Knife. Our guide to knife shapes explains how these knives differ.

SKU: GLS721TKL

Availability: Out of stock

$211.00

Details

Specifications

  • Blade length: 8.3 inches (210 mm)
  • Series: KE Series (a sub-class of the K Series)
  • Steel: Acuto 440, Glestain’s own molybdenum-vanadium stainless steel, given a sub-zero treatment during hardening
  • Hardness: 58 to 59 HRC
  • Edge geometry: asymmetrical, ground for the left hand; the factory edge is split about 80/20, with the larger bevel on the left face
  • Handle: Pakkawood, with a stainless bolster and a stainless end cap
  • Maker: Honma Kagaku (Homma Science Co.), Niigata, Japan
  • Model number: 721TKL (Knife Merchant item GLS721TKL)

Comparing Glestain Gyutos

GyutoSeriesBladeHand
K Series 190mm GyutoK7.5 in. (190 mm)Right
K Series 210mm GyutoK8.3 in. (210 mm)Right
K Series 210mm Left-Handed GyutoK8.3 in. (210 mm)Left
KE Series 210mm GyutoKE8.3 in. (210 mm)Right
KE Series 210mm Left-Handed GyutoKE8.3 in. (210 mm)Left
KE Series 240mm GyutoKE9.4 in. (240 mm)Right
KE Series 240mm Left-Handed GyutoKE9.4 in. (240 mm)Left
KE Series 270mm GyutoKE10.6 in. (270 mm)Right
KE Series 270mm Left-Handed GyutoKE10.6 in. (270 mm)Left
KE Series 300mm GyutoKE11.8 in. (300 mm)Right
Ice Handle 210mm GyutoM8.3 in. (210 mm)Right
Ice Handle 240mm GyutoM9.4 in. (240 mm)Right
Ice Handle 270mm GyutoM10.6 in. (270 mm)Right
SO Series 210mm GyutoSO8.3 in. (210 mm)Right
SO Series 240mm GyutoSO9.4 in. (240 mm)Right

The Glestain Series

SeriesBlade faceBolster and end capHandle
K SeriesDimpledBolster, no end capPakkawood
KE SeriesDimpledBolster and end cap; the heftiest Glestain knivesPakkawood
M Series (Ice Handle)DimpledAll-metal handleStainless steel, dimpled and textured
SO Series (Home Series)DimpledNo bolster, squared shouldersPlain Pakkawood
W SeriesSmooth, no dimplesVaries by shapePakkawood

Choosing the Correct Hand

A Glestain blade is shaped like a right triangle, and the left-handed model is the mirror image of the right-handed one. The asymmetry is in the steel itself, so a left-handed Glestain will not cut properly in the right hand, and it cannot be reground for the other hand. Order the model made for the hand that holds the knife.


Sharpening a Glestain Edge

One face of a Glestain blade drops almost straight from the spine, and the other tapers to the edge, so the two sides are sharpened at different angles. Work the primary face (the left side on this knife) at about 16 to 18 degrees until a burr forms along the full edge, then remove the burr from the right side at about 22 degrees with a few light passes. Sharpen on whetstones; a pull-through or electric sharpener grinds both sides alike and alters the geometry. Our article on sharpening Glestain and Masahiro knives explains the method in detail, and our video on sharpening compound bevel knives shows it on the stone.


Care

  • Wash by hand with warm water and mild soap, then dry the knife at once. Do not put it in a dishwasher.
  • Acuto 440 resists stains but is not immune to them; do not leave the blade wet or soaking.
  • Cut on wood or plastic boards, and keep the edge away from frozen food, hard shells and heavy bone.
  • Hone between sharpenings with the Glestain hexagonal ceramic honing rod, and store the knife in a guard, a block or a case.

Additional Info

Blade Length (Inches) 8.25 in.
Blade Length (mm) 210 mm
Blade Width (inches) 2.05
Grind Asymmetrical/Compound
Steel Type Acuto 440
Rockwell Hardness 58/59
Stainless Yes
Handle Material Pakkawood
Spine Thickness (mm) 3
Brand Glestain
Country of Manufacture Japan
SKU GLS721TKL
Manufacturer's Part Number 721TKL
Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price $0.00

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