• Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic!
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – detail view
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – side profile
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – handle detail
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – blade close-up
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – view 6
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – view 7
  • Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic! – view 8
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Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic!

Gyuto 230mm Honyaki by Fredrik Spåre - The Classic!

By MCX

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Fredrik Spåre

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Forged in Sweden by Fredrik Spare and designed in collaboration with Modern Cooking. The MCX line now consists of 3 different knives the K-Tip Gyuto, the Clean SL Gyuto and this, the Classic our original design. Each edition brings refinements large and small and this edition of the Classic brings the first iteration of our new handle design. A subtle tapering towards the blade, it’s a small change, but one we think will make for a more comfortable grip.

The profile and geometry remain the same, with the original balanced design that is both robust, reassuring stability with a little heft and nimble, razor-sharp and nicely tapered. Satisfyingly thick above the heel, yet ultra-thin at the tip and with a decent blade height, we think this is just about the perfect Gyuto profile.

Convex ground and super thin behind the edge, this blade is a dream to work with.

Right from the start we wanted to create a handle that took everything we love about the Rokkaku Hanmaru shape and improve upon. Improving on such designs does not happen overnight. From the start we new this would require small incremental steps  and so this is it, subtle tapering to provide a more ergonomic feel around the neck.

The handle is made from Masur birch, red G10 and brass a contemporary, yet classic look fitting for the Classic MCX Gyuto and also a tip of the hat to our design partner Fredrik Spåre.

Product Specification
  • Blade Type:
  • Edge Length: 230mm
  • Spine Heel: 3.6mm
  • Spine Mid: 2.7mm
  • Spine Tip (20mm before): 1.2mm
  • Blade Height: 53mm
  • Weight: 195g
  • Cutting Edge Steel:
  • Steel class: Carbon
  • HRC: 65
  • Blade Construction:
  • Blade Finish: Brute de Forge
  • Grind:
  • Handle Construction:
  • Handle Materials: Masur Birch, G10 Spacer, Hammered Brass Bolster
  • Handedness: Ambidextrous

Blade type

Gyuto

牛刀

The Japanese take on the Western chef's knife, and the most versatile blade in a modern kitchen. A gyuto carries a long, gently curved edge — most often 210 to 270 mm — that allows both push cuts and a rocking motion, with a pointed tip for fine work and enough height at the heel to keep knuckles clear of the board. It handles proteins, vegetables, and herbs without complaint, which is why most cooks reach for it first.

Compared with a European chef's knife, the gyuto is usually thinner, harder, and lighter, ground to a finer edge that rewards good board technique and regular honing. That same thinness is the trade-off: the edge is less forgiving of bone, frozen food, and twisting cuts, and it asks for a little more care in maintenance in exchange for its keenness.

View full knife type guide →

Cutting edge steel

26C3

High-carbon, low-alloy fine-grain steel

Typical HRC
63–67
Corrosion class
Carbon
Production
Conventional
Origin
Sweden (Sandvik / Alleima)

26C3 is one of the most quietly important kitchen knife steels of the past decade. Originally engineered by Sandvik as a razor steel — its lineage runs straight to UHB-20C — it carries about 1.25 to 1.30 percent carbon, very low manganese and sulphur, and a small chromium addition to control grain size. The result is a steel that hardens cleanly into the mid-sixties HRC while retaining genuinely useful toughness for its hardness, an unusual combination outside the powder-metallurgy world.

For the cook, 26C3 sharpens the way the best Japanese white papers sharpen — a quick burr that wipes off cleanly, and a polished edge that holds a screaming apex without microchipping. Toughness at 64 HRC is comparable to or better than 52100 at the same hardness in published testing, which is part of why the Larrin-Thomas-and-friends generation of makers gravitated to it; it lets you grind thinner without paying for it later. Like all clean carbons, it patinas willingly and benefits from a wipe between tasks.

26C3 has become something of a default among UK and European bladesmiths who want a no-compromise carbon edge, and it is the chemical parent of SheffCut, which adds a sliver of niobium to refine grain further. Among the makers Modern Cooking carries, Birch & Bevel, Karol Karyś, Jonas Johnsson, Tobias Heldqvist, Brook Turner, and Fredrik Spåre work in 26C3. It is one of the few non-stainless steels you can recommend to a cook coming from VG-10 without apology.

View full steel guide →

Blade construction

Mono Steel

A knife forged from a single piece of steel — no laminations, no clad layers. The simplest and most direct construction. The entire blade is the cutting steel, with no softer outer jacket to protect or contrast it. Most contemporary Western kitchen knives in carbon and stainless steel are mono-steel constructions, as are honyaki and most European bladesmith work.

The trade-off is straightforward: mono-steel knives are easier to forge, sharpen, and reason about, but the entire blade carries the cutting steel's properties — including its reactivity if it's a clean carbon. There is no soft jacket to protect a more brittle core from impact, so the heat treatment and geometry have to do all the work.

View full construction guide →

Grind

Convex

A grind whose bevel bulges outward in a gentle curve from spine to edge, rather than running flat. That extra steel directly behind the edge makes a convex grind notably strong and resistant to chipping, while the curved geometry helps food release and lets the blade glide through dense ingredients with less wedging than a flat grind.

The strength comes at the cost of ultimate thinness and ease of maintenance. A convex edge has more metal behind it, so it is not quite as effortlessly keen as a thinly flat-ground edge, and it is harder to sharpen freehand — holding the curve takes a stropping technique or a deliberate hand rather than a single fixed angle. The reward is an exceptionally tough, smooth-cutting edge.

View full grind guide →

Handle construction

Hidden Tang

A construction in which the tang runs into the handle but stays concealed inside it, rather than showing between two scales. A narrower tang — a full-length stick or a shorter projection — is set into a drilled or burned channel in a one-piece handle and secured with adhesive, a friction fit, or a threaded fitting drawn up against the blade. This is the traditional construction of Japanese wa-handles and many European hidden-tang knives.

The design puts the handle material in charge of the look and feel: a single piece of wood, horn, or composite — often with a ferrule or spacers at the front — is shaped into any cross-section the maker wants, from the classic octagonal and D-shaped wa profiles to fully rounded Western forms. With no steel showing along the grip, the handle can be slim and light, and is frequently made to be removed and replaced, with the balance sitting toward the blade.

View full construction guide →

Shipping & Returns

Shipping

We process orders 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) and ship from our shop in Sydney, Australia. We ship with FedEx, UPS and DHL.

We are happy to offer free international shipping on a variety of orders depending on location and order value.

Free Shipping Regions and Minimum Order Values

For Australia and New Zealand the minimum is $500AUD. For the rest of the world it is approximately €1000EUR. The discount is applied automatically when you reach the minimum cart value at checkout.

Returns

If you're not entirely happy with your purchase, you can return it within 14 days of delivery for a refund. The item must be in its original condition with all original packaging.

  • Returns are accepted for 14 days
  • The customer is responsible for return shipping costs
  • A 15% restocking fee may be applied to change-of-mind returns
  • We do not accept returns on second-hand items for change of mind

Faulty or Damaged Items

You must notify us within 5 business days of receiving your order. Photographic evidence of damage is required. Once approved, Modern Cooking will cover return shipping costs.

Product Care

Cleaning: Clean by hand with warm water. Avoid wetting the handle when possible.

Sharpening: We advise using whetstones to sharpen your knives and a honing rod or steel to maintain the burr between sharpening sessions.

Reactive Steels: Reactive steels like Aogami Super, Apex Ultra or premium reactive German and Swedish steels are susceptible to rust if not properly cared for. Keep the knife dry between uses and when storing for longer periods, wiping the blade with Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil is a wise choice. A patina can be a beautiful personal feature on your knife and helps to stop rust forming.

Handle Care: For non-stabilised wooden handles, apply Tsubaki oil or another food-safe oil from time to time. Food-safe wax can be applied to both stabilised and non-stabilised wooden handles. Never apply hot wax or oil as you risk warping or damaging the handle.

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