Tojiro DP Gyuto 210 mm (F-808)

TOJIRO CLASSIC Gyuto 210 mm — F-808

The right size to be your kitchen's main knife

If you are going to own just one Gyuto, 210 mm is a very interesting size.
It sits right between a short, easy-to-control knife and a long blade for kitchen work that needs more cutting room.

The TOJIRO CLASSIC family includes Gyuto in 180, 210, 240 and 270 mm and even larger. The F-808 has a 210 mm blade, an overall length of about 335 mm and weighs about 200 g — nimble enough for everyday work, yet long and heavy enough to handle a wider range of ingredients than a smaller knife.

210 mm — not too small, and not so big you have to adjust

When chopping shallots, slicing vegetables or prepping small ingredients, we don't need a very long knife.
But move on to cabbage, large cuts of meat, fish or long slicing strokes, and a longer blade starts to show its advantage.

This is where a 210 mm Gyuto excels

It is 30 mm shorter than the 240 mm F-809 and 30 mm longer than the 180 mm F-807, putting it right in the middle of the three most common sizes in the CLASSIC Gyuto range.

For anyone who doesn't yet know what blade length they prefer, 210 mm is a very easy place to start.

The 200 g weight is part of its character

The F-808 is not a Gyuto that tries to be as light as possible.
At about 200 g, combined with a Full Tang handle and Metal Bolster, it feels solid and substantial in the hand — more so than some Japanese knives that focus mainly on lightness.

This affects how you use the knife.
When cutting, you aren't relying only on wrist strength and blade sharpness — the weight of the knife itself helps with the cut.

People who like a knife that feels steady in the hand may prefer the F-808 to very light Japanese knives.

A Gyuto that doesn't force you to change how you cook

Another appeal of the F-808 is that its shape isn't overly specialized.
The Double Bevel blade works for both left- and right-handed users, and the Gyuto shape handles everything from slicing and chopping to long cuts and general food prep.

That makes it different from buying a Yanagiba, Deba or Usuba, where you need to understand the knife's purpose first.
The F-808 is a knife you can pick up and start using right away on the food you cook every day.

And this may be why the F-808 has lasted so long

The F-808 doesn't rely on Damascus patterns or special decoration to be interesting.
Its look is quite straightforward:

• Stainless steel blade
• Black handle
• Three rivets
• Metal bolster

But its design has its roots in TOJIRO's DP with Bolster series, which has been in use for decades, and TOJIRO lists the F-808 among its products that received the Good Design and Long-Life Design Award in 1996.

That may say more about the F-808 than calling it “beautiful” or “premium”.
Because for a tool you use every day, a design that still works well after decades may mean more than one that looks flashy on the day you buy it

If you start with just one TOJIRO CLASSIC

The F-808 is a very easy choice to understand.
Not because 210 mm is the best size for everyone,
but because it sits at a point versatile enough to be the main knife in your kitchen.

• If your cutting board isn't very large, or you prefer a more nimble knife, consider the F-807, 180 mm
• If you work with large ingredients, have plenty of board space and like the rhythm of slicing with a longer blade, the F-809, 240 mm may suit you better

But if you don't yet know exactly what you need,
the TOJIRO CLASSIC F-808 at 210 mm is a very appealing middle ground — big enough for serious work, but not so big that it feels like a knife only for professional kitchens.