Hi, i want to buy myself a nice japanese knife to use in the kitchen. I've used cheap western style knives all my life so im looking for something more fancy. I did some research and found a couple of options in my budget, I'd appreciate if someone could look at them and give their thoughts.
First choice:
https://japonskienoze.pl/hatsukokoro-ginrei-gingami-no-3-nashiji-noz-szefa-kuchni-21-cm-4389.html
Second choice:
https://japonskienoze.pl/tsunehisa-gingami-noz-szefa-kuchni-21-cm.html
Third choice:
https://japonskienoze.pl/ittetsu-gingami-nashiji-noz-szefa-kuchni-21-cm-3805.html
Fourth choice:
https://japonskienoze.pl/tojiro-zen-vg-10-noz-szefa-kuchni-21-cm.html
I also have some questions that I haven't been able to find a definitive answer for online:
How often do knives need to be sharpened ? I know it heavily depends on how often and the way you use them, but I'm looking for a rough timeframe. Is it weekly, monthly, every couple of months or even longer ?
Stropping vs Honing. I've read that you shouldn't use honing rods with high hardness steel because it's brittle and can easily chip when honed. Is that true ? And how important is stropping ? Does it help with edge retention or is it something that's used purely after sharpening to refine the edge ? If there is a way for the knife to stay sharper longer the I definitely will do it, I'm just not sure how.
How important would it be to visit the knife store in person ? I have the option to do that, but the closest one is about a 3h drive away. I'm not sure how big of a benefit it would be to go there and physically hold and feel the knives.
Also, are there any other things I should get in addition to the knife itself ? I already have a nice cutting board and I'm also planning on getting whetstones for sharpening.
Any tips and suggestions are greatly appreciated.