DP Gyutou - 9.4" (24cm)

Victorinox Fibrox Chef's knife Wüsthof Classic Chef's knife Tojiro DP Gyuto These are perfect for culinary school and you can always get a more expensive knife after culinary school. In case you need to purchase more knives (like a small office knife or a bread knife), I would stick to the Victorino

Misono Swedish steel 195mm: it cuts OK and was pretty affordable. but misono profile seems to be relatively low and it's fit & finish was a little poor. Had to sand down a bit of the spine to make it more comfortable. Bought it to test out carbon steel but I end up giving it away to a friend Tojiro

210mm Tojiro DP Gyuto In all honesty the 240mm is better in a professional setting but you asked for 8in

First of all, really nice gift! And good compromise to get the Aliexpress version and an actual good knife as well. I found one on Ali for ~€35, brand is XITUO. This gives you around £160 for the good knife. You're looking for a general purpose knife. Main questions for me would be, what size is mos

Get the Tojiro DP/Classic 21cm gyuto, or 24 if you have bigger hands and cut big things. The 21 is in stock here: https://www.boroughkitchen.com/products/tojiro-classic-chef-knife?variant=41412598661252 The 24 here: https://japaneseknifecompany.com/product/tojiro-dp-vg10-gyuto Then decide what other

I’m assuming a commercial kitchen grade where they would want something bigger than 210mm, which pretty much doesn’t exist in a Japanese Wa-handle within your budget. Here are two just over your budget Kagayaki VG10 Ebony Kagayaki VG10 240mm Maybe consider Yo-handle options Tojiro DP Gyuto

Yes, Tojiro is great. But after I spent several years as a line cook, I really came to appreciate a larger blade. A 240mm became my best friend. https://www.chuboknives.com/products/tojiro-dp-gyuto-240mm-9-4 https://www.dexterrussellcutlery.com/s145-10-dexter-russell-10-inch-cooks-knife-with-sanisaf

For solid and affordable knives, look at Tojiro, Takayuki, and MAC. All you need initially is a Gyuto (210mm or 240mm), and you can survive with a cheap paring knife/petty for awhile - victorinox paring knives are super affordable. This in 210mm or 240mm might be ideal: https://japaneseknifecompany.