Ebay. Just like your audion addiction, you can put together a nice collection there. I bought various knives for my son last Christmas- he has a college apartment and likes to cook real meals. Several I hated to give him... I found plenty of quality pieces on the used circuit for a bargain. For value, I have found the "real" Henckels from the 1990's to be gems. Well-heeled kitchen remodelers saw them as a fashion accessory. Yes, they put the name on some real substandard crap. You need to know what to look for. Full forged blade. Full tang. There was a period where (I presume) cost cutting caused the legit German products to be manufactured in Spain. Markings are similar to German, but they say Spain instead. Very decent knives. Serious bang-for-buck. Probably 20 years old now. ???. Some will argue that the steel holds and edge better than the German. I have all of them. You can tell the good stuff from the crap by studying the photos. Just like stereo equipment. And it is fun honing and sharpening the used pieces.
Who makes good knives?
- Thread starter RickeyM
- Start date
For $150, this set is hard to beat:
https://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-Henckels-Starter/dp/B0014FCIQY
Nothing fancy, but they sharpen up nicely, hold their edge for ages, and are pretty much indistructible. I've had my 8" 4-star chef's knife for 13 years, and even though I've got other knives that on paper are superior it's still the one I use the most, just because it fits my hand so well, and I don't have to worry about chipping it. I use a honing steel regularly, don't put it in the dishwasher, and get it sharpened every few years, and I don't count on needing to replace it anytime soon.
https://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-Henckels-Starter/dp/B0014FCIQY
Nothing fancy, but they sharpen up nicely, hold their edge for ages, and are pretty much indistructible. I've had my 8" 4-star chef's knife for 13 years, and even though I've got other knives that on paper are superior it's still the one I use the most, just because it fits my hand so well, and I don't have to worry about chipping it. I use a honing steel regularly, don't put it in the dishwasher, and get it sharpened every few years, and I don't count on needing to replace it anytime soon.
savatage1973
Addicted Member
Wustof, Henckels and Sabatier
4thChoice
Active Member
Take a look at http://www.cutleryandmore.com/
Regular prices are average to high, but their "clearance sales" have some GREAT prices. And they change frequently. Personal preference plays a big part, like how does it "feel" to you? (what I like you may not) Sound familiar , maybe like comparing speakers, etc.
Regular prices are average to high, but their "clearance sales" have some GREAT prices. And they change frequently. Personal preference plays a big part, like how does it "feel" to you? (what I like you may not) Sound familiar , maybe like comparing speakers, etc.
Ouch. You had to link to this site. Right away I found a knife I want...and it's on sale.
5" hollow edge Nakiri knife. I like the feel of these types of knives over the more standard looking knives I've had. I just seem to handle them better.
One of our go-to paring knives here came from IKEA--it was cheap enough, but it's forged, and seems to hold its edge quite well considering the price. I have some better forged paring knives, but still keep this one on hand.
Paring knives-the cheap victorinox fibrox are sharp and don't get slippery when wet or covered in food juices.
Chefs-Victiorinox Fibrox is my favorite at $40. At ~$100, Tojiro and MAC are hard to beat. Above that there are too many options and I've not experienced any of them sadly.
I don't believe in knife sets. I've never liked the way "utility knives" felt in the hand. A few paring knives, a good chefs, and maybe a Japanese style of one sort or another (Santoku, Gyuto, etc) that fits your fancy is about all I think is necessary. Oh, maybe a good bread knife, but I don't see the point in dropping coin on a serrated edge.
Chefs-Victiorinox Fibrox is my favorite at $40. At ~$100, Tojiro and MAC are hard to beat. Above that there are too many options and I've not experienced any of them sadly.
I don't believe in knife sets. I've never liked the way "utility knives" felt in the hand. A few paring knives, a good chefs, and maybe a Japanese style of one sort or another (Santoku, Gyuto, etc) that fits your fancy is about all I think is necessary. Oh, maybe a good bread knife, but I don't see the point in dropping coin on a serrated edge.
I find a good bread knife to be quite helpful for bread--it's not used all that often, but compared to other blades I have used, it's the only one that does a loaf properly without tearing it up or compressing it too much (especially if it's fresh, where the inside is soft and the crust is crispy).
I agree on sets--buy only the knives you need, and save the money. Often, the knives in a set are not knives I typically would use anyway. I'd rather put money towards blades I'll actually use and like.
I agree on sets--buy only the knives you need, and save the money. Often, the knives in a set are not knives I typically would use anyway. I'd rather put money towards blades I'll actually use and like.
My chefs is sharp enough for all but the crustiest of loaves. I like that it doesn't tear like a serrated when I can get away with using it.
I found with the serrated bread knives I've owned that the best way to use them is to move the blade briskly, not slowly--I found I was tearing the bread when I cut the loaf too cautiously. I have an electric knife that came with a wide serrated bread blade, and that thing cuts cleaner than anything I can do by hand, even on a loaf that is fresh out of the breadmaker. It takes only the lightest pressure to cut through the loaf.
My chefs did this.
Staaahp! I'm hungry!My chefs did this.
Looks good!
IPADave
Turning a whiter shade of pale.
My chefs did this.
I'll take a nice thick slice, with lots of real butter, please.
-Dave
I'll take a nice thick slice, with lots of real butter, please.
-Dave
Kerrygold Irish Butter is where it's at.
squirrelnest
Lunatic Member
Ginsu!
Wes_in_VA
Super Member
I’ll secind that.
I have their 8” chefs knife and the paring knife and between those two I can do about anything I need to.
Likewise. I've had mine for 8 years or so now? It ain't pretty anymore (I learned to use a whetstone with it) but it's sharp and handles well.
MaxxVolume
Lunatic Member
I agree with those who say that your typical "knife sets" are overkill....as time goes by, you will likely find that 3 or 4 knives are all you really need. For me, that would be a chef`s knife, a small paring knife, a flexible 6-inch boning knife, and an 8-inch serrated bread knife.
Restaurant supply houses usually have a decent selection of cutlery at somewhat discounted prices, they are always fun to visit.
My personal favorite is Global (Japanese), they are significantly thinner than most of their European and `Murrican counterparts, handle well (for me), and cut like big surgical instruments. Pretty much mid-priced, as far as decent blades go....
Restaurant supply houses usually have a decent selection of cutlery at somewhat discounted prices, they are always fun to visit.
My personal favorite is Global (Japanese), they are significantly thinner than most of their European and `Murrican counterparts, handle well (for me), and cut like big surgical instruments. Pretty much mid-priced, as far as decent blades go....
I bought a set of Wusthof Classic for my wife about 10 years ago.. Expensive and the handles cracked and chunks broke off (see photo)
A few years ago we bought some off Amazon called Top Chef
I can't say enough good about them, especially for the price. Heavy duty, one piece handles seem quite durable. They came scary sharp out of the box and hold an edge well.. For less than a hundred bucks, you will have to spend a fair bit more to top them!
A few years ago we bought some off Amazon called Top Chef
I can't say enough good about them, especially for the price. Heavy duty, one piece handles seem quite durable. They came scary sharp out of the box and hold an edge well.. For less than a hundred bucks, you will have to spend a fair bit more to top them!
