I don't much participate in these threads anymore, so I should probably point out that I have more money in German and Japanese cutlery in my home right now than most on this forum. I probably have more in cutlery than many have in cookers. Though I don't consider myself a "knife knutt" I can appreciate a good tool.
That being said, I like good analogies, so I'll compare this to smokers and say that perhaps every one should get a Jambo J-7. They are amazing cookers and if you can use one correctly, you're set. Still, they require some work including the possession of a tow vehicle and the willingness to cook on them correctly and all that that entails. Even if you don't want one of those, there's a BGE or a WSM with certain benefits, and to those who want to cook on a budget, there's even a UDS. Indeed I had read from multiple people that you should build a UDS and plan on throwing it away because they are so cheap to build and hard to clean.
I have no argument that the Forschner Fibrox line is an incredibly good value, but based on what was expressed as a desire for cost vs. benefit, I really think that the Bakers and Chefs stuff at Sam's Club may be just what you need for now. You can play around with a Chef's, Santoku, Utility/carving/petty, boning, and paring knives for just a few bucks. $15 was the mark, so let's find a way to meet it, eh? If you aren't a member of Sam's find a friend who is, and if you can't, maybe try mail order. Their stuff is not the best, but it fits your budget fairly well, and will get you by until you know what you like and can buy it. Your other options are spending $30-$130 dollars per blade, and then another $300+ on sharpening tools, or several hours learning how to do it by hand. I think it's worth teaching some one cheaper and easier route, at least to start. You could spend $100 now and find the perfect knife, or you could spend $100 on a chef's to realize that you prefer a Santoku, etc.
dmp
