Knife brand selection

I saw a guy at Platte City this weekend who had several Japanese knives and MAN were they sharp! Felt nervous with several people next to me in case someone bumped me while i was handling it!!! Anyway, he gets his at www.japanesechefsknife.com and I am still waiting for an email with the exact type he had that I really liked most but I think it was this one:

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HiromotoHighCarbonSteelSeries.html#WIDTH:%20800px;%20HEIGHT:%20161px

As you can see, none of those knives are more than $58 AND you can have one shipped from Japan to you in three days for only $7. Great deal if you ask me. I'm going to order one soon.

He tore a page out of a magazine, dropped it from 6 feet or so and slowly swiped the knife down across the page... it fell into two pieces with an easy swipe! It was cool!
 
I have a Wüsthof and have been very happy with it/them. I my wife stays away from them because she says "they are too sharp!". I have been using the Wüsthof steel and so far haven't had to sharpen my chef's knife although I haven't had it very long.
 
bbqinNC said:
I have a Wüsthof and have been very happy with it/them. I my wife stays away from them because she says "they are too sharp!". I have been using the Wüsthof steel and so far haven't had to sharpen my chef's knife although I haven't had it very long.
Click to expand...

Yea, my wife and mother-in-law had the same problem with my henckel's when I first got them. After they cut themselves a couple times they learned how to use them. They were so use to using the cheap $20.00 a set dull serated things that you had to throw most of your body weight into to use. It's amazing what a good sharp knoife can so without any effort at all.
 
So I noticed no one mentined diamond hones ? I had one but misplace din in one og my many moves.
 
SP said:
For what its worth I get my knives shapened at Ambrose Bros and they sell Wustof, Global anbd Shun, the 3 top rated knives, I asked the guy what knives he likes the best. He said, Wustof are the hardest to sharpen. I said so does that mean they also are the hardest to dull. He smile and said but we also have some other wonderful knives. So basicly he like the Wustof the best and so do I. What ever you get look for a comfortable forged blade.
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The rockwell rating on Shuns is several points higher than Wustofs... and they can be sharpened much sharper. The metal, however, is more flexible while still being stronger, allowing honing to be effective and sharpening to be easier. Shuns sharpen to 16 degree angles (and some are single side sharpened making twice as sharp) compared to 22 degree angles on German knives.

However, the best way to pick a knife, from what I've been told, is to go somewhere that has the knives you want to try out, get out a cutting board, and just act like you're slicing on it; pick the knife that feels the best to you.

By the way, watching Iron Chef American last night, Calphalon now has a Shun knock off for lower prices. I don't know the quality, but the metals used look very much the same. Very cool looking knives, though I'll stick with Shuns... I also like the lifetime warranty and free sharpening on them.
 
brdbbq said:
So I noticed no one mentined diamond hones ? I had one but misplace din in one og my many moves.
Click to expand...

I don't like diamond hones as they try to be part honer, part sharpener; I use a simple knife honer that does nothing more, then send in my knives every 18 months or so for professional sharpening. Diamond takes off some metal with it.
 
Yup! I stay with the conservative Japanese method and use ...

.... a 2000 grit and 8000 grit waterstone ... but that is because all of my Japanese knives, plus many Henckels, are in very good condition. Then the process starts all over ..... the hard knives wear down the waterstones and they muxt be flattened. There are some cheapie methods (which I use) but the right way is a diamond flattening bed (only about $400.).... and the beat goes on ...

I was told to get a piece of float glass cut about 12"x12" and place a piece of 220 wet-dry paper on it (plenty of water to get it to 'suck down' on the glass). I mark pencil grid lines on the stone and then rub it on the wet-dry until the grids are all gone. Seems to work pretty well.

An earlier comment about the blade serrations is on target and some cutlery users avoid the finest grits, feeling that the polished finish is too smooth.
 
I'm coming into this thread a little late... Tim, I don't think you can go wrong with either Henckles or Wustoff. They are both good brands. As the others have suggested, try to find a place to try them out. I have a set of Henckles knives that we received as a wedding gift (22 years ago!) and they are still in perfect condition. Once a year they get a professional sharpening and I give them a quick honing with a steel before each use.
 
Ron_L said:
I give them a quick honing with a steel before each use.
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A habit that I've gotten over the last couple of years, at the suggestion of a knife rep, has worked really well:

I hone my knives as soon as I wash them, before putting them away, so that they're always ready to go when I need them.
 
Bigmista said:
If you watched "Girls of the Grill" on Food Network, you saw Brent and Kim Walton that won the contest. They sell these knives and they are nice. One of our teammates bought one and used it to slice our ribs and brisket.

http://www.bbqn4u.com/html/forschner_knives.html
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Forschner knives used to be an excellent quality knife. I don’t know about now. I haven’t used one in years. Hopefully the quality has endured.

On the subject of sharpeners
I’ve been using a Spyderco sharpener for a lot of years. It has yet to show wear, and puts an edge on a knife, that I believe to be unparalleled. You can literally shave with it. When I bought mine they were only $30. That shows you how long I’ve had it.
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77
 
Ron_L said:
I'm coming into this thread a little late... Tim, I don't think you can go wrong with either Henckles or Wustoff. They are both good brands. As the others have suggested, try to find a place to try them out. I have a set of Henckles knives that we received as a wedding gift (22 years ago!) and they are still in perfect condition. Once a year they get a professional sharpening and I give them a quick honing with a steel before each use.
Click to expand...

I heard somewhere that they changed materials a while back and the newer stuff isn't quite as good. I don't know this as fact though, I'm sure they're both very good quality. I have a Henkle that's about 17 years old and it holds an edge like crazy.
 
Q_Egg said:
.... here is a site for some to ponder while they decide what next to add to their collection.

http://itkitchenknife.com/j_catalog/honyaki_b1.shtml

Still looking at these, but waiting for better Lotto results.
Click to expand...

Um...yeah... I'll take one of those 360 mm Yanigabis for brisket slicing!

Sur La Table has Shun Elite knives, exclusively, which are even cooler than the regular Shuns, but considerable more expensive... Hardened to 64-66 Rockwell.

elitekenonion_1200j5.jpg
 
I have Wusthof knives, Shun knives and a big 10 3/4" MAC chef's knife

http://www.macknife.com/professional.html

I far prefer the Japanese manufactured Western style blades to my German knives. The main reason being the absence of a bolster. I like the way they grip with out the bolster and they are far easier to sharpen by hand with out a bolster.

I bought my waterstones from www.Korin.com and my Mac knife from www.jbprince.com (the actual retail shops). I also had great experiences purchasing from cutleryandmore.com and chefsresource.com

I highly recommend the Mac ceramic rod $15 , which they properly label as a sharpening rod . Ceramic and diamond rods are for sharpening not honing.

http://www.chefsresource.com/mac-ceramic-sharpening-rod.html

my Mac knife is thin and sharp and makes the thinnest cuts you can imagine. I highly recommend everyone try a wide 10" knife out a good shop. They are so much easier to use for chopping (the tip of the knife will stay on the board) and slicing (more blade to use). Most good shops have the Wusthof 10" wide which I like as well.
http://www.chefsresource.com/mac-mighty-chefs-knife-11.html


If you are deciding between Henckel and Wusthof, take a close look at the bolsters on each. I far prefer the design of the Wusthof, but the width of the bolster is the biggest design difference between the two.
 
Cabo (or somebody),

"On the subject of sharpeners
I’ve been using a Spyderco sharpener for a lot of years. It has yet to show wear, and puts an edge on a knife, that I believe to be unparalleled. You can literally shave with it. When I bought mine they were only $30. That shows you how long I’ve had it.
http://spyderco.com/catalog/details.php?product=77"

Help me out here.
I assume the angle on the blade is maintained by holding the knife vertical ?
One problem I have with hand-held sharpeners/honers is trying to keep the angle the same.
The "v-block" mount would help a lot if that is the purpose.

And, I have "fondled" all the major premium brands and love them all!
DROOL would be the proper phrase :redface:
All of them seem to fit just fine and feel comfortable in the grip.

Thanks for all the great input so far. Interesting.

TIM
 
Shun all the way...... I own full sets of Henkles and Wusthofs and I would put Shun up against them any day.....
 
I'm very happy with my Wusthof wide blade chef's knife. I like the heft and balance, has enough room so that your knuckles don't hit the cutting board.
 
Well I recently purchased a set of six star cutlery from Ronco, some may laugh, but let me tell ya, I have enjoyed these knives, they have a lifetime guarntee and replacement plus if they ever get dull they will either sharpen them or replace them free of charge.

Bossman
chuckmarting@bossmanbbq.com
 
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