Knife brand selection

[cabo]

Originally Posted by Bigmista

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

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

[dapittboss]

Originally Posted by Ron_L

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.

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]

.... 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.

[cmcadams]

Originally Posted by Q_Egg

.... 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.

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.

[The_Kapn]

Originally Posted by Q_Egg

.... 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.

Two of those babies cost as much as my first house!

YIKES

I think I will hold out for the A-Team version:
http://itkitchenknife.com/j_catalog/honyaki_a.shtml

LOTTO is right

TIM

[Rockaway BeachBQ]

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-cer...ening-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-mig...-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.

[The_Kapn]

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
All of them seem to fit just fine and feel comfortable in the grip.

Thanks for all the great input so far. Interesting.

TIM

[seth711]

Shun all the way...... I own full sets of Henkles and Wusthofs and I would put Shun up against them any day.....

[Samichlaus]

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.

[Bossmanbbq]

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
[email protected]

[The_Kapn]

Well, I just ordered a Henchels 4 Star 8" Chef knife. $49.02 to my door
"Close enough" and will meet my needs.

I, and probably others, would still like to hear any advice on the "V-type" sharpening/honing stones.
I really need to take better care of my cutlery

Thanks a Million guys.

TIM

[Q_Egg]

.... as long as you do not abuse that knife, a set of ceramic rods will do a darn good job of helping maintain a sharp edge. Having the angles held fairly constant is a big help for most users who do not have time to develop expertise with stones, etc.

Enjoy!

[nmayeux]

Tim,
I have come across a Benchmade (Gold) set of three that you can check out on their site. The set is $500, but if they are anywhere near as nice as my pocket knife, this would be a deal. Other than that, it seems that the W is the best of the usual bunch.

[HoDeDo]

I have a 9 and 12 ince Henkels ..... and My buddy bought the Wustof.... and I LOVE his. I Loved mine til I used his. I like the feel in the hand much better. My 12" will slice a brisket like butter.... but those Wustof were amazing.

[qman]

I think Q_Egg has got it right. The ceramic rods are easier to get "close" with, if you have not or will not take time to develop the skill set necessary to do it with stones, etc. Granted, you may not get the same edge that an expert will with stones, but you can keep your blades in working condition nicely without having to spend too much time learning a new skill.