# Best chef knives money can buy and where to purchase??



## johntavener09

Im interested in purchasing a close friend some very high quality chef knives and money is no object

Im wondering if you can help me out by recommending the absolute best chef knives and where they can be purchased?

Thanks alot, Any and all responses will be appreciated


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## nullifygirls

The only good knife is a sharp knife!


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## butzy

Very true...

@johntaverner09:

It's also very difficult to recommend a knife based on above info.

What's the knife gonna be used for?

What steel are you (or the person you are giving the knife to) looking for?

What profile?

If you give some more info, maybe we can help a bit better?


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## foodpump

Both of the above answers are excellent advice.

If you were to ask a wine expert what the absolute, overall "best" wine was, they would tell you no such thing  exists.  There are many excellent wines, each with their own unique qualities and taste.

So it is with knives.

What I tell all of my employees is that there is no magic in a knife.  It's just a hunk of steel with a sharp edge, the magic is in the user's hands.

There is no sense in buying an excellent, expenisve knife for your friend if that person does not know how to sharpen it properly, or have access to someone who can.  All knives will need sharpening, and the cheap-o ones that claim you don't have to, are just hacksaw blades in a handle.

Knives are also  a bit like shoes, either they fit you--your hands and style-- or they don't.  You need a bit of knowledge and experience when picking out expensive knives.

I hope this helps somewhat


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## capsaicin

While all of the above is true, I believe that most knife enthusiasts will also agree that, *if* money was no object, they would own at least one high grade Japanese Honyaki knife.  Honyaki is the process of hand tempering and quenching that was originally used to make samurai swords, and results in steels with HRCs of 65-68 (typical Wusthof/good Henckels is about 58).

This extraordinary hardness allows an expert to grind edges with incredibly steep angles onto it.  The best Honyaki knives carry the Hamon -- the tempering line -- denoting the differentiation of the edge metal (ha-gane) from the support metal (ji-gane) resulting from differentiated tempering, where the edge metal is quenched and tempered more quickly than the support metal.

They will be very hard to sharpen, and aside from the sharpness, it takes the right abrasive and some skill to polish the blade in such a way as to show off the Hamon.  However, if money is truly no object, you could always get it professionally sharpened and polished by someone who is skilled in handling the highest grade Japanese blades, even if you have to ship it to them and back each time.

They will also be hard to care for in other ways -- Honyaki is typically carbon steel which will rust if not taken care of the right way (though there are some stainless Honyakis out there too, be sure you are aware of this before buying -- a good Honyaki knife can cost in the thousands per knife and it would just be a damned crying shame for such a work of art to rust in a block if the person using it did not realize this).  The extreme high hardness means that it will be more prone to chipping if used roughly or hitting bone, and may even have big chunks broken out of it like a plate rim if it is dropped.  If your friend just wanted a good sharp knife that is pretty to look at, he/she might prefer a stainless damascus pattern knife of 60-62 HRC instead.  Or perhaps even have one of the many dedicated and skilled knife craftsmen in America make a custom set -- look at knife seller sites like chefknivestogo.com and browse the "knife brands" to see a listing of some of these people who have dedicated themselves to making beautiful and highly functional knives.

To look up where to purchase one -- just google the term "Honyaki" and you'll see many high end knife vendor sites carry them.  If you ask around on forums like this one, someone can also direct you to Japanese smiths, some of whom would also be willing to custom make knives to order.


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## Iceman

LOL. I absolutely love the _"money is no object"_ frame of mind. I couple of months ago a fine member of this community, _*Trooper*_, gave me some examples of very affordable _"laser"_ knives. I won't at all call them _"beginner"_ or _"entry level"_ knives. I found them to be fantastic examples of what I should and will get when I buy anything new; ex: 180 Santoku $77, 240 Gyuto $93. Yeah, you all know that there are much more expensive and possibly better quality knives. Now just for a second maybe think about this. Would someone who would/could appreciate this level of equipment actually need, have or want someone else to get it for them? For that kinda coin I want to pick out my own stuff. Get me a gift card.

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/KAGAYAKI.html

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/FKHSeries.html

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/HKSSeries.html


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## capsaicin

IceMan said:


> LOL. I absolutely love the _"money is no object"_ frame of mind.


 Sure is nice to spend money that is not yours in your head ain't it. It's why people buy lottery tickets.


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## tapslog21

One word. KRAMER!


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## chef7734

[quote name="tapslog21" url="/forum/thread/65228/best-chef-knives-money-can-buy-and-where-to-purchase#post_350481"]
One word. KRAMER! 
[/quote]
I don't think so. I would take many others over a kramer like Murray carter, hattori, and a few others.

Sent from my thunderbolt using tapatalk pro.


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## hitchedgibson

I just laugh when I see any discussion about knives. Not at the OP, just in general. I got a kiwi brand knife from my local Asian market for $3 and it is my favorite knife I've used.


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## maat922

I agree.  When I was a kid I used to spend ridiculous money on the latest and greatest, but after 22 years in the business I've found that I've beaten the snot out of more Victorinox/Mundial/Dexter-Russell generic 10" Chef knives than anything else, and they just take the beating and then re-take an edge without a fight.  Not to mention, they're NEVER forged (lol), so they're actually lighter knives.  When you're cooking all day long with a knife as your main implement of destruction, the non-forged, cheap, lightweight knives with the big ugly nylon grips are SO much more forgiving than the mega-bucks knives.

I remember buying my first expensive knife.  It was made by a little old Japanese man in his backyard forge.  AWESOME to look at, held an edge like crazy, had a 550-braided paracord handle, superbly balanced, weighed a TON.  And you noticed it 3-hours into your shift.  $375 that looks and performs amazingly, but sits in my home kitchen drawer.  Hell, even at home I wind up grabbing an old beat up Forschner chef's knife for 90% of the jobs I do here.  It was probably $25 new, and it's probably worth about $5 on the garage sale table now, but I just simply use it too often to sell it.

You don't have to spend a lot of money on knives to get something completely usable and awesome.

If you're looking for a status symbol, just throw the highest amount of money possible to the boutique-iest little so-and-so from whatever country who is handcrafting artwork in his backyard forge.  You won't use them any more than a cheap set of industrial-grade stain-free Dexter-Russells. 

The expensive knives are designed to work flawlessly. The cheap knives are designed to work their asses off.

That being said, just get something with "NSF" etched into the side of the blade, chances are the recipient will be very well-served.


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## rick alan

I'll have to chime in here.  My Randall Bowie #1-8 is 30yrs old and I actually sharpened it once (oh horrors! say the collectors), but I think there are still buyers out there for 3 or more times what I paid for it.  Money being no object, get the Carter.  His knives are still "relatively" affordable, and will very likely be escalating in price, much like Kramer's.

Rick


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## rick alan

Oh brother, I should check dates before commenting


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## kvonnj

Got me a 10" Forschner that I wouldn't trade for much of nything. It ain't pretty, it ain't fancy, it ain't handmade by a hundred year old Tibetan yak herder over a campfire and it's got a wooden handle so beat up and stained it looks as if it's black plastic with finger grips... but it's my baby,


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## kvonnj

What's the "best knife?" The one YOU want to have in YOUR hand, day in, day out, hour after hour. The rest is nothing but opinion and fluff.


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## maat922

KvonNJ said:


> Got me a 10" Forschner that I wouldn't trade for much of nything. It ain't pretty, it ain't fancy, it ain't handmade by a hundred year old Tibetan yak herder over a campfire and it's got a wooden handle so beat up and stained it looks as if it's black plastic with finger grips... but it's my baby,


LOL, this.


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## tenorico

I recommend these four knife companies in order of which I think is the best

Shun Knife Company Japan

Wüsthof Germany

Henckels Germany

Robert Welch German Steel Forged in Taiwan


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## tenorico

Henckels are maid in Japan as well sorry for the mistake!


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## chris jeffery

MIYABI KAIZEN!


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## rick alan

Since this post seems to have reserected itself, let me recomend you look at more recent posts on the subject of best knives, especially best knives for the money, as the ones mentioned don't fit either category so well.

Rick


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## boar_d_laze

Henckels Twins (aka Zwillings) series are made in Germany. Henckels International series are made in several countries, I think Spain has the largest output. The Miyabi series (Miyabi is a Henckels brand) are made in Japan. 


> Since this post seems to have resurrected itself, let me recommend you look at more recent posts on the subject of best knives, especially best knives for the money, as the ones mentioned don't fit either category so well.


+1.

BDL


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## jbroida

Capsaicin said:


> While all of the above is true, I believe that most knife enthusiasts will also agree that, *if* money was no object, they would own at least one high grade Japanese Honyaki knife. Honyaki is the process of hand tempering and quenching that was originally used to make samurai swords, and results in steels with HRCs of 65-68 (typical Wusthof/good Henckels is about 58).
> 
> This extraordinary hardness allows an expert to grind edges with incredibly steep angles onto it. The best Honyaki knives carry the Hamon -- the tempering line -- denoting the differentiation of the edge metal (ha-gane) from the support metal (ji-gane) resulting from differentiated tempering, where the edge metal is quenched and tempered more quickly than the support metal.
> 
> They will be very hard to sharpen, and aside from the sharpness, it takes the right abrasive and some skill to polish the blade in such a way as to show off the Hamon. However, if money is truly no object, you could always get it professionally sharpened and polished by someone who is skilled in handling the highest grade Japanese blades, even if you have to ship it to them and back each time.
> 
> They will also be hard to care for in other ways -- Honyaki is typically carbon steel which will rust if not taken care of the right way (though there are some stainless Honyakis out there too, be sure you are aware of this before buying -- a good Honyaki knife can cost in the thousands per knife and it would just be a damned crying shame for such a work of art to rust in a block if the person using it did not realize this). The extreme high hardness means that it will be more prone to chipping if used roughly or hitting bone, and may even have big chunks broken out of it like a plate rim if it is dropped. If your friend just wanted a good sharp knife that is pretty to look at, he/she might prefer a stainless damascus pattern knife of 60-62 HRC instead. Or perhaps even have one of the many dedicated and skilled knife craftsmen in America make a custom set -- look at knife seller sites like chefknivestogo.com and browse the "knife brands" to see a listing of some of these people who have dedicated themselves to making beautiful and highly functional knives.
> 
> To look up where to purchase one -- just google the term "Honyaki" and you'll see many high end knife vendor sites carry them. If you ask around on forums like this one, someone can also direct you to Japanese smiths, some of whom would also be willing to custom make knives to order.


a few quick notes here... first off, many german knives are around 56hrc (whusthof and henkels included). Softer japanese knives are around 58-59hrc. Honyaki knives at the hardest will be around 64-65 hrc. Some powdered steels will be harder than that (zdp-189 and cowry-x can be hardened to 68ish, but thats about it). Also, honyaki blades do not have hagane AND jigane... only awase bocho do. Honyaki blades are entirely hagane.


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## chefchadnyc

I have owned and used countless makes and models of knives, and the ones that I have settled on, after 12+ yrs at the level of executive chef, are Masanobu VG-10s.  I have the entire set and they suit every need and situation I have encountered.  They are comfortable, hold their edge, and can be sharpened to different specs.  Feel free to sharpen the knife with to a finer edge (less durability) if you need it, and touch it up more often.  Or stick with the factory angles and it will keep even a professional cook satisfied for a week.  When I was on the line I would sharpen every night, like sushi chefs, but now I obviously do it much less frequently.

On a sharpening note:  Shapton Stones, are the best I've ever used.  They do not require soaking (just add water when you use), they get your edge faster (twice as fast = half the strokes = lower risk of damaging steel), and you need less pressure (stone lasts longer).

Good luck.


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## boar_d_laze

Not to be disagreeable, but _caveat emptor_. Masanobu VG-10s are _san-mai_ VG-10 and -- except for handle, fit and finish, and cost -- about the same as every one of the other countless numbers of reasonably good quality _san-mai_ VG-10 knives on the market. The handle is spiffy, F&F is excellent, and the price is ridiculous. You'll get the same blade performance from a Tojiro DP, for a quarter the money.

BDL


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## rick alan

boar_d_laze said:


> Not to be disagreeable, but _caveat emptor_. Masanobu VG-10s are _san-mai_ VG-10 and -- except for handle, fit and finish, and cost -- about the same as every one of the other countless numbers of reasonably good quality _san-mai_ VG-10 knives on the market. The handle is spiffy, F&F is excellent, and the price is ridiculous. You'll get the same blade performance from a Tojiro DP, for a quarter the money.
> 
> BDL


 Just let me chime in that quite a number of individuals including myself have been less than thrilled with the edge-quality of Shun knives in their VG10 series. Tojiro at half the price seem to consistantly rate well on the other hand.

Rick


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## chefchadnyc

Masanobu fit my hand and style of use perfectly.  The only way to find the best knife for you, is to try them out.

BDL - you're are quite the knife aficionado, so I must ask you: is dexter russell really the go-to entry level knife for line cooks? Or is there an alternative (I currently buy all of my cooks their first knife).


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## boar_d_laze

Posted by *chefchadnyc* 


> BDL - you're are quite the knife aficionado, so I must ask you: is dexter russell really the go-to entry level knife for line cooks? Or is there an alternative (I currently buy all of my cooks their first knife).


It's been decades since I've been anywhere near a line or pro cooking of any sort (if you don't count occasional teaching), but based on what I know about sharpening and on friends' current restaurant experience as execs I'd lean to Victorinox (Forschner) Fibrox/Rosewood as the go-to entry level chef's knife for the line.

As you know, I'm all about sharpness; and my impression is that Victorinox has better edge taking and holding than Dexter stamped. Neither brand can take or hold an edge anywhere nearly as well as an one of the sub $100 entry-level Japanese and American knives in the $100 range -- and if the cook or operation can afford something in that range it's probably going to be a better long-range economic proposition... but it's awfully easy to spend other peoples' money.

Any sort of "hard and fast" rule will fail because so much depends on the particular cook and kitchen, for instance how much the cook abuses his knife with a steel, how often knives are sharpened, how they're sharpened, who does the sharpening, whether there's any sort of instruction, and so on.

BDL


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## Iceman

OK. So I know the specific conversation and questions were directed to *BDL*. He is the guy who gets my questions too. I'm commenting here based on his statement, _"It's been decades since I've been anywhere near a line or pro cooking of any sort ..."_. Well, I'm in a pro kitchen every week. 

I concur that _Victorinox/Forschner_ knives are better than _Dexter_. No question there. I have _VF_ knives myself. However ... from my experiences, the _Dexter_ knives have been somewhat heavier than the _VF_. Is that important? I don't know for myself, but if you have a kitchen full of inexperienced guys hacking away at everything, you may find that heavier knives will hold up to more general abuse. I know I did. That being the case, where guys are beating the ever-loving bageebies out of the equipment, I think I would recommend basic _NSF_ knives. They're the cheapest to replace. 

*NSF Commercial Chef's Knife $9.99*





  








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Jan 26, 2013


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## boar_d_laze

The problem with the ultra cheapies is that they can't be made very sharp; and whatever edge you can get on them they lose pretty quickly. If your standard of sharpening is an AccuSharp, then they're fine.

Sure, most line guys can't even use a steel, much less sharpen; and most execs aren't terribly critical about the quality of the cut to the extent that they're going to go around the kitchen and finger everyone's knives; but... it makes a difference.

If you'd worked for me as one of my regular guys at _Predominantly French_, you'd have learned to cut, sharpen and maintain on day one.

BDL


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## chefchadnyc

Interesting comments.  My current staff, while hard working and completely dedicated, are not the type to ever go out and buy their own knives (or any equipment for that matter).  They have minimal knowledge in sharpening/honing, although I have given them multiple extensive demos.  It's just not something that is a priority for them.  They just want to reach for a blade, give it a couple quick swipes on a steel (or against the back of another knife or what have you), and get to work.

I know that no knife stays sharp if it's not maintained, but basically I need to know if there is a better option.  I've used victorinox before and I think they're fine, but all of those pressed handle knives are uncomfortable for me (personally).  As far as japanese style knives are concerned, most of my cooks have hardly seen them before, let alone used them.  I bought my sous chefs some mid/low level japanese knives for xmas, but they're afraid to use them.  They just keep using the dexters.


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## Iceman

OK then. It seems to me you have a solvable situation. I've seen this answer in numerous kitchens. The greatest majority of places that I've worked in either use a service or buy a sharpener. Keep your _Dexters_ or _VF_s and buy your staff an electric sharpener or hire a service. I think a sharpener is a better way to go. In about three(3) months it pays for itself with very little if any noticeable difference. Here is the first one(1) I saw that I feel is any good. That of course, is just an opinion. 





  








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Iceman


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Jan 27, 2013







Here is the site _(just one place of many you could buy from)_:

*Electric Knife Sharpeners*





  








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Iceman


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Jan 27, 2013


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## rick alan

chefchadnyc said:


> I bought my sous chefs some mid/low level japanese knives for xmas, but they're afraid to use them. They just keep using the dexters.


Interesting anecdote: An associate of mine had a close working relationship with custom knife maker Bill Bagwell. He asked Bagwell if he would make him a cheap replica of his $800 (and this was 35 years ago mind you) Bagwell Damascus fighting knife, this so he could comfortably practice throwing with it. Bagwells reply, "All my knives are made to be used, period."

Rick


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## powerviolence

The OP is a self proclaimed "Stay at home cook". So as far as working 3 hours into a shift using a superior knife but at the expense of hand fatigue... Pretty much irrelevant for him. 

Do a little research, and if you have the "money is no object" Mentality, you are obvious the type of person who is willing to spend and dime and would prefer to anyways. A good place to start would see which style i.e japanease style vs french style. Can't go wrong with Shun, Global, Henckles, or Wustoff imo. 

As most home cooks don't cook rigorously for hours on end like line cooks do, I think any quality knife you choose to buy you will be satisfied with.


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## chrislehrer

As far as I'm concerned, setting aside the basic silliness of the question, I'd say everything depends whether the purchaser wants stainless of some kind or not. That's where the split at the high end happens.

If money were no object and someone wanted to blow huge wads of it making me exceedingly happy, I'd say get the Masamoto HS set. 10 knives or so, lists for something on the order of $10,000, comes with fancy case and so on. All honyaki white. No western-style knives, of course, but you can't have everything.


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## chrisbelgium

If money is no object; Nesmuk. Does one leave the price tag on when giving those kind of "money no object" gifts?





  








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Jun 22, 2013


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## cr00k3d

if i had to buy a new knife money no object it would have to be a japanese knife they are by far supperior to anything else on the market and then it depends on what i am using it for but for an alround knife i would buy something out of the coreless damascus echizen series


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## cr00k3d

no no no i would never put any of my knives in one of them if your learning about knives then it is an extension of your body so you have to learn how to keep it sharp my io shen nives are done with wet and dry stones and if i can get hold of one a belt but never a sharperner there ok if your using beginnners knives because of the angles but when you find good knives then there useless


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## weige knives

Here is a good article that might help:

http://www.bladesmithnews.com/custom-knives-vs-store-bought-knives/


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## rick alan

Weige Knives said:


> Here is a good article that might help:
> 
> http://www.bladesmithnews.com/custom-knives-vs-store-bought-knives/


The article says Bob Kramer is the king of kitchen knife makers. Very many would argue that the performance of his knives are no better than many others working in 52100 steel, and not as good as others. Sorry, but the article it of little interest.


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## weige knives

Good opinion!


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## fritz mackrieg

JBroida said:


> a few quick notes here... first off, many german knives are around 56hrc (whusthof and henkels included). Softer japanese knives are around 58-59hrc. Honyaki knives at the hardest will be around 64-65 hrc. Some powdered steels will be harder than that (zdp-189 and cowry-x can be hardened to 68ish, but thats about it). Also, honyaki blades do not have hagane AND jigane... only awase bocho do. Honyaki blades are entirely hagane.


Thanks for that, Jon - I was going to make the same corrections! +1


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## atch71

_*Currently I own a few Knives from New West Knife Works. Has anyone an opinion or had experience with their Knives? Especially their new "S35VN" Fusion 2.0 super steel knives. They seem incredibly sharp. Hold their edge for a long time (Rockwell is supposed to be 62HRC) and are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I wanted an idea of how they stack up against other quality knives from professionals and home cooks alike, and if they are truly worth the price.*_


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## rick alan

atch71 said:


> _*Currently I own a few Knives from New West Knife Works. Has anyone an opinion or had experience with their Knives? Especially their new "S35VN" Fusion 2.0 super steel knives. They seem incredibly sharp. Hold their edge for a long time (Rockwell is supposed to be 62HRC) and are aesthetically pleasing to the eye. I wanted an idea of how they stack up against other quality knives from professionals and home cooks alike, and if they are truly worth the price.*_


Well I'm amazed that weige's _expertly_ written article doesn't cover that. ;-)~

Sv35N is one of those cpm super-alloys, and as such is very finicky in terms of heat treat. Fusion claims they use a high-end contractor for this. Maybe they do, but do they actually pay for the high-end HT, or something less? From a custom maker a 240mm chef knife is going to be $450+, the + depending on what you want for handle, fittings and finish and possibly doubling the knifes price.

This is the only legitimate review I could find, on any New West knife: http://zknives.com/knives/kitchen/ktknv/misc/nwkksbf2p1.shtml

Well so the article was not the most descriptive Zknives has done, but it was positive in great part. So at this time what can really be said but - you own some of their knives, how do you like them? Their chef knife has a lot of belly, does that fit your style? Does the handle fit your grip nicely? Does it feel agile in your hand? These are very subjective qualities and usually count more than alloy and ultimate edge holding and sharpness. Though less than from a custom maker they're not cheap knives, but they are of very good steel and I'd say well made, great FF and very attractive also, and if they fit your preferences then they're worth the money.

Rick


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## atch71

> Well so the article was not the most descriptive Zknives has done, but it was positive in great part. So at this time what can really be said but - you own some of their knives, how do you like them? Their chef knife has a lot of belly, does that fit your style? Does the handle fit your grip nicely? Does it feel agile in your hand? These are very subjective qualities and usually count more than alloy and ultimate edge holding and sharpness. Though less than from a custom maker they're not cheap knives, but they are of very good steel and I'd say well made, great FF and very attractive also, and if they fit your preferences then they're worth the money.


*At this time I really like the them though I've not yet tried a Japanese knife (I'm in the process of deciding just what I want). They feel great in my somewhat smallish hands, and handle easily in my slightly challenged knife skills. The fit & finish is excellent. Overall I'm very pleased. Thanks for the input!*

*Mike*


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## harrisonh

1 I cannot believe a person who claims to be a professional chef uses a chefschoice or even recommends them to someone other than a home cook and even worse, tells people to hire a service. I cannot believe that "every place he's worked has". I do believe one or two low end places might have. I know Chipotle the burrito chain hires a service. But in that case, the service owns the knives. Chipotle is renting them.
Aside from being being a way to grind down knives to a stub, it's pretty expensive if you're doing it for everybody as well as doing it for your house knives.
I CAN see it might make sense for some kitchens to pay for a service for the house knives instead of paying a prep cook to do it. But that would prove the point about a line chef or any of the CdP from getting theirs done. If it's cheap enough where it's cheaper to pay a service than to pay manpower. Then it is not a QUALITY service and they're using a grinder or sander or just doing a quick job.
Another issue is that in a real kitchen, an ambitious commis or prep cook usually does it before his shift begins to show how dedicated he is. Therefore it costs zero manhours to get the house knives done.

2 I also cannot believe that a sous is afraid to use  Japanese knives. In Phoenix, the general knife a line cook uses is a shun, global, mac or tojiro. These are their everyday knives. My everday chefs knife is a Tojiro Senkuo. Other titled chefs in my town typically use the same knives for everyday use, and maybe a "better" knife when they're doing a chefs table or a demo.
I find that anecdote completely unbelievable.
I think it's nice that you bought your sous a nice knife. More chefs and owners should value their staff.
The only possible explanation I can think of for a clim of "they're afraid to use them", is that they are afraid they'll be stolen.

3I love my New west knives too! Highly recommended. Don't worry about "funky heat treating". The end result is excellent, it has a lifetime warranty and has proven reliability with many working pros  know. And yes, I've got about 5 friends that use this as their everyday knife. Rick, I own one of their 8 inch and one of their 9 inch and highly recommend them.

4I think there is a different mindset between a set of people who are artists and hobbyists who love blades and those of us that have to use them on a daily basis. I would agree bob Kramer is a brilliant artist from the point of a person who loves steel. But I wonder about kitchen centrism, especially everyday use. I have never owned a bob kramer, but had a ken onion shun for a few weeks. Ho Hum. He's supposed to be an amazing artist, also, all the blade magazines I have seen rave about him, and I have to say it looked gorgeous, but it wasn't as functional for me as I needed.
Some of you know I used to be on the Board of several arts organizations. I DO appreciate artistry and craftsmanship. But I also need something in my hand that feels right and gets the job done.

5 As far as "price is no object". This reminds me of the most expensive ice cream sundae in the world. Big deal. While some excellent and relative rare ingredients were used, that does not mean the flavors are well blended or executed. The cost of the sundae was mainly because of the solid gold bowl it came in that you got to take home and the frivolous use of gold leaf. I personally don't care about the most expensive knife if I'm not aspiring to own one. But I DID enjoy looking at the pictures. I also might like looking at a Ferrari or a pic of Jessica Alba, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna get to be too close to either of them more than a few times in my life.


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## harrisonh

AHA/

NOW I know why the thread was started!!!!!!!
Serene, you're not going to get a real chef to buy one of those. And most of us have warned the home cooks about them


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## Iceman

*WOW.*

_I completely stand corrected. My sincerest apology._

*Sarcasm* _is "a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter gibe or taunt." Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although sarcasm is not necessarily ironic. "The distinctive quality of sarcasm is present in the spoken word and manifested chiefly by vocal inflections". The sarcastic content of a statement will be dependent upon the context in which it appears._


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## harrisonh

Are you friends with serene, iceman? If not, I apologize. I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again, but I usually apologize. I am leaping to a conclusion. I thought the thread was started by someone else and that it was a couple of years old and only recently was being posted on again. And her commercial wasn't until down into the 40-45 posts in the thread range. It has now been removed.


But IF you are, and it was an "opening" to post for her, no one here is fooled by cutco. Ask her not to post any commercials for an overpriced, mediocre product.


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## Iceman

I don't know _"Serene"_. I don't have anything to do with _"Cutco"_.


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## rick alan

*AHH*

_The IceMan returnith. Back_


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## crich1904

Hey, I know where you can purchase the best chef knives there are. If you are interested please let me know asap because I can hook you up with a crazy deal.


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## millionsknives

No way! Is it better than this one?


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## brianshaw

Well... send us samples and we'll tell you if we'd buy them.


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## Iceman

Such sillyness.


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## galley swiller

CRich1904, you're a one-time poster.  Why did you bother to resurrect this thread after a 10 month zombie state?  Heaven forbid if you are a CUTCO shill (though I will at the moment give you the benefit of the doubt about whether you are one - though their tactics so far have been to enter this forum as one-time-posters).  It was a thread which was dead - and rightfully so.  

"Best chef knives money can buy", indeed.

Anyone with any experience will tell you that, above a certain production quality level, then you incrementally end up spending significantly more money for very small levels of quality improvement.  At that point, individual chef's personal preferences and nuances become much more important.

And at that level, the degree to which the knife user maintains the edge will vastly matter much more than the knife price or pedigree, in terms of the performance of the knife.

Oh well.  Just to keep things in the "best knife" range of discussion, I would suggest you look up the term "honyaki", which refers to knives made by Japanese Master Craftsmen, who differentially heat treat monosteel blades, so as to heat the edge (making the edge harder) to a higher level, while keeping the temperature of the blade at the spine lower, thus making the spine softer and tougher.  There is a very high rate of failure in making these knives, and prices are mostly in the thousands of dollars per knife.  Not that I have one myself - but you are in a thread about the "best", whatever that is.

Galley Swiller


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## millionsknives

It would be neat to have a feature to lock down threads and close them. Then admin could lock down threads like this, right @Nicko ?


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## lennyd

MillionsKnives said:


> It would be neat to have a feature to lock down threads and close them. Then admin could lock down threads like this, right @Nicko
> ?


Sure but why close it?

Some of us find the off the wall, out of touch, and sometimes whacky or even annoying threads to be a good read. Maybe even a good laugh.

I have made this point before, and on more than one forum about how censored threads lead to a boring forum. Sure the censorship itself is plain wrong, but when all the topics and posts follow the same boring patterns it makes things seem more like a cult or click, and again boring as hell.

I have long left other forums from the lack of different ideas and the exchange of info that comes from the difference of opinion as they provide no value due to everyone becoming just another "me too" repeating the same info over and again.

Just think of the value to be had by someone investigating a new knife who gets to see exactly why one overhyped product or another truly sucks and is not worth the money.

On another note the knuckle sandwich knife mentioned earlier is a subject in itself, and may be the first knife I have seen that it appears you would need to aquire a taste for lol


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## harrisonh

LennyD said:


> Just think of the value to be had by someone investigating a new knife who gets to see exactly why one overhyped product or another truly sucks and is not worth the money.
> 
> On another note the knuckle sandwich knife mentioned earlier is a subject in itself, and may be the first knife I have seen that it appears you would need to aquire a taste for lol


one thing about the guy fieri knives.
You can bring them to work and no one would borrow or steal them. LOL


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## martincaters1

Johntavener09 said:


> Im interested in purchasing a close friend some very high quality chef knives and money is no object
> 
> Im wondering if you can help me out by recommending the absolute best chef knives and where they can be purchased?
> 
> Thanks alot, Any and all responses will be appreciated


hello everyonee I just tecently joined the site and am interested to know if anyone has used a ryusen knife? I am a caterer and use Shun classics for damn near everything and want to tru some new Japanese blades.


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## rick alan

M1, I suggest you start a new post in the knife forum and explain to folks what changes you'd like to see in your next purchase.  For one japanese knives have a very different profile to Shun's very German profile, they also tend to be thinner behind the edge.  As to Ryusen, they make some exceptional knives and some not so exceptional knives, depends on what your are looking for and how much you want to spend.  The level of toughness may be one of your bigger considerations in your choice of Japanese knives.

Rick


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## alexkyte3

Hello sir. I'll be glad to help you out. First off, a chefs knife is a very personal decision. Not all people will like a certain knife as much as another person does. My preference leans towards kikuihci carbon knives, and misono ux 10. Hope this helps


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## galley swiller

This must be the thread that cannot die.

Maybe if we all sing the Theme Song for *The Attack of The Killer Tomatoes*, we can finally kill it off.

[h1]THEME ATTACK OF THE KILLER TOMATOES LYRICS[/h1]

_Attack of the killer tomatoes!
Attack of the killer tomatoes!
They'll beat you, bash you, squish you, mash you
Chew you up for brunch and finish you off for dinner or lunch!
They're marching down the halls
They're crawling up the walls
They're gooey, gushy, squishy, mushy
Rotten to the core
They're standing outside your door!

Remember Herman Farbage
while taking out his garbage
He turned around and he did see tomatoes hiding in his tree
Now he's just a memory!

I know I'm going to miss her
a tomato ate my sister
Sacramento fell today
They're marching in San Jose
Tomatoes are on their way!_

And, if you needed it, (and especially if you don't) - here's the Theme Song on YouTube: 




Enjoy!

GS


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## ordo

Yes GS. But what gyuto will we use to kill the killer tomatoes? Clad? Honyaki? What steel? And what size: 210, 270 mm.?


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## galley swiller

A Kiwi Brand knife.

Size, make and model are immaterial.  True Spirit and Courage count for more than mere knife status.

That, and a disinclination to spend more than $5.  Frugality is close to the true Warrior Spirit when dealing with these dastardly vegetables. 

GS


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