# Looking for chef knife weekly drops????



## Chef_Joe (Sep 7, 2018)

I have have many top of the range knifes and i love them all too bits but im looking for something more unique and personal to me. Something that would only be on sale once, does anyone know any websites that do anything like this? 
Thanks for the help, 
Joe


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## rittenremedy (Apr 18, 2016)

Depending on your budget you could go for a custom.


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## rick alan (Nov 15, 2012)

There are loads of good custom knife makers, but many tend to be real expensive and have long waiting lists.

The American smith Rich Furrer is reasonable and can do interestingly patterned work in wootz steel, which is a story in itself and definitely has a uniqueness factor as it's a legendary ancient crucible-grade steel you have to make yourself and few do it. Made famous by the Persians, it is the "real" Damascus steel. http://doorcountyforgeworks.com/

A very good option that will give you reasonable prices and delivery dates and exceptional Japanese work is talking to Jon at Japanese Knife Imports. Some of the excellent smiths he works with do customs.

If you want more details on custom makers ask the folks at KKF.


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## benuser (Nov 18, 2010)

I would certainly ask Dan

http://www.prendergastknives.com/

Have tried his Westerns. Come with a pronounced distal taper, slight forward balance, great food release.

Or if your budget allows
http://www.haburnknives.com/
Even more refined if possible, and including some stainless options.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Without knowing what the knife will be used for and the specific characteristics of the knife that you want i.e. Japanese vs Western, blade length, width, style of bevel, type of metal, balance point and so on, there's no practical way anyone can help you beyond recommending various smiths and manufacturers. 

The more details that you provide, the more specific we can be with advice and recommendations.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

As already suggested, talk to Jon Broida.


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## Jonathan K (Aug 24, 2018)

benuser said:


> Or if your budget allows
> http://www.haburnknives.com/
> Even more refined if possible, and including some stainless options.


Aw man thats expensive!!! But amazing beautiful work on those handles. Just admiring 

Hey...is it normal for a pro chef to spend $1500 on their knife? This may be a dumb question, but do you actually use it? Or are those more like collector items?


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Jonathan K said:


> Aw man thats expensive!!! But amazing beautiful work on those handles. Just admiring
> 
> Hey...is it normal for a pro chef to spend $1500 on their knife? This may be a dumb question, but do you actually use it? Or are those more like collector items?


There is nothing "normal" about a pro chef. lol

But, to answer your question, it varies. While I have never met a chef who was not a sushi chef that would dump $1,500 on a knife. I am sure there are some out there who have. If they do, it is highly unlikely they will use the knife at work except for very special circumstances.

You have to understand that professional chefs must sharpen their knives on average of about once per month, sometimes more. Every time they sharpen their knives, they remove metal from the blade. With a $1,500 knife, you want to sharpen the knife as little as possible which means it gets used as little as possible. Like I said, sushi chefs are the exception.


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## benuser (Nov 18, 2010)

...and guys who do the prep. Up to a full sharpening once or twice a week, and touching up in between.


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## chrislehrer (Oct 9, 2008)

It's normal for Japanese pros to sharpen every knife daily. Just a light touch-up on a fine polishing stone, but still, every day.

When I was in Kyoto I interviewed a few pros running top kitchens. Their knives varied in price, but only one chef used anything super expensive. Roughly $300/knife was about average, and that obviously varies by type.

I did not encounter any chefs who used custom handles and the like. Just off-the-shelf, top grade goods. White #2 steel was almost exclusively preferred.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

benuser said:


> ...and guys who do the prep. Up to a full sharpening once or twice a week, and touching up in between.


That might be a little bit much. Once every other week depending on volume and what's prepped.


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## benuser (Nov 18, 2010)

... the used board, and the blade's steel.


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## mike9 (Jul 13, 2012)

There are plenty of used customs around - try KKF - https://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/ or CKTG - https://www.chefknivestogoforums.com

I recently bought a Hiromoto 240 from Kochi at JCK. Master Nagao has retired and the Hiromoto line has ceased. When remaining inventory is gone they are gone. Hiro's rarely come up for sale used. 
https://japanesechefsknife.com/collections/hiromoto


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