# best brand of knives



## furi_chef

i like furi and global knives, whats your opinion on the best knives, furi is a little soft, so it does need sharpening more often but it makes up for it with its comfort. i cant pick a flaw in global knives though, i think they are the best


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## piracer

im gonna have to agree on the global knives. i have a global G-2 and i think its the best. i sharpen it every once in a while and its great! my work place were using some fancy japanese knives, they were good, but compared to price-quality wise, global won over.


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## gxtxa

My entire set is Global as listed below, and I love every one of them:

8" French Chef's
7" Santoku (hollow ground)
Japanese Cleaver
3-1/4" Paring
5" Santoku (better grip for larger paring jobs, and cleaning meat)
4-3/4" Utility (think of it as my pocket knife -- plastic bags, cans, etc)
7" (?) Forged Boning
The only knife I have that's not Global is my 8" Off-set Serrated by Shun. I like it a lot, but I wish Global would make an off-set. I'd trade off in a heartbeat.

Also, for those of you with Global knives or other Japanese knives, I highly recommend a "Shinkansen" water wheel sharpener. These are great for at home use and are less bulky than having a stone sitting on your counter top. They're also set at the appropriate blade angle for the more acute Japanese knives (70*/30* I believe).


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## sushigaijin

I use a global forged pairing knife for everything; my line is too small to use anything bigger. If it's mise en place, it was prepped with that little three or four inch knife. for service I keep a dexter offset bread knife handy.

Erik.


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## laura_holmes

I also have to go with global knives, they're great! stainless steel, sharp, and they look great! :lol:


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## gravyboat

furi_chef,
You cannot really compare the two.
Global knives are a Rolls Royce of all knives and Furi are more like a Ford Mondeo.
Global are made from Vanadium-Molybdenum alloy whereas Furi are just a Hi carbon steel. 
However for the price you pay - Furi are second to none.

"Furi Knife Set" is £117
"7-Piece Global Set" - £295

As you see - different quality and different price 
The two sets are very similar by contents... But Which knives are the best? IMHO Furi Are the best knives ... for the price!  Which you can use and enjoy.

Here are visitors' comments for Furi

"As a budding chef I wanted a knife set to last a life time and be usable every day, with Furi I found it. The excellent handles make light work of chopping and do not strain your wrist like any other knife can and will after lots of work day in day out - so no risk of the dreaded RSI! They are extremely light and durable and have remained superbly sharp with little resharpening over the last 6 months. [shortenned] A Must Have In Your Kitchen."

"We got a set last year. Really very pleased with them. Only now do they need sharpening."

And Globals are obviously better knives but the price bites.


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## jmmjr78

I was just going to buy a new knife and everyone raves about global. I have henkels now and they are ok but i wanted something better. how about 
kasumi or shun. anyone have any input


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## vinestal

Hi guys, Im new to the forums here, had a quick question. I have a set of pretty bad quality, stamped knives and Im going to start replacing them with Globals. Should my first purchase be a 8 inch chefs knife (I think its mostly refered to here as a 'french knife") or could I use a 7 inch Santoku (which is refered to alot as an Asian Chefs knife). Ive never used a Santoku, but couldnt you use it for alot of the same functions as french style chef's knife? I have seen another Chef (friend of mine) do almost everything with a Santoku, is this common? I only really have the money for 1 or the other right now... Im just a home cook but Im sooo tired of using a crappy dull knife, they are driving me to maddness! Ive tried my budy's Global Santoku and Chefs knife (on an extremely limited basis) and they are soo nice, but I havent really had the opportunity to try them on alot of different applications. Also Ive been thinking about getting the Global 10 inch Diamond steel, is it worth having over a ceramic steel?


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## greenawalt87

Hello everyone I am a great fan of Sabitier knives and been using them for 40 years, All carbon steel no stainless


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## castironchef

It's a personal choice. 

For me, I prefer the classic French chef's knife design. I like the rocking motion. I simply can't get into the santoku motion. That's most likely due to training and experience along with a resistance to learning something new.


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## cacook

I really wanted to get a sabatier, but when I get home I just want to go to bed or play some playstation...not polish my knife. I ended up getting the henckels twin cuisine and it's great, but when it gets greasy/bloody...the handle gets a little slippery. My girlfriend has globals and I'm not too fond of them. I have big hands and find how the tang extends past the handle uncomfortable.


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## greenawalt87

why polish them the discoloration does not hurt anything


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## cacook

I've heard that it isn't so much the discoloration, but that tarnish and surface rust that comes off on cooked/ready to eat food.


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## foodpump

It's oxidization, same chemical reaction as rust or tarnishing, particularly nasty with acidic foods like tomatoes and citrus fruit.

Sprinkle a little baking soda on a cut potato and rub it on the blackened carbon steel, it'll come off.


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## greenawalt87

when cutting these acid things as citrus and tomatoes I use a stainless steel knife. Yes I do own one or two


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## suzanne

May I vent for a moment? 

I was in one of the fancy kitchenware stores and asked to see a particular knife. Salesperson had to take it out of the locked case. So far, no problem. But then when I reached for an apple that had been used for a demo, I was told, "You can't actually CUT with that knife, now! Then we couldn't sell it." Turns out that they would consider it used, and not fit for sale. :crazy:

Now, I ask you: how can I tell if the knife is right for me if I can't try it out? As people will notice if they read through the threads here, I believe that the most important aspect of a knife is _how it feels to me_. I don't care if its Global, or Wusthof, or Sabatier, or Henckel, or Furi -- I've got knives from all of those manufacturers, and others -- if it doesn't feel right in my hand, I'm not buying.

Stupid store.


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## cacook

The way I decide if a knife is comfortable for me is to try and find someone at work that has one. Forschner seems to be the kniofe of choice at the hotel...but someone always has something you want to try. I tried my girlfriend's global and personally, It's uncomfortable for me.


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## jayme

Suzanne-
You should have cut the apple and then asked for a discount because it was "used"! LOL how absurd!

I have found that I can tell the comfort of the handle just by holding on to it for a bit. Check the grip and the weight. There wasn't even anything to cut at my local store. I always tell folks go with what ever works for you- it's your tool -it's got to be right for you. I have an inexpensive Calphalon chef's knife that I love.


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## lordofthefish

Mac Knives are so easy to keep razor sharp. Not as pretty as the others.


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## fiveiron

Global forged knives (the GF line) are fantastic. The balance I awesome. I can chop garlic (more like slicing) real fast with the 8 1/4" chefs knives because the balance is so good. The grind on the blade is perfect. The forged line is slightly heavier. 

Here is what I own
Global Forged Chef Knife 12" GF-35
Global Chef's Forged 8 1/4" GF-33
Global Forged 8" Vegetable Knife GF-36
Global Forged 6-1/4 Inch Chef Knife GF-32
Global Carving Knife 8 1/2" Forged GF-37
Global 7" Butcher's Knife Forged GF-27
Global Boning Knife 6 1/4" Forged GF-31
Global Forged 6" Utility Knife GSF-24
Global Utility Knife 4 1/2" - GSF-22
Global Forged 3" Paring Knife GSF-15
Global Bread Knife 10" G-23
Global 5 1/2" Cheese Knife GS-10
Global 10 inch Diamond Sharpening Steel G-38

Personally I think the GF line is the best knife for the money on the market.

I took a long time to try these out, and I tried many different brands. I also bought and used the 8 ¼" chefs knife before buying all the rest.

 Get the magnet strip to hold the knives it works great.

Buy Global in my opinion.


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## cacook

If they work for you that's great. I have a bunch of different knives because different types and sizes of knives require (for me at least) different handles and weights. I use my knives for 10 hours a day and pretty much the only ones I use are my 8" chefs, curved boning my scimitar if I'm doing a lot of big things. I like forschner for meat knives because of the huge handles. I have the henckels twin cuisine chefs and I'm pretty happy with it, but I feel the handle is too heavy. It keeps an edge though. I have about 200 knives, but for some reason everyone of them looks like the same chef knife. Go figure. The chefs knife seems to work for cheese, vegetables, meat, butchering, bread. Who knows? Maybe I'm just using it wrong.

I don't think anyone can give advice on what knife to buy. People can give opinions and state features, but it is ultimately up to the buyer in what knife works and feels the best to them as I'm sure has been said many times in this thread.


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## shel

Indeed. While I only cook in my own kitchen for myself and a few guests, it has turned out that I use different brands of knives for different purposes - an old Chicago Cutlery for a paring knife, Wustoff for a couple of the larger knives, some unknown brand for carving and for bread, and a very, very old Feton with a bone handle, made in England about a gazillion years ago, also for bread, and a couple of Forshners for boning.

Shel - FWIW


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## fiveiron

I agree with that. Maybe instead of saying "buy them", I should have said "try them". Some of the GF knives may not work with folks with smaller hands also. The GF have larger handles than normal. Or at least I think so. I forget that being 6'1" and 250 I can pick anything up. 

So now I say "make sure you try them" if you are looking for new knives. But you should try everything as well. Unfortunately the only real way to test anything is to use it for at least a couple of hours in action.


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## mannlicher

I agree with your feelings on carbon steel knives. Stainless can't compare. The handles on Global knives are very uncomfortable for a person with large hands. The handles just don't feel right. 
If you like stainless, the Mundial line is top notch, and attractivly priced.


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## cacook

+1 to to everything.

And also...forschners are real simple and tough knives that keep a good edge for being stainless. They are very affordable also. Judging from my observations...the most popular chef's knife in professional kitchens is forschner for the fact of what I said, and that if it gets lost/stolen...you dont have to spend a quarter of your paycheck to buy another one.


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## thefuriedge

I love my new FuriFx 514 Santoku/Chef's Knife! This knife is a joy to use. No wonder it's called the "EasyGlider"! The fusion of Eastern blade design and Western technology is unique. Not only is this knife easy on the eyes, it's easy on the hands and wrists. The wedge-shaped handle is very comfortable to hold especially when working for long periods of time this is a real plus! The high quality german steel is a very sharp cutting blade it is easy to keep sharp and easily slices through meat, vegetables and seafoods. All in all, the FuriFx 514 East/West performs better than and reduces work fatigue more than any traditional French 6" and 8'' chef's knives I have used in the past. Try one...you won't be sorry and,....the price is right! I laugh:talk: every time I pick up a global now.


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## newbiechef

seems to me that buying a knife (especially one thats really expensive) is like buying a car without test driving it.... thats just stupid... i have no real idea how expensive a quality knife costs, but i know they are WAY more expensive than the $10 knives i have... met a chef once that said he dropped $7000 (i think it was that) on a set of knives that he claimed to be mediocre... anyways, just thought id get my 2 cents in...


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## someday

I'm a big fan of the MAC line. Feel great in the hand, light weight, and they take an edge nicely and hold it even nicer. 

Give them a try sometime I'm sure a few converts will be had amongst you guys.


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## liuser22

I havent used many high end knives in my history, but after holding and testing a couple knives in my class at school i settles on wusthofs. i just love the heft and the solid cutting they provide. I didnt really like the handles on globals too much...


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## mateus1811

Hi all,

I have to agree with most on here that Global are good, but I seem to reach for my Shun ,more often than not.


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## hotchef

.. i worked all my life with 
GUSTAV EMIL ERN
DREIZACK / HENCKELS
VICTORYNOX (Switzerland)
since I have rather large hands, these dainty little japanese knifes are not for me, also their handles don't feel comfortable. that is for ME only.
sanitation laws are also changing here in Russia and we are working more and more with knives (and carving boards) that are color coded. the germans make very good knives with 'plastic' handles.
but the main thing is: do NOT listen to other opinins, before you buy, FEEL the knife, hold it by the handle and only if YOU feel comfortable buy it.YOU have to work for many years with it.
by the way you know that no chefs knife ever will go through the dishwasher, not even washed with soap. just hot water.
sharpening with a good butcher steel and maybe once a year with a sharpening stone.
my chefs knives have NEVER seen a commercial sharpening shop.
by the way: you spend a lot of money for good knives at work, spare a thought what you ahve when working /cooking at home. invest also there in 2-3 good knives!


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## ishbel

I was given a set of Sabatier knives as a wedding gift, many years ago. They are still my favourites. I have bought other makes, just to try, but have always returned to hte Sabatier. They seem to 'fit' my hand comfortably.


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## cookingwithfat

Lamson Sharp Silver Santoku. The blade is REALLY heavy and I love that. Wusthof pairing and boning.


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## mredikop

I would have to say if you are willing to pony up the cash nothing beats F. Dick knives.

A really great budget alternative is Chicago Cutlery.


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## cookingwithfat

You know, I was going to ask if anyone was using F. Dick. I love my Lamson Sharp, but have been considering trying out the F. Dick 1905 Series Santoku. The handle looks beautiful in pictures, but I have not had the chance to actually hold one. Can you say a little bit more about your experience or anyone else who has used F. Dick knives?


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## mredikop

F. Dick Knives are nice and have some weight to them. I absolutely love my 9" Competition Chef Knife which is the only knife I use for proteins anymore. My favorite Santoku is from Chicago Cutlery and I use it exclusively for fruits, veggies and starches and anything non-protein. I do not have a full set of F. Dick knives yet due to cost but one of our prep peeps does (they were a gift from her dad) and her knives feel really good in my hand. Your mileage may vary.


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## tattooed_sousie

I really love one of the Shun knives that was designed by Ken Onion. It's a Japanese styled Chef's knife with a curved blade so that it rocks. It's a perfect weight and it practically does the work for you. I think my favorite is my Wusthof 8" extra wide. It was a little hard to find, but I used another cooks one day and fell in love with it. It's got a wider blade to it and is a good bit heavier than the regular Wusthof. For dirty work like hacking up lobsters and chicken bones, I use my old Wusthof or my F. Dick. I have a wide assortment of boning, paring, and slicers! 

I really recommend getting one of those knife sharpening kits that they sell for hunting knives. You attach a part of it to the knife so you get an exact degree of sharpening. It will give you a razor sharp blade.


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## ghettoracingkid

I got what I think is a decent set of knives from my school.

I think they are mercer or chef. I like them but Ive only used crappy knives most my life 

I will admit that I have a nice serated knife that you see on the infomercials. The knife is still very sharp but it is kidna crap but it works wonders on a few things.


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## yuns555

another mac fan here.


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## slo_ted

I have a great MAC chef's knife from 1980 or so which I love, but recently I bought two Forschner Victorinox chef knives for $20 each and they are just as good so the MAC is getting a rest.


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## jannie

Wow, check around the internet for cutlery forums and you'll hear many different opinions. From what I've read, most chefs/cooks in the US use more of the Wustof/Henkles type of western knives. Personally the Global handles hurt my hand if I do much cutting, but then I tend to use the pinch grip on the blade when chopping a lot of veggies. They sure are neat looking and have great blade shapes though.

Shun would be my preference of what's been mentioned, the Santaku from many different brands is pretty popular right now but I gave my Henkels to my daughter, I just wasn't comfortable with it – you'll see a lot of the chef's on the cooking channel using them but my own experience and from what I've read, an 8" chef's knife does all of that and more, being more versatile. If you lay a Santoku knife along side a chef's knife it'll look like someone just cut of the pointy end and flattened the curve of the blade a little, with less rocker, also the Santoku usually is thinner for vegie cutting but if you're not wanting really thin cutting, i.e. a lot of the asian style of cooking, then I really don't think it makes that much difference. Go with what's comfortable and gives you confidence. 

I kind of like a 9 1/2" Japanese Guyto/chefs which is a western style (with a western grip like the Wustof's) of the Japanese blades and I just find them waaaaay sharper and thinner which works well for my own cooking and because of it, working with the knife has become a much more interesting and artistic part of my cooking. The Cuisinart food processer sits in the closet even on the big jobs simply because I'm enjoying the knife work, especially on vegies which I eat a lot of. (Yes I know, I actually like ending sentences with a preposition...I talk that way too...)

My particular Guyto is a Tojiro DP 240mm (9 1/2") which is probably the cheapest of this style of knife and yet still excellent with an amazing blade. Also, a very light knife in the hand. But I wouln't really reccommend it unless you're willing to take the time to learn how to sharpen them with a stone or some varieties of sticks. This style is also thinner and more easily damaged if you do any twisting or hitting on a bone.

If I were to continue in the kitchen with a German style chef's knife I'd choose a Wustof Classic or even more preferably, my Eberhard Schaaf Goldhamster chef's knife, much heavier than either the Japanese knife or the German Wustof, my guess would be that the Wustof chef's knives are the most popular here in the US. Personally I've had both Henkels and Wustof and there's slight bit of difference between them but not a big deal...it's all a matter of choice.

Many have found in most home kitchens that the most used knife is the 3-3 1/2" paring or something around a 4-6" utility knife, if the person isn't used to larger knives they tend to be intimidating for regular use. 

Also the Shun and Global are I believe a lot harder to sharpen and do it right. The softer steel of the German kinves is easier to use something like a steel on and for most home use it appears to me to be a good fit. 

An 8" chefs knife, 3-3 1/3" paring and a bread/slicer knife will probably take care of most needs, possibly include a 5" boning knife – myself I am learning about this still but find I use my 9 1/2" chefs/guyto and a 3 1/2" Wustof for almost everything, the chefs is so sharp I don't even bother with my bread knife anymore, matter of fact I'm not sure where I put it. 

I think a lot of people hardly ever sharpen their knives, I know I didn't until I started learning more and appreciating my knives and what I've learned to do with them more. Now I touch them up frequently, but at their dullest, they're not so radically much sharper than my old ones used to be on their best day...but not something you'd want around children.

If you're on a budjet but really want something decent, get a Wustof Classic 8" chef's knife and a Wustof Classic 3 1/2" paring and I think you can buy them in a set, the alternative would be to get the set they have with a 7" Santoku and 3" vegetable paring, also a good choice. If you're doing lots of roasts, meat etc, then get the three knife set with a 8" slicer, 8" chef's and 3 12" paring. These are a really good start which if you take care of them will probably be all you need, well maybe sometime along the line a bread slicer and boning knife, but there's so many choices, this is just a good place to start with really good quality knives. But you can get by quite well with less.

Jannie


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