# Good chef's knife for home



## affar (Sep 27, 2013)

Hi all,

I am looking for a good chef's knife for home use, I have stumbled across many good-reviewed knifes but couldn't decide upon three:

- MAC MTH-80 MAC Mighty Chef 8" with dimples

- Global Chef's Knife

- Wusthof Classic

I know the price range for those little bit skew, but it is a long term investment. 

So any suggestion? or any other knife that will suite home use other than those?


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## mortenhj (Mar 30, 2013)

If you are decided on one of those three, I would go for the MAC, but why 8" -- 10" is better -- and why dimples? A 10" knife is a lot more versatile than an 8", and the dimples don't do much good -- if any. They do, however, weaken the edge.


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## denverveggienut (Mar 8, 2012)

If for some reason, you can only pick between those three, then I'd say go for the MAC, definitely. The Global has an unusual handle. Some people like 'em, some people find them quite uncomfortable. I personally find them uncomfortable. The Wusthof has at least one feature that would make it a no-go for me, and that's the full bolster/finger guard. See how it extends all the way down to the edge of the blade? Well, if you try to sharpen around it, after a couple of sharpenings, you'll see daylight if you place the blade down on  the board, because finger guard will be unchanged. It only gets worse, and you end of with part of the blade not hitting the board. It needs to be ground down. That's definitely do-able, but why buy a problem when this knife doesn't have much else to recommend it? German steel tends to be all very similar. Pretty soft, doesn't hold an edge particularly well, doesn't take a particularly sharp edge, but is very resistant to chipping and rusting.


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## galley swiller (May 29, 2013)

Form needs to follow function here.  Before any of us advise you, we should know something about how you cook, what you tend to prepare.and what you think you want to do in the future.

I will also give a strong bias towards your looking into how you intend to keep your knives sharp.  I think it might have been Boar_d_Laze ("BDL") who said that "Knife use is all about knife sharpness and knife sharpness is all about knife sharpening".

Just buying a new knife will be transitory in value, if you don't have a way to properly sharpen it.  The finest quality new knife, if dull, is a lot less useful. difficult to use and more dangerous than a lower-quality steel blade which has been kept sharp.

It would well be worth your while to look up some of BDL's old posts, especially about what questions he has asked prospective first-time buyers - and to also look up his posts on sharpenings.

Galley Swiller


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## soesje (Dec 6, 2012)

I disagree on the german knives above with denverveggienut's comments.

steels in the 58 rockwell scale are not particularly soft...

germans are hard to sharpen....takes some experience.

but once sharp they do keep their edge well, of course don't compare it to carbon steel....its an entirely different beastie.

I always advice, if possible, go to a shop and ask if you can try out a few knives.

get a feel, hows it in your hand, does it fit your technique, not too heavy etc.


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## kokopuffs (Aug 4, 2000)

*Sabatier Nogent*. I really prefer them to my Henckels purchased in '76. Henckels back then was manufactured very heavy and with a bolster that has very sharp and therefore uncomfortable corners. Sabatier's bolsters are well rounded; their edges take and hold a sharper edge than the German stuff. Otherwise I'd settle for a Froschner although with its stainless blade, sharpening is a pita and I do use a few Froschners on occasion as they were given to me.


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## carole craine (Sep 29, 2013)

HOCHO Knife


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## dave kinogie (Feb 16, 2013)

Damn it man, I had the Richmond Artifex Wa-Gyuto in my cart since this morning and went to pay and it errored out and took it out of my cart because it sold out sometime between this morning and just now. Sorry for hijacking but this didn't seem like a new thread worthy post, so incredibly pissed and disappointed right now though. Why didn't I just order it this morning?


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## kitchen beast (Apr 12, 2011)

consider it a blessing in disguise


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## dave kinogie (Feb 16, 2013)

kitchen beast said:


> consider it a blessing in disguise


I guess lol. I really wanted that knife, especially at that price, really sweet value knife. Oh well, just had to manically spazz on the internet or I was gonna do something stupid, like order another Shun. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/drinkbeer.gif


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## Iceman (Jan 4, 2011)

The _"Richmond Artifex Wa-Gyuto"_ is a beautiful knife, at a great price. I would recommend this knife to the OP in a second.





  








chefknivestogo_2271_78347612




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Iceman


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Sep 30, 2013


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## chrisbelgium (Oct 2, 2010)

Affar, get yourself a Fujiwara FKM, here often called an "entry" level knife. Sounds a little denigrating but I call it myself the best buy for little money and I have many other reasons (read; knives) to do so. Very light and agile, perfect profile, can take some serious abuse, not too difficult to sharpen yourself. If I would have to choose to keep one knife, this would be it, together with a whetstone King 1000/6000, equally a very no-nonsense product. I frequently use this 210 mm, bought it from JCK;





  








mosselsVenkelRoom2.jpg




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chrisbelgium


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Aug 31, 2013


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## dhmcardoso (Apr 29, 2013)

Galley Swiller said:


> Form needs to follow function here. Before any of us advise you, we should know something about how you cook, what you tend to prepare.and what you think you want to do in the future.
> 
> I will also give a strong bias towards your looking into how you intend to keep your knives sharp. I think it might have been Boar_d_Laze ("BDL") who said that "Knife use is all about knife sharpness and knife sharpness is all about knife sharpening".
> 
> ...


I agree with GS and BDL, but I would go further though. Imagine that you are not buying a knife, you are buying excellent cutting performance (ok, there are knife enthusiasts that are just looking for a new good knife. Just because WE want it!). So you are not looking for one knife, you are actually looking for the tripod KNIFE, SHARPENING AND CUTTING BOARD (no glass for the love of God).
On your exemples, it doenst matter getting a Mac and cannot maintain its shapness. In this situation, and considering you have restricted budget, go for a cheaper knife, such as the artiflex o fujiwara, and acquire a watherstone set (learn how to sharpen) and a end grain or edge grain cutting board.
There are some combo stones that will fit to your need on a low cost.

Daniel


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## dave kinogie (Feb 16, 2013)

Have to agree with all 4 above takes. Nothing wrong with getting a lower level entry type do it all performer, it's actually the best way to go unless you have a big budget to splurge all at once. Get a knife like the Tojiro DP, the Fujiwara FKM or the Richmond Artifex. Get a set of stones, a good honing rod such as a moderately priced ceramic and a good cutting board. And truthfully, these entry level knives are often and probably just are better then, or just as good as the 3 you listed above. Get yourself one of the plethora of very good cheaper parers or thin blade petty's if you like something with more length as well. I wouldn't obsess spending a lot on one of them though unless you have disposable income and just want one that's more aesthetically pleasing. Personally, there is very little I don't do with my chef knife.

Maybe you already have a good cutting board and/or smaller knife and if so that's great cause you're ahead of the game, so then the knife and some stones will run you the same a one expensive knife.

I personally don't even have stones myself right now and regret it, although I had a friend I could give them to sharpen mine, but this month I'll finally be investing in a good beginners set.

You can always upgrade or just add to your collection with something really nice and expensive down the road, for now I'd agree with others though. And truthfully the ones you list above aren't even that expensive depending on model, so if money isn't super tight and for whatever reason you really want the Global or Mac(why dimples though lol?), get that, but still get stones.

I'm no expert though. In fact I'm super low on the food chain of true knife knowledge, but these guys know their stuff, I've lurked a lot on this and other forums, especially keep an open ear for Boar Da Gawd.


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## pahi53 (Jul 13, 2013)

For crying out loud, check out Amazon, Macy's or Target. Don't get hooked into the "Really" expensive knives. One of the best Chef Knife that I am using now is the Kershaw 8 " High Carbon Steel (AUS 6A) Hardness 55-57. Holds a terrific edge and easy to sharpen. "The Tool is only good with the Mechanics Skill." /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


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## dave kinogie (Feb 16, 2013)

pahi53 said:


> For crying out loud, check out Amazon, Macy's or Target. Don't get hooked into the "Really" expensive knives. One of the best Chef Knife that I am using now is the Kershaw 8 " High Carbon Steel (AUS 6A) Hardness 55-57. Holds a terrific edge and easy to sharpen. "The Tool is only good with the Mechanics Skill." /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif


Honestly none of the ones he listed are that expensive in the grand scheme of things and you can find the Tojiro and Fujiwara as cheap as around $65 bucks each and they're really great knives in functionality and feel. The Artifex is only $75 and CKTG has a nice set with a knife roll and the Idahone ceramic rod for $105, which is a great deal if you have nowhere better to store your knives or take them with you to friends houses and the such if you're home cook.

Lastly, why not get hooked into expensive knives lol? If you have the money to burn, there are much worse vices you can find then a $700 to $1400 collection of awesome knives haha. I'm not advocating it, hell I'd love to but don't have the money to have a truly sick collection while also having the other kitchen essentials, nor the sharpening skills, tools or experience at this point to take care of them right, but it's a pretty fun hobby, err... obsession... for some. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif


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