# KNives, knives, knives.



## rblum (Jul 14, 2005)

I am in need of a knife set, for a while i was debating a career change, then realized i just needed a job change. Well, now I need my knife set. What brands do you all prefer. I like the feel of the chroma handles, but am a big fan of the hatori knives(although they are a bit expensive) Looking for kives that are weighty, comfortable(I do 98%of my prep for my dishes), and hold an egde. Suggetsions?


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

Wusthof are perfectly weighted knifes and that are made from incredible stainless steel, and hold an incredibly sharp edge for a very very long time. Just make sure that you use your steel enough, and they will last you a lifetime. I would not trade mine for anything.


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## adamm (Jul 16, 2005)

My knife kit has a combo between wusthof and forchner knives. While i dont have a chef knife in a forchener i think i would like it alot.


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

Forschner are nice, I just personally dont like the way they are weighted.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

wustof, heinkel, global and a ceramic knife....
boning knife is wustof, heinkel others, global was a gift from Cheftalk, ceramic is a wonderful wonderful toy that makes me smile....then of course cheap plastic handled birds beaks, inexpensive serated bread knife....I've not noticed a big difference between the exp. ones and the $11 from Target.


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

How did you get a knife gift from ChefTalk!?


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

I talk well and ask pertinent questions to guest chefs.


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## chefclaycollins (Jul 27, 2002)

Any one have an opinion on Shun Kershaw knives?

I've used a global G5 for 10 years now with a smile, I'm sure I will for another 10. Wustof are great, but I have not tried many of the newer brands to form an opinion at this point in time.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

love heinkels lifetime warantee....used it to replace broken knives....don't ask, it wasn't pretty.


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

Wusthof have a lifetime guarantee also!


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## arkboynko (Aug 31, 2007)

I'm all about the WHustoffs.... they are all over the place but excellent knives.


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## drac (Aug 27, 2007)

Have you considered custom knives? 

My other hobby is knife making. While my skills wouldn't be up to it there are dozens of full-time makers that can make a beautiful set. I'm not saying that the professional makers' knives will be cheap but any good maker will have a warrantee and you get what you want in both feel & looks.

Jim


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## yanty (Sep 2, 2007)

The only bad knife is a blunt one.

All the brands mentioned are good. I've got Mundial, Wusthof, Victorinox, Sabatier, F Dick, and some no name $1 jobs. Each is good in there own way.


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## -cp (Aug 22, 2007)

I use Kershaw Shun knives and love em' ... they are sharper than the German brands....

Here's a good video on Shun by Alton Brown:


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

It is impossible for the sharpness of a Shun and any German knife to be implicated against each other. For the TINY TINY TINY bit of extra sharpness that the shun may have over say a Wusthof, I will take the QUALITY of a German knife. Just because Alton used them and endorses them, doesnt mean that Torrie is going to use them.


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## -cp (Aug 22, 2007)

Wasn't trying to make you go straight into defensive mode.. I never said German knives are bad - in fact a lot of them are really great..

However, because Shun do have 16-degree edge compared to 22-degree's on the German knives, they are sharper - that's not a slam, just the way it is... I've used my shuns over 2 years now and am just now considering sending them out to be sharpened...


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## chefclaycollins (Jul 27, 2002)

True, but what it really amounts to is how the knife feels in your hand. What is good for you may not be for me. It is nice to see so many choices now, because back in the day the wustof/henkels was about it and most of them were not really comfortable for my hands. Its good to see some good quality knives that come in all shapes and sizes.

Cool video/infomercial, thanks for passing it along.


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

Well, my Wustof's can trough a slice of paper like nothing, so its good enough for me, German knifes also hold their edges longer. Ill stick my German Forgery.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

ditto....well, and the ceramic toy.


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## coregonus (Aug 10, 2007)

Well, they are not meant to be compared by other reasons. Japanese and German makers traditionally use different types of steel and forging techniques. Japanese blades are definitely designed for different moves and cuts. They, undoubtedly, can hold sharper edge (especially single-beveled) and perform better in slicing and breaking. Also, they are not easy to take care of. And western knives beat them in multitasking and body endurance. Plus, European mass production whales (Wusthoff, Henckels, Messermeister) keep quality on good level. Japanese knife, you rather choose among others, most definitely is hand-forged and more expensive. 

Bottom line: Can't compare tiger to lion - they never hunt on same turf. There is only one situation, undisputed winner can be determined among two of them. It's when one knife wasn't sharpened properly.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

funny story....last year I'm directing Jeff Starr from Napa on a demo stage...
we both use Heinkel boning knives as our primary knife. At the end we are both looking for our knives and find a wood handled one and a flat plastic one. Neither of us remembers which is which (I've got both wood and plastic).....so he says he can tell which is his because it'd be dull....nope I hadn't sharpened mine either. He preferred the wood and I prefer the plastic...divied them up and went on our ways.....

The ceramic knife is a gem, it's razor sharp....has kept that edge and SLICES ripe tomatoes without effort....I use it mainly on vegetables. The guys in the kitchen know that it's not the knife to borrow....they break it they buy me a new one and it wasn't cheap.


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## adamm (Jul 16, 2005)

I was watching a show the other night and the person on that said they had titanium knives and he said they were very sharp. Does any one own or know anything about titanium knives?


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## cheftorrie (Jun 23, 2006)

The Sharpness difference is irrelevant. Any Quality knife can not be that much different than any other quality knife...


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## coregonus (Aug 10, 2007)

It takes Mozart to play one string. Rest of people either invent or use. Like me, using 10" Wusthoff so long it feels as fingertip. You just can't start hating your own fingertips! 
But Hattori (do not confuse with Tarantino movie) makes me singing. And qUALITY Fujiwara is still under $100. IMHO, "Quality" Fujiwara (over $500) is good for Iron Chef Stadium. Put time on it and it will snap in your overachieving linesman's hands. Chip on bone or plastic board. Unless you love good stuff.. The way it sings..or jingles..then you feel that ceramic should be used for handles only..

C


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## coregonus (Aug 10, 2007)

Not as good as steel, stainless or high carbon. Easy to wash and make pictures, though. 

C


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## coregonus (Aug 10, 2007)

Just right attitude! I buy them new toys to keep mine safe. I wish I could buy separate washer for good ones (knives) :lol:

Knife that DON'T go thru the skin of ripe tomato without effort needs sharpening! 

C


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## cookitup (Sep 12, 2007)

I think what ever feels good in the hand for each individual is what they should go for, personally I've never picked up a sharp japanese knife apart from brand new, it seems either the chefs I've come across who were using them didn't treat them right or they're hard to keep sharp. Personally I go with victorinox, nice weight, not too expensive and easy to keep sharp (a lick of the stone every week). I have one henkel and a wushtof too both great knives aswell.


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## usingtheforce (Sep 18, 2007)

Basically, I think that it comes down to: what, specifically, are you using the knives for? How much time are you willing to spend sharpening and maintaining them? Is durability of the blade more important than the edge it can take? Personally, I use a Kershaw Shun Pro Deba Knife 8 1/4" for most applications, and assorted Henkels Four- Star Knives for mostly anything else, including my cleaver; my scimitar and slicer are Mundial; and I also go for the dollar-store serrated knives.... Why not?


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