Knives

LBZ_Duramax

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 18, 2011
Location
Benson, NC
I’m getting more into smoking/cooking in general. I’m to the point I’d like a couple nice kitchen knives. Not looking to spend $1000 on one knife but want something better than the average Walmart special.

Who’s got suggestions?


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Take a look at a Wusthof Classic knife set. German made, excellent knives. We got a set similar to the below linked 7 piece set when we got married 15 years ago, and they have held up to daily use beautifully. They feel good in the hand and are a pleasure to use, plus they hold an edge well. You can get larger or smaller sets based on what you intend to do with them. My sister in law bought the bigger Wusthof block with a few knives and is filling in the block as she gets more into cooking and decides exactly what she wants.

Wusthof Classic Knife Block Set, 7 Piece, Acacia | Cutlery and More
 
LBZ_Duramax said:
I’m getting more into smoking/cooking in general. I’m to the point I’d like a couple nice kitchen knives. Not looking to spend $1000 on one knife but want something better than the average Walmart special.

Who’s got suggestions?


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Click to expand...

I bought a large chefs knife and a slicer at the restaurant supply store on Hwy70 outside Clayton ( just across from D&J Cycle) ~ $25 each, Dexter brand decent quality and nice sized to do the job.
https://www.amazon.com/Basics-P9481..._n_feature_five_browse-bin:5616183011&sr=8-55
https://www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russe...p_n_feature_five_browse-bin:5616183011&sr=8-2
 
X2 on the Wusthof Classic. Got a 20 piece block set (including 8 steak knives. Good purchase, been real happy with them (appx 2 years old). They seemed to have the better reviews.
 
RADA. Our local cub scouts / boy scouts sell them for fundraising, not sure who else does, but they are good.
 
Blkvoodoo said:
I bought a large chefs knife and a slicer at the restaurant supply store on Hwy70 outside Clayton ( just across from D&J Cycle) ~ $25 each, Dexter brand decent quality and nice sized to do the job.
https://www.amazon.com/Basics-P94810-Slicer-Polypropylene-Handle/dp/B004NEW7YQ/ref=sr_1_55?dchild=1&keywords=dexter+knife&qid=1609558807&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin:5616183011&sr=8-55
https://www.amazon.com/Dexter-Russell-Cutlery-31601-We-1-P94802/dp/B0015AFZ7W/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=dexter+knife&qid=1609558923&refinements=p_n_feature_five_browse-bin:5616183011&sr=8-2
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That's a restaurant grade knife. Not a thing wrong with it from a durability standpoint, but it isn't exactly what most would consider a "nice knife". It's more utilitarian than anything else. It's made to be easy to clean primarily, and its made to a price point. Of course it comes down to philosophy of use, but I would get something nicer than that if I was looking for a "nice knife".
 
Roughshod said:
That's a restaurant grade knife. Not a thing wrong with it from a durability standpoint, but it isn't exactly what most would consider a "nice knife". It's more utilitarian than anything else. It's made to be easy to clean primarily, and its made to a price point. Of course it comes down to philosophy of use, but I would get something nicer than that if I was looking for a "nice knife".
Click to expand...

Expensive knives are great if YOU are the one that takes care of them, wife and kid, even though they don’t use them, or even clean them have no care about how they are stored or cared for, spending big money isn’t gonna happen.
 
tobaccoroad4wd said:
I’ve had Chicago cutlery, wusthof, JA Henkel’s, cheapie Walmart brand, and a few custom made knives. Honestly, I really like my henkel’s. But, no knife will last if you don’t care for it.
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I have a pair of (Target purchased) Henkel large and small chef knives, they have been great, and hone well, it’s time to actually sharpen, I might kill them...
they live on a magnet bar on side of cabinet above kitchen sink, not expensive, so wasn’t real worried about handling by wife. She commented today that the smaller one cut better than it has in awhile, i steeled it the other day when I used it.
 
Blkvoodoo said:
“You’ll loose a finger kid....”
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They're the sharpest knives I've ever held in my hand. Which is safer - I'm scared about taking care of them! Even at the sale prices, it's astounding. I don't think I'll ever have to buy another set of knives... :)
 
Shun and Miyabi both make very good knives for a competitive price to Wusthof/Henkels, so they're also good value brands to throw in the ring. I have some Wustof and Henkels but never really use them anymore because I've come to prefer the the slimness and lightness of the Japanese styles. It's all personal preference, and they're all perfectly good quality.
Also Global, but Global are a little polarizing for aesthetics and ergonomics. MAC and Tojiro are also awesome brands.

Really any of the good quality mass produced brands will work very well and be good value. Start slow, figure out what you like and what you use the most, what knife styles you enjoy using (or ones that you never reach for), and after you figure all of that out you can spend a shitload of money to upgrade to the high-end stuff if you choose. That was my plan, but I still haven't upgraded to anything fancy because the not-fancy stuff I have works great.

Also, think first before buying a big set of knives in a block; most people only use half of them (or less) depending on the size of the set. It's not a good deal if you only use a few of them, because it's usually cheaper to just buy those few, or to spend the same amount and buy better quality for those few. If you can find a 4-piece (or whatever) set with just the basics, might be a good deal though.
 
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Henkel knives are what a lot of my culinary friends swear by. The set I bought my mom for Christmas 13,14 years ago have yet needed sharpening. I was over at her house Christmas last year slicing potatoes thinking to myself "holy crap".
 
Down the rabbit hole....
First you need to handle and use a Japanese and a German knife.
They fell totally different in hand and you have to cut with them different. (Push vs press/pull)
Once you decide which style you want then you can get into brand selection
 
Like Ron said, German (Henkels is what I’ve had for years) vs Japanese knives are totally different. I have both and like both for different reasons. I even have a couple cheap ass wal mart knives that I never use because, well, they are junk. I even have a few large random knives from Agri Supply and others that work well for things like cutting watermelons, etc.

I rarely take out the Japanese knives because I like the Henkels knives better for general use. Henkels are reasonably affordable, easy to use, easy to take care of, and hold an edge reasonably well. They take some time to get a nice edge on but if you hone them each use, hold the edge pretty well.

knife sets are easy to buy but rarely have everything you want. I’d say to grab a couple chef knives and several others to suite your needs. You’ll spend less $ as you focus your purchase on just what you want and need and not on less useful knives.
 
Let's back up to the intended use/purpose here.
Do you need a whole set, or just one or two really good ones?

I have a buddy that hand makes knives from scratch. Starts w raw bar, hand makes the handles, etc.
Wife paid him to make one two years ago, after this I'll take it over a commercial set any day. Holds the edge very well.
It's a different kind of route, there are lots of options for handmade.

Keep in mind too that a good kitchen knife, used as it should, should basically never need to be sharpened. Honed, yes, just to push the edge back into place, but never re-edged.
You think about it, what would you ever use an edge on in a kitchen where the material would be harder then the metal that the blade is made out of? Unless you toss it into the sink, or drop it on a tile floor, or use it to scrape out an iron pan (cringe!) there's just nothing that would actually damage a blade. Just hone it occasionally.
 
RatLabGuy said:
You think about it, what would you ever use an edge on in a kitchen where the material would be harder then the metal that the blade is made out of? Unless you toss it into the sink, or drop it on a tile floor, or use it to scrape out an iron pan (cringe!) there's just nothing that would actually damage a blade. Just hone it occasionally.
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Agreed, but with kids and a wife, I’ve seen my good knives get used to cut cheese on a granite counter top.

let’s just say I’m surprised I’m still married after that incident. :lol:
 
I've had a Cangshan S1 Chefs knife since 2015. It's made of the same steel as my Wüstof 5 inch Santoku knife and has held up to daily use.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Unless you toss it into the sink, or drop it on a tile floor, or use it to scrape out an iron pan (cringe!) there's just nothing that would actually damage a blade. Just hone it occasionally.
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I think every "good" knife we own has notches in the edge.


Blkvoodoo said:
bought a large chefs knife and a slicer at the restaurant
Click to expand...
The pros I know swear by cheap supply house knives and periodic professional sharpening.
 
RatLabGuy said:
Let's back up to the intended use/purpose here.
Do you need a whole set, or just one or two really good ones?

I have a buddy that hand makes knives from scratch. Starts w raw bar, hand makes the handles, etc.
Wife paid him to make one two years ago, after this I'll take it over a commercial set any day. Holds the edge very well.
It's a different kind of route, there are lots of options for handmade.

Keep in mind too that a good kitchen knife, used as it should, should basically never need to be sharpened. Honed, yes, just to push the edge back into place, but never re-edged.
You think about it, what would you ever use an edge on in a kitchen where the material would be harder then the metal that the blade is made out of? Unless you toss it into the sink, or drop it on a tile floor, or use it to scrape out an iron pan (cringe!) there's just nothing that would actually damage a blade. Just hone it occasionally.
Click to expand...

I definitely don't want to bother with a knife block. We dont need anything else to sit on the counter. I had a "nicer" set in the past and it was 50% knives I never used. I'm mainly looking for a knife to cut our meats and such with and also one that is smaller to cut the vegetables with. I have bigger bread knives and other random ones on the rare occasion we actually need them./
 
I had to go look this up.
My sister is a kitchen gadget/knife/appliance snob and used to sell cutco knives through college.

She was bragging about this knife at Christmas ..its supposedly a hybrid german/japanese knife/...i havent used it but she said its her fave and she has a couple that cost multiples of this. So this isnt a recomendation from me just something to check out.

www.macknife.com

Professional Series 8" Chef's Knife with Dimples (MTH-80)

The MTH-80 is our most popular knife for everyday use. The 8" length is the most commonly used size in both the home and professional kitchen. With standard features of our Professional series, the thin 2.5mm blade and bolster allows this knife to easily cut, slice, and dice almost any food...
www.macknife.com
 
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