I haven't seen a dedicated thread yet, so why not? I am fascinated by high quality, high craftsmanship knives; especially Japanese style. I'll probably be buying a knife every month or two, usually in the $100-300 range. I've been using my Hattori HD series gyuto/chef's knife on the line for 4 months now and its still superbly sharp, nick and chip free - but I take extremely good care of it. Its a VG-10, Damascus knife with great edge retention, if I feel it start to dull a few passes on a ceramic honing blade and its good as new. Came out of the box very well sharpened, an even grind the whole length of the blade. Definitely recommend the Hattori HD series for home use as well as a general line knife, though as a Japanese knife can be a bit more delicate. Have questions about knife care? Need recommendations? Got any great knives - Devin Thomas, Bob Kramer? Then convince me to pull the trigger on one! Stock pic here, will take a camera to work one day soon: Image Unavailable, Please Login
Tonight, ordered a Shiki tsuchime Damascus santoku. Should have it with in a week. Updates to come! Image Unavailable, Please Login
I've managed to collect a few over the years. The best one I have is a $10 Japanese Cleaver I picked up a while back. Here's a couple of pics from the makers website of the ones I purchased. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Wusthof Classic Ikon Creme for me in the kitchen. Enough custom knives (Bowies, fighters, boot knives, folding knife) to keep that itch scratched. Taz Terry Phillips
Just don't anybody say "Cutco".... boy did I get a bill of goods from a well-intentioned 20yo friend of the family trying to earn her way to a trip abroad. JUNK. EXPENSIVE JUNK. Jedi
Whichever one fits your hand the best. Knives are a HUGE pet peeve of mine. If you dont know how to sharpen them, or keep them sharp it's just a useless hunk of metal occupying space in a block or drawer. I used to get quite upset at work when I saw line cooks using dull blades. I would rather be cut by a sharp blade than a dull one. Knowing the difference between a knife sharpener and a steel is key. I have seen people stroke a steel 50 times and call it good. The best knife I have ever owned/still use for over 15 years is this one....best multi-purpose tool ever. ($27.00) Image Unavailable, Please Login
My biggest cutlery pet peeve is watching someone scrape food off of a cutting board by dragging the edge of the knife across it. AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhh!!!
I won't argue with that. Fingernails across a chalkboard for me to. holding a knife by it's handle and not making full use of the tang, bolster and heel gets on my nerves too. Accident waiting to happen.
http://www.chefknivestogo.com/hasakn.html I have been wanting this knife for a while. Still havent pulled the trigger, however.
I've got a few. Bunch of Henkels, a few Shun and some peasant Chef's knife I ordered when another knife thread popped up here. The Henkels and Shun are nice knives but the cheap peasant knife that is carbon steel blows them all away.
Check this one out, Ken Onion by Shun 8- inch Chefs Knife. Great balance.http://www.amazon.com/Onion-Shun-DM0500-8-Inch-Chefs/dp/B0007IR2MO
Let me know how that one works out! Beautiful knife. Lot's of sweet Japanese steel on that site. I think I'll be using that in the future. My main set is a Twin Cuisine Henckels but I've just been getting into knives and picked up an 8" Shun Edo and love it.
That is very pretty and the large knife, which looks like it was designed for rope cutting contests, looks interesting, too. I like knives with integral bolster and butt. That is what attracted me to the Classic Ikon series, plus I like ivory colored scales. Taz Terry Phillips Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I have a set of the Shun Elite's and love them. Been using them for a couple years now and much better then anything else i've tried.
I was actually in training for that job for a day. Notice I said for a day. lol its always funny listening to people who have worked in restaurants before. I did it for 4.5 years so I know exactly what you guys are talking about.
Some pretty knives here. I have one knife from Japan - a thick, heavy and razor sharp "deba" that goes through fish or chicken carcasses like butter. Bought it from a tiny knife stand in Tsukiji fish market, shop owner spent about 10 minutes hand sharpening it to an incredible edge before wrapping it for the trip home. Filleting giant tuna at Tsukiji is done with a 6' long samurai sword. My everyday knives are a 20 yr old set of hard working Sabatiers or a cheap Chinese cleaver. Would like to have a nice samurai sword someday (not a JSW sword at ~$10k, just a decent one), but the USD/JPY exchange is making real Japanese blades even more expensive. http://jalopnik.com/5782082/the-strange-link-between-samurai-swords-and-japans-nuclear-reactors Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Love the look and steel of those Japanese knives, but I still cant get past the blade profiles -- I went with the Shun just because I want an 8" chef's knife with a French profile, not a flat chopper like a santoku. Of course, I'm sure that I could just learn how to use the various Japanese blades properly...
I'm still using the knifes I owned in Culinary school... Trident Wustoff... they last for ever, if you take care of them I have a couple of japanese knifes and again you have to take care of them. Keeping your knife sharp is the best thing to learn... then you can keep any of them cutting well.
I knew a guy that used to sharpen spoons when he got board. I tried it once.....he must of just quit smoking.
Tom- Mine are new and replaced some Chicago Cutlery and Russell knives, all stamped instead of forged and machined like the Wusthofs. Glad to hear they last forever. After every use, the new ones get a few strokes on the fine steel and get sharper every time as the edge is straightened and polished. Taz Terry Phillips
Just bought a ceramic knife because of the novelty. However, it dulled quickly (contrary to its claims) and just doesn't have the same weight when cutting. I quickly went back to my tried and true stainless steel. Just a thought, I know I should get a knife sharpener, but I learned from my parents to sharpen my cleavers on the driveway with a bit of water wetted down. Does anyone else do this? Or should I stop for my neighbors sake.