[Dillbert]

methinks there's a very basic difference in philosophy here.

I am aware you like to keep your knives sharp enough to cleave any given fish scale into outer, inner and middle layers.
most common folk chefs just don't go that far. there is a professional sub-group that does need such capability.

and, as you say, the edge does not last.
I would point out: neither the handle nor the user's hand is likely to change as fast as the cutting edge.
"...these knives all come with great handles. The handles are all extremely well fitted and properly contoured for the widest possible group of hand sizes and grips"
this statement I cannot agree with. well fitted, quality fit & finish is wonderful and good - it is expected in a good knife. the question is: it fits, it don't fits.

and as for the shoes, neither the user's hand or the handle is going to "break in" - it fits, it don't fits.

what handles? oh dear, some surfing required......
Wusthof alone sells
classic
classic ikon
culinar
grand prix II
the handles / designs are not similar.

I submit that the knife that works out "best" is one the user is comfortable using - that may even prompt the user to keep it sharp.
an awkward twenty five million yen Japanese finest steel finest edge honed to one angstrom width is utterly useless if the user finds it hard to hold / employ.

getting first hands on a knife is not a crock. a not tall person trying to rock a ten inch chefs knife and smashing their wrist into their nose to get the handle end high enough to rock _should_ realize the shape / size of the knife does not complement the shape of themself. and their six foot two trusted recommending buddy is not likely to be aware of such a thing.

in my experience I have found people with short fingers like the "more round" handles as opposed to the Wusthof classic flat style. long fingers wrapped around a round is apparently not as comfortably controllable - and short fingers that strain to get wrapped around the full depth of the handle feels "not controlled" - pick a guest and start asking! everybody gets an opinion!

...But it's made of steel that will not hold an edge at all well.

I contend for us usual and common chefs that need a sharp knife, short of trisecting fish scales, any of the good quality knives will do just fine.
perfect metallurgy does not a perfect knife make.
if the user chooses not to take care of the knives or refuses to sharpen or cause them to be sharpened, no brand is any good.
oops, there's always Cutco......

[jerry i h]

Note to OP:
As you can tell, there is little universal agreement; this is actually a good thing. What is right, is what is right for YOU. Do not let anyone bully you into believing something that is contrary to your personal experience (e.g. culinary instructor, famous celebrity chef, shift manager, or -ahem- online blogger).

For me, for example, these are my personal, minority opinions that will never change no matter what you say or who you are:
-I HATE GLOBAL KNIVES. I have two of them. The blade is great, but the handle is 100% metal. When doing fish or chicken or meat, my hands get really slippery, slimey, oily, and these knives start to slip and slide, posing a safety hazard.
-I HATE GERMAN KNIVES. I prefer French ones, because the bow of the blade is usually greater, and the rocking-chopping motion becomes easier.
-BLADES DO NOT MATTER-HANDLE DOES. For me, the correct hand position is with my thumb and forefinger on the other side of the bolster. I will use this type of hold to decide if a knife is comfortable; trust me, this is important if your job is to prep 6 cases of vegetables.

[boar_d_laze]

Originally Posted by jerry i h

I HATE GERMAN KNIVES. I prefer French ones, because the bow of the blade is usually greater, and the rocking-chopping motion becomes easier.

You've got it backwards Jerry. French style chef's knives have less belly and less arc on the edge than their German counterparts. That is, French chef's knives are more triangle cut from a rectangle, and German knives a triangular section of an oval. Another difference is the shape of the bolster -- German style bolsters are squarish and sort of streamlined and flow into the finger-guard. French bolsters are either sort of elongated and tubular leading into a discrete finger-guard or just a finger-guard alone (for instance, the martinet-forged knives made for the Canadian market) which was formed in the initial forging process, rather than added later..

As to rock-chopping, if you do it two handed as most people mean by the term, the arc of the belly doesn't make a whole lot of difference since the palm of your off-hand steadies the knife on it's tip -- the actual fulcrum. Even a Chinese vegetable cleaver or a flat-edged santoku will work. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that each blade shape has pluses and minuses. On a flat blade, the handle doesn't need to be raised as high, but a curved blade generates a lot more power -- plus a shearing action.

Most of us trained to use knives for European cuisines use a certain amount of shear one way or the other. Typically, the cook lifts the knife off the board and chops with the point slightly down; as the blade starts to hit the board, (s)he shears it down and slides it slightly forward at the same time. The action is a lot like the piston and articulated connecting rod on a steam locomotive. It's extremely accurate with the classic cuts like alumette, baton, batonet, and julienne, dice, fine dice, and brunois -- none of which are doable with a two hand rock chop. It's also silent -- as opposed to the tap, tap, tap, of a pure chop. Silence was a big thing when and where I learned.

I prefer French chef's knives as well; and all my current chef's knives are Sabatier. I have one 12" K-Sabatier, one 10" K-Sabatier, one 10" "antique" style "Canadian" K-Sabatier -- all purchased new in the early seventies (the antique and a matching slicer were gifts from my first chef at the Blue Fox in San Francisco); and one 7" "Nogent" style, Thiers-Issard Elephant Sabatier from the famous "warehouse" discovery, which I purchased from The Best Things about a year ago. I love them all.

The 10" K-Sab and the 7" Nogent are in my daily-use block by my board. The 12" is my "lobster cracker," on my mag-bar; and the antique is with my daughter in Rohnert Park getting abused.

BDL

[MaryB]

I find the fibrox handles on my Forschners to be very comfortable. My 10 inch chefs gets used daily and holds a reasonable edge. The boning knife is one of the best I have ever used, it also works well on filleting fish.

[RPMcMurphy]

Thats the problem I have with the Japanese Chef's knives .com and some other online places....

I want to feel/hold a knife before I buy it...

with there was a storefront reseller...right now i'm limited to global, shun, wusthoff, henkel for the most part.

[boar_d_laze]

RPM,

There are quite a few places in NYC for you to play with a wide range of Japanese knives -- nearly everything JCK sells. Not only that but most of them will give you a lot more help and expertise than you could get almost anywhere else. You're covered. The problem lies with people who don't have access to the places with real cutlery stores, who are limited to BB&B, Sur Le Table, Macy's, and Williams Sonoma.

BDL

PS. Check out Korin first. Korin - Fine Japanese Tableware and Chef Knives Then, Japanese Knives And Restaurant Supplies

[JustPeachy]

I'd suggest the Wusthoff classic. My mom was given a set about 50 years ago from a family member who brought them straight from Germany for her and to this day they can do everything as if they were new. She regularly sharpens them and doesn't store them in a drawer which is key to maintaining the sharp edge.

I also own Wusthoff Classic which I chose because of my experience using them growing up and even after holding a bunch of other brands, including a shun. The Shun knives were very very comfortable, or they were for the short time I held them, but I decided to go with the tried and true.

My personal feelings are that it can't hurt to go to a store and hold all the knives and chop some celery, but that shouldn't be what you solely base your decision on. Chances are after culinary school you will have a much much better idea of the brand of knives you prefer and can always buy new ones if you decide the ones you have no longer suit you. Think of the knives you buy for culinary school your "test drive" set. You'll have ample opportunity to try out different knives and techniques to ultimately make the best "lifetime" decision after school.

Also, wusthoff.com has a short movie that shows you the basics of sharpening knives on a block and a sharpening steel.

Good luck, let us know what you decide! Best of luck in culinary school, send us your favorite recipes!