Recommendations for a Knife Set

[dspiel]

Hi guys,

I recently had my knife set stolen from my car and Im looking to buy a new set. Im pretty sure i want to get the Wusthof Culinar Series but I wanted to know peoples opinions concerning Wusthof as well as other brands.

[culinarian247]

Can you "try them on for size" first? If so that is better. I am new here and did that too. I went and tried them out. Just holding various manufacturer's knives. I'm set on either Messermeister Elite or the Wusthof Culinar knives. What did you have in your car? If those worked then just reorder that brand. also check out www.knifemerchant.com for knives. I see that they have good prices and will send you a catalogue. Eberhard Schaaf is good too.

[dspiel]

it was what i got from my school (Art Institute of Los Angeles) I dont recall which mfg. they were but I do remember they were unbalanced and the grip was not so great

[culinarian247]

If they were that bad to you be glad you parted ways. As far as knives go it truly is personal. I have finalized my decision with my own choices. For me it's Messermeister Elite. I went to the shop that sells them just a while ago. To me they feel great. I placed an order for a set (chef, granton slicer, paring, veggie, boning, steel, spatula and thermometer) for $250. Plus I get the bonus of getting my name stamped on every piece. Mind you, I don't think Messermeister does this just this company. But I'm not 100% sure who really does it. I'm also going to order the garnishing set and a butcher knife from Knife Merchant (also Messermeister). Did you get to look at that website yet?

[crane]

I absolutely love my Messermeisters. I have a mixed set of knives, but I do have a 10" Meridian Elite chefs knife and a 10" round tip granton slicer. They great knives. I love the abbreviated bolster, and the 15 degree edge.

[elakin]

wow! crazy. i am in exactly the same situation.

i just went today and bought two knives and a steel. a 10" sabatier au carbone, and a messermeister elite 4".

i was actually thinking about buying a japanese knife, but ultimately didn't like the feel.

anyone have some recommendations on japanese knives?

i'd also check out ebay. there's a lot of good deals on there.

[culinarian247]

I thought about some Japanese knives but decided against it. For one, it seems to me like they're not full tang. May not matter to anyone else but to me it does. Two, I just don't see what the extra mooolah is shelled out for. Their Rockwell hardness is similar to others and their blades are cut at equal angles (15 or 20 degrees). I won't call a knife bad because what's bad for me may be a joy for others. If you want some Japanese knives to look at then try these: Masahiro, Kasumi, Global, Tsunoma, Bumnei and Kyocera (ceramic).

[crane]

There are tons of different types and brands of japanese knives. You are right about them being sharpened at roughly the same angle, but they are sharpened on only one side. Like this \l and opposed to this \/. Basically the entire angle of the edge is half that of normal German or European knives. This makes the edge of the blade very fine, and extremely sharp.
The biggest problem with Japanese knives for me, is that I am left handed. Most Japanese knife makers don't make left-handed versions, and if they do it costs about fifty percent more. In another post, someone mentioned that you could sharpen the other edge until the edge is on the left side. The problem with doing this is that often times japanese knives are slightly concave on the flat side. They really are made just for right handers. We south paws have it tough. No matter, I love my messermeisters as well as all of my other knives.

[culinarian247]

It seems like we share the same problem with Japanese knives, crane. That's another reason I don't want to buy them. But not all are desgned like this (\|). I think Global has "regular" edges.

[-d-]

If there are possiblities of getting your future knives stolen, I would heavily lean towards Forschners. Actually, I like Forschners knives for the blade, balance, and weight. And the price is just icing on the cake.

Of course, the recommendations of testing the knives are truly key. I really really want to like Globals, but they just don't feel right in my hand. But everytime I see one, I can't resist to pick it up to try again.

[dspiel]

Hey guys, I ordered my new knife set today, I went for the Wusthof Culinar and i got a great deal for an 8piece set. Anyways I was wondering if anyone knows where i can purchase the Wusthof Edge Guards for my knives (or any other mfg that makes edge guards).

[-d-]

w.r.t. edge guards, here are places that I have seen them sold:
- restaurant supply stores
- fancy gourmet food and equipment stores (eg Draeger's here in NorCal)
- kitchen equipment stores at "outlet" malls.
- on-line (eg http://www.knifemerchant.com/Manufac...sermeister.htm)

[dspiel]

Well guys i got my knife set today here is a picture of what I got


Wusthof Culinar Series
8" Chefs Knife
8" Bread Knife
8" Carving Knife
6" Utility/Sandwich Knife
3 1/2" Pairing Knife
2 3/4" Peeling Knife
5" Boning Knife
9" Diamond Honing Steel

They are really light and comfortable. You hardly notice you are holding a knife in your hand.

[culinarian247]

Those are some sweet knives!!!! Keep them at home. Use some midrange priced knives at schools. If those get stolen you'll be sooo heartbroken.

[dspiel]

im going to bring them to school, my armed guard will watch my back.