A very interesting thread with a lot of good information and a lot of bad.
A "diamond steel" is not a steel in the ordinary sense, it's a sharpener, and a fairly coarse one at that. If used properly it will net a sharp, but scratchy edge with a lot of tooth. It will also eat knives over time.
Most modern stainless steel knives manufactured by European and American manufacturers are made from what is called "world steel" as a result of trade policy. It's an inferior steel in many ways when compared to the specialty steels used by high-end Japanese manufacturers. Again -- a result of trade policy.
The Japanese manufacture knives specifically intended for Western cuisine. Japanese chef knives (gyuto) are geometrically similar to classic French chef knives. That is they have a flatter belly and narrower spine than German (and American) equivalents. The large spear-point paring knife called "petty," and the slicer called "sujihiki" are identical to European patterns -- at least as to blade. German, French and Japanese bolsters differ from one another. The remaining Japanese western "yo" knives actually have more in common with Japanese styles than actual western patterns.
Japanese western knives are usually sharpened to a 15 degree or less angle. The standard for western knives is around 22 degrees. However, the difference does not end there. Some Japanese knives are sharpened to a symmetrical "V," but most are not. Some are sharpened on only one side, and others are sharpened on both sides, but unevenly. The asymmetry is calculated to form a thinner, sharper edge.
Because Japanese blades are made of harder, thinner steel. Their narrow edges hold up at least as well as the edges on Wusties, Henckels, Messers, etc. The edge geometry means sharpening requires less material removal, so a reasonably skilled sharpener can actually sharpen a Japanese knife more easily. The asymmetrical edges are designed for use by right-handed cooks. The edges can be reset to be ambidextrous, or reset for lefties. Knives designed for the other hand are awkward at best, and at worse unsafe. Globals and Macs are symmetrical. Shuns are right-handed.
Globals are made of a type of steel common to upper-mid Japanese knives. Their design is unique. You'll either like it or not. Typically cooks with large hands -- even if they pinch grip -- find Globals uncomfortable. They're extremely well balanced because the metal handle is filled with sand before it's sintered to the blade. I disagree with the comment that Globals are in some way not Japanese. However, I don't like them because they're way too small for me and think their design is cold and uninvolving.
Another group of knives with good steel are the French carbons -- mostly, one way or the other, under the Sabatier name. I'm a big fan, and most of the knives in my block are either old or antique Sabatiers. If the idea interests you, go to The Best Things website and look at the Nogent (antique), Canadian Massif (antique) and Elephant Carbon (new) lines; or the Sabatier-Shop for a peek at the "Au Carbone" or "Antique K-Sabatier" lines. I should mention that of the many companies calling themselves Sabatier, Elephant and K are two of the four good ones.
These carbon knives will take an edge a little quicker than almost any stainless knife, but will hold it better than you'd think. The Sabs mentioned here are in the 55-58 HRC (Rockwell Hardness) range. Which is pretty hard. Your basic Wustie or Henckels is about 50. French knives are built with narrower spines than Germans and consequently the angle of the knife's body is more acute. This means the knife is suited for a slightly more acute edge. I sharpen most of my French carbon steel knives to 15 deg, and find they hold the edge well. German knives can be sharpened to angles more acute than 20 degrees and as long as you're not using them as cleavers they'll hold.
You don't need a heavy knife to cut a carrot. On the contrary, a sharp light knife will cut one better. A heavy knife with an obtuse angle is good for going through cartilage like rip tips, splitting chicken, chopping pineapple crowns and other cleaving. Otherwise a light knife is almost always a better choice as long as you like the feel.
Everything else being equal, a knife made from softer steel will dull faster than one made from hard. But everything is never equal. Knives most often go dull quickly from poor sharpening, improper storage, or improper use. One of the most common reasons a student's or inexperienced line chef's knives dulls quickly is because it is sharpened to a "wire edge," rather than a true edge.
Almost any knife can be sharpened to where it will take hair. That's not a particularly good standard. Someone in this thread talked about a knife "falling through" a tomato. That's exactly sharp enough. Less is not sharp enough. Most factory edges aren't nearly as good as one you can do yourself, once you have the hang. If you can get a knife sharp, you need to use a fine, a smooth, or a combination steel. A smooth steel is best on a really sharp blade. When you notice that steeling isn't doing what it should do, switch to the fine. F. Dick and HandAmerica make the best steels.
Japanese knives, whether carbon, stainless, or carbon wrapped in stainless cladding, tend to be made of harder steel than western knives. HRC above 60 is not at all uncommon. But Globals and Shuns are about 58-59, as are all knives made of the most common high-end stainless, VG-10. I believe the steel was originally formulated for golf clubs as "V-Gold." Modern high-tech steel formulations like "Sandvik powder steel" and traditional, local steels like "Aokami blue" are much harder. Perhaps the biggest drawback to good Japanese knives is a tendency to chip. Brittle is sometimes synonymous with hardness. One way around is to use carbon instead of stainless knives. The steel tends to be both harder and more flexible. Go figure. Of course, you have to be willing to put up with the extra maintenance. Also, with the exception of a few manufacturers, Japanese carbon lines are less expensive than their upmarket stainless -- and consequently don't get the same fit and finish.
The whole samurai sword thing is way overdone. It's mostly just advertising. However, one or two techniques do cross over. One is worikami -- surrounding a very thin, hard piece of steel used for the edge, with protective, softer steel sides. A good example, suitable for a working pro chef is the Tenmi Jyuraku AO line from Hiromoto. So, what's not suitable for a working chef? If you don't know how business is done in Japan, it seems counter-intuitive, but the really high-end Japanese knives like Nenox aren't intended for a commercial kitchen -- and really not intended for cooking at all. They're meant to be "presentation" gifts, and as such, to be kept in their original boxes and packed away in a closet or displayed on a stand.
The Santoku is not a traditional Japanese shape. A lot of cooks like them. Personally I don't get it. They don't do anything a mid-sized chef's knife won't, I don't care for the "sheeps-foot" dropped point, and just don't like their looks. Don't let my bad-mouthing influence you. They seem very friendly to people with small hands, and besides, what do I know?
Ignorance is not always bliss. If you don't know how, LEARN TO PINCH GRIP. Everyone talks a lot about "balance," but more than half don't know how to hold the ****ing thing.
Your knives are the tools of your craft. If you take pride in it, it's worth investing in good knives for your most frequent tasks. On the other hand, if you don't do much garde manger or butchering you don't need the high-end specialty knives. But if you might still need something functional. The name Forschner has come up often in this thread. Forschner is the best when you don't need the best. I like the Rosewood line, personally and have a bunch of them. F. Dick's commercial lines are Forschner's equal in every respect.
Conventional wisdom is that forged blades are better than stamped. Take it from me, not true anymore.
Give up yet?
BDL
