Misono UX-10

Wusthofs are excellent knives.  They don't do a lot of things as well as Japanese made, western style knives, but there's a lot of good things to say about them.  When it comes to your chef's knife the Japanese improvements in weight, agility and sharpness might make it worthwhile for you to switch. 

 

A Chef's Choice electric is very convenient, works very quickly, and is so simple there's not a lot YOU can do wrong.  But there are serious maintenance issues which are exacerbated by heavy, professional type use and edge sharpness is limited.  It's an excellent choice choice for someone who would otherwise not sharpen -- but otherwise not a good choice.

 

Since your ambition is to cook professionally, it's in your best interests to either surmount your fears and learn to use bench stones, or to invest in a system like an Edge Pro (expensive) or Wicked Edge (hugely expensive).

 

Just so you know, all sharpening stones are whet stones.  To wit, "to whet" just means "to sharpen." Nearly all whet stones are either water stones or oil stones.  The term "wet stone," doesn't mean anything. 

 

Don't worry about ruining your good knife when you learn stones.  In the first place, you can practice on less good knives.  In the second, you'll start learning by using stones which are slow enough to prevent any real damage.  Finally, the harm you do will nearly all be in the form of dulling as opposed to breaking something important -- it's not like you're going to drill holes. 

 

The Misono UX-10 is probably the wrong choice for you.  The UX-10 is still a good knife, but, by and large, it's an idea whose time has passed.  It's very expensive, difficult for most people to sharpen, too low at the heel and a bit too thick back there to be a good choice for most people.  There are other issues, and of course a few pluses as well.

 

For your purposes -- which are more educational than production -- you can do better for significantly less money.  Things being what they are, you're probably best off with some sort of entry-level knife like a Tojiro DP (~$100) or Fujiwara FKM (~$80); but if you absolutely, positively, must drop heavier change (but still heaps less than a UX-10) we can explore other options. 

 

BDL

Edited by boar_d_laze - 10/15/11 at 2:36pm

Now more than ever, I'd recommend a Tojiro DP in 240 mm or 210 mm.  Somewhere around a year ago they switched steels for the DP line; they're now made of VG-10.  This is neither here nor there, but around that time they also improved fit and finish slightly and the quality of their factory edge vastly.  Newer Tojiros will now easily match a Shun for OOtB sharpness.  True, you'll still have to sharpen them eventually but you'll have some frame of reference for what "sharp" should be.  If you opt for the Edge Pro, with minimal practice you'll exceed the original sharpness.  With practice you can do this freehand on stones, but it's not a quick or easy process to learn.

G'day how's tricks, I'm a newbie to this site but not in the kitchen. 22 years experience and more knives then I care to mention, I bought a misono ux10 gyoto 270mm dimple a year ago and it's the best knife I have ever picked up, so good I then bought a misono ux10 santoku which again has proved to be awesome, easy to sharpen they stay sharp perfectly balanced and after the last 12 months of working 90 hr weeks have no calluses, can't ask for more. My advice to you though my friend is get something a little cheaper to start off with, some thing that you can abuse whilst you are learning to use a knife. A good knife doesn't make a good chef! A good chef makes a good knife. Until you learn to sharpen and keep sharp and how to use the knife to it's full abilities which you will get wrong time and time again, ( it's a learning process that everyone goes through) until then stick to something a little cheaper something you won't mind making so dull because your finding your angle, then move onwards and upwards. But back to the misono ux10 compared to shuns and gleistones they are far more comfortable to use but that's just a personal preference.
Enjoy your day!!!

And I thought the edge pro was a nice system until I saw the wicked edge one, much nicer system for sure and you don't have to keep turning the knife over. That about convinces me what I am going to want. 

Last winter depression I decided I needed a Masomoto HC Gyuto.  I wondered if I was gyuto worthy,  I wondered about buying a $240. knife without ever actually seeing or touching it before hand.  Now, don't make the same mistake I made. I decided to go with a Forschener 10" chef's knife with a fibrox handle.  It's shiny, it cost me $35.00,  I don't need to invest in fancy expensive water stones, it sharpens well on my DMT and Arkansas stones. 

 

Damn,  I wish I could hate my Forschener and get a gyuto, but I just can't, I llike the Forschener too much.  To get rid of it would be like throwing the baby out with the bath water.  Damn, I really need that Gyuto.

To some people the only difference between an  R. H. Forschner and a Masamoto HC is the price.  Others find many significant distinctions. 

 

Once you reach a certain, minimal level of quality the real key to the quality of the knife in use is sharpness -- which is far more a matter of the sharpener than the knife itself.  Although not as sexy, for most people sharpening is a more productive conversation than knives.

 

That said...

 

R. H. Forschners are "stamped," and not "forged."  For years, stamping was considered both cheaper and less good.  However, the zeitgeist has changed, and the lightness and thinness which were once perceived as cheap feeling liabilities are now seen as "acts sharper," "easy to sharpen," and "less fatiguing."  At least, as opposed to post-war German type, heavy forgings. R. H. Forschners come in two lines, Fibrox and Rosewood, which, apart from their respective plastic and wood handles, are otherwise identical.  The butchers' profiles are "gold standard," and many of the others are excellent or at least very good for the price.  The Forschner 10.5" bread knife is just a hair behind the MAC SB 105, at well less than half the price.

 

The chef's knives are a different matter though.  Forschner chef's have a particularly obnoxious "German" profile.  Forschners tend to burr (deform) easily, and the quality is exacerbated by the impact a chef's knife gets from the board when chopping.  That means they need a LOT of steeling and sharpening.  Even though Forschners are comfortable, thin, light, easy to sharpen, and have great F&F for the price, that's not enough to overcome their bad profile and edge holding properties.

 

While probably the least amount of money you can spend and still buy something worth sharpening, Forschners are no more than mediocre.  A mediocre, inexpensive knife is still a mediocre knife.

 

I'm not saying you need a $250+ Masamoto HC or that it would make your life in the kitchen any better if you lack the sharpening and knife skills to take advantage of its potential.  However Forschner vs Masamoto is an interesting comparison for another time but a false paradigm.  If you're building your skills there are better choices than either.  

 

BDL