New Knife - Page 2

Hi All,

My personal choices have to be I O Shen, Kin and Henkle.  My Kin is the sharpest I have ever known a knife to be.  Its precision at its best.  My Shen is also stunning yet its limited use (ie no bones etc) make it the same as my Kin.  Henks are my every day, batter around the kitchen knives and even though they arent the most expensive, for a 'work horse' like myself they are ideal and dont break the bank.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chinacats 

Sweet knife!!!

Thanks. I'm a big fan of the Masamoto KS series.

Dave

I don't see any reason why a novice cook would need a super-expensive knife.

Yes, you need a "good" knife that will get the job done, but wherever you're going to be working, you're going to be loaded up with grunt work - and you're going to be busy.

How much energy are you willing to expend and how much stress are you wiling to endure in making sure your oh-so-valuable knife stays in good condition, doesn't get borrowed and misused or abused, or picked up and sent through the dishwasher?

How much ragging on are you willing to endure?  "Oh, look at the new kid.  He's got a knife that's worth 10 times as much as he is.  Too bad he doesn't have any skill."

You could also be perceived as a prima donna - not a good label in a professional kitchen.

My suggestion would be to get a workhorse knife that can take some abuse, sharpens easily, and that when it accidentally drops and the tips chips or bends, you're not going to be lamenting over it for 3 days.  The old "expensive" standby would be a wusthof, if you want to go with a pricier knife.

I'm didn't get the impression that the OP was talking about a knife for use in a pro kitchen, but I think your points are well-taken if that's the setting.  Of course there are options other than Wusthof (or any German knife) if that's the setting *and* the user doesn't like German profiles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wagstaff 

I'm didn't get the impression that the OP was talking about a knife for use in a pro kitchen, but I think your points are well-taken if that's the setting.  Of course there are options other than Wusthof (or any German knife) if that's the setting *and* the user doesn't like German profiles.

He's a culinary student and talking about using it for 4+ hours/day.  Sure sounds like a professional setting.  And yeah, I think he knows his other options.

Oh... my under-reading then.  And... your point is well-taken if that's the setting :-)

Wusthof is hardly inexpensive.  Despite your comment, Wusthofs and other similar German knives neither take nor hold a good edge compared to entry level Japanese knives.  They are strong and heavy.  They design and weight does compensate in some measure for poor sharpening and knife skills.  And of course... it's a matter of taste.  If you prefer German knives, good for you.  Anyone who tries to tell you what you should like is a jerk; and -- jerk or not -- I'm not about to start.

Going back to Wusthof, the Classic is a very well made knife, but in my opinion you don't get much performance advantage over a much less expensive but equally well-made Forschner.  All you get for 4X the price is a bolster and a nice box.  The same is true for other traditional, high-end German knives like Henckels and Messermeister. 

Furthermore, a 10" Wusthof Classic runs around $150 (Cutlery and More), and a 9.5" MAC Pro is around $170.  At that end of the market, I don't think the $20 difference is as important as which type suits the buyer better.

In my opinion, and it's only an opinion mind you, anyone doing more than an hour a day of knife prep would be well served by a knife which takes a very sharp edge and stays sharp without excessive steeling for a very long time; and the most bang for the buck is (in order) Richmond Artifex (USA), Fujiwara FKM (Japan), and Tojiro DP.  For what it's worth, those and others like them aren't fancy-shmancy knives.  They're just tools.

It's always bothered me that people want to sell beginners tools which are most compromised, most difficult to use, the most uncomfortable, the flimsiest, and the most difficult to maintain, when those beginners need all the help they can get. 

Let's not forget though.... It's all about sharpening.

BDL

It's been a long time since I've bought anything but Forschner knives.  Well, except for a Mercer Genesis knife for spatchcocking raw chickens and other heavier duty tasks.  I didn't realize the Wusthof Classic 10" had about doubled in price since I last seriously considered one.  But that was in 1995, and I went with a $70 11" extra-wide blade handmade in France carbon knife which still has a ridiculous blade on it, although has been stained.   At least there are other Wusthof lines that are less expensive than the Classic, so...options.

I always enjoy your posts, Boar_d_laze.  Always chock full of useful info and viewpoint.

It doesn't matter how good Joe Montana was, you don't hire him to play this season. 

Globals were a revolutionary advance in their time, but that time has passed.  There are many other knives on the market as agile, lighter,  get sharper, stay sharper longer, have more comfortable handles (a big issue for many) and provide better performance for the same money, or much better performance for similar money.   There are lots and lots of good knives; a few are bound to fit your uses and budget.

I actually like Globals myself.  They were one of the knives which introduced me to Japanese made, western style knives many years ago.  However, unless there's some reason you want one, my recommendation is:  Stay away. 

BDL