Knife Thread

Raymond Lin · 24 Apr 2019 at 18:59

Bought a knife from a local kitchen place shutting down, 30% off. Tried a bunch of different ones and this one has the best feel and balance in my hand.

The one on the left.

rG-tom · 22 May 2019 at 11:15

Well, I never did get round to buying the carbon knife I looked at a few months ago. However, it was my birthday last week, and my fiancée surprised me with this beautiful VG10 core, 17 layer Damascus gyuto:

Raymond Lin · 22 May 2019 at 11:25

Very nice.

I am off to Japan later this year, going to get myself a knife or 2 when i am there. Might even visit Seki (where they make the Samurai swords and now knifes) to check it out.

Merlin5 · 16 Jun 2019 at 18:42

Guys, I have some amazon gift vouchers and have been deliberating over electric and manual knife sharpeners. But I think I'd like to take the plunge and try my hand at a whetstone. I'm reasonably confident I could keep a fairly consistent angle, and I'd be happy to use an angle guide as well. I don't really want to pay more than say £15 for a double sided stone, and I think I should be looking at a 1000/6000 block? Can anyone recommend me one from these?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=whetstone+1000+3000&i=kitchen&crid=2YPXSOLFI97TD&sprefix=whetstone,kitchen,192&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_2_9

Squid Vicious · 19 Jun 2019 at 20:43

Raymond Lin said:
Very nice.

I am off to Japan later this year, going to get myself a knife or 2 when i am there. Might even visit Seki (where they make the Samurai swords and now knifes) to check it out.

Off to Japan for the first time time in November and have had Aritsugu recommended by the father-in-law, in the Nishiki market in Kyoto - any experience with them?

Raymond Lin · 19 Jun 2019 at 20:50

Squid Vicious said:
Off to Japan for the first time time in November and have had Aritsugu recommended by the father-in-law, in the Nishiki market in Kyoto - any experience with them?

I’ve been to Nishiki but I don’t plan to go to Kyoto this time. No doubt walked passed that very shop though.

jpaul · 19 Jun 2019 at 20:50

Merlin5 said:
Can anyone recommend me one from these?

this is what i'd got

jpaul said:
I had purchased this stone from De https://www.fine-tools.com/kombischleifstein.html

313264 Japanese Combination Stone small Grit 1000/3000 Size 175 x 55 x 25 mm NANIWA HOME STONE
NANIWA Combination Stone small
Economical Stone Series
Grain size: 1000/3000
for sharpening and honing. This is an ideal beginner's stone.
Size: 175 mm x 55 mm x 25 mm

Merlin5 · 19 Jun 2019 at 22:39

jpaul said:
this is what i'd got

Thanks jpaul. I can't find that 313264 model either on your link or on Amazon. Thing is, there seems to be lots on Amazon around £10 to £15 with tons of great reviews, so I'm kind of confused on how much I need to spend. Is Naniwa better than most? Won't one of the cheap double sided stones do a decent job? How about this one? https://www.amazon.co.uk/BearMoo-Sh...ateway&smid=A16BMBGNHM94J0&sr=8-3-spons&psc=1

I'm not looking for absolute professional razor sharp, especially as my knifes are nothing special and particularly because I value my fingers. I just want to learn how to do it and get a better finish than a standard knife sharpener. And if I get good at sharpening then I could consider investing in better knives.

jpaul · 19 Jun 2019 at 22:53

look at the size as well , the one you linked is a bit smaller than what i suggested
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Naniwa-Japanese-sharpening-stone-knife/dp/B001NI5JUY £23
I think it's probably easier/faster on a larger surface.

Merlin5 · 20 Jun 2019 at 00:53

Yes, I see what you mean. I just looked at loads of other stones, even more expensive ones, and the Naniwa one you linked is bigger than all of them, 24 x 7.19 x 4.8 cm. I guess that's the one to go for? Seems like Naniwa is a well respected brand.

One other thing. I suspect if I look closely at any of my blades edges they'll probably have some damage. If that's the case, should I be looking at a lower coarse grit of around 300/400 or will 1000 take care of damage?

Snookums · 21 Jun 2019 at 13:07

Got myself a cleaver from pro cook yesterday to help with all the meat I have been BBQing recently.

Alan1969 · 21 Jun 2019 at 22:57

I use a santoku knife mostly. Not only is it a versatile knife - byut the identations help slices fall off (things like carrots that usually get stuck on the sides). You can pick up santoku (or santuko) knives at most supermarkets - give one a try.

Scam · 10 Jul 2019 at 18:09

Scam said:
Thanks. Relatively easy for me to get to places that will sharpen it I think, so if I do that once a year perhaps a steel is all I need?

Following on from this old reply here, I still haven't sorted out how to look after my Wusthof

I'm going to take it to the Japanese Knife Co in Soho as it's about 5mins walk from my workplace (let's hope I don't get stopped on the tube for carrying a knife? :confused:

). But I want to buy a honing steel. What's going to be the main difference between for example the Pro Cook ones and the millions of different Wusthof ones? :confused:

Rids · 16 Jul 2019 at 15:29

So what would everybodys set of choice be at the minute assuming a £200-£250 budget?

I've been looking at Edge of Belgravia after finding some positive reviews, but the amount of choice out there blows my tiny mind. Just after a good all round set that'll last a few years. Mainly meat and veg, doubt we'll ever fillet our own fish.

Scam · 22 Jul 2019 at 11:42

Anyone got recommendations on a whetstone besides the one mentioned above?

Raymond Lin · 22 Jul 2019 at 13:40

Scam said:
Anyone got recommendations on a whetstone besides the one mentioned above?

A while ago I was watching this YouTube channel where this guy does a ton of knife videos, he even makes them out of like pasta....yes, knife out of pasta.

Anyway, these 2 stones are the one he uses.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001TPH9CM/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_2?smid=A3I6JEDMMCCBQE&psc=1

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000EBFWY4/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_3?smid=A33E5WOLTPQPO&psc=1

Scam · 22 Jul 2019 at 14:34

Oof, I meant to put a budget on my above post

I don't feel like I need to splash £150 on stones right now. It seems a little excessive. I had spotted Naniya as the most respected brand, but also KING which are a lot cheaper. There's a lot of super-cheap ones called BearMoo on Amazon but although they're very well reviewed I suspect they're cheap for a a reason. Aiming to spend £40 on a combination stone to get me going, ideally...

Participant · 2 Aug 2019 at 07:46

Has anyone tried claiming on Wusthof's warranty?

I have a set of ten year old Le Cordon Bleu knives and the handles are starting to disintegrate.

They're great blades otherwise and I want to keep them. Fully forged with riveted handles so should be repairable I assume?

Cleisthenes · 2 Aug 2019 at 17:35

Participant said:
Has anyone tried claiming on Wusthof's warranty?

I have a set of ten year old Le Cordon Bleu knives and the handles are starting to disintegrate.

They're great blades otherwise and I want to keep them. Fully forged with riveted handles so should be repairable I assume?

No, but I'd be very interested to hear how you get on. I recently bought my first of theirs and it would be nice to know that the warranty has legs!

Participant · 2 Oct 2019 at 14:18

Cleisthenes said:
No, but I'd be very interested to hear how you get on. I recently bought my first of theirs and it would be nice to know that the warranty has legs!

Finally sorted after a little back and forth.

New set of Classic knives (some with half bolster as requested) appeared today:

After an investigation by Head Office, they conceded that the rivets had been over-tightened causing the handles to crack. Brand new set after 11 years of use...not bad!