Knife Thread

Rai200 · 15 Oct 2023 at 18:28

Lopéz said:
I'm looking for a nice quality 6"-8" chef knife, any recommendations?

Budget around 200 Euros and I don't like modern looking stuff like Global.

Cheers!

Tojiro DP 210mm Gyuto (Fujitora) - The Sharp Chef

Buy Tojiro DP 210mm Gyuto (Fujitora) with confidence. The Sharp Chef has 5* reviews, next working day shipping, loyalty points and much more

thesharpchef.co.uk

Best knife in the £100-£200 price range imo, they do a Damascus version for £150-160 ish if you want it to look a bit prettier.

rgrocott · 15 Oct 2023 at 18:29

Can't go wrong with a Wusthof, assuming that doesn't count as "modern looking stuff"

I have a couple of nice Japanese knives which cost more, but if I could only keep one knife it'd be the Wusthof Classic for its general all-rounder qualities and the fact it takes a little less looking after.

I'd go for the half-bolster version rather than the full bolster though, because it can be a pain to sharpen the full-bolster knives, and over time you can find that you end up with a small gap between blade and cutting board at the base of the knife.

Alternatively, if you did fancy a Japanese knife, Cutting Edge Knives have a wide range, with many that are well within your budget. Probably a Santoku or Gyuto, that's pretty much down to your personal preference.

Lopéz · 17 Oct 2023 at 08:54

Cheers - after much deliberation and looking at many options including the above, I've ordered one of these:

JCK Natures ”Gekko Kagami” Santoku 180mm (7 inch)

Beautiful and unique Hammered Texture Damascus Steel Knife, Mirror Polished VG-10 Tsuchime Damascus Gekko Kagami Santoku knife shins like Moon Light !

japanesechefsknife.com

Mr_Orange · 18 Oct 2023 at 15:12

Flint and Flame are my go to. Pricy but very good quality. If you find them at Christmas markets then they are usually well discounted and you can sign up for the VIP club (lol) for further discounts.

Rai200 · 18 Oct 2023 at 23:43

Mr_Orange said:
Flint and Flame are my go to. Pricy but very good quality. If you find them at Christmas markets then they are usually well discounted and you can sign up for the VIP club (lol) for further discounts.

Flint and Flame are not very good knives, they're fine but way overpriced. A chef I work with was gifted a whole set and never uses them. X50 steel is no better than you'll find in a basic Victorinox, heavy handles and not very well balanced.

If they were £20-£30 each? Then no problem, but for what they charge you can get so much better.

dave28 · 19 Oct 2023 at 00:05

I have tried many knives and the one i always use now is a Masahiro MSC branded knife that i imported from Japan.
Im not sure you can get them in the UK, maybe a specialty shop.

Anyway I love it, the steel is stainless MBS-26. The blade is quite thin so it has just a little flex but it is just so easy to put an extremely sharp edge on it and it holds it well.

It is a fantastic slicer and in use it is a joy to use in my opinion.

Cost was about £60 - £65 for an 8" model but it was a fair few years since i imported it so i expect they do cost more now.

Lopéz · 24 Oct 2023 at 12:00

Lopéz said:
Cheers - after much deliberation and looking at many options including the above, I've ordered one of these:

JCK Natures ”Gekko Kagami” Santoku 180mm (7 inch)

Beautiful and unique Hammered Texture Damascus Steel Knife, Mirror Polished VG-10 Tsuchime Damascus Gekko Kagami Santoku knife shins like Moon Light !

japanesechefsknife.com

Arrived. It's a tiny bit blingier than expected but very happy with it. Lovely weight in the hand too.

Raymond Lin · 24 Oct 2023 at 13:06

That does look very nice.

I have one with similar hammer finish but not shiny. (however it will rust if not taken care of properly)

Lopéz · 24 Oct 2023 at 13:22

Yes, I am considering a non-shiny one like that for my next knife; I need a petty/small chef knife and I would quite like a Nakiri as well.

Nakiri

Nakiri second choice - seems very cheap?

Petty knife

Ajikiri / Sabaki knife

Raymond Lin · 24 Oct 2023 at 14:10

I got mine from https://www.musashihamono.com/

The exchange rate is EXCELLENT right now and you can get a bargain. A 20,000 yen knife is like £120, which generally would sell for £200 in a UK store here. IMO this store has much nicer knifes than most UK online stores too.

Do keep in mine above certain threshold will risk import tax, not sure the amount in Austria.

I want to get/try a single bevel knife next, would make slicing more consistent i think? And sharper too as the angle is so much smaller, half as much.

img · 24 Oct 2023 at 21:46

Those are some nice looking knives. Do they do a discount if you put in your email?
I like my couple of io shen but would like something like their santoku

Raymond Lin · 24 Oct 2023 at 21:47

img said:
Those are some nice looking knives. Do they do a discount if you put in your email?
I like my couple of io shen but would like something like their santoku

I think I did, if I recall.

edit - just checked email, you get 10% off.

Lopéz · 27 Nov 2023 at 16:26

Happy with these three for now. The Nakiri is GREAT for chopping veg, I use it a lot.

I've no idea how, but my wife has cut herself with the petty knife three times in a week. Her mother came to stay for a week and used it multiple times daily with no problems, and I've come nowhere near cutting myself so I think it's a skill gap!

Mr Badger · 27 Nov 2023 at 18:24

Lopéz said:
Happy with these three for now. The Nakiri is GREAT for chopping veg, I use it a lot.

I've no idea how, but my wife has cut herself with the petty knife three times in a week. Her mother came to stay for a week and used it multiple times daily with no problems, and I've come nowhere near cutting myself so I think it's a skill gap!

She should really be used to handling a small one by now.

monkentage · 27 Nov 2023 at 20:04

Lopéz said:
I've no idea how, but my wife has cut herself with the petty knife three times in a week. Her mother came to stay for a week and used it multiple times daily with no problems, and I've come nowhere near cutting myself so I think it's a skill gap!

Left handed?

BUDFORCE · 27 Nov 2023 at 20:17

@Lopéz I think we have the same Nakiri.

Lopéz · 27 Nov 2023 at 20:42

monkentage said:
Left handed?

No, I did explain to her it was a right handed only knife. I think she's just careless!

jpaul · 27 Nov 2023 at 21:53

Lopéz said:
I've no idea how, but my wife has cut herself with the petty knife three times in a week. Her mother came to stay for a week and used it multiple times daily with no problems, and I've come nowhere near cutting myself so I think it's a skill gap!

do they have the stability for cutting something like horizontal cut when dicing onions/mirepoix versus a more bolstered handle ...
I mean the orientals don't prepare veg the same way ?

e: guy/chef? slicing an onion oriental way ? https://youtu.be/VqLs6quVAkc

InHuman · 17 Dec 2023 at 12:18

I've started looking a lot more recently and have found the need for some new knives, only ever used a set from Tesco which are rubbish. What would you say is the minimum you can spend to get a good knife?

mattyfez · 17 Dec 2023 at 14:50

InHuman said:
I've started looking a lot more recently and have found the need for some new knives, only ever used a set from Tesco which are rubbish. What would you say is the minimum you can spend to get a good knife?

Something like this is a good place to start.

Victorinox Fibrox 15cm Chefs Knife (5200315B)

The Victorinox Fibrox 15cm Chefs Knife is one of the most relied upon tools in your kitchen. With an ergonomic, slip-resistant handle and high-carbon, stainless steel blade, this Swiss made knife has a perfect balance between comfort and precision.

www.kitchenknives.co.uk

Good quality, no frills.