# Knife recommendations



## conkey210 (Jul 15, 2015)

Hey guys, it's time to buy new knives. I want the best of the best within price reason.
What do you guys use and what would you recommend?

Thanks


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## noboundaries (Jul 15, 2015)

I'm a nut for specials.  We have the J.A. Henckels International set.  You feel like you could perform surgery with them.  After buying my set (as a gift for my wife) I ended up buying two more sets and gave them to my kids as Christmas presents.  They love them too. 

Great knives, hold their edge beautifully, and Amazon has the $350 set on sale right now for $130!


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## mummel (Jul 15, 2015)

I have Wusthofs. Great knives too.


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## pc farmer (Jul 15, 2015)

victorinox knives.   Love them.


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## conkey210 (Jul 15, 2015)

I am getting rid of the henckles I currently have now. Very displeased with them.
Wusthofs were recommended by someone else but they seem on par with the henckles.
I have a few cutco chefs knives and they are ok but just are not sharp enough and when they are it doesn't last long.


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## chef boyarista (Jul 16, 2015)

Global knives are pretty nice to have around if what you're cutting gets kinda messy. No big gaps where bacteria can hold up easily and they look slick. If you do your own polishing you can make a sturdy $10 cleaver from Chinatown look like a million bucks.


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## tropics (Jul 16, 2015)

All of the knifes mentioned are good,a good sharpener will make them stay that way.

Richie


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## thesmokist (Jul 16, 2015)

I have rada knives they re cheap and easy to sharpen and hold an edge. I run mine across the bottom of a coffee cup a few times and it's razor sharp again


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## jcollins (Jul 16, 2015)

Being in the restaurant supply business i see alot of Dexter Russell, Wusthof, Shun... etc. And i have always herd you get what you pay for with any brand.


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## letthemeatrest (Jul 16, 2015)

i like dexter russell alot.. they are good solid working knives and if you mess one up, its not a big deal, just get another one to replace it. 

i hate having expensive knives and having to watch my friends use it on things they shouldn't be cutting with it


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## bmaddox (Jul 16, 2015)

c farmer said:


> victorinox knives. Love them.


I second victorinox. Very affordable and hold an edge very well.


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## jirodriguez (Jul 16, 2015)

Victorinox - great bang for the buck, and every time America's Test Kitchen does a knife comparison they come out in the top 3, beating out much more expensive name brand stuff.


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## homebody (Jul 16, 2015)

Victornox if you want easy stainless steel. Old Hickory are a little bit more work to maintain, but they are half the price, and you can make them razor sharp.


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## b-one (Jul 16, 2015)

I agree with Tropics. But if your not going to take care of it don't waste the money!


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## venture (Jul 16, 2015)

An ever recurring thread.

Any knife is only as good as the hand of the person who holds it.

More importantly, the hand of the person who cares for it?

Good knife brands mentioned here.  I have used most of them.

He said he wanted the "best of the best". But he said "within price reason".

I have used Victorinox and Dexter with great success on different knives.

For the money, the Victorinox line is hard to beat. Dexter makes some good boning knives. Different weights and different feel.  Handle the knife before you buy!

I had one set of knives which I received as a gift.  I will never recommend buying knives in sets!  One knife you like and three you don't.  One knife you use and three you don't. 

It has been said that mismatched knives are the sign of a confident chef?

Good luck and good smoking.


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## sawinredneck (Jul 16, 2015)

conkey210 said:


> I am getting rid of the henckles I currently have now. Very displeased with them.
> Wusthofs were recommended by someone else but they seem on par with the henckles.
> I have a few cutco chefs knives and they are ok but just are not sharp enough and when they are it doesn't last long.





conkey210 said:


> I am getting rid of the henckles I currently have now. Very displeased with them.
> Wusthofs were recommended by someone else but they seem on par with the henckles.
> I have a few cutco chefs knives and they are ok but just are not sharp enough and when they are it doesn't last long.[/quote\]
> 
> I have to ask, what are your issues with the Henckles knives? I've had a set for a few years now, but not used heavily. I'm just curious, nothing more.


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## conkey210 (Jul 17, 2015)

The henckles are about 3 years old and used heavily.
Recently the cutting edge has basically developed large gaps along the edge and I and the company cannot say why this has happened. 3.5" paring and the 8" chef. My larger chef knive also by henckle is fine and receives the same treatment as the other two.

After lots of research and advice from a lot of you guys I think I will be going with the top of the line shun. Currently there is a promotion for a set of 3. Included would be pairing,6",and 10" they are all Damascus steel and are about 600$
The runner up is victornox but I have no experience with them at all.

I will try and post a pic later of my current knives.


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## sawinredneck (Jul 17, 2015)

Thank you for the explanation, I'm sorry to hear of your issues.


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## conkey210 (Jul 17, 2015)

What really gets to me is nobody can explain why this is and has happened. The knife edge is completely ruined.


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## chef boyarista (Jul 17, 2015)

I was a big fan of Shun for a while. If you want to save a couple (hundred) bucks buy some nice Tojiro knives. Same steel, you're just not paying for the name.


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## ak1 (Jul 17, 2015)

I have a set of 30yr old JA Henckels International knives that still cut great. I have some JA Henckels Professional S knives that cut great. I have some cheap Tramontina knives that cut great. I have many knives that cut great. Good knives that fit your hand well, is what counts, brand not so much. My favourite paring knife is an Eberhard Schaff 4.5" Goldhamster I've had for 10yrs. My favourite Chef's knife... I have a few I like depending on what I'm doing. Just slight differences based on the task at hand.

I'm just a knife whore... what can I say!


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## hollowpoint1911 (Jul 18, 2015)

Just a heads up on Wusthof and Henckels... There is a *HUGE *difference within the model offerings for each knife brand. Each brand has forged blade offerings (which they built their reputation on), and they now sell stamped blade knives which are of lesser quality/durability/price.

For Wusthof,the stamped knives are from the "Pro" and "Gourmet" model lines (and the ones I recommend that people _avoid_). Everything else (Classic,Grand Prix II, Ikon, Classic Ikon) is forged.

Henckel has a ton of stamped blade knives out there flooding the market. The easiest way to tell a Henckel forged knife from a stamped knife is to look at the logo. If the Henckel logo has 2 men, it should be a forged blade. If the logo only has 1 man, it should be stamped and you should avoid it like the plague. 

Don't buy knives without first handling them in person. All the brands and models have different weights, handle angles, shape, balance, etc. What works for someone else, might not work out for you because your hand is different.


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## conkey210 (Jul 18, 2015)

All of mine have two guys and are made in Germany


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## frog1369 (Feb 8, 2016)

Sorry to bring back an old thread but I decided to look at some new knives, also.  I have had some Wusthof, Henckel's, Victorinox and several others.  I have a Cuisinart Chef's knife that I can put a wicked edge on and it holds it pretty well.  But, I heard a lot about Shun and Japanese steel so I did some research.  I ended up buying a three piece set of Tojiro, a 210mm Gyuto (chef's) and two Pettys (paring), 90mm and 150mm.  I also bought a 270mm Sujihiki (slicer). 

Now I've only had them a week but have put them through their paces, raw meats, smoked bacon slabs, veggies, etc. These knives came sharp, not just sharp, but holy crap sharp.  They appear to be holding up quite well for what I have done so far.  Jsut figured if anyone was looking for entry level Japanese steel this endorsement might help.













20160205_103634.jpg



__ frog1369
__ Feb 8, 2016


















20160207_093932.jpg



__ frog1369
__ Feb 8, 2016


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## rshort (Feb 8, 2016)

Whatever you choose, I would avoid shun. Bought a set about a year ago. These knives require lots of maintenance. Super light and razor sharp, but also very fragile. The tip of my slicing knife bent during normal usage. Never dropped it! Funny thing... I always grab my cheap carving knife when slicing ribs or brisket! [emoji]128522[/emoji]


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## davey6 (Feb 9, 2016)

I've got a bunch of Japanese knives, 

http://www.japanesechefsknife.com/InformationAboutSteels.html

Outstanding if you don't mind sharpening them. I have a large sushi one I use for most things, and it slices through veg with it's own weight no pressure.


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## valleypoboy (Feb 13, 2016)

conkey210 said:


> What really gets to me is nobody can explain why this is and has happened. The knife edge is completely ruined.


Do you have any pictures?  I'm no doctor but I'd like to see.  Electrolysis is the fastest (non obvious) way to eat holes in steel that I know of.  Maybe there's something strange going on in your dish washer?


hollowpoint1911 said:


> Just a heads up on Wusthof and Henckels... There is a *HUGE *difference within the model offerings for each knife brand. Each brand has forged blade offerings (which they built their reputation on), and they now sell stamped blade knives which are of lesser quality/durability/price.
> 
> For Wusthof,the stamped knives are from the "Pro" and "Gourmet" model lines (and the ones I recommend that people _avoid_). Everything else (Classic,Grand Prix II, Ikon, Classic Ikon) is forged.
> 
> ...


This guy knows what he's talking about.  I had a set of those cheap Henckel's.  They're sold as "eversharp" or "no sharpening needed", but what they really mean is that they're not capable of being sharpened.  I second the recommendation to hold the knife before you buy.  If the blade is so shiny it looks like's it's chromed and there's nearly no weight to it, assume it's garbage.

My wife bought me a single large "caphalon" blade for Christmas or my birthday several years ago and it's pretty awesome.  Since then I bought a bunch of caphalon blades to replace all the junk henckels blades (I salvaged the block) and I've been more than happy with them. For under $100 I replaced pot metal with real steel. I bought one of each set they sold at JCP at that time, so I have a set of steak knifes, 2 pairing knives and... a big bread cutting serrated edge one (with long teeth so it can still be sharpened) and a few bigger knives.   I know they're not japanese folded steel blades or german steel... nor are they woots steel... but they're good thick steel, they hold their edge and when I dull them, I can sharpen them up fast.

If money is really tight and you want a decent set super cheap, there's sets on amazon that will surprise you.  I bought one set, red handles and a magnetic block that has super thin blades, but they've withstood quite a bit of abuse and still look and work great.  I was surprised how much I like the thinner blades.  I've also seen some super cheap (inexpensive) blades at Costco.  The steel look awesome, but they have cheap looking plastic handles.  I bought the big butcher blade with the intention of trying to make my own handle... but it's been sitting in a drawer for a few months now.

That henckles set I bought really turned me away from anything "serrated".  I don't even buy pocket knives with a serrated edge now because it's such a PITA to sharpen them.

Here's an example of the junk henckles set:


from their Q and A: "Much like the other responses, I have to agree with them. They are a lightweight set and did not stay very sharp like I had expected them to."

and here's the uber cheap thin but decent blades I was talking about:


FYI, I think that set was on sale for $29 when I bought it.


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## 1967robg (Feb 14, 2016)

I just started getting some ok knives. I decided on dexter russell because of decent reviews and supposedly made right here in Massachusetts. They are decent but I am disappointed that the 5 inch boning knife is stamped "Japan "


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## mummel (Feb 16, 2016)

1967RobG said:


> I just started getting some ok knives. I decided on dexter russell because of decent reviews and supposedly made right here in Massachusetts. They are decent but I am disappointed that the 5 inch boning knife is stamped "Japan "


Be careful with the carbon steel Dexter knives.  They will start rusting before you even take it out the packaging.  Pretty crappy.  Get the sanisafe series.


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## 1967robg (Feb 16, 2016)

mummel said:


> Be careful with the carbon steel Dexter knives.  They will start rusting before you even take it out the packaging.  Pretty crappy.  Get the sanisafe series.


I did get the sanisafe ones. Funny thing is I was going through some stuff in the kitchen to make room for the new stuff and came across my parents Chicago cutlery partial set. Not the greatest but good sturdy knives. I've started sharpening them and making card board sheaths. If nothing else they hold sentimental value


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## tropics (Feb 16, 2016)

1967RobG said:


> I did get the sanisafe ones. Funny thing is I was going through some stuff in the kitchen to make room for the new stuff and came across my parents Chicago cutlery partial set. Not the greatest but good sturdy knives. I've started sharpening them and making card board sheaths. If nothing else they hold sentimental value


Rob You can put a razor edge on them in 3 minutes,I have always used a stone til old age,got to my hands.

Richie

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/236095/work-sharp-elec-knife-sharpener


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## 1967robg (Feb 16, 2016)

tropics said:


> Rob You can put a razor edge on them in 3 minutes,I have always used a stone til old age,got to my hands.
> Richie
> http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/236095/work-sharp-elec-knife-sharpener


That is quite the set of sharpening tools.Thanks for sharing.  I've had a thing for knives since I was a kid.
 All this sausage making gear and cooking stuff in general...I'm gonna need a bigger kitchen


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## asparagus jones (Jul 5, 2016)

I'm not familiar with the etiquette here yet, regarding posting to old threads vs. starting new ones, but here's my two cents:

I've used Wusthoff knives, I own some Henckels knives, and have used Victorinox and a variety of other name brand knives. But for anyone on a budget or who gags when seeing the prices of nice knives, you should really check out Winco's forged knives. They make some cheap low-end junk that is used in a million restaurants, both in the kitchens and in the dining rooms, but the also sell some surprisingly good chef's knives. I bought a single 6" chef knife via eBay for something ridiculous like $12 just to check it out, and it is phenomenal. Very solid, good handle, takes an edge as well as knives costing ten times as much, and is a joy to use. Amazon sells they for cheap, too.

As I replace other knives I'll be buying more from Winco. They may not look quite as stellar as expensive knives, but they still look good, I honestly think you get 90% of the performance. If I had cash to spare I'd probably go with Wusthoff, but I'm completely happy with Winco. Just thought I'd share, since this is a brand most of us wouldn't normally consider but delivers enough quality to satisfy working chefs, and is more than good enough for any home cook.


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## mattrob123 (Oct 16, 2016)

I recommend the Tojiro DP line. I have had them for about a year. Definetly superior steel and edge retention to the German lines. Easy to sharpen and a nice wide "reasonably" priced for quality knives.


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