NFT: BBI Cooks, Chefs, food preppers;et al.....knives

knife for about 30 years, payed $5 for it. I've never had to sharpen it.

I call that value.

love the japanese knives

Made In.
Their knives are soft and constantly need re sharpening.

I have had good luck with Misen and my Victorinox (the makers of the Swiss Army Knives) have held up well over the years.

and I have a great sharpening place in Norwalk, RJ Mace. I've also picked up some good refurbished knives there for the kids when they moved.

...but would go with Global if I had to start over.


Global Knives - ( New Window )

Many years ago, when I lived in Manhattan, I went into a pro knife store and asked what they recommended. They said they saw fewer Wusthof knives coming in for repair than other brands. I've bought Wusthof Classic and have been very satisfied.

Re cleavers, it depends on what kind of cleaver you are buying. There are heavy cleavers for breaking bones, and there are Chinese cleavers, which are really Chinese chef's knives, which aren't as heavy and in theory take a sharper edge.

I had a cheap carbon steel Chinese cleaver for many years and it was fine for about 20 years. I finally broke down and bought a stainless one off Amazaon for around $50. The brand was "Sun Light," which I think has vanished. It's an upgrade. I wouldn't invest too much in a Chinese cleaver unless it's going to be your primary Chef's knife. We have an 8" Wusthof chef's knife and a Santoku (my wife prefers that one), so the mid-priced cleaver was a good fit for our needs.

I usually buy chicken legs or quarters which I then cut into pieces. I have an expensive meat cleaver which I don't want out take out of the package for this but the my other cleaver is so cheap that I'm afraid the handle will break if I chop too hard. Plus my regular steak knives aren't great for this purpose.

Sadly, I never thought of getting some boning knives so I got to add that to the Xmas wish list.

In comment 16305920 81_Great_Dane said:

Quote:

Many years ago, when I lived in Manhattan, I went into a pro knife store and asked what they recommended. They said they saw fewer Wusthof knives coming in for repair than other brands. I've bought Wusthof Classic and have been very satisfied. Re cleavers, it depends on what kind of cleaver you are buying. There are heavy cleavers for breaking bones, and there are Chinese cleavers, which are really Chinese chef's knives, which aren't as heavy and in theory take a sharper edge. I had a cheap carbon steel Chinese cleaver for many years and it was fine for about 20 years. I finally broke down and bought a stainless one off Amazaon for around $50. The brand was "Sun Light," which I think has vanished. It's an upgrade. I wouldn't invest too much in a Chinese cleaver unless it's going to be your primary Chef's knife. We have an 8" Wusthof chef's knife and a Santoku (my wife prefers that one), so the mid-priced cleaver was a good fit for our needs.

I second Wusthof. If you get Henckle make sure you get one of the upper level lines. The lower ones are nothing to get excited about.

the Wusthof Classic for 10+ years now and they are still like new. obviously you never put in the dishwasher and always hand wash. get a good sharpener and steel to fine tune in between sharpening's and you can't go wrong.

And don’t be hatin’, but I also have a couple of Cutco knives I’ve been using for years that come in to the rotation now and again.

...a wedding present. They are great.

The only issue I have is my wife aggressively mistreats them. She used the boning knife to cut a watermelon and broke it, so I had to replace that one.

I've seen her using the carving knife doing the same thing and when I tell her "just use the big thick one for big things, each knife has a purpose" she looks at me like like I am an insane asshole. My cross to bear I guess.

I've got about 15 knives that I use, most of them bought in sets. I've got them in Six Star and Gerber blocks, so I guess I bought sets of each. My Six Star cleaver has worked fine for me, but I mostly cut pooultry bones. I've got a couple of Emeril knives. I bought a Cutluxe monster that someone on BBI suggested, that looks like Samuri sword, that I use for larger cuts. My workhorse, tho, is a ceramic chef's knife that I use for all my veggies, except hard ones like squashes, and for boneless meats. If any of my single knives were over $100, I don't remember, and it would go back a long time.

In comment 16306053 sb from NYT Forum said:

Quote:

...a wedding present. They are great. The only issue I have is my wife aggressively mistreats them. She used the boning knife to cut a watermelon and broke it, so I had to replace that one. I've seen her using the carving knife doing the same thing and when I tell her "just use the big thick one for big things, each knife has a purpose" she looks at me like like I am an insane asshole. My cross to bear I guess.

so I'm not the only one at least. My wife is the same way. throws them in the sink, uses the serated knife on cheese. so annoying.

In comment 16305920 81_Great_Dane said:

Quote:

Many years ago, when I lived in Manhattan, I went into a pro knife store and asked what they recommended. They said they saw fewer Wusthof knives coming in for repair than other brands. I've bought Wusthof Classic and have been very satisfied. Re cleavers, it depends on what kind of cleaver you are buying. There are heavy cleavers for breaking bones, and there are Chinese cleavers, which are really Chinese chef's knives, which aren't as heavy and in theory take a sharper edge. I had a cheap carbon steel Chinese cleaver for many years and it was fine for about 20 years. I finally broke down and bought a stainless one off Amazaon for around $50. The brand was "Sun Light," which I think has vanished. It's an upgrade. I wouldn't invest too much in a Chinese cleaver unless it's going to be your primary Chef's knife. We have an 8" Wusthof chef's knife and a Santoku (my wife prefers that one), so the mid-priced cleaver was a good fit for our needs.

,


I have no complaints with Wusthof either.

I've purchased/used them for decades.

In comment 16306053 sb from NYT Forum said:

Quote:

...a wedding present. They are great. The only issue I have is my wife aggressively mistreats them. She used the boning knife to cut a watermelon and broke it, so I had to replace that one. I've seen her using the carving knife doing the same thing and when I tell her "just use the big thick one for big things, each knife has a purpose" she looks at me like like I am an insane asshole. My cross to bear I guess.

You are NOT alone, I finally had top buy her a set and mine are locked up. Can' and won't trust anyone with my good knives

We use it everyday and it is very sharp. I love it.

I think there is a difference in the blade thickness between European and Japanese knives. The Japanese knives are thinner and sharper, but can get dinged if you want to butcher something with bones... The European knives are thicker but not as sharp.

only have 1 (santoku) but may add one of the smaller nakiri cleavers soon. seems a little more useful than the huge cleavers. ive heard that some of their lower end knives arent worth it though. so thats one watch out.

not sure if anyone has experience with kikuichi but they seem similar to shun and have a big selection.