Just dropped $262 on a knife. Hope I don't regret it.

[HumblePie]

I have this

http://www.fableblades.com/Aphrodite.html

From Fable Blades. WAY more than $262 for a piece of steel with an edge to it

http://zombietools.net/tools/

I also have the bone machete and the older splashed Valkra. Along with many other steel items hanging items with edges to them. Many of them way over $262.

But as for what I keep in the kitchen... I have Shun Ken Onion set which includes the cleaver. I have a couple of Global brand knives, a few Shun Classics, a set of Saber brand knives (these are usually my go to knives), and I picked up a Fujimaru set of knives.

http://www.tuesdaymorning.com/black-friday-cyber-monday-3-piece-cutlery-set/1272025.jsp

These for $40 are the steal of a deal for a cutlery set. At about $16 a knife, they are every bit an equal to my Shun Classics which I paid far more for.

 

[madoka]

I'm a practical guy. So for you knife enthusiasts, why do I need an expensive set?

I won't lie. I did it because it looks nice and it's easy to start filling in imagined needs.

I started with this 21 piece set as my base:

Then I got this 26 slot knife block because I liked the swivel:

But now you're left with a bunch of unsightly empty slots. So then I started filling in those slots with individual purchases. Before you know it, you've spent quite a bit on the whole thing. But now you've got a knife for virtually every occasion.

 

[alkemyst]

It's no different than someone that thinks they 1982 Honda Civic gets them to work just as well as a 2013 Panamerican.

 

[HumblePie]

Someone advise me on this:

I've always told myself I would spend a small fortune on a set of knives once I own a home.

Then I've been living and cooking (my hobby) alone for 7 years. And I ask myself, why do actually NEED to spend $$$ on knives?

I have a $40 mediocre set and it works PERFECTLY fine. I also have a $3 sharpener from Ikea and it keeps them pretty sharp- sharp enough to cut a flap of newspaper.

Yes these sharpeners supposedly 'ruin' the blade. But I've been doing this over many years and had ZERO problems. There is no felt need for me to ever say "I need better knives!" whenever I cooked everything under the sun.

I'm a practical guy. So for you knife enthusiasts, why do I need an expensive set?

If you are getting mediocre knife sets and just constantly sharpening them, that does work. The reason to buy a more expensive knife is because 1) it holds a sharper edge and 2) holds that edge longer. By holding a sharper edge and holding it longer, one does not need to sharpen the knife that often. If you aren't sharpening much, you aren't wearing away the metal of the blade. Make no mistake in that when you sharpen you also remove how long that knife will still be useable as knife. Everything has a finite life span. Then again, unless you actually care to give down a good knife set down to your descendents as a family heirloom, you can get away with just a cheaper mediocre set that you have to sharpen more often.

However, I am the best bang for the buck kind of guy. I like getting great stuff at great prices.

 

[Imp]

This thread partly answers my question as to why this thing tops (or near it) the bestseller's list under tools for Amazon.ca.

http://www.amazon.ca/SOG-Specialty-K...0AY0P5PYNAPVVZ

 

[Blackjack200]

There is no felt need for me to ever say "I need better knives!" whenever I cooked everything under the sun.

I'm a practical guy. So for you knife enthusiasts, why do I need an expensive set?

You don't.

Just like not everyone would appreciate a high end graphics card if they just use a computer for web surfing and not everyone would appreciate an AMG if they just need a grocery getter.

I love tech and I keep up with video card developments, but you know what? I use on-board graphics on every computer I have - I just don't like gaming that much so I have no need for them.

I would love to have a nice knife like the OP has. I make soups from scratch and I make lots of stir frys and other dishes that involve slicing really tough raw vegetables. But I don't have one because I wouldn't take care of it well enough, so I have a cheapo knife like you, and I do my best to keep it sharp.

In case anyone is interested in what professionals actually use...

I used to work in a deli that made a specialty sandwich called the "Sloppy Joe Sandwich" (not the 'Sloppy Joes' you're thinking of). It was a club sandwich made as follows: Start with three slices of seedless rye bread baked in a white bread mold and sliced lengthwise (the slices are basically rectangles of bread about six inches long by two inches wide and a quarter of an inch thick with crust only on the top and bottom edges.) Put five ounces of meat on each of the lower slices, then coleslaw, russian dressing and swiss cheese. Then butter the top and stack it all up. Now comes the slicing. The sandwich is now about an inch and a half tall, and it will not want to stay in shape when the knife starts going though it. No matter how sharp the blade is, the cheese will want to slide off of the russian dressing and make everything fall apart. You need quick, precise strokes to slice it neatly, it takes weeks to learn it, and months to learn to do it really well.

You can see a picture of it here: (make sure your AV is up to date, this website is probably hosted out of someone's basement somewhere.) http://www.townhalldeli.com/#!__page-4

So what kind of knives do they use at the deli? Large, nameless, stainless steel knives. If I had to guess I would put the price at $30-$40 a blade, but the deli doesn't even own them, they actually rent the knives from a supplier that comes by once a week and removes the dull knives for sharpening, and replaces them with sharp ones.

One more point, I bet that I could take any mediocre knife, even without the sharpest blade, and cut that sandwich better and faster than anyone on this forum could with any knife of their choice. I made this sandwich for years, sometimes the knives were not that sharp and the old lady that's been coming to the deli for 40 years does not want to hear that you fucked up her $20 sandwich because your knife has a dull blade, so my technique got very good. I could feel as the blade went through every bit of crust, cheese, and meat.

 

[Zeze]

You don't.

Just like not everyone would appreciate a high end graphics card if they just use a computer for web surfing and not everyone would appreciate an AMG if they just need a grocery getter.

I love tech and I keep up with video card developments, but you know what? I use on-board graphics on every computer I have - I just don't like gaming that much so I have no need for them.

I would love to have a nice knife like the OP has. I make soups from scratch and I make lots of stir frys and other dishes that involve slicing really tough raw vegetables. But I don't have one because I wouldn't take care of it well enough, so I have a cheapo knife like you, and I do my best to keep it sharp.

In case anyone is interested in what professionals actually use...

I used to work in a deli that made a specialty sandwich called the "Sloppy Joe Sandwich" (not the 'Sloppy Joes' you're thinking of). It was a club sandwich made as follows: Start with three slices of seedless rye bread baked in a white bread mold and sliced lengthwise (the slices are basically rectangles of bread about six inches long by two inches wide and a quarter of an inch thick with crust only on the top and bottom edges.) Put five ounces of meat on each of the lower slices, then coleslaw, russian dressing and swiss cheese. Then butter the top and stack it all up. Now comes the slicing. The sandwich is now about an inch and a half tall, and it will not want to stay in shape when the knife starts going though it. No matter how sharp the blade is, the cheese will want to slide off of the russian dressing and make everything fall apart. You need quick, precise strokes to slice it neatly, it takes weeks to learn it, and months to learn to do it really well.

You can see a picture of it here: (make sure your AV is up to date, this website is probably hosted out of someone's basement somewhere.) http://www.townhalldeli.com/#!__page-4

So what kind of knives do they use at the deli? Large, nameless, stainless steel knives. If I had to guess I would put the price at $30-$40 a blade, but the deli doesn't even own them, they actually rent the knives from a supplier that comes by once a week and removes the dull knives for sharpening, and replaces them with sharp ones.

One more point, I bet that I could take any mediocre knife, even without the sharpest blade, and cut that sandwich better and faster than anyone on this forum could with any knife of their choice. I made this sandwich for years, sometimes the knives were not that sharp and the old lady that's been coming to the deli for 40 years does not want to hear that you fucked up her $20 sandwich because your knife has a dull blade, so my technique got very good. I could feel as the blade went through every bit of crust, cheese, and meat.

Oh, so there is no secret to those high quality knives. I guess I don't need them at all.

 

[Howard]

Oh, so there is no secret to those high quality knives. I guess I don't need them at all.

Well, you never need to do anything about something you're happy with.

 

[Howard]

My girlfriend is ordering me a Tojiro F-920! Yay!

Pictures - scroll through

 

[Howard]

SD-01 paring arrived. Quick breakdown before I take pics.

Aesthetics: 7/10. It's alright. I'm 99% certain the damascus is just acid etching rather than pattern welding. The engraved text on the side of the blade is also rather gaudy.

Fit and finish: 7.5/10. The bolster is not welded, or otherwise made seamless, to the blade. Will be difficult to fully clean this area. The scales are also not fitted perfectly to the tang but are otherwise quite serviceable. The sides of the scales seem to be left unpolished. Everything is smooth.

Comfort: 8.5/10. Would probably prefer some sort of a guard near the bolster to keep the index finger from touching the edge, but otherwise everything's great.

Sharpness: Out of the box (OOTB) is a 4/10. Pretty crappy edge. But, I'm sure that I can get it better than shaving sharp since it's a relatively thin VG10 blade by a reputable manufacturer.

Edge retention: who knows?

 

[darkxshade]

You got a knife fetish don't ya?

 

[Howard]

SD-01 paring pics

 

[Sid59]

i was content getting a wustoff 10" for 60 bucks =D

I was watching Top Chef and Bob Kramer from http://kramerknives.com was pimping out his 1000/per inch made-to-order knives.

 

[lxskllr]

Oh, so there is no secret to those high quality knives. I guess I don't need them at all.

A good knife feels good in hand, and it's always a pleasure to use tools made with good craftsmanship. It's a luxury item if you can appreciate such a thing, but maybe you can't. I don't care about video, and I especially don't care about bluray. All the talk of great picture and everything else is lost on me. I just don't appreciate it. Everyone has their priorities, and expectations for stuff they use.

 

[JEDIYoda]

4 posts and you have an opinion that suppose to get our attention...............

 

[OverVolt]

I can understand a well-made knife. These go way beyond that though lol.

 

[dr150]

SD-01 paring arrived. Quick breakdown before I take pics.

Aesthetics: 7/10. It's alright. I'm 99% certain the damascus is just acid etching rather than pattern welding. The engraved text on the side of the blade is also rather gaudy.

Fit and finish: 7.5/10. The bolster is not welded, or otherwise made seamless, to the blade. Will be difficult to fully clean this area. The scales are also not fitted perfectly to the tang but are otherwise quite serviceable. The sides of the scales seem to be left unpolished. Everything is smooth.

Comfort: 8.5/10. Would probably prefer some sort of a guard near the bolster to keep the index finger from touching the edge, but otherwise everything's great.

Sharpness: Out of the box (OOTB) is a 4/10. Pretty crappy edge. But, I'm sure that I can get it better than shaving sharp since it's a relatively thin VG10 blade by a reputable manufacturer.

Edge retention: who knows?

What's your opinion on Chroma knives?

They are used by most elite Chefs in Europe....including the world's best chef, Ferran Adria...

http://www.chromaknives.co.uk/section/102/the-chroma-story/

 

[Turbonium]

I use a basic paring knife for all my cooking needs.

Like a boss.

 

[WelshBloke]

Oh, so there is no secret to those high quality knives. I guess I don't need them at all.

Put it like this. Chefs knives are to prepare food. Very expensive knives won't make your food taste any different to reasonably priced knives.

 

[SSSnail]

Put it like this. Chefs knives are to prepare food. Very expensive knives won't make your food taste any different to reasonably priced knives.

Sorta like e-peen, but for the kitchen. Call it kitchen-peen. Since I have a real penis, I don't need kitchen-peen. That's for the wimmen.

 

[moonbogg]

I bought a combat knife for $300 about 5 years ago and still use it to this day. It has seen HEAVY punishment and is still perfect. You get what you pay for and if I had tried to save a few bucks on a less well made knife, it very well may have been broken by now.
Example:

I batoned through a thick, solid log to split it for firewood. The handle got hammered on harder than shit, and the blade was forced so hard through the wood that the blade actually torqued and twisted A LOT inside of the log. I hammered the knife back out and it returned perfectly staight, still had an edge and the handle was as solid as the day I bought it. Zero damage.
Good blade material, proper heat treat, good blade geometry, tough handle material, solid assembly and manufacturing process = not cheap.

here is the knife

http://www.knifeart.com/yargreenbers.html?gclid=CNWk2t_a27QCFal7Qgod1HMAIg

 

[herm0016]

untill you have used a very nice blade, you can not appriciate its precision.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I have a few Henckels Pro series knives I've had for over 10 years. A few swipes over the sharpening steel every other use and it will slice through a soft tomato like a hot knife through butter.

A good knife will last you a lifetime if properly maintained.

 

[Howard]

My girlfriend is ordering me a Tojiro F-920! Yay!

Pictures - scroll through

 

[Howard]

What's your opinion on Chroma knives?

They are used by most elite Chefs in Europe....including the world's best chef, Ferran Adria...

http://www.chromaknives.co.uk/section/102/the-chroma-story/

Without doing a search, I haven't heard of anybody using them. There isn't enough info on the website to say, either.

I think the handles look stupid.