need kitchen knives - chicago cutlery any good?

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gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
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My sister wants some decent knives for x-mas. Thinking of spending 100-150 and there's a lot of highly rated sets from chicago cutlery on Amazon. My buddy says they're not great for some reason, but I'm not sure what he bases that on. Unless anybody has any reason to avoid it, I'm thinking of getting something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Chicago-Cutler...kitchen+knives
 
tcG

tcG

Golden Member
Jul 31, 2006
1,202
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Your buddy is right. I haven't touched up on kitchen knives in a while, but the ones that come in sets like that and are relatively cheap are generally not that great - the steel is inferior, balance and finish isn't as good, etc.

I would go on knifeforums.com and peruse the kitchen section. Most kitchen work should be done with your standard 240mm or 270mm chef's knife. Ones that are 10x better than the typical Chicago Cutlery-type brands can be had for around $100... but then it's only 1 knife. The middle range good shit is around $300 for a nice knife, and those are extremely nice knives. It goes up from there, all the way up to $2000+ custom forged Japanese gyutos. Choices are going to include whether you want a Western or Japanese handle style, blade thickness (thicker lasts longer and is more durable but isn't as much of a laser), length, and stainless vs. carbon steel. Using a good knife is a totally different experience. A sharp, good knife will cut through things like nothing you've used before.

Sharpening if very important as well. IMO the best thing would be to start her with a good quality entry level chef's knife and a good sharpening stone set. This all may be beyond your sister's need though...

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K1052

K1052

Elite Member
Aug 21, 2003
53,616
48,179
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I'd rather have one good chef's knife than 18 bad knives.
 
gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,741
456
126
tcG said:
This all may be beyond your sister's need though...
Click to expand...

This is the key. She's not cooking THAT much nor is she really wanting single knives. I think she also wants the steak knives that usually come in the set as well.

I see people saying they want a good knife but nobody has actually posted a good knife... so what do you prefer?
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,710
11,084
126
I like Henkel knives, and I prefer getting them a la carte. Sets always come with stuff you don't want. For a gift, I'd give a block, a parer, a Japanese chef knife, and a bread knife. Those three knives will do the bulk of anything she'd like to do, and she can buy, or be gifted extra knives later.
 
H

Howard

Lifer
Oct 14, 1999
47,986
11
81
Fibrox 8" chef's
Fibrox 6" flex boning
Fibrox wavy bread
Fibrox 12" slicer (only if she does lots of roasts)
Fibrox 4" paring
AccuSharp

As for myself, I would replace the chef's knife with a Chinese cleaver to get the integrated board scraper. Stuff that requires a pointy edge can usually be handled with the 4" paring.

EDIT: Here's something that'll blow her mind: get her a set of nice wooden plates and a set of decent smooth-edged knives for whenever she's serving steak. Steak knives are serrated only because porcelain and glass tableware dull regular edges; cutting a steak with a real knife, now that's class.
 
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tcG

tcG

Golden Member
Jul 31, 2006
1,202
18
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I believe those Victorinox's are some of the best cheap knives you can get.
 
gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,741
456
126
tcG said:
I believe those Victorinox's are some of the best cheap knives you can get.
Click to expand...

Sounds right up my alley for my budget :thumbsup:

I'll keep looking and see if I come up with anything better too
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,710
11,084
126
gorcorps said:
http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-JA-He...words=henckels

Would this Henckels set be of better quality, even though it's all in a set?
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I don't think those are German made. I wouldn't get a Chinese knife(barring a Chinese chef) on principle. It pisses me off when quality companies whore out their names in a race to the bottom.

Edit:
Reading the reviews, it says their Spanish made. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Spain was a noted blade making nation in years past, but I don't know if that's current reality. I'm guessing they're Spanish to hit a price point, and not for quality purposes.
 
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tcG

tcG

Golden Member
Jul 31, 2006
1,202
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Check out the Wusthof sets on Amazon if you're into the German brands... I think those are better than the low end Chinese-made Henckels.
 
tcG

tcG

Golden Member
Jul 31, 2006
1,202
18
81
Really, the best way to do this is to buy individual knives and add to your collection gradually. This is the problem with buying gifts, where convenience often outweighs quality... at least it's a problem if you're an obsessive hobbyist like me.

Definitely check out the Wusthof sets though. If you're going the full block set route, those are better than Henckels.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
60,710
11,084
126
gorcorps said:
http://www.amazon.com/Wusthof-Silver...ywords=Wusthof

I saw this one but one of the reviews indicate it seems pretty cheap. Hard to believe one reviewer when there's only 3 total but it turned me off a bit.
Click to expand...

Textured handles are more of a PITA to clean. They're also stamped steel.

I have the Henkel 4star series, and I'm completely happy with them. I'd HIGHLY recommend buying a la carte, as opposed to a big set. Sets are gonna be generally the same quality with any of the big names. They'll be competent, but not that special, and fairly generic. One set will be as good as another.

Here's a 4star parer for example...

http://www.amazon.com/Zwilling-J-A-H...eywords=henkel
 
tcG

tcG

Golden Member
Jul 31, 2006
1,202
18
81
Everything in the OP's price range is going to be stamped steel.
 
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