Kitchen knives - recommendation please

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Farberware Pro forged 8" Chef's knife (can be found for under $12) has been my main knife for a while. It rates higher on Amazon reviews than all the $100+ chef's knives I've looked at. I wouldn't suggest their Santoku though because they use a European style handle (as on the Chef's knife) and blade geometry. It's forged, has a full tang, and triple rivets (though really it's all marketing and not a real reflection of quality or durability).

Victorinox acquired Forschner and makes very highly rated Chef's knives that aren't forged, full tang, or triple rivets. To me; they're pricey ($40-$60) and have primitive shaped handles. They look like the Cozzini knives we have at work and I have yet to see one of those break, and I have seen them abused. I really like the blades, but not the handles.

It seems like the more expensive the knife: the more fragile they are. I've seen pictures of expensive knives that have broken with no indication of abuse by people claiming the manufacturer wouldn't honor the lifetime guarantee (claiming owner abuse). Expensive knives also like to walk off on you.

I hone a lot more than it seems the average patron here. It can make a huge difference when done right, and it's so easy to do. I'm even gentle on the cutting edge. I agree that a good knife is a sharp knife, I'm picky about handles and how they suit the type of cutting they'll be doing.

Recommending brands isn't a good idea: Each brand has different tiers of quality and names for those tiers. While some make a decent Chef's knife, they may not make a decent Santoku (for those who know the difference). Edge retention may be more important to some, and why they'd want to spend more for a knife. I'd rather have a few cheaper decent knives than an expensive brittle and magically disappearing one.

Thank you for your comments---- esp the one about not recommending brands and why you said that

I've always looked for a full tang and triple rivets. I find that some good Asian groceries have a fairly good selection of knives. One of the best knives I ever bought (for a home cook) is one I bought at a hardware store in Japan town in San Francisco---- on sale for $10 keeps it edge beautifully through the years.
 
Oh, forgot to say that one of my most used knives is the Bird's Beak paring knife.
I have two of them---- neither as expensive as the image here:

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Here I am, waking up this thread again. Most of the knives I have are old cheap knives, some from DH's first marriage and some from my first apartment. I also have a very cheap set in a block kept on my counter. I like the block, because it stands pretty straight up and down and doesn't take up a lot of room on my very small counter in my very small kitchen. I recently bought a very nice set of Henckels on sale at Kohl's. I really liked the set, but the block was way too big and took up too much room on the counter so I returned it. I have been online all morning looking at knives, and I got the bright idea that I might be able to find knives that fit into my block that I like so well. How I wish I had tried the Henckels knives it it before I returned them. Is it possible that they would have fit in the slots? Are knives pretty much standard shape? If I ended up with too many knives I could always keep the extras in my silverware drawer.

I am open for suggestions. You guys seem to have very good thinking caps.
 
I used to have a knife block for my Henckels. I got rid of it and put a magnetic knife holder on the wall under the cabinets where I do my prep. So much better and not counter space lost.

If you still want Henckels, they have two major quality grades with slightly different insignia. Their higher quality knives have the insignia with two stick figures while their lower grade knives have a single stick figure insignia.

That's not to say the lower grade are not worth buying. Some are serrated 'eversharp' type edges which I don't care for at all.
 

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I used a set of of Cutco knives for years till I started buying the double-dude Henckels knives, and I still use them, except for the chef's knife. I bought a Henckels knife block that was larger than the Cutco and all my most-used knives fit in it.
 

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Thanks for the feedback. I just checked online and the ones I bought and returned had the single stick figure. Even those were far better quality than the ones I have now. I saw the ones that "never needs sharpening" but it was a bigger set and had a few knives I would probably never use, for more money, of course. I also saw a review of the all serrated knives and that person didn't like them either.

I saw a set of Chicago knives that I was considering. One site had all good reviews, another site had quite a few bad reviews. I figure I've been married for 33 years with my cheap knives, so I don't exactly need the best thing on the market, especially with the basic cooking I do. I will probably sharpen the ones I have and keep looking until I see what I want instead of making a snap decision.
 
Chicago Cutlery also makes good knives. They were my first set and I still use some of them. I have the Walnut handled set from about 20 years ago.
 
DH gave me the Cutco set for Christmas many years ago, but the rest of my knives I've bought separately, so I only have the ones I want and use.
 
Chicago Cutlery also makes good knives. They were my first set and I still use some of them. I have the Walnut handled set from about 20 years ago.



For the amount I use them, I always look to Chicago Cutlery first. They sharpen up really nice when needed. :angel:
 
I liked the Chicago set I saw, but some of the people who reviewed them only gave them 1 star. Some people said they rusted. Others gave them 5 stars.

I am very prone to cutting myself and with me taking aspirin every day, DH hates to see me using knives. LOL
 
someone here mentioned chicago cutlery a while back, and on a whim while on a shopping vigil in outlet malls in pennsylvania (i was actually hoping to be struck by lightning) last year i saw a couple of cc knives on sale, so i bought an 8" chef for me, and a 7" santoku, or soduku, or whatever that shape is. not the math crossword thing. the 7" for dw, and my boy got a smaller version of the latter.

i'm impressed at how well they keep an edge. all it needs is a quick 5-3-1 run over a honing steel once a week, and they're like new.

i've used some really expensive knives, but $ for $, chicago cutlery is a good way to go.
 
I used a set of of Cutco knives for years till I started buying the double-dude Henckels knives, and I still use them, except for the chef's knife. I bought a Henckels knife block that was larger than the Cutco and all my most-used knives fit in it.

I still use the block that came with the Cutco set that my wife bought years ago. The only Cutco knife still in it is a paring knife, plus the 8 steak knives. The rest are Wusthoff and Chicago Cutlery.
 
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I purchased a three set of Chicago Cutlery knives 35 years back, and they look like new, in spite of seeing a significant amount of use. The only things I don't like about them is that they have the hollow-ground edge. I like a flat blace from heel to belly as it slices with less resistance through heavy mellons, or winter squash, rutabaga, etc.

The CC knives hold their edge well, but are a bit harder to sharpen if let get dull. They are more stainless than my much more expensive stain-resistant knives that cost 4 times more for a single knife.

I don't know if the quality is the same today as it was 30-some years back.

Seeeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
I liked the Chicago set I saw, but some of the people who reviewed them only gave them 1 star. Some people said they rusted. Others gave them 5 stars.

I am very prone to cutting myself and with me taking aspirin every day, DH hates to see me using knives. LOL

Of course they rust. Any metal will rust when you don't take care of them. When I see a review like that, I know it is not the product, but the user who is at fault. :angel:
 
not all metals rust or oxidize (think of gold), but even stainless steel can get bits of "rustable" metal impregnated into them. it's mostly just cosmetic on ss, but if you must you can have it ground out.
i need to go polish my gold knives, now. bbl.
 
Just about every true steel will rust under the right circumstances. Stainless is just a marketing term, a shorthand for a steel with a certain percentage of chromium (usually 12%-13% depending on who you ask). A strong oxidizer like bleach can make most stainless steels rust. After all steel is still primarily iron by weight and volume. Iron is pretty reactive. Alloying it will help but it can still be made to form iron oxide. Salt water also enhances corrosion.
 
I recommand my Nesmuk JANUS chef's knife: Regarding the topic "rust-proof" oder not, this knife convinces with a special coating the so called "diamond-like-carbon". It gives the blade a very elegant black colour and keeps it free from any corrosion. For those who are interested, have short look here!

I can only say: Thumbs up for this innovation from Germany and thumbs up for this knife. But I think the brand Nesmuk is not known at all over here, is it?
 
Just about every true steel will rust under the right circumstances. Stainless is just a marketing term, a shorthand for a steel with a certain percentage of chromium (usually 12%-13% depending on who you ask). A strong oxidizer like bleach can make most stainless steels rust. After all steel is still primarily iron by weight and volume. Iron is pretty reactive. Alloying it will help but it can still be made to form iron oxide. Salt water also enhances corrosion.


Yes, but...

Quality SS knives don't rust under normal use. Washing, drying, slicing, chopping, etc. Rust is not an issue.
 
Yes, but...

Quality SS knives don't rust under normal use. Washing, drying, slicing, chopping, etc. Rust is not an issue.

Rust is not an issue if you take care of them properly. Stainless steel is stainless because there is a micro-layer of oxides and hydroxides that form on the metal surface. Primarily, the chromium forms most of this layer. It is only a few atoms thick, and so is invisible to the naked eye, but creates a barrier that prevents further oxidation of the metal. However, if you block oxygen from touching the surface, say by leaving your knife unwashed, oxidation can and will occur, leaving discoloration and even pits in the steel.

Stainless steel, under normal use, if not cared for by keeping it clean when not in use, will rust. I learned this many years ago, the hard way, you know, when I was young and foolish. For more info, read this Scietific American article - Why doesn't stainless steel rust? - Scientific American

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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Rust is not an issue if you take care of them properly. Stainless steel is stainless because there is a micro-layer of oxides and hydroxides that form on the metal surface. Primarily, the chromium forms most of this layer. It is only a few atoms thick, and so is invisible to the naked eye, but creates a barrier that prevents further oxidation of the metal. However, if you block oxygen from touching the surface, say by leaving your knife unwashed, oxidation can and will occur, leaving discoloration and even pits in the steel.

Stainless steel, under normal use, if not cared for by keeping it clean when not in use, will rust. I learned this many years ago, the hard way, you know, when I was young and foolish. For more info, read this Scietific American article - Why doesn't stainless steel rust? - Scientific American

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

Once again, it depends on the alloy. I was a machinist and early in my career I made parts for nuclear reactors, both the for the fuel handling systems and some interior cooling piping. We used predominately 303 and 304 stainless, alloys which would be much too soft for knives, but which were virtually 100% corrosion proof. They had to be because any contamination becomes quickly radioactive upon exposure, while the metal itself is fairly resistant.

Also, it really takes is normal care to keep a good stainless knife rust free. I lived for 2 years within 100 feet of the beach in the Bahamas, and none of my knives showed the least bit of rust, while many of the tools in my toolbox are quite rusty, even though they had much less exposure to the direct salt air. The outer plates of my so-called stainless Napoleon Grill rusted badly after 2 years of living in the Atlantic trade winds.
 
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