My message is finally getting thru!

[Rob Babcock]

Finally! A guy I work with has decided it's time to buy his own chef knife! The reason? Seems when I have a day off and take my knives home, there isn't a usable one in the house! Now, he's young, and his priorities are 1) beer 2) weed & 3) girls (not necessarily in that order!) so he doesn't want to spend a lot. He asked me for some advice, and after discussing what he wants and is willing to spend I think he's going to get a Forschner Fibrox 10" Chef knife. A very good choice for the money. It's pretty sharp OOTB, is made of good steel and maintains and edge reasonably well. And it will be pretty easy to keep sharp...

Once I show him how, that is.

[attie]

That's the go Rob, a $27.95 you beaut special to get him going, beats him destroying your knives which no doubt cost a lot more than that.

[Rob Babcock]

He's pretty careful with my knives, Attie. Of course, on his second day he cut himself so badly with my Tojiro 240mm Gyuto that he had to go to the ER for half a dozen stitches! Yes, he learned quickly to respect the edge!

Mostly I just see a bit of myself at that age in him. He's a quick study & a darned fine line cook. And he really loves the work, loves being a cook. Since I was doing it since he was wearing Huggies, it's nice to "give something back."

And of course, if it keeps him away from my knives more's the better!

[QSis]

Forschner brand has been highly touted on the The World Famous BBQ Forum Since 1995 serving the Barbecue World for years, so when I was in the market for a 14-inch granton edge slicer, that's the brand I got.

LOVE it! I will definitely consider getting other Forschners in the future!

Good choice, Rob!

Lee

[buzzard767]

Originally Posted by Rob Babcock

And it will be pretty easy to keep sharp...
Once I show him how, that is.

Are you going to teach him to follow that 22-25* factory edge or show him how to reprofile to 15* where the fibrox belongs. I keep my Fibrox's at 15, no microbevel, and they hold up very well slicing and chopping on a Sani-Tuff.

Edit: Oh, and I have two Fibrox skinning knives a acquired from a packing house that I keep at 10* with a 12* microbevel. The edges last much longer than I ever thought they would. End edit.

Buzz

[Rob Babcock]

I don't think he's ready to embrace The Dark Side completely. Sharpening is something he really isn't interested in. I'll probably just give him an Edgemaker Pro and call it good. The Edgemaker will keep a Fibrox shaving sharp which is plenty good for him.

Hopefully it will be a "gateway drug" that will get him interesting in good tools.

[buzzard767]

Originally Posted by Rob Babcock

I don't think he's ready to embrace The Dark Side completely. Sharpening is something he really isn't interested in. I'll probably just give him an Edgemaker Pro and call it good. The Edgemaker will keep a Fibrox shaving sharp which is plenty good for him.

Good enough. I like Forschners. Frankly, I'm so hung up on Japanese cutlery that I don't use anything else anymore but I'll never badmouth the former. I had a really nice chef's, slicer, paring Victorinox combo that I kept at 15* and will never ever EVER complain. They're great. I gave them to one of my sons this past Christmas who is not into kitchen cutlery but IS impressed by the knives.

Originally Posted by Rob Babcock

Hopefully it will be a "gateway drug" that will get him interesting in good tools.

Hmmm. The disease doesn't infect everyone.....

[Bigjim68]

I have to echo Rob's sentiments concerning Forschners. I have used mine for around 45 years and they were the generally accepted standard in the packing house where I worked. They have served me well.l However, I just took Robs advice and ordered the Kanetsune's from SMKW. So superior that I will retire my Forschners as "guest" knives. If I were working in a kitchen, I would probably use Forschners. SMKW sells a wide variety of knives, including Forschners, at reasonable prices. Free shipping and no sales tax if you order over the internet. I intend to order the full set of Kantesunes (5 total), case them in wood, and make them the last knives I will ever buy.

[Rob Babcock]

Cool! Glad you like the Kanetsune, Bigjim68. Pretty nice knife for the price. We can than sharpening guru Dave Martell for that tip!

[Rob Babcock]

Matt's Fibrox showed up a couple days ago. I ended up ordering it for him, got it from SMKW for $24.95 w/free shipping. He loves it! It's pretty sharp OOTB and feels good in the hand. For $25 I might get one for a beater knife. Just 'cause I'm a swell guy I gave him a basic Messermeister knife roll that I wasn't using, plus an Edgemaker Pro sharpener and a Messermeister birds-beak parer to get him started.

He told me today he's anxious to start filling up the case.