ISO steak knives

[DrThunder88]

DrThunder88,
Robo410 advise is very sound.
Laguiole is a town 359 miles south of Paris that originally produced a pocket knife with a corkscrew that evolved into a steak knife. The ones that TJMaxx sells are low end merchandise with a stamped blade.
The actual Laguiole steak knife is a high end product used in all Michelin 3 Star restaurants, the most recognizable feature apart from the bee and the pistol shape handle is a forged blade, tapered (3 to 4 times thicker in the handle area) with a lot of artistic work on the edge.
I found a picture link in wikipedia, see below:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Abeille_en.jpg

Good info. I did some looking after reading some of the other responses and came to the same conclusion. It's like France's version of Mora, Sweden!

Anyone have any experiences with A.G. Russell's steak knives? The knives themselves are good looking, and the blades are of an exceptional steel (VG10).

 

[justplainbill]

You think $402.50 for 6 steak knives is "moderately priced?"

Here's what I consider (relative to the Lamson's) a moderately priced set of steak knives. They are very well made and extremely attractive. Unfortunately, their attractivness is partially lost unless you have the full set of kitchen knives and block to go with them.

I like LamsonSharp knives, but though considered by some as pricey my favorite steak knives are the Puma Jagdnicker and the Buck 107

 

[Rob Babcock]

Actually, you could just buy some Mora knives and they'd be excellent steak knives at a great price. The laminated Moras, especially, will take a razor sharp edge and hold it very well.

 

[Nova5]

Would a short (6") chefs knife work good as a steak knife?

 

[Nova5]

What are the differences if any between Henckels Twin Gourment and Twin Signature series? i see the twin on the blade in black, the Signatures have him in red on the handle as well as black on blade.

 

[wysiwyg]

If you are interested in value more than looks, type of steel, Rockwell hardness, etc. check Tramontina "Made in Brazil" steak knives. They have two lines, one with wodden handles and another one with laminated wood impregnated with thermoplastic resin (reddish color).
These stake knives will probably the last ones you will ever buy. They are made in Rio Grande do Sul, where the average consumption of stake is double of USA, and used in all the traditional Brazilian BBQ restaurants. If you ever been to one of this restaurants, you will probably understand what I mean.

 

[Rob Babcock]

The Kyoto steak knives are armhair-shaving-sharp out of the box, and can get honed up to a much higher level of sharpness yet with a bit of touch op. They have really attractive Pakkawood handles and are pretty remarkable for $50.

Some others have made some good suggestions, too, but for the price I think the Kyoto's are hard to beat.

I just wanted to bump this to retract my statement. The Kyoto's have a good edge but a real problem with the handles splitting/cracking. Having lived with them for few months I now see that every one is cracked, even the ones I've never used! Just goes to show that first impressions aren't everything.

Since I've heard this from other owners I must now conclude that it's not an isolated case. I'd advise potential Kyoto purchasers to give them a wide berth- don't waste your money on them.

 

[wysiwyg]

Rob Babcock,
Sorry to hear about the dissapoinment with the Kyoto knives, I remember reading your comment and making a point of checking them.
Seems like there is a fundamental issue with the handles. Probably, green wood has been used and when drying, will twist and turn, cracking because of the blade preventing this.
Did you write to the company about it?

 

[Jeekinz]

You know, someone with a little skill could replace that handle with whatever species wood you want. You might pay a few bucks, but you'll have your knife back.

just sayin'

 

[Rob Babcock]

Rob Babcock,
Sorry to hear about the dissapoinment with the Kyoto knives, I remember reading your comment and making a point of checking them.
Seems like there is a fundamental issue with the handles. Probably, green wood has been used and when drying, will twist and turn, cracking because of the blade preventing this.
Did you write to the company about it?

No, I haven't bothered. Guess I could, but they're just beater knives I got to play around with. If nothing else I'll keep em around and test new stones & sharpening products on them.

Mine don't seem to be an isolated case, since one other DC'er has experienced the same problem.

 

[Rob Babcock]

Btw, while they're not sold as steak knives, these laminated Mora knives work great. They take a breathtakingly sharp edge and are quite inexpensive. I've purchased from the vendor I linked to and have found their service fast and professional.

You could buy a half dozen Mora's for the price of one Shun, too.

 

[DrThunder88]

I need to get some more Moras! I like the looks of #22 Ragnar sells at RagweedForge. Ragnar's also a super-nice guy to deal with. I wonder if he'd reduce the price if you bought five or six of them and let him keep the sheaths.

 

[Jeekinz]

It's not really a 'delicate' looking knife. You can definately get the White Lotus grip on it though.

 

[DrThunder88]

Look in the bright side. It's "arthritis friendly."

 

[Rob Babcock]

Look in the bright side. It's "arthritis friendly."

Bump- BTTT! Man, Doc T- you always crack me up!