What knives are the best?

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there is no best. What fits your style of cooking and your hand (and your cash outlay) is what's best.

What do you really need? Chef knife, paring knife, (possibly: boning knife, fillet knife), slicing knife, bread knife (serrated). You can spend over $100 a knife. You can also check out a restaurant supply and get Forschner or Mundial, good food service equip. for mush less. They will sharpen well and hold an edge and you'll get 4 or 6 knives for the cost of one fancy knife.

What do you really want? answer these questions and you'll know what to get. It doesn't matter what I have in my kitchen...I'm not you.
 
OK, thank´s to your replay, but I´m not the cook begginer. I´m working in restaurant and hotel business 25 years. Actually I´ve got Giesser knives for 7 years and I´m satisfied at all, but I´ve tried couple of Sanelli knives and I´m really amazed!!! That´s why I´m asking here for any suggestions and experiences. Anyway thank´s for your reply and have good day Robo.
 
I'm with Robo.
Honestly, I've read so many things about so many brands of knives and have never really had the same outcome when testing.
You say you have been in the industry? Then really, go with which ever knife you feel would hold up to that sort of abuse..and which ever makes you happy like a school girl.
 
What did you find amazing about the Sanelli knives? Their ability to cut, take a keen edge and hold it, ease of sharpening? Since you are in the industry, do your co-workers respect others knives, or is every knife up for grabs? How much money can you stomach losing, if a knife gets ruined or stolen? In the kitchen Japanese knives are at the top of the heap. Their hard steel allows for thin and light knives, which take a very keen edge. It is possible to refine the edge on a Japanese knife, that it glides effortlessly through food. This isn't a good thing. Some Japanese cooks, use a term, which means run away knife. They believe a little friction is good. The down side of Japanese knives, with the hard metal, they are fragile and will chip if they run into bone or a hard vegetable. To get the most out of them, a person needs to learn how to sharpen. German knives have softer metal, and can stand up to the abuses of a working kitchen. When the edge hits something hard it will roll instead of chipping. A steel can usually straighten the edge. Then there are the knives made for the service industry. They get the job done at a reasonable price. Their steel can't take an edge and hold it like a Japanese knife. Hope this helps, Jay
 
I'm sorry that I have no advice to offer, only a question of my own. I love the blade design of the santoku knives. You can slice and dice more quickly without having half a potato suctioned to your knife. I'm sure there is a technical term for this design, but I call them air pockets :) However, I just can't get comfortable with the flat edge. I need the rock and roll of a traditional chef knife. Is there a hybrid knife that combines the best of both worlds? Or am I doomed to choose between the two?

Btw, no intentions of interrupting your thread, just figured there was no sense in starting a brand new thread for what I assume is probably a simple Q&A
 
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Plymountan: If you have worked with the same knife for so long, then come across one that you feel does a much better job, then that answers your own question. As Robo said, it's about what works for you.

SXOSLO1: Check out the Zasshu Knife, it might answer what you need.
 
I'm sure there is a technical term for this design, but I call them air pockets :) However, I just can't get comfortable with the flat edge. I need the rock and roll of a traditional chef knife. Is there a hybrid knife that combines the best of both worlds? Or am I doomed to choose between the two?

Knife makers put grantons or kullens on numerous styles of knives. It should not be a problem to find, a chef knife with kullens.

Many magazine and individual reviews have not found that kullens don't add much, if anything to the performance of a knife. The exception is a company called Glestain.

An example can be seen here: Glestain Chef Series Japanese Knife,Japanese Kitchen Knife,Japanese Cutlery,Japanese Chef's Knives.Com

Jay
 
Sanelli are about the high end price wise of entry level. The thing I can't figure out is how the heck you can sharpen all the way to the heel. The plastic "bolster", or rather the front end of the handle, is very, very thick and molded at about a 45 degree angle. My brother has a knife branded by Edward Don that looks exactly like the Sanelli right down to the two-tone coloration except that it's gray with red accents. It's impossible to sharpen the very heel, either on stones or belts.

I know some people like them but I'd give them a wide berth. JMOHO- YYMV.;)
 
Sanelli...It's impossible to sharpen the very heel, either on stones or belts.

I know some people like them but I'd give them a wide berth. JMOHO- YYMV.;)
This criticism can be made for most western knives, because of the bolster. Is your recommendation then to pick up a stamped steel knife such as a Forschner?

Jay
 
After looking at the specs, design, and price of this knife, it seems to me to have very little to offer. The knife is made of 440 steel hardened to 52-54 R. 440 is not the best grade of steel, and 52 is pretty soft. I don't see a 52 R steel holding an edge for any length of time. VG 10 is typically hardened to 60 or better. The 45 degree bolster would get in the way when using the knife to its outer limits of length, i.e halving a melon, and a with the bolster shape and materiel, would be difficult to sharpen without damaging the bolster. The cutting edge runs to the bolster. You either like the design or you don't. I don't. The site advertises the green color as being easier to see on the cutting surface. Not sure that would make a difference. A stainless blade with a black handle is pretty visible, and it is not a good idea to leave knives laying around anyway.

All in all, for my purposes and for the price, I think you would be better off with a commercial grade Forschner or Dexter, or a German Henkels or Wusthoff, or for a little more, a Japanese VG 10 blade.
 
check these

Coltellerie Sanelli S.p.A. created its Premana Professional collection by analysing and solving every last one of the problems that are encountered by the professional who uses these working tools every day. In short, these are the salient properties of the Premana Professional collection:

BLADES

Resistant hardness (54-56 HRC).
Good flexibility.
High cutting power.
Long edge life.
Edge shape especially designed for professional use.
Excellent sharpening potential.
The convex shape of the edge guarantees an efficient support when the user has to exert considerable force. The edge is not subject to chipping.
HANDLES

The exclusive ergonomic handle design is the result of special studies carried out at qualified University Institutes (a research unit named EPM: Ergonomics of Posture and Movement at the Milan Polytechnic) and tested by computerized experimental tests.
The ergonomic shape brings a sharp reduction in user fatigue.
The soft, but slightly rough surface makes the handle non-slip and much safer to use.
The material used is non-toxic and complies with the European rules.
The material used will resist sudden temperature changes (from -40°C to +150°C), corrosive agents and detergents.
This means that the knife can be cleaned in a dishwasher and sterilized.
The handle is perfectly balanced with the blade.
The handle’s green colour makes the knife immediately visible on the work bench: greater safety at work. The shape of the handle was designed at the computer.
By creating the Premana Professional collection, the aim of Coltellerie Sanelli S.p.A. is to make a decisive contribution to improving safety, reliability and hygiene at work. No other collection of professional cutlery currently available has all these properties. The Premana Professional collection knives are covered by European and U.S. patents.
 
This criticism can be made for most western knives, because of the bolster. Is your recommendation then to pick up a stamped steel knife such as a Forschner?

Jay

That criticism does apply to most Euro style knives, that's true- and they should be avoided if you know what you're doing. Well, my normal recommendation it to get a Japanese knife, that's wafer thin with no bolster!:ROFLMAO: But until you've seen that knife I don't thing you really "get" just how fat the handle is. All "traditional" Euro-style knives with a bolster are fatally flawed re sharpening the 1/4" in front of the bolster. But the Sanellis (unless the newer ones are different) it's almost impossible to the last 1/2" of the heel. We're talking almost 1" thick vs the 1/4" that you can't effectively sharpen on a traditional German boat anchor. Obviously you're better off letting the Germans build your car and the Japanese build your knives. But if you have to cut corners you can at least get the best of an inferior breed.:LOL: If you're not willing to get serious than a Forschner Fibrox might be your best bet.:)

If you're a little bit more serious than most, but don't want to spend enough to get a Japanese knife, get a Sab. But be advised that many companies use the name...
 
I received a Shun classic hg with vg10 clad steel last christmas. I love the knife. I looked online to see what the recommended for sharpening and they said you should only sharpen it twice a year! The steel is folded so well it wont dull if you use a good cutting board. I really didn't believe it. They also said to make sure you bring it to a professional sharpener who can put a perfect 16 degree edge on it. I believe there are also sharpeners you can buy to make the same angle. I've used it for 4 months now, and it is still amazingly sharp.
 
I sent off my daily user Kanetsune gyoto a few weeks back after a year of daily use. Still pretty sharp. Kanetsune and Shun steels are very similar. If you use a wood cutting board, wash by hand, and don't drop it on the granite counter top, the edge will last a long time.
 
....The steel is folded so well it wont dull if you use a good cutting board. I really didn't believe it. They also said to make sure you bring it to a professional sharpener who can put a perfect 16 degree edge on it. I believe there are also sharpeners you can buy to make the same angle. I've used it for 4 months now, and it is still amazingly sharp.

The part about the folding steel or doing it so well, makes a knife with good retention, in general isn't true.

The steel in Japanese knives is harder then those typically found in European knives. Harder means brittle. A hard knife, made out of steel or ceramic will chip. To compensate makers will sandwich or clad the hard steel, between soft steel. The edge can still chip, but the knife won't break, like a ceramic.

Depending on the properties knife makers value, will effect their choice of steel and how they work with it. Shun values a sharp knife that will hold its edge a long time.

Knives that have good wear resistance, in general are more difficult to sharpen. Additionally the cladding on a Shun is very soft and will easily scratch.


The Edge Pro is a nice system, if you have a number of knives to sharpen. If you only have the Shun, then sending it out, makes more sense. Just make sure whoever you send the knife to, is familiar with Japanese steel and Shuns.

Jay
 
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