Advice needed. I have $300 to spend on a few kitchen knives.

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Rancho5

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Feb 10, 2015
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Work is giving me a gift of $300 to spend on anything from Amazon. I’ve been at the company 30 years and this is just a little gift from them.

I’m thinking a Japanese Damascus knife set but to be honest, we probably won’t even use all the knives, so maybe just 2-3 knives. These will be strictly kitchen, knives…vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, etc. I know VG 10 is a great steel, and a lot of their Damascus knives have that, but is there a better steel that’s in my price range?

I’ve searched Amazon, but I’m just not that familiar with good names in the Japanese knife market. Any help appreciated. Thanks!
 
Either the Shun Classic 8" or my personal favorite, the Fallkniven K2 right now. I have MUCH and I mean MUCH nicer knives. They're high maintenance, not stainless, and really hard blades that require adequate sharpening skills and constant maintenance to maintain a laser edge which is the whole point of the steel. The stronger steels take a thinner edge at the apex but you have to always be on top of it.

The cladded SG2/Super White steel knives are sorta high maintenance. Shuns are nice enough and they're very stainless. The ease of sharpening is really important for kitchen knives, and you should really be maintaining the edge after every use or at least weekly if you use them every day. The reason I like the K2 is because of the convex grind, rubberized handle, and I love Fallknivens sporting knives which are absolutely world-class

Like this piece is amazing in HAP-40 but that steel is 65RC.. thats not would I would recommend anybody buy. Most people really would not push their knives hard enough to notice a huge difference.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohagy181.html

I think VG-10 is among the greatest knife steels for the kitchen.
 
I’ve got Yaxell Mon series knives. It’s clad vg-10. And I love them. And a great value. You could get 2 or 3 (depending) for that budget.
 
You should take a look at the Miyabi with FC61 stainless steel. Decent steel, easy to sharpen, but the best thing is the grind is thin and cuts very well even when not super sharp. I have a number of more expensive gyutos but this is the work horse in our kitchen for my wife and guests.
 
You could get a Tojiro chef knife, petty and paring knife for under $300 if you want a set.

San Mai VG10 steel with polymer handles, good geometry and decent fit and finish.

Not flashy, but solid performers.
 
Rancho5 said:
Work is giving me a gift of $300 to spend on anything from Amazon. I’ve been at the company 30 years and this is just a little gift from them.

I’m thinking a Japanese Damascus knife set but to be honest, we probably won’t even use all the knives, so maybe just 2-3 knives. These will be strictly kitchen, knives…vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, etc. I know VG 10 is a great steel, and a lot of their Damascus knives have that, but is there a better steel that’s in my price range?

I’ve searched Amazon, but I’m just not that familiar with good names in the Japanese knife market. Any help appreciated. Thanks!
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Why Japanese vs. German? I don't own any Japanese kitchen knives as they tend to be brittle vs, say Wusthof and of the Shuns and Miyabi, I find them less comfortable. I'm not saying this is the set for you but IMO, it's a set all most will find more than sufficient for almost all kitchen tasks. I bought the original Gran Prix version of these knives 30 years ago and use them to this day. My set came with a wood drawer block and steel. I want for nothing more (well, a bread knife but I added that later).

71qoyvM5YML._AC_SL1500_.jpg

Wusthof Classic 3 piece set
 
CSG said:
Why Japanese vs. German? I don't own any Japanese kitchen knives as they tend to be brittle vs, say Wusthof and of the Shuns and Miyabi, I find them less comfortable. I'm not saying this is the set for you but IMO, it's a set all most will find more than sufficient for almost all kitchen tasks. I bought the original Gran Prix version of these knives 30 years ago and use them to this day. My set came with a wood drawer block and steel. I want for nothing more (well, a bread knife but I added that later).

71qoyvM5YML._AC_SL1500_.jpg

Wusthof Classic 3 piece set
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Yeah I have some of those and they are nice knives.

Buck makes some nice kitchen cutlery as well, but those are only available on their website so an Amazon gift card isn't gonna work.
 
ChrisHimself said:
Like this piece is amazing in HAP-40 but that steel is 65RC.. thats not would I would recommend anybody buy. Most people really would not push their knives hard enough to notice a huge difference.
https://www.chefknivestogo.com/kohagy181.html

I think VG-10 is among the greatest knife steels for the kitchen.
Click to expand...
I have the 240mm version of that Kohetsu series and it's as good as anything I've ever seen under $1000. In fact, the only rival it has in my collection is my Nubatama 240mm Ryuto that cost me $900. HAP-40 is arguably the best kitchen knife steel there is for a professional chef's kit (although "best" is pretty subjective).
Mitchell Knives said:
You could get a Tojiro chef knife, petty and paring knife for under $300 if you want a set.

San Mai VG10 steel with polymer handles, good geometry and decent fit and finish.

Not flashy, but solid performers.
Click to expand...
This is probably about the best answer. The Tojiro DP line is one of the best values out there. I think they recently changed the name but the knives are unchanged so far as I can tell. They're VG-10 like a Shun but with a better HT and better geometry. I'd probably opt for the 240mm Tojiro Gyuto, the Tojiro bread knife and the Tojiro petty in that order. For the most part I use a gyuto for almost everything, and for my own kit I'd ditch the petty/paring knife in favor of the Gokujo/boning knife.

My work kit as at least six knives over $300 each but I still keep two Tojiro DPs in there.
 
For 2 to 3 knives and a $300 budget I would go with Tojiro or maybe Masahiro. An 8" gyuto or 6" honesuki, 4-5" petty and or 3" paring.

I am quite happy with any of their steels - stainless or carbon - in this price range.
 
Years ago, my wife and I wanted some economical kitchen knives that weren't too large, but large enough to do the job. We wanted dishwasher safe and an indestructible handle, along with stainless steel blades that would maintain a razor-sharp edge. Not much to ask, right? OK, we found two types of discontinued Cold Steel knives that were on sale for bargain prices: the 6" blade "Western Hunter" and the 7" blade "Long Hunter". Both models met all of requirements and we ordered four of each. Still have them. Five of the eight are still in storage. All told, we spent about $130, including shipping. These are very versatile knives; completely at home in the kitchen.
 
Rancho5 said:
Work is giving me a gift of $300 to spend on anything from Amazon. I’ve been at the company 30 years and this is just a little gift from them.

I’m thinking a Japanese Damascus knife set but to be honest, we probably won’t even use all the knives, so maybe just 2-3 knives. These will be strictly kitchen, knives…vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, etc. I know VG 10 is a great steel, and a lot of their Damascus knives have that, but is there a better steel that’s in my price range?

I’ve searched Amazon, but I’m just not that familiar with good names in the Japanese knife market. Any help appreciated. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Never get the sets, they're never good.
To be honest, 300 bucks would get me 1 or 2 decent knives.
You just need a chef knife and paring knife. Buy them separately, but a good maker.

Chefknivestogo is a good place.
 
HwangJino said:
Never get the sets, they're never good.
To be honest, 300 bucks would get me 1 or 2 decent knives.
You just need a chef knife and paring knife. Buy them separately, but a good maker.

Chefknivestogo is a good place.
Click to expand...
This 👆

When. I was in my early 20s living in Germany I went shopping for kitchen knives one day and came home with a set of Zwilling, complete with block. Think it was about seven knives. I only used about three of them - probably paring, boning and bread knife.

Only thing I would add to a paring and chef knife is a bread knife. But one can certainly make do with just the paring and chef knife.
 
Look at the Yoshihiro or Masamoto store on amazon. Or search amazon by Tojiro or Misono. Stick with a real brand. Lots on there sound like a Japanese knife brand, but they aren't. Look at some other non amazon Japanese chef knives websites and search for those brands on amazon. 210-240mm gyuto, 100-130mm petty (their version of a paring knife), and maybe a bread knife. The Tojiro 270mm/10.6" scalloped edge bread knife is great!

Search:

Tojiro DP Damascus 2 Piece Knife Set - 8.25" Chef's Knife with 4" Paring Knife ​

TOJIRO JAPAN Hand Made Chef Bread Knife Slicer Cutter, 10.6" Blade - Reinforced Laminated Material​

 
Taz said:
Look at the Yoshihiro or Masamoto store on amazon. Or search amazon by Tojiro or Misono. Stick with a real brand. Lots on there sound like a Japanese knife brand, but they aren't. Look at some other non amazon Japanese chef knives websites and search for those brands on amazon. 210-240mm gyuto, 100-130mm petty (their version of a paring knife), and maybe a bread knife. The Tojiro 270mm/10.6" scalloped edge bread knife is great!

Search:

Tojiro DP Damascus 2 Piece Knife Set - 8.25" Chef's Knife with 4" Paring Knife ​

TOJIRO JAPAN Hand Made Chef Bread Knife Slicer Cutter, 10.6" Blade - Reinforced Laminated Material​

Click to expand...
I would add Masahiro, Masamune, KAI and Mcusta.
 
Taz said:
Look at the Yoshihiro or Masamoto store on amazon. Or search amazon by Tojiro or Misono. Stick with a real brand. Lots on there sound like a Japanese knife brand, but they aren't. Look at some other non amazon Japanese chef knives websites and search for those brands on amazon. 210-240mm gyuto, 100-130mm petty (their version of a paring knife), and maybe a bread knife. The Tojiro 270mm/10.6" scalloped edge bread knife is great!

Search:

Tojiro DP Damascus 2 Piece Knife Set - 8.25" Chef's Knife with 4" Paring Knife ​

TOJIRO JAPAN Hand Made Chef Bread Knife Slicer Cutter, 10.6" Blade - Reinforced Laminated Material​

Click to expand...
Most my knives are yoshihiro.
I bought a few when they weren't well known. I got a yanagi for about $150. They're over $300 for the same knife now. I have one that's about $900, love it.
Also have a gyuto and sujihiki, but western handles. I would recommend Yohishiro all day.
 
RPZIP said:
This 👆

When. I was in my early 20s living in Germany I went shopping for kitchen knives one day and came home with a set of Zwilling, complete with block. Think it was about seven knives. I only used about three of them - probably paring, boning and bread knife.

Only thing I would add to a paring and chef knife is a bread knife. But one can certainly make do with just the paring and chef knife.
Click to expand...
I've been a chef over 25 years and never owned a bread knife. My sujihiki is sharp enough to cut bread. A very thin edge and geometry goes a long way!

My steak knives are also non serrated, hate em.
 
I recently got a baccarat pairing knife witch is quite good.

But they also do some amazing designs. So if looks are important. They would be a good choice.

(I assume they are mid to good. But I wouldn't know the difference)

They have versions of flash Japanese themed stuff.

 
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