Any Recommendations for knife set under 150?

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Korben_Dallas

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Feb 23, 2015
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Hey bladeforums brethren. I will be moving out soon and so comes buying many new things, including kitchen cutlery. The budget will be tight for me but I want a quality set for under 150. I've been eyeing a few J.A. Henckels sets but I'd be nice to hear some feedback before my purchase. I'd really like a Victorinox set but those are unattainable for me at the moment.
 
I'd suggest Tojiro DP line. $50 for a gyuto, $40 for paring, and about the same for bread or boning or petty. Also check out Yamashin knives, they're made with carbon White #1 steel as opposed to the stainless VG-10 in Tojiros. I have a Tojiro gyuto and Yamashin petty and I think both are great values for what I paid.
 
Tojiro DP would be a good bet. A "set" might be a little over $150 depending on how many knives you want, but you can work up to it as you acquire them. A Gyuto, Petty, Pairing would be a nice little set. There are also Slicers, Bread Knife, and other blade shapes you might be interested in. Performance will be better than the German offerings.
 
Best not to buy a cheap knife set.

Buy a nice block, and buy your knives one or two at a time.

You probably won't need the other stuff that sets include.

All you need is a chef knife, pairing, and maybe bread knife.
 
Alright guys I found that three piece Tojiro set right at my limit. Looks like an awesome set and vg10 is right up my alley. But there's a two piece set with just chef and paring for under 100. I may get that and add a bread knife. Thanks for the suggestions fellas.
 
Man billym now your making this difficult :p

Now I have to decide against the good quality but more economical option or those sexy vg10 Tojiro's. Or maybe the chef Tojiro and Victorinox paring knives for a start.

Is the santoku knife really needed or can the chef fill that role as well? Also do you guys use magnets to hold your kitchen cutlery?
 
HwangJino said:
Best not to buy a cheap knife set.

Buy a nice block, and buy your knives one or two at a time.

You probably won't need the other stuff that sets include.

All you need is a chef knife, pairing, and maybe bread knife.
Click to expand...

+1. This will save you money and keep you from occasionally pulling a knife out of your block and wondering why you even bought it.
 
Korben_Dallas said:
Man billym now your making this difficult :p

Now I have to decide against the good quality but more economical option or those sexy vg10 Tojiro's. Or maybe the chef Tojiro and Victorinox paring knives for a start.

Is the santoku knife really needed or can the chef fill that role as well? Also do you guys use magnets to hold your kitchen cutlery?
Click to expand...

I would get a chef knife or a santoku. It's nice to have both if you have two people cooking, but other than that I find them a bit superfluous.
 
Korben_Dallas said:
Man billym now your making this difficult :p

Now I have to decide against the good quality but more economical option or those sexy vg10 Tojiro's. Or maybe the chef Tojiro and Victorinox paring knives for a start.

Is the santoku knife really needed or can the chef fill that role as well? Also do you guys use magnets to hold your kitchen cutlery?
Click to expand...

I'd stay away from Vitorinox, while they have an outstanding reputation for their outdoor products their culinary line largley ends up in the beater pile used mostly for cracking bones, lobster, crabs open in my experience at least.

The Tojiro option is a great one, a gyuoto and a 5" or 120mm utility is pretty much all I use at home for most cooking. As Insipid mentioned having another capable blade is great if you have a sous chef handy to help out. That's why I'd suggest the 5" utility, it's a perfect blend between volume tasks and detail tasks that paring can do with a little choking up on the blade.

I'd add that the FKM line seems less attractive as it's not VG-10, but I can assure you standard Japanese MolyD steel is some of the most underrated steel on the market.
 
I also feel that a santoku is not necessary. I'd go for the two piece and then buy a utility or bread knife separately as the third.
 
It helps to have 2 chef knives also, especially when cooking for a large group etc, 2 chefs in the kitchen sharing 1 knife is no fun
 
I've gotten by on just a big cheif's knife and a couple paring knives. and I grab one of the outdoor knives from time to time. I like the victorinox hawkbill paring knife for some stuff, and they are cheap. Personal style comes into it as well. I vote for the collect over time. Matched sets are over-rated.
 
My wife and I often cook at the same time. My solution was to buy another knife block and start buying Tojiro DP knives. They are incredibly good buys. As others in this thread, I'd suggest you start with the Gyutou or Chef's knife, Parring knife, and a 6" petty. The Gyutou and the parring knife will take care of most all of the food prep chores, although the petty (Utility knife) often comes in handy. As long as your Gyutou is sharp, I think you will find you don't really need a bread knife and as gadgetgeek and others have said, you can buy the knives over time and get better quality. Buy the essentials up front and purchase others as the mood and finances allow.
 
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